US sports streaming joint venture to be known as Venu Sports, UEFA finals to be available free-to-view on Discovery+, Prime confirm 'Elle' series...
1. Banijay Entertainment Group posted first-quarter revenue up 10.6% on a year ago at €1bn, despite content production revenue falling 2.3% and distribution revenue 12.5%, “reflecting amplified seasonality of major scripted show deliveries and revenue recognition towards fourth quarter 2024 compared to 2023". Adjusted Ebitda was 11.2% higher at €164m.
News Source The Hollywood Reporter : https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/banijay-q1-2024-revenue-rebrand-1235899867/
2. The US sports streaming joint venture from Disney's ESPN , Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery will be known as Venu (pronounced “venue”) Sports. CEO Pete Distad said: “As preparations for the platform continue to accelerate, we are singularly focused on delivering a best-in-class product for our target audience, built from the ground up using the latest technologies to engage and entertain discerning sports fans wanting one-stop access to live games." No details of a launch date or pricing were revealed, with the platform still to receive the necessary regulatory approvals.
News Source Warner Bros. Discovery : https://press.wbd.com/na/media-release/tnt-sports/venu-sports-introduced-name-forthcoming-sports-streaming-service
3. Warner Bros. Discovery international president Gerhard Zeiler said the group does not intend to renew HBO 's output deal with Sky in its current form when it ends in 2025, confirming the programming will be used to launch Max in the UK, Germany and Italy. He said: “We see it every single day - that this content is working. Every single day we see the ratings for the Warner Bros. and the HBO content which we sell to Sky. Sky was always a great partner for us, and it’s still a great partner today. That’s number one. But we will launch Max in these three markets. These are three of the most important markets outside of the US. There is no reason we should not do that. Why should we disadvantage ourselves by not launching Max?”
News Source Deadline Hollywood : https://deadline.com/2024/05/warner-bros-discovery-hbo-output-deal-sky-max-streaming-expansion-1235917910/
4. UK rightsholder TNT Sports said it is to make the men's UEFA Champions League final, Europa League final and Europa Conference League final available free-to-view on Discovery+.
News Source Advanced Television : https://advanced-television.com/2024/05/15/uefa-finals-free-on-discovery/
5. Netflix announced monthly active users of its ad-supported tier have risen from less than 5m a year ago to 40m, with more than 40% of new sign-ups opting for the plan. Ad sales chief Amy Reinhard also told the group's Upfronts presentation that Netflix is to launch an in-house advertising technology platform, after originally going live with Microsoft's stack. She said: "Bringing our ad tech in-house will allow us to power the ads plan with the same level of excellence that’s made Netflix the leader in streaming technology today. We’re being incredibly strategic about how we present ads because we want our members to have a phenomenal experience. We conduct deep consumer research to make sure we stay ahead of the competition, bringing opportunities that are better for members and better for brands.” Netflix later said that Microsoft will “still remain a programmatic partner for Netflix globally.”
News Source The Hollywood Reporter : https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/netflix-ad-tier-update-40m-users-shift-from-microsoft-1235900301/
6. 尼尔森 figures showed YouTube accounted for almost 10% of main set TV viewing in the US last month, close to market leader Disney on 11.5%. YouTube chief business officer Mary Ellen Coe said: "We’re talking about creators as the studios of the future."
News Source The Wall Street Journal : https://www.wsj.com/business/media/youtube-viewership-cable-25bf3589?
7. German broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE Group posted first-quarter revenue up 6% year-on-year at €867m, with adjusted Ebitda 35% higher at €72m. Ad revenues were up 5%, while monthly users of streaming service Joyn were 42% higher sequentially at 6.5m. CFO Martin Mildner reiterated the group's full-year outlook, and said: "In 2023, we have set a new course both operationally and strategically. In the first quarter, we are now seeing the first clear effects of our efficiency measures. At the same time, the advertising business, which is particularly important for us, is continuing to recover."
News Source Variety : https://variety.com/2024/tv/global/prosiebensat-1-financial-results-quarter-1-2024-1236002080/
8. Comcast will offer US users a streaming bundle featuring Peacock , Netflix and Apple TV + , at a “vastly reduced price to anything in the market today”. CEO Brian Roberts told the MoffettNathanson Media, Internet & Communications Conference: “We’ve been bundling video successfully and creatively for 60 years. And so this is the latest iteration of that, and I think this will be a pretty compelling package.” The NBCUniversal owner's announcement follows last week’s streaming services tie-up between Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney, offering a bundle of the Disney+, Hulu Hulu and Max.
News Source The Guardian : https://www.theguardian.com/media/article/2024/may/14/comcast-streaming-bundle-peacock-netflix-apple-tv
9. Barb Audiences figures showed Channel 4 streaming served 6.5bn minutes in April, up 22% year-on-year. Viewing among 16-34s was up 15% to 1.7bn minutes. Chief content officer Ian Katz said: “We are delighted to see the continued growth in streaming of Channel 4 shows, fuelled by our unique blend of returning favourites and noisy new shows."
News Source Advanced Television : https://advanced-television.com/2024/05/10/data-channel-4-streaming-audience-up-22/
10. Actress Reese Witherspoon has said she is "so excited" about a new Legally Blonde prequel series, which will premiere next year.
亚马逊 Prime Video confirmed the series, titled Elle, was in development earlier this week.
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It will follow Witherspoon's character Elle Woods before the events of Legally Blonde.
The star will executive produce the show, but it has not yet been announced who will play the teenage Elle Woods.
In a video shared on Instagram, Witherspoon could be seen getting dressed and applying pink lipstick before brandishing a "top secret" scented script ahead of an Amazon Prime Video presentation to advertisers.
News Source BBC News : https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn0r038d8neo
This week's Critic's Picks
Chosen families can be stronger than blood ties in this week’s Critic’s Picks of the latest TV shows and films on streaming channels.
Hug a few family trees with Damon Smith’s recommendations and the platforms you can find them on.
FAST Conference 2024 - London
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Hosted by Amagi Corporation, the one-day event on May 15 explored the current threats, challenges and opportunities facing FAST channels.
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If weren't able to chat to either Paul or Wafee - reach out to them if you're keen to discover how we can confidently collaborate in the rapidly evolving FAST space.
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