10 Global TV Stories You Should Know: 02/28/2024

Here are the stories that should be on your radar

Here are the global TV and streaming TV stories that should be on your radar for Wednesday, February 28th, 2024:

Disney And Reliance Clinch Joint Venture In India (Deadline)
Disney and Reliance have announced an anticipated deal in India to merge their respective digital streaming and television assets, creating "a world class leader across entertainment and sports, the companies said today.

Epic Chess Show ‘Rematch,’ Bought By HBO Europe And Disney+ (Variety)
A rare flagship indie producer left on the French market, Bruno Nahon‘s Paris-based company Unité is preparing to conquer international audiences with “Rematch,” a period psychological thriller chronicling the historical battle between world chess champion Garry Kasparov (Christian Cooke, “That Dirty Black Bag”), and IBM’s supercomputer Deep Blue in 1997.

OFC Strikes Exclusive Partnership With FIFA+ (Sportcal)
The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), the governing body for soccer in the region, has partnered with FIFA+, the global governing body’s free streaming service, to boost Oceania soccer exposure worldwide. The deal, which runs from 2024 to 2025, covers the OFC’s live streaming, data, and media rights and makes FIFA+ the official exclusive global home for all OFC competitions for the next two years, with all of the matches being streamed globally.

Exclusive: Prime Video Preps ‘The Grand Tour’ Return, With UK Trio Pitching (TBI Vision)
Amazon Prime Video has enlisted three UK-based production companies to pitch new versions of The Grand Tour as the streamer looks to extend the show, TBI understands. The Grand Tour has been a flagship for Prime Video since its launch in 2016, with former Top Gear trio Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May presenting five seasons, the final episodes of which are set to air later this year.

Amazon MGM Studios’ James Farrell Outlines Strategy for Original Content in Spain, Globally Following ‘Red Queen’ Premiere (Variety)
A sign of Spain’s rising profile as a top market for Prime Video, Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios, and James Farrell, the L.A.-based VP of international originals at Prime Video, flew to Madrid this week, with the world premiere of “Red Queen” (“Reina Roja”), the series adaption of the first book in Juan Gómez-Jurado’s hit trilogy, taking place on Monday night.

Canal+ Ordered To Make MultiChoice Offer (Advanced-Television)
South Africa’s Takeover Regulations Panel (TRP) has ruled that French media company Canal+, owned by Vivendi, must make a mandatory offer immediately to buy the remaining shares of pay-TV company MultiChoice. Canal+, the biggest shareholder, offered to buy the rest of the company for €2.5 billion earlier this February.

Tubi Gets New Logo, Sonic Brand ID As It Gears Up For International Expansion (Variety)
Tubi has given its logo an overhaul and a new coat of vivid paint — and has introduced a buoyant sonic logo akin to Netflix’s “tudum” — as the Fox Corp.-owned streamer prepares to launch into more international markets.

IQiyi, Chinese Streamer, Loses Subscribers but Records First Annual Profit (Variety)
IQiyi, the Chinese streaming platform that is part of Baidu, revealed its first full year net profits, in 2023, even as its subscriber total dropped by more than 10%. The company enjoyed a 10% increase in revenue to RMB31.9 billion ($4.5 billion) in the year to December, it said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday. Net income was RMB1.9 billion ($271 million), compared with a loss of RMB136 ($19 million).

Max Goes Live In LatAm, Caribbean (Advanced-Television)
Streaming service Max is now available in Latin America and the Caribbean.  The offering from Warner Bros Discovery offers content across a variety of genres and formats from its family of brands including HBO, Warner Bros., the DC universe, Discovery, Discovery Home & Health, ID, Cartoon Network, Discovery Kids, Cartoonito,and adult swim.

MGM+ Names Michael Katzer As Head Of International (TBI Vision)
Amazon-owned streamer MGM+ has appointed Michael Katzer to become its head of international. Katzer is moving to London and will oversee all operations outside of the US, reporting into MGM+ Global’s general manager, Josh McIvor. He will work with execs across Amazon’s streaming operations, including Prime Video, as well as MGM’s US-based team.