10 Global TV Stories You Should Know: 12/19/2023

Here are the stories that should be on your radar

Here are the global TV and streaming stories that should be on your radar for Tuesday, December 19th, 2023:

British Airways U-Turns On Decision To Remove Jewish Sitcom From Inflight Entertainment Amidst Israel-Hamas War (Deadline)
British Airways (BA) has U-turned on its decision to remove a sitcom about the British Jewish community from its inflight entertainment package in the wake of the Israel-Hamas War. Hapless, which revolves around an obsessive and gaffe-prone journalist for a fictional Jewish newspaper was initially due to screen on BA from late this year but after a content review it was removed.

BBC Has 7 Of The 10 Most-Watched Shows In 2023 (Advanced-Television)
The BBC has seven out of ten of the most watched shows in 2023 (so far) across all UK broadcasters and streamers. The King’s Coronation, crime drama Happy Valley and the Eurovision Song Contest came out on top.

ZDF Studios, Boogie Entertainment, France TV Distribution Partner On ‘Blood Red Thread,’ Combining ‘Reality Of Crime Story With Fantasy Of Fashion’ (Variety)
Set in the “glamorous and cutthroat” world of fashion, the six-part series – also described as “stylish, witty and outrageous” – will expose various challenges the industry is facing, all the while following businessmen who rule the boardroom and clash with “divas of design,” both battling for power.  

Prado Steps Down As Mediaset Spain President (Advanced-Television)
Borja Prado has announced his decision to step down as president of Mediaset Spain after just 20 months in the role. He confirmed the news during during a Mediaset board of directors’ meeting. Prado’s decision comes following many internal conflicts with the two CEOs of the company, Alejandro Salem, with editorial responsabilities, and Massimo Musolino, responsible of Operations.

Government Pushes Korean Content To France As Paris Olympics Approach (Korea JoongAng Daily)
The Korea Creative Content Agency aims to export Korean content to European markets as the Paris 2024 Olympics approach. Kocca plans to establish 10 business centers in various countries and allocate around $51.9 million for content.

RTL and Sky Deutschland to share Formula 1 and football rights (Broadband TV News)
German broadcasters RTL and Sky Deutschland have agreed a strategic partnership in the content sector. In the first step of the two-year agreement, RTL will broadcast seven Formula 1 races live per season, marking Formula 1’s return to German free-to-air TV. RTL will also show one Premier League match per week on its streaming service RTL+ and add live coverage of second-division Bundesliga to RTL.

Report: Nordic Video Market Approaching €10bn In Revenue (Advanced-Television)
The total Nordic video market is expected to reach €9.8 billion for the full year of 2023. The total market has grown two per cent yearly over the past four years, excluding currency effects (fixed to 2019). If this growth rate remains, the market will surpass €10 billion in 2024, forecasts Mediavision.

Movistar Plus+ Secures New Deal With Disney (Digital TV Europe)
Telefónica-owned streaming and pay TV service Movistar Plus+ has renewed its agreement with The Walt Disney Company, ensuring the continued presence of streamer Disney+ on its service as well as the supply of a raft of channels to its offering. Movistar Plus+ will also continue to be the exclusive Spanish home of coverage of the Oscar ceremony, which it has aired exclusively for over a decade.

New Warner Bros. Discovery Come To OSN JC (Broadband TV News)
Three new channels from Warner Bros. Discovery will go live on OSNtv in the Middle East from January 1. Fatafeat is the region’s popular Arabic food network; Cartoon Network is familiar for its animated series and will feature a dual language soundtrack, while Animal Planet puts the world’s wildlife on camera.

Canal+ Poland Joins Spanish & Serbian Drama ‘Scar’ From Plano a Plano (TBI Vision)
Canal+ Poland has become the latest buyer to board upcoming RTVE and Prime Video drama Scar (aka Cicatriz), which is believed to be the first scripted collaboration between Spanish and Serbian companies. The 8 x 50-minute thriller is based on the novel of the same name by Juan Gómez-Jurado.