10 Global TV Stories You Should Know: 08/21/2024

Here are the stories that should be on your radar

Here are the global TV and streaming television stories that should be on your radar for Wednesday, August 21st, 2024:

Netflix’s Anne Mensah Says TV Industry Must “Admit Our Own Biases” & Addresses ‘Baby Reindeer’ Controversy (Deadline)
Netflix’s UK content chief, Anne Mensah, has called on the TV industry to face up to its in-built biases and help allow diverse creatives to “find their truth.” In a spotlight session here at the Edinburgh TV Festival ahead of James Graham’s MacTaggart lecture, which is expected to focus on the industry’s issues with class, former BBC and Sky exec Mensah said she was “super-hyper-focused” on addressing diversity in UK television.

Prime Video Adds NFL Game Pass In UK Through DAZN Tie-Up (Sportcal)
E-commerce giant Amazon’s Prime Video OTT service has added NFL Game Pass, the in-house international OTT broadcast option of American football’s National Football League, to its offering as a paid add-on. For a fee of £29.99 ($39.10) per month on top of the base Prime Video subscription, customers can watch the service as an additional channel through the Prime Video platform.

France: Paramount+ In Canal+ Packages (Advanced-Television)
Paramount+, the streaming service from Paramount Global, and Canal+ Group have announced the expansion of their partnership in France. This strategic collaboration aims to expand the distribution of Paramount+ and its content in France. Through the extended deal, Canal+ subscribers can access Paramount at no additional cost, whatever subscription plan they have, starting immediately.

Disney Chief Backs ‘Doctor Who’ As “Really Good Fit” After Ncuti Gatwa’s First Season (Deadline)
Disney has hailed Doctor Who as a “really good fit” for Disney+ amid industry chatter over whether its ambitious co-production deal with the BBC has been a success. Liam Keelan, Disney’s SVP of original productions in EMEA, said the company was “happy to have” the Ncuti Gatwa sci-fi series on Disney+.

EBU Renews Rights To World Aquatics Competitions Through 2026 (Sportcal)
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the continent’s major alliance of public service broadcasters, has announced the multi-year renewal of its agreement with the World Aquatics (WA) governing body that will see it continue as the exclusive rightsholder for WA competitions across its member territories.

Leading UK TV Execs Say There Are Too Many Production Companies: “There Isn’t Enough Money & Hours To Keep Everyone Alive (Deadline)
A trio of British TV behemoths have said there are too many production companies as the middle falls out of the market. Banijay UK boss Patrick Holland, It’s a Sin exec Nicola Shindler and BBC iplayer/channels chief Dan McGolpin all roundly agreed that the amount of work currently in the ether is unsustainable for the number of indies when questioned during this morning’s big panel at the Edinburgh TV Festival.

DAZN Handball FAST Channel On Pluto TV in DACH (Advanced-Television)
DAZN, the sports streaming platform, and Pluto TV, Paramount’s FAST TV service, have announcd the extension and expansion of their partnership to bring sports content to Pluto TV. As part of the new agreement, fans will be able to enjoy another new and free DAZN Free TV channel – a dedicated handball channel – exclusively on Pluto TV in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. 

‘Sherwood’ Writer James Graham Wanted to ‘Protect’ Show’s ‘Twists and Turns’ By Dropping Episodes Weekly Instead of All at Once (Variety)
“There was of course a discussion about whether to make the entire series available on iPlayer, rather than weekly,” he explained. “I am not against that freedom of choice for an audience. A good old binge works for some shows. But I also really cherish those television experiences that stretch out, that demand we wait, so that actual, in-real-life conversations can be generated around the work. Those infamous ‘watercooler’ conversations the morning after the night before.”

Netflix U.K. Documentary Talent Fund Returning for Third Year (The Hollywood Reporter)
Netflix is bringing back its U.K. Documentary Talent Fund for its third year “in a bid to provide opportunities for underrepresented filmmakers in the U.K. and Ireland.” This year’s brief for makers of short documentaries who want to participate is simply: “You’re never gonna believe this…”

ITV Boss Says “We Are Not Turning Stuff Down Because We Can’t Afford It” To Reassure Producers Amid Market Contraction (Deadline)
ITV is yet to find itself in a position where it is “turning stuff down because we can’t afford it,” according to programs boss Kevin Lygo, who nonetheless acknowledged “the middle ground has gone” from the the market due to massive hits like Netflix’s The Gentlemen.