10 Stories You Should Know: 03/16/2023
Here are the global TV stories that should be on your radar
Here are the global TV and streaming stories that should be on your radar for Thursday, March 16th, 2023:
UK Government Asks Producers For Data On Channel 4 As In-House Productions Plan Moves To Next Stage (Deadline)
The UK government has asked producers to provide data on their Channel 4 commissions as the controversial plan to create a C4 in-house production unit moves to the next stage. Dozens of UK producers were contacted by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) earlier this week with a request for information on their deals with Channel 4.
RTL FY 2022: Strong Revenue Growth (Advanced-Television)
Pan-European broadcaster RTL has reported full-year Group revenue up 8.8 per cent to a record level of €7.2 billion, up 1.6 per cent organically despite decreasing advertising markets in Germany and France. Paying subscribers for RTL Group’s streaming services in Germany, the Netherlands and Hungary up 44.3 per cent to 5.5 million.
Eastern European OTT Revenues To Double By 2022 (Rapid TV News)
Despite the war in Ukraine, the Eastern European over-the-top TV market is expected to be strong over the next six years, with OTT TV episode and film revenues in 22 countries in the region rising from $2.9 billion in 2022 to $5.7 billion in 2028 says Digital TV Research.
Producer Scott M. Rosenfelt Joins Philippines Crime Series ‘Sellblock’ as Blue Fox Boards for Sales (Variety)
Planned as a three-season series, “Sellblock” chronicles the activities of one of Asia’s biggest drug empires which is operating from inside a Philippines maximum-security prison. Production is scheduled to start in May.
Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ Head Streaming Users’ Most Essential Services (Rapid TV News)
Research from Aluma Insights has found that two-thirds of Netflix buyers view the service as fundamental to meeting household video needs, with only Hulu and Disney+ also having the majority of users considering the service essential instead of just nice to have.
Omdia: SVoD Original Production Returned To Growth In 2022 (Advanced-Television)
After being hit by production delays and cancelations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, content origination by the world’s leading online streamers rebounded in 2022, according to new research published by Omdia’s Digital Content & Channels Intelligence Service. Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Paramount+, and Peacock collectively released a total of 1,752 titles and 4,878 hours of first-run original content in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 60 per cent in titles and 87 per cent in hours.
APX Forms Joint Venture With Doc Producer Spring Films (The Hollywood Reporter)
APX Group, a New York-, Los Angeles- and London-based film, media and entertainment fund owned by a group of private financiers from the U.S., Italy, Spain and the U.K., has struck a joint venture agreement with London documentary producer Spring Films.
For Now, No Start Date For The AMC+ Streaming Service In Poland (Wirtual Media)
Run by the American company AMC Networks, the AMC+ streaming service was to debut in Central and Eastern Europe in the first quarter of 2023. Although it is coming to an end, the press office of the AMC film station has no information about the launch of the new service on the Polish market. In other markets, the debut of AMC+ was also delayed.
Idris Elba & Mo Abudu Forge African TV & Film Partnership (Deadline)
Idris Elba and Mo Abudu have partnered on a landmark initiative to “empower and uplift talent from Africa and the Diaspora.” The Luther star’s Green Door Pictures will tie with Abudu’s EbonyLife Media on the plan – the first of its kind in the continent – which will feature a development slate of TV and film projects along with continent-wide training programs.
Viaplay Announces Lead For First UK Original, Rebus (Broadband TV News)
Outlander star Richard Rankin is to take the role of John Rebus in a new drama based on Sir Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus novels.