10 Stories You Should Know: 04/04/2023

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 Tuesday, April 4th, 2023:

Disney EMEA Staff Bracing For Layoffs & Content Cuts (Deadline)
Disney’s international teams are braced for layoffs and content cuts. Multiple sources both inside and outside the Mouse House have told Deadline they are expecting redundancies and budget cuts to come shortly, and that these plans are currently being finalized.

Netflix Korea To Implement New Verification Process For Reality Show Participants (News1)
On Tuesday, Netflix Korea held an event at Community House Masil in Seoul, South Korea, where content team manager Yoo Ki-hwan discussed the platform’s upcoming slate of reality shows and how participants of these projects will be selected.

EC Probes Orange, MásMóvil Merger (Advanced-Television)
The European Commission (EC) has opened an in-depth investigation into the potential merger between Orange and MásMóvil on the grounds that the operation could lead to higher prices and affect the quality of services. Brussels will now have 90 working days (until August 21st) to conclude whether the operation may hinder competition.

Lotte Cultureworks To Produce Korean Adaptation Of Yes TV’s Israeli Series ‘On The Spectrum’ (Deadline)
Korea's Lotte Cultureworks is teaming with Desert Bloom Pictures to produce a Korean-language adaptation of autism comedy drama On The Spectrum, which was originally produced by Israel's Yes TV. The series has also been adapted into an English-language version by Amazon Prime Video under the title As We See It. 

Ninja Warrior Renewed In US And Germany (Rapid TV News)
Marking further global success for the original sports entertainment reality format, Ninja Warrior from Tokyo Broadcasting System Television has gained a two series order from NBC in the US, the fifteenth and sixteenth seasons while RTL in Germany has also renewed for an eighth season.

Dataxis: Producers Diverging On US FAST Strategy (Digital TV Europe)
Fremantle’s Supermarket Sweep is the producer-created FAST channel with the greatest monthly reach in the US, followed by Sony’s Game Show Central and BBC Studios’ Classic Doctor Who, according to a survey by research outfit Dataxis. Sony, BBC Studios and Fremantle dominate the FAST channel universe created by production companies and distributed via the platforms of big tech companies and device manufacturers such as Amazon, Roku and Samsung TV Plus, according to Dataxis.

MBC Series ‘Dof’at London’ Prompts Govts’ Criticism Over ‘Misrepresentation’ Of Iraqis (Arab News)
Iraqi and Kuwaiti officials said the series, which features a pan-Arab cast and is streamed as part of MBC’s special Ramadan programming, “offend” the two countries’ longstanding diplomatic ties.

“Dof’at London” — which means “London Class” — tells the story of a group of Arab medical students who move to London to study during the 1980s and attempt to reconcile Arab traditions and conservative values with the liberal ideals of life in the British capital.

‘Chernobyl’ Studio Sister Buys Stake in Courteney Cox-Backed TV, Tech Startup Yes Yes Media (The Hollywood Reporter)
Sister, the media group and production company co-founded by Elisabeth Murdoch, Jane Featherstone and Stacey Snider, has taken a significant stake in newly launched TV and tech entertainment company Yes Yes Media, founded by British broadcaster and format developer Richard Bacon.

beIN Renews PTO Tour Deal (Advanced-Television)
The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) has renewed its deal with beIN Sports, as one of the main broadcasters of the 2023 PTO Tour. The deal will see them broadcast the PTO Tour on a non-exclusive basis in MENA, Asia and North America (US & Canada).

Parrot Analytics: The Mandalorian fronts Finland’s top 10 (Digital TV Europe)
Disney’s leading Star Wars series The Mandalorian has topped Parrot Analytics’ originals in-demand chart for the week ending April 1 in Finland. Parrot Analytics analyses the demand for recent popular digital titles across international markets, based on the application of artificial intelligence to expressions of demand across social media, fan sites, peer-to-peer protocols and file-sharing.