10 Stories You Should Know: 04/24/2023

Here are the global TV stories that should be on your radar.

Here are the global TV and streaming news stories that should be on your radar for Monday, April 24th:

Disney Begins Largest Wave Of Layoffs, Will Get More Than Halfway To Target Of 7,000 Staff Cuts This Week (Deadline)
Disney is initiating the second and largest round of its planned layoffs Monday and expects to reach 4,000 of its projected 7,000 staff cuts by Thursday. A staff memo from Disney Entertainment Co-Chairmen Alan Bergman and Dana Walden delivered the news.

Latin America Is A Boon To Netflix’s Global Expansion Efforts (Insider Intelligence)
As Netflix matures and faces moderating growth in its home US market, its paid memberships in Latin America rose 4.1% year-over-year (YoY) in the first quarter.

Len Goodman Dies: Former ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ & ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Judge Was 78 (Deadline)
Goodman was a popular judge on the BBC’s smash entertainment format Strictly Come Dancing from its inception in 2004 until 2016, where he became well known for his light-hearted enthusiasm and witty banter. He was replaced by Shirley Ballas in 2016.

Goodman was simultaneously head judge on Strictly Come Dancing’s U.S. version Dancing with the Stars, taking on that role from 2005 until last year, when he announced he would be retiring during the semi finals of the show to spend more time with his family back in the UK.

How Southeast Asia Is Breaking Format Barriers (TBI Vision)
Southeast Asia may not be ready to challenge the dominance of North Asia’s TV format giants yet, but shows from Thailand and Malaysia are raising the bar across this fast-growing region, writes Marco Ferrarese. Asian TV formats have travelled around the world for decades, with shows like Ninja Warrior, Iron Chef and Dragon’s Den becoming some of the world’s best known and replicated.

Tele2 Sees Zero Net Growth In TV As DTT losses Offset Fibre And Cable Growth (Digital TV Europe)
Swedish telco Tele2’s TV services delivered zero net growth in revenue for the first quarter, with a decline in the company’s digital-terrestrial offering offsetting growth in cable and fibre-based IPTV.

Netflix Unveils Annecy Slate Including ‘Chicken Run 2,’ ‘Nimona’ (Variety)
The streamer is returning to the French animation festival next month with a range of events including panels, screenings and Q&As. They include a panel titled “From Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget to Blue Eye Samurai – See What’s Next Netflix” and a special screening of graphic novel adaptation “Nimona” with the project’s directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane as well as creator ND Stevenson, which will be followed by a “making of” session.

AVOD Revenues To Climb By $50BN By 2028 (Rapid TV News)
The good times are set to continue rolling for the advertising video-on-demand (AVOD) market over the next five years says Digital TV Research, with global revenues from TV series and films in the sector projected to reach $91 billion in 2028, up from $41 billion in 2022.

MTV Gets Ticking Off For Dropping F-Bombs In An Episode Of ‘Cribs’ Before The UK’s 9PM Watershed (Deadline)
Paramount’s MTV has been found in breach of British broadcasting rules after it showed an expletive-laden episode of MTV Cribs US before the 9PM watershed. The youth channel broadcast a tour of Ray J’s home in Miami on various dates between December 2022 and January 2023, all of which were before the threshold for gratuitous offensive language.

Zee, Sony Merger Moves Closer (Advanced-Television)
The on/off merger talks between Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL) and Sony Group have resumed. ZEEL is in advanced talks with its creditors in order to settle debts and remove one remaining problem with its sale to Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Corp.

Canal+ Delivers Growth For Vivendi (Digital TV Europe)
French pay TV operator Canal+ was the star performer for parent company Vivendi during the quarter to March, contributing the biggest share of the group’s revenue growth. For the first quarter, Canal+ Group’s revenues were €1.478 million, up 2.2% compared to the same period last year, or 1.2% at constant currency.