10 Stories You Should Know: 05/19/2023
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 Friday, May 19th, 2023:
Idris Elba And Mo Abudu On Bringing African Talent Into Entertainment Mainstream: “It’s Important For Us To Amplify The Voices In The Continent” (Deadline)
When two British-born powerhouses get together — Idris Elba, an actor-director-producer of Sierra Leone, Creole and Ghanaian descent, and Nigerian-rooted Mo Abudu, largely considered the go-between for African content to the rest of the world — they have a powerful chemistry.
Netflix And Amazon Addiction Turns Into ‘Digital Deficit’ And Hassle For The Yen (The Japan Times)
An increasing flow of Japanese money overseas to pay for services like video and music streaming is turning into a structural weight on the yen, according to Barclays.
Japan’s so-called “digital deficit,” stemming from payments to overseas technology companies like Netflix and Amazon.com, has become large relative to trade and travel in the country’s current-account balance, and its continued expansion will pressure the yen, strategists Lhamsuren Sharavdemberel and Shinichiro Kadota wrote in a note Thursday.
Online Streaming Act: As We Revisit Netflix Support For Canadian Content, It’s About More Than Money (The Conversation)
Now that the Online Streaming Act has received royal assent, the legislation will require streaming services, like Netflix and Spotify, to promote Canadian content on their platforms.
It will also require the streamers to contribute funds to Canadian content production.
Play Unveils New TV Service (Digital TV Europe)
Iliad Group-owned Polish service provider, Play, has launched a new TV service which includes two variants, New Television combining channel packages with streaming services and TV Max offering a wide portfolio of channels.
Independents Optimistic At Cannes As Netflix Era Begins To Stumble (Daily Sabah)
Cannes Film Festival may make headlines for its glitz and glamor, but as the world's largest event for buying and selling movie rights, its importance to the industry is unparalleled. This year, independent film companies facing a market upended by the entry of streaming services are showing some optimism heading into the Cannes as the Netflix era has begun flattening out and audiences start trickling back into cinemas post-pandemic.
“Freedom Of Expression” Will Be Priority For UK Streaming Regulation, Says Ofcom Boss (Deadline)
“Freedom of expression” will be front and center of Ofcom’s thinking when the UK regulator draws up the new code governing the streamers, according to chief Melanie Dawes. The Ofcom boss used her appearance at yesterday’s Deloitte & Enders Media and Telecoms 2023 & Beyond Conference to allay fears that the new code, which is part of the landmark Media Bill currently making its way through parliament, will be overly stringent on the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.
War Of Words Between France Télévisions And Commercial Channels Heats Up (Digital TV Europe)
The broadcasters reportedly said that the pubcaster has been allowed to take advantage of an unbalanced regulatory regime to “develop an astonishingly commercial programming line-up on its big channels, in particular France 2” at the expense of programming more in line with its public service remit, which has effectively been ghettoized in smaller channels France 4, Culture Box or the group’s digital platforms, and of taking advantage of lax restrictions on advertising on the pubcaster’s channels to make money from sponsorship during primetime.
Telecom Italia Renews Disney+ Agreement (Broadband TV News)
Telecom Italia (TIM) and Walt Disney Company Italia have renewed their agreement for the distribution of Disney+ in combination with TimVision and TIM’s ultrabroadband offers.
Analysis: Nigeria’s Film Industry Grows On AMVCA (Business Day Nigeria)
The growth of the Nigerian film industry has come under the spotlight ahead of this year’s Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA), slated for Saturday (tomorrow).
The AMVCA, an annual awards ceremony that celebrates the best in African film and television, is organized by MultiChoice. The first AMVCA ceremony took place in 2013.
Disney To Cut Dozens Of Shows From Disney+ And Hulu Around World, As Strategy Shift Hits (TBI Vision)
Disney has revealed dozens of shows are set to be removed from its streaming services in the US and around the world as early as next week, ranging from The World According To Jeff Goldblum, to Dollface and Willow.