10 Stories You Should Know: 06/20/2023

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, June 20th, 2023:

BBC Under Fire For “Appalling” Treatment Of Five Female News Channel Anchors Left In Months-Long Limbo After Being Benched (Deadline)
The BBC is facing growing pressure to find a resolution for five seasoned female presenters, many of whom have been unable to work for months amid a merger of the corporation's UK and international news channels.

Showmax 2.0 To Be Launched This Year – What To Expect (TechCentral)
MultiChoice Group will launch a significantly overhauled and upgraded version of its streaming platform, Showmax, before the end of the year, CEO Calvo Mawela said.

Nordic SVOD homes Willing To Pay More For Local Content (Digital TV Europe)
Half of Nordic SVOD households say they are willing to pay extra for a bigger supply of local movies and series, according to local research outfit Mediavision. Almost half of all Nordic households with a paid streaming subscription, meaning SVOD subscribers, claim they would be willing to pay €1-3 more per month to gain access to a larger library of local movies and series.

Streamers Making ‘Careful’ Moves In Europe As ‘Mainstream’ Shows Catch Interest (Television Business International)
“In Germany, it’s funny that when the streamers entered the market, they stood for daring, new, innovative content. Now, the streamers are becoming very mainstream and are looking for very broad content,” said Britta Meyermann, head of international co-production at The Seed prodco Odeon Fiction.

Zendaya And Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Challengers’ To Skip France Theatrical Release, Debut On Prime Video (Variety)
During a posh press event hosted at the Pavillon Royal on the outskirts of Paris, Brigitte Ricou-Bellan, Prime Video’s country managing director for France, said the strategic move by the Amazon streamer resulted from France’s notoriously strict windowing rules, which demands streamers to wait 15 to 17 months after a theatrical roll out before making a new film available on their services. The rule has led other studios to opt to skip French cinemas for new releases before, such as Disney’s decision to debut “Strange World” on streaming.

Voot-JioCinema Merger Nears Completion (Hindu Business Line)
For the longest time, Voot was the go-to OTT platform for Viacom. With this merger, Voot will cease to operate. While the exact date of the merger is unknown, it appears that Voot Select users are already being made aware of the move and even receiving promo codes for free JioCinema Premium memberships.

Studio Dragon Reveals Lineup Of New, Returning Shows (Korea Joongangdaily)
Studio Dragon, the production company behind "The Glory," announced a lineup of brand-new series for the second half of the year. With Netflix, Studio Dragon is set to release "Celebrity," "Song of the Bandits," "Gyeongseong Creature," "Sweet Home" season 2 and "Doona!," while with Disney+, the production company is preparing "Shadow Detective" season 2.

Newen Connect Snags Sales Rights To Prime Video’s ‘Dark Hearts’ Second Season (Television Business International)
France’s Newen Connect has snagged global distribution rights to the second season of Amazon Prime Video’s war drama, Dark Hearts (Coeurs Noirs). The show is produced by Mandarin Télévision and has been written by Corinne Garfin and Duong Dang-Tha, who were previously behind The Bureau.

'Netflix Effect' Lifts Korean Content But Market Control Worries Grow (Reuters)
When Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos visits South Korea this week he will find an entertainment industry that has achieved global fame through hits such as "Squid Game" and "The Glory", but also growing worries about the service's effects on the local market.

UKTV Acquires Trio Of Paramount Shows (Advanced-Television)
UKTV has secured the rights to air So Help Me Todd and Evil Season 3 for its crime channel Alibi, and all five seasons of A Million Little Things for its streaming service UKTV Play. The deal is the latest between UKTV and Paramount Global Content Distribution.