Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Friday, December 9th, 2022

SVOD churn increased in 2022, but I have questions.

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Friday, December 9th, 2022.

SVOD CHURN IS INCREASING, BUT I HAVE QUESTIONS
Data analytics Antenna has some new data on the churn levels at the various major SVODS and other than HBO Max, the churn have risen for every SVOD covered.

But looking at this chart, I have so many questions. Did the aggressive price cuts at HBO Max in the fourth quarter have an impact on its churn rate for 2022? I'd be interested in seeing a quarter-by-quarter breakdown of the numbers.

Also, I suspect the numbers don't include MVPD, Telco distribution and select bundles because those packages are difficult to track from the outside. But I suspect some of those numbers skew better than these overall churn numbers. Although that's just speculation on my part.

LOOKING TOWARDS JANUARY
* I've already had a couple of people ask me about the TCAs and whether I'll be there in January. For those of you not in the industry, the Television Critics Association does a twice-yearly get together of credentialed TV critics, who spend a couple of weeks at the Langham Hotel in Pasadena sitting through panels from various shows and doing interviews. It's been three years since the last live one - although the one set for last July moved from in-person to virtual at the last minute.

The one set for January is supposed to be in-person and is set to run from Monday, January 9th through Wednesday, January 18th. I'll be there for most of it, and even though the list of networks who won't be there is a bit long, hopefully I'll see some of you face-to-face while I'm there.

* I have a book coming out the first week of January called "Too Much TV: 2022 In Review." It's a look back at the year through the prism of my writing here as well as on AllYourScreeens.com. It's a month-by-month look at the year, which includes a listing of every premiere, select reviews and interviews, some highlights from this newsletter as well as some new pieces. Paid subscribers to this newsletter will receive a free e-Book and it will be available in a print version through Amazon and other online sellers. I'll talk more about this as we get closer to January.

TWEET OF THE DAY

THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY STREAMERS COMMISSION INCREASING AMOUNTS OF NON-AMERICAN ORIGINAL CONTENT
I have had a number of disagreements with my fellow media industry reporters and analysts over the reasons why certain strategic decision are made (or not made) at the major streamers. It's a complicated business and I don't think you could find anyone who has ever worked at a streamer who believes they have all the answers. The entire industry - to an extent which can sometimes feel scary - is a work in progress.

One of the longest-running battles I've had with other reporters and analysts is over the increasing amount of attention all of the major streamers are focusing on non-English language local original productions. The argument from critics is that "English-speaking audiences don't generally like dubbed material and a lot of the original local production have cultural barriers that can make the shows less accessible." 

I'd argue strongly against that point of view. But even if it were accurate, it overlooks an issue that I've highlighted before: the major streamers don't have a choice.

I don't have a complete list, but from what I can tell about 60-70% of all local markets have imposed some sort of production guidelines on the large global streamers. Sometimes it is a percentage tax on revenue that is retargeted into local productions. In other cases, it's a demand that a certain percentage of all new content be produced by local or regional producers. And then we get into countries such as Denmark and France, which have incredibly complex guidelines on everything from mandate local productions to paying local producers a residual based on viewership.

One of the guidelines that has had the widest impact are the quota guidelines that were enacted by the European Commission (EC) last year. The rules mandated streamers must ensure a minimum of 30% of TV series and films on their services are European in origin. The saving grace for streamers such as Netflix, Disney+ and others is that the definition of "European in origin" was pretty broadly defined. It included not just the countries on the European continent, but also the UK, Switzerland, Norway and Turkey.

That allowed streamers to essentially double-dip when it came to local production quotas. Netflix could produce a show in Turkey, helping to fill that country's production mandates, while simultaneously using the content to help fill the EC's mandates.

But that might change and the prospect is not a happy one for the big streamers. According to sources at the European Commission, the organization has sent questionnaires to countries across Europe asking regulators to provide a breakdown of EU origin programming, a move that could then kick off a broader review.

Any changes likely wouldn't come before 2025, but an increase in regulation for the global streaming industry is becoming a hot topic across the globe. France implemented the European Audiovisual Media Service directive into law. That legislation mandates that global SVOD platforms in the country must invest 20% of their French revenues into local production, split 80/20 between TV fare and theatrical films.

Denmark recently implemented a controversial 6% streamer levy, which has also been proposed in Ireland. There are several variations of local production mandates in Latin American countries and some local production mandate is already in place in about a half dozen Arian markets.

Which is the long way of saying that aside from the obvious reasons why global streamers are increasing their local production capacity, local government mandates force the issue whether or not the global streamers agree with the decision.

WHAT'S NEW FOR FRIDAY (AND THE WEEKEN):

America's Test Kitchen: The Next Generation (Freevee)
A Recipe For Joy (Lifetime)
Battle Of The Bling Series Premiere (HGTV)
Big Box Christmas (Great American Family)
Carpool Karaoke: The Series Season Premiere (Apple TV+)
CAT (Netflix)
Christmas Bloody Christmas (Shudder)
Dragon Age: Absolution (Netflix)
Dream Home Makeover (Netflix)
Emancipation (Apple TV+)
First Time Fixer Season Premiere (Magnolia/Discovery+)
Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio (Netflix)
Hawa (Prime Video)
How To Ruin Christmas (Netflix)
Idina Menzel: Which Way to the Stage? (Disney+)
In With The Old Season Premiere Season Premiere (Discovery+/Magnolia)
It's A Wonderful Binge (Hulu)
Little America Season Two Premiere (Apple TV+)
Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area Season Premiere (Netflix)
Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again (Disney+)
Random Acts Of Flyness (HBO Max)
Silos Baking Competition: Holiday Edition (Magnolia/Discovery+)
Something From Tiffany's (Prime Video)
The Mighty Ones (Hulu/Peacock)
The Most Colorful Time Of The Year (Hallmark)

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10TH, 2022:
A Christmas Fumble (OWN)
Alchemy of Souls (Netflix)
A Prince For The Holidays (Great American Family)
A Royal Christmas Match (UP tv)
Atsuko Okatsuka: The Intruder (HBO)
Christmas Class Reunion (Hallmark)
Kirk Franklin's The Night Before Christmas (Lifetime)
Serial Killer Capital: Baton Rouge (Oxygen)
The Gift Of Peace (Hallmark Movies And Mysteries)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11TH, 2022:
A Belgian Chocolate Christmas (Great American Family)
A Prince And A Pauper Christmas (ION)
Dirty Jobs (Discovery)
Master of Glass: The Art of Dale Chihuly (Smithsonian)
Must Love Christmas (CBS)
National Christmas Tree Lighting: Celebrating 100 Years (CBS)
Santa's Got Style (UP tv)
Single And Ready To Jingle (Lifetime)
The Holiday Sitter (Hallmark)
White House Christmas 2022 (HGTV)

Click Here to see the list of all of the upcoming premiere dates for the next few months.

SEE YOU MONDAY!

If you have any feedback, send it along to Rick@AllYourScreens.com and follow me on Twitter @aysrick.