Last year’s Children’s Media Conference (CMC) was one of the myriad events forced to go online almost overnight as a result of the pandemic, but organising 2021’s event has been a far smoother affair. Helen Dugdale finds out what’s in store. With a packed agenda of webinars and panels playing host to broadcasters, co-producers, funders […]
Streamers dominate the headlines with big budget originals, but delve deeper and it’s spending on acquisitions that has soared over the past decade, to the tune of $38bn in 2020. This is just one of the findings from The New Buyers report, which TBI has gained exclusive access to. Here are five key takeaways that underline the wide-ranging opportunities and changing […]
TBI deputy editor Mark Layton digs into what is driving rising global demand for anime and how streamers can make the most of the medium’s passionate fanbase. Global demand for Japanese anime content is skyrocketing, with streamers worldwide increasingly recognising the appeal – and subscription-driving potential – of this medium, once seen as niche, but […]
AVOD operator Roku this week ordered a second season of scripted series Die Hart, marking the first extension for one of its ‘original’ branded shows. Richard Middleton explores what’s next. Roku’s deal to acquire a library of programming from defunct shortform streamer Quibi last year pointed to an ambitious new strategy for one of the […]
South Korean producers and broadcasters make regular appearances in TBI news but recent deals suggest the country’s content wave could be moving in a new direction, writes Richard Middleton. The Korean wave has been lapping shores in the West for almost a decade now, most notably via K-pop bands like BTS, innovative entertainment formats such as The […]
Another week, another billion dollar deal – but what drove retail giant Amazon to buy one of the few remaining major studio operations? Richard Middleton explores the obvious and less discussed elements of the planned acquisition. As Jeff Bezos said himself, the “acquisition thesis” behind Amazon’s decision to buy MGM is – on one level, at least – […]
Artificial intelligence (AI) tends to split opinions when it comes to creative mediums, with traditionalists erring away from such a seemingly hands-off technology – but could it actually make life easier for those in the scripted game? Stephen Arnell finds out. As in so many areas of life, AI is encroaching into the world of scripted television. But what, […]
The week started with IMDb TV’s huge originals push and ended with stellar numbers for fellow AVOD streamer-cum-manufacturer Roku. Richard Middleton picks at the seams of the OTT ecosystem to explore how apparently distinct models are merging. Ad-supported streaming is booming, that much is clear. Don’t take our word for it though, just look at the […]
‘Iconic’ format reboots have become a regular event over recent months but as Tim Dams discovers, the risk threshold is changing as broadcasters and streamers employ new strategies to get fresh IP onto screens Broadcasters have long focused their spend and schedules on formats with a proven track record, a trend that has only cemented itself over […]
Interest in access documentaries has soared but global lockdowns have made for a challenging production environment. Tim Dams explores how it’s done and what’s next for this rapidly growing genre. Demand for access docs has never been higher. ‘Occu-soaps’ have become ubiquitous across supermarkets, airports, train stations, retail and museums, while access docs focused on […]
