Viacom boss Bob Bakish has said the business is to leverage its “global operating footprint to drive Pluto TV’s growth” beginning with the launch of the recently-acquired free OTT service in Switzerland and an expansion of the service in the UK, Germany and Austria, with a Latin American launch scheduled for later this year. Speaking […]
Netflix has picked up Youku series I Hear You. The streaming giant has acquired the 24-part romantic comedy from the Chinese streaming giant, which will launch the drama later this week to international subscribers. The deal marks Neftflix’s second major acquisition from Youku, following on from 2017, when the SVOD bought thriller Day And Night. […]
As SVODs increasingly rely on punchy dramas to draw eyeballs and differentiate their offerings, some producers and writers are concerned that slow-burning stories are an increasingly rare commodity. As Netflix UK goes in search of ‘hooky’ dramas for their platform, TBI asks whether nuanced scripted fare is an endangered offering in the new TV landscape. […]
Disney is “bullish” about the potential of Hulu, including international expansion, but will have to strike an agreement with Comcast to achieve its goals, according to CEO Bob Iger. Speaking after Disney posted better than expected Q2 results, Iger also said that Disney’s movie activities and new streaming service Disney+ will be intricately linked, with […]
ITV is “making good progress” on delivering its strategy after turning in a Q1 performance “very much as we expected”, according to CEO Carolyn McCall. The UK commercial broadcaster’s revenues were down 4% to £743m ($964m), with modest growth from ITV Studios and 22% growth in video-on-demand revenues offset by an overall decline in spot […]
Alastair Fothergill, producer of Netflix’s Our Planet, has warned that SVOD players “will not consider co-productions” around natural history in the future as the digital giants look to plant their flags in the genre. The veteran natural history producer, who left the BBC’s Natural History Unit (NHU) in 2012 to set up Silverback Films, suggested […]
Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment has hired a top Netflix exec to lead its global expansion. Swati Shetty is to serve as EVP of international content for the business, whose recent TV credits include Genius: Picasso, Empire and feature doc Pavarotti. She most recently served as director of international originals and acquisitions at Netflix, […]
Bodyguard is heading to China. ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) has sold mainland Chinese broadcasting rights to the hit drama to Huanxi Media Group Limited, which will stream the title on huanxi.com. The platform provides domestic and international films as well as scripted TV drama. Bodyguard was created and written by Line Of Duty […]
Canada’s DHX Media is to launch a children’s SVOD service. The streaming platform, titled Kids Room, is an ad-free platform with titles from DHX’s catalogue of kids and family content, including preschool titles such as Bob the Builder, Teletubbies and Strawberry Shortcake, as well as programmes for older kids, such as Slugterra, Kid vs. Kat, […]
YouTube has confirmed that its premium content will be available for free as the business shifts to an ad-supported model for originals. The Google-owned platform used its NewFront presentation in New York on Thursday (2 May) to reveal that originals such as Cobra Kai will live on on the platform, but will be moved in […]
