In The Frame - April '22

Tom Pammenter Published: 29.04.2022 Industry news

Streaming/Online/Tech

Netflix shares fell by 35%, the stock’s second-worst one-day decline ever, erasing $54 billion in market value, after the company lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of the year, which itself represents the company’s first subscriber loss in over a decade. Netflix blames increased competition, password sharing as well as inflation and the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. When asked about the potential of Netflix streaming live sports, CEO Ted Sarandos said: “I’m not saying we never would do sports, but we would have to see a path to growing a big revenue stream and a big profit stream with it.”

Apple, meanwhile, has moved into sports streaming. The company’s deal with Major League Baseball makes Apple TV+ the exclusive home of two MLB games each week throughout the season.

Global sports piracy costs media companies $28 billion a year in lost revenue, which is why the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment is increasing its efforts to shut down sports feeds distributed illegally. Qatar-based beIN SPORTS is the first pure sports broadcaster to join the campaign.

Nielsen, in its first ‘State of Play’ report, suggests the video streaming industry has reached a tipping point as viewers are increasingly feeling overwhelmed by the number of services.

The new CNN+ subscription streaming service has been killed off, one month after launching.

BritBox International has launched in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland having already been made available in the US, Canada, Australia, South Africa and the UK.

BBC News

The government has published a press release on broadcasting reforms to “create a new golden age of British TV and help the nation’s public service broadcasters thrive”, and a white paper, in which it says: “We need to consider the future of the BBC’s funding model …We need to consider the most fair and appropriate funding mechanism to be introduced at the end of the current Charter period.”

Nadine Dorries, the culture secretary, had told The Spectator: “We are going to very soon announce that we are going to be looking very seriously about how we fund the BBC.”

The BBC’s director-general Tim Davie, meanwhile, told the Voice of the Listener & Viewer spring conference he would rather “make slightly less” content and is not willing “to compromise on quality” when considering funding cuts to the BBC. The corporation estimates it needs to find another £285 million in annual savings as a result of government-imposed cuts to its budget.

The iPlayer recorded its best quarter and strongest start to a year ever between January and March this year. Viewers streamed programmes a record 1.83 billion times during the period.

And finally…

The BBC and ITV have announced their coverage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Studio 55, ITV’s initiative for backing business ideas targeting younger audiences, has entered into a long-term partnership with Woo, a new cultural media brand from the team behind VICE, i-D, Boiler Room and LADbible.
This year’s NAB Show, held in Las Vegas, featured more than 900 exhibitors and was attended by 52,468 people from 155 countries.
Here is a workflow breakdown of every 2022 Oscars best picture nominee.
Another UK studio is being built: plans have been submitted for a 1.3 million square-foot site providing flexible TV and film space in Bedfordshire. The Home Of Production (HOP) Studios will provide sound stages, workshops, storage and offices.
Channel 4 has won the rights to broadcast England men’s Euro 2024 qualifiers, Nations League and friendlies matches for the next two years.
From today (29 April), alcohol-free Heineken taps will be added to the bars in The Rovers Return and The Woolpack, the pubs on Coronation Street and Emmerdale, respectively.