In The Frame - February '23

Streaming/Online/Tech

Global SVOD revenues will reach $124 billion by 2028, up from $99 billion in 2022, according to a new report.

Netflix now has 600,000 monthly active users for its three-month old advertising option.

Susan Wojcicki has stepped down from running YouTube. Wojcicki joined Google in 1999 (as the 16th employee – her parents rented their garage to Larry Page and Sergey Brin) and had run YouTube since 2014.

BritBox International has reached three million total subscribers across the eight international markets in which the SVOD service is available – the US, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.

Viaplay and DAZN are expected to join incumbent Sky Sports and BT Sport (soon to be part of the new TNT Sports brand, as explained below) in the race for the broadcast rights from season 2024/25 of the EFL, which runs the three football leagues below the Premier League.

Sky is boosting its attempt to take on Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ by investing in a number of new titles for Sky Cinema.

Breakaway professional golf tour LIV Golf has launched LIV Golf Plus, a new app and global streaming site.

BBC News

The BBC Writersroom is seeking 10 deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent writers to take part in an 18-month programme of professional development support. The opportunity, open for submissions until noon on 18 April, starts in October 2023 and runs until April 2025.

The finale of Happy Valley ranks as the most-watched TV programme of the year so far. While 7.5 million people watched the drama’s conclusion as it went out, the total audience figure for the episode is likely to exceed 10 million as more people watch it on iPlayer.

The BBC and ITV have developed a psychological support programme designed to bring more psychologists into broadcasting to support BBC and ITV productions.

And finally…

• ITV has partnered with Mind, YoungMinds, CALM, SAMH, and the Film and TV Charity to produce The Mental Health in the Media conference, taking place 14-15 March. The event is designed to improve understanding of mental health and progress on-screen and off-screen.
• ITV has announced a partnership with StudioCanal. ITVX Premium, the streamer’s subscription tier, will carry StudioCanal Presents, providing access to content from StudioCanal’s catalogue. Expected to launch on ITVX Premium this Spring, the deal will see over 400 films added to the subscription tier of the service.
• TNT Sports, the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned international sports brand, will be the name of the BT Sport/Eurosport joint venture (which Frame 25 looked at here) when it launches later this year. Eurosport and the BT Sport brand will no longer exist. WBD already uses TNT Sports as its sports-focused identity in markets including Latin America and the US.
• Official 2022 statistics reveal a record £6.27 billion film and high-end television production spend in the UK.
• Buckinghamshire Council has approved Pinewood Studios’ plans for a 1.4 million square-foot expansion, which will make it the biggest studio complex in the world with 51 purpose-built stages. The expansion will include 21 new sound stages, a backlot filming space, an education and training hub and a publicly accessible nature reserve.
• Channel 4 and the National Film and Television School have announced a three-year partnership to provide training and development for the independent production sector across the UK.
• Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has reported financial results of $11.01 billion, below estimates, for the final quarter of 2022.