In The Frame - July '22

Streaming/Online/Tech

The UK streaming and pay-TV markets are suffering as consumers prioritise their spending. Data gathered by Decoding the Digital Home suggests 43% of households believe they pay too much for content they don’t consume, while KPMG research says 64% are now cutting back because they’re worried about the general increase in the cost of living. Research by Kantar says 1.66 million SVOD services were cancelled during the second quarter of 2022, up 10% from the previous quarter and 37% a year ago. Free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST), however, is on the rise.

Netflix has reported a loss of 970,000 subscribers during the second quarter of the year. Revenue for the same period was up 8.6% to $7.97 billion. The company is to begin testing a new strategy that charges subscribers extra for accounts used in multiple homes.

Netflix has chosen Microsoft to build an ad-supported, cheaper subscription plan. The streaming service’s COO, Greg Peters, said: “Microsoft offered the flexibility to innovate over time on both the technology and sales side, as well as strong privacy protections for our members.”

Apple TV+ and Paramount+ are the most popular services for US SVOD switchers – those who move from one subscription service and commit to another contract within 60 days

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BBC News

The BBC’s annual report was published this month. A leading line it reveals is the record performance in 21/22 enjoyed by BBC Studios. Sales in that division were up 30% year-on-year, at £1.6 billion, showing a 50% increase in profit at £226 million, the first time its recorded profit has exceeded £200 million.

A new channel, BBC News, is to launch in April 2023. It will replace the two existing separate news channels for UK and global audiences.

The BBC has launched BBC Rewind, giving the UK public access to audio-visual recordings, largely from news output and documentaries.

The BBC’s coverage of this year’s Wimbledon tennis championships was streamed a record-breaking 53.8 million times on iPlayer and BBC Sport online. BBC One’s audience for the men’s singles final peaked at 7.5 million. England’s Euro 2022 semi-final win against Sweden attracted a peak audience of 9.3 million viewers on BBC One.

The BBC is to broadcast UEFA Champions League highlights from 2024.

And finally…

• NEP UK has agreed a new four-year-deal with Wimbledon Broadcast Services to provide the technical broadcast delivery for the Wimbledon Championships.
• Ofcom has said it may extend the time and frequency allowed for ad breaks on UK television because of market developments and the increasing influence of streaming services.
• The Competition and Markets Authority has approved a merger of the sports broadcasting businesses of BT and Warner Bros Discovery. The decision allows the companies to complete the creation of the 50-50 joint venture, BT Sport and Eurosport UK.
• Channel 4’s annual report covering 20121 was published this month, detailing the broadcaster’s strongest-ever financial performance.
• London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has announced a trial that enables people to stream content from ITV Hub in UHD without eating into personal data or the train’s wifi bandwidth. The trial service is now available on three electric Azuma trains running between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh.
• The England and Wales Cricket Board and Sky Sports have announced a four-year extension to their partnership, through which live cricket will continue to be made available on free-to-air TV

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