In The Frame November '19

Streaming/Online/Tech

A BBC Radio investigation has found that a number of Netflix customers who cancelled their subscriptions have had their accounts reactivated without their consent. Criminals have allegedly been logging in to dormant accounts and reactivating them without even knowing users’ bank details.

Research suggests that while four fifths of broadcasters are considering implementing ads tailored to the consumer, many are trailing streaming services because of hesitance in using cloud technologies, according to research carried out for ATEME, a Paris-based video delivery company.

Channel 4 has signed a “multi-year” partnership deal with the new UK streaming platform, BritBox. All 4 and, later, Film 4 Content will be added to the service from spring 2020.

ITV has announced that its “fully programmatic, premium advanced advertising platform”, Planet V, will launch in February 2020, following a UK and Ireland licensing deal with adtech business Amobee. The platform will enable advertisers to target viewers on ITV’s VOD service, ITV Hub.

Virgin Media customers will be able to watch all 20 of Amazon Prime’s Premier League matches in December via their TV set top box. Some matches will be available in 4K. Amazon launch on Virgin in the summer.

BBC News

Ofcom has published a report, BBC Children’s news and first-run UK originations, in which it says viewing figures relating to children’s channels CBBC and CBeebies have fallen sharply, with CBeebies now reaching only a third of its target audience, and CBBC only around one in six.

One of the BBC’s proposals being considered by the regulator is the removal from afternoon schedules of Newsround, which has been broadcasting for 50 years.

Ofcom says the BBC “must innovate and adapt its approach to serving younger audiences” and the broadcaster “acknowledges this and has come to Ofcom with a proposal for how it could better engage children through its online services”.

BBC children’s content has been added to the Kids section of Sky Q as part of an agreement the corporation has reached with Sky, covering content and technology. The deal makes iPlayer available via the pay TV platform.

The two broadcasters are also discussing the use of PromoSmart (which runs on Sky’s AdSmart technology) to deliver more personalised promotional content to BBC viewers, as well as the availability of BBC Sounds on Sky and NOW TV platforms.

The BBC is to combine the separate apps it currently runs for BBC News and BBC Sport into the iPlayer, and there’ll also be a connected TV version of the BBC Sounds app.

And finally...

• ITV has reported a rise in viewing figures and ad revenue over past three months thanks to the Rugby World Cup and Love Island. The broadcaster’s coverage of the Rugby World Cup final reached an audience peak of 12.8 million viewers, making it the year’s most-watched programme.
• BT Sport have beaten ITV and Sky to exclusive Champions League football TV rights until 2024. The broadcaster will pay European football’s governing body, UEFA, £1.2 billion.
• Melanie Dawes, currently permanent secretary at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, is likely to become Ofcom’s new £315,000-a-year chief executive, although the identity of Sharon White’s successor is not expected to be confirmed until after the general election having been agreed by the culture secretary.
• Broadcast Tech magazine is running a free UHD/HDR event from 9am-12:30pm on Tuesday 3 December at Dolby Screening Rooms, Soho. The Forum includes panel discussions focused on the impact of UHD/HDR production and post-production content. Read more here.
• Ofcom has concluded that no changes are needed to Channel 5’s licence following the merger in the US between CBS and Channel 5 owner, Viacom.
• Doctor Who returns in early 2020. Stephen Fry and Lenny Henry both appear in the series opener.
• The BBC has released a snippet of the new Gavin & Stacey Christmas special on iPlayer. It appears following the end credits of series 3, episode 6.

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