In The Frame September '19

Streaming / Online / Tech

IBC, broadcast’s annual trade show, took place last month when 8K kit was central to many manufacturers’ displays. Speakers in Amsterdam discussed the growth of OTT services, the challenge they pose for the traditional broadcasters, how they plan to deal with it. The SVOD companies themselves talked about how partnerships and focusing on niches could be their strategy.

Speaking of partnerships, Microsoft and Disney are teaming up to move production and post-production processes to the cloud.

That threat from Netflix, Amazon et al has also been discussed elsewhere. There’s growing fear among the UK’s traditional broadcasters that viewers here will soon largely be served by content dictated by US tech firms. Mark Thompson, former BBC director general and now president/CEO of the New York Times, and Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon are concerned.

Snapchat has announced eight new premium shows and renewed four existing programmes for further seasons. The content will be presented in portrait orientation rather than the traditional landscape.

More than a third of the 1,500 Britons surveyed on their feelings towards the splintering of streaming services would consider illegal sources instead of paying if streaming service fragmentation continues to grow. Almost two thirds would consider paying for a VPN to access content they hadn’t paid for.

BBC News
The BBC will switch off its red-button information service next year. Launched in 1999, news and sport text have been a feature of UK broadcasting for 45 years, following the beginnings of Ceefax, the world's first teletext information service.

Another BBC service that’s coming to an end – this time a bit more controversially – is the iPlayer Radio app. The BBC is replacing it with its Sounds app, which works only with newer operating systems. The BBC has been accused of “ignoring its audience”.

With a desire to see the BBC “embedded” around the UK, director general Tony Hall is planning to move more of its operations away from London.

Elsewhere, new BBC commissions include specials featuring Sir Elton John and Mark Ronson, and a three-part BBC Two series, Life In Colour, presented by Sir David Attenborough.

And finally…

• Fresh from her success at the Emmys, having won three of the four awards she was nominated for (Fleabag won six in total for its second season), Phoebe Waller-Bridge has signed a content deal with Amazon Prime Video that’s reportedly worth about $20 million a year.
  
• The VFX, animation and post sectors are the most ethnically diverse within UK film and TV, according to UK Screen Alliance.
• Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan wants UK broadcasters to ensure that the biggest events in women’s sport are available on free-to-air TV.
• Broadcast Tech has announced Tech Fest 2019, four events for the production industry which are free to attend and take place during October and November.
• Each event is designed for the production industry and complements the content in Broadcast Tech and Broadcast Sport magazines, both in print and online.
• Al Jazeera says its investigative TV programme What Lies Beneath has revealed that beoutQ, the pirate broadcasting channel Frame 25 wrote about here, is operating from Saudi Arabia.

From the latest news to the latest positions – click here to see Frame 25’s most recent additions to its list of available TV jobs.