Comment

Why K7 banned the word ‘content’ and you should too

If there’s one word in the lexicon of telly that leaves me feeling anything but content, it’s ‘content’. Yet whilst the term is increasingly bounded around in the TV, film and marketing sectors, we in those industries seem to have slept-walked into a consensus that this limp catch-all neatly groups together a multitude of creative […]

Netflix’s Asian growth

Netflix this week reported strong growth across all markets, including Asia, and announced localisation efforts in Indonesia, in the latest sign that the continent holds a key part in its future growth ambitions. From this week, Netflix in Indonesia comes with a localised Bahasa Indonesia user interface and Bahasa Indonesia subtitles for many of Netflix’s popular English-language titles […]

AT&T’s major OTT move

In case you needed any further reminder of OTT’s importance to the future of the entertainment industry, AT&T this week announced plans for an ambitious streaming service that will build on the scale achieved via its merger with Time Warner. The service, which is slated to launch in the fourth quarter of 2019, promises to go head-to-head […]

Liberty Global: at the crossroads 

Liberty Global has been a lynchpin of the European cable industry for the best part of two decades now, expanding across the continent via a series of deals while withdrawing from markets where it lacked the scale to compete.   The company’s recent deal with Vodafone that will see it pull out of Germany and central […]

Copyright reform: the EU versus the internet?

The end of the internet or a brave move to save culture from the barbarians at the gates? Copyright reform in the European Union has certainly divided opinion, and this week’s vote by the European Parliament to accept an amended version of the controversial proposal put to it in June had the rival factions reaching […]

The three biggest myths about storing video content libraries in the cloud

To some studios, the mere thought of moving their video content libraries to the cloud is a daunting, high-stakes proposition not unlike juggling a chainsaw, a chicken and a bowling ball. They imagine the hand-off as their most valuable assets disappear into the matrix, an intangible zone of hacking, hidden costs and hiccups. With misconceptions […]

Netflix looks to merchandising

Netflix this week appointed ex-Disney parks and resorts retail and merchandise chief Christie Fleischer to help the streaming giant develop its consumer products portfolio around original series and films. Fleischer will head up a team focused on consumer products, retail and licensee partnerships, publishing, interactive games, merchandising and experiential events. The move highlights the emerging […]

Facebook takes its social video ambitions to the world

Facebook rolled out its Watch platform globally this week, stepping up its efforts in an increasingly competitive online video space. But how hard will it be for the social media giant to compete against its FAANG peers like Netflix, YouTube and Amazon? Since Facebook launched Watch in the US a year ago, it has stressed […]

Viacom: OTT plans and Studio ambitions

Viacom International Media Networks this week created a new digital studio unit under former MTV and Comedy Central International multiplatform VP Brendan Yam. Viacom Digital Studios International (VDSI) will focus on creating, distributing and monetising digital content for Viacom’s brands outside of the US.  The move marks an upping in the media company’s investment in […]

Why social media may be OTT’s best friend

The role of pay TV as the traditional aggregator of content is under pressure and there is plenty of evidence of the inevitable re-aggregation of content under different banners; Apple, Amazon, Netflix et al. However, consumer habits are changing and, enriched by the diversity of fragmented offerings, disaggregation may yet have a significant impact, says […]

1 2 3 4 … 16