10 Global TV Stories You Should Know: 03/13/2024

Here are the global TV and streaming stories that should be on your radar for Wednesday, March 13th, 2024:

FIFA Begins 2026, 2030 WC Media Rights Tenders In Six European Markets (Sportcal)
Global soccer’s governing body FIFA has begun its media rights sales processes for the 2026 and 2030 men’s World Cups in six European markets. Invitations to tender (ITT) have now been launched in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, and Slovakia. The bid submission deadline is April 16 at 10:00 am Central European Time.

MBC's AI Variety Show Producer Stupefies Participants, Viewers (Korea JoonGang Daily)
MBC's variety show "Gone PD," produced almost entirely by an AI model, left viewers dissatisfied, but veteran producer Choi Min-geun still considers the experience a success.

Argentina’s Far-Right Government Cuts State Funding To National Film Body INCAA (Deadline)
The government of Javier Milei, Argentina's far-right leader, has pushed through highly controversial plans to defund all state funding to the National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts (INCAA), the country's national film body.

Showmax And Netflix Battle For High-Octane Drama - African Style (BBC)
With 70% of sub-Saharan Africans aged under 30, Showmax, which also offers documentaries and Premier League football, wants to expand its market share in the African subscription video-on-demand space. Other global streaming giants such as Amazon Prime are reducing their investment in Africa and have cut jobs on the continent and restructured to focus on the European market.

EBU: Slovak Government Proposals Threaten Media Independence (Broadband TV News)
The EBU has said it is “highly concerned” over proposed changes by the Slovak government to Radio and Television Slovakia (RTVS) that the EBU says threaten its editorial independence.

Netflix Ad Tier Driving Growth As Viewers Watch More Than ‘Basic’ Users (TBI Vision)
Netflix’s launch of an ad-supported tier in late 2022 and crackdown on account sharing has driven growth and “future resilience” in the UK & US over the past year, following a decline in subscribers, according to a new report by research powerhouse Omdia.

Boat Rocket Sells Beacon 23 To Prime Video, Paramount (Advanced-Television)
Boat Rocker, the independent entertainment company, has announced a raft of international sales of its scripted sci-fi thriller series, Beacon 23, starring Lena Headey and Stephan James, to leading broadcasters and streamers, including Prime Video (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Sub-Saharan Africa) and Paramount (UK and Ireland).

Netflix Content Spend To Make Unprecedented Shift Outside U.S. In 2024 (Variety)
A new forecast from Ampere Analysis projects that more than half of Netflix’s content spending this year — $7.9 billion of about $15.4 billion total — will go toward titles produced outside of North America. This means that, for the first time, the majority of the streamer’s budget will be spent on either localized original content for international markets or the licensing of internationally produced titles.

Korean Central TV Goes Over-The-Top (Broadband TV News)
Are you finding the news just isn’t depressing enough these days or that the reboot of Big Brother just doesn’t feature enough of Big Brother himself? Or indeed enough boots. Then take out a subscription to the latest streaming service, North Korean state-run TV.