10 Global TV Stories You Should Know: 06/13/2024

Here are the global TV stories that should be on your radar for Thursday, June 13th, 2024:

UK Film & TV Welfare Association Launches In Wake Of Death Of John Balson (Deadline)
A film and TV welfare association has been launched in the wake of the tragic death of John Balson. Screendog Head of Production and Welfare Fiona Fletcher, Jude Spencer, the founder of Dolly Mental Health, and psychologist Howie Fine are behind the new initiative.

Research: CEE SVoD Growth Driven By Pay-TV, Telco Bundles (Advanced-Television)
Data from Omdia reveals that approximately 25 per cent of all paid SVoD subscriptions in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) now originate from pay-TV and telco bundles. This shift highlights the growing importance of strategic partnerships in the region’s streaming landscape.

Al Habtoor Scraps Plans For Beirut-Based TV Channel Over ‘Severe Security Challenges’ (Arab News)
Emirati business Al Habtoor Group has abandoned its plans to launch a TV channel in Beirut due to what it described as “severe security challenges,” including physical threats against the company and its employees. “Following the project announcement, the group encountered a barrage of orchestrated campaigns including accusations, slander, and threats,” the company said.

‘Bunny McBee’: Director Of Netflix’s ‘Hilda’ Behind Preschool Series About An Insect’s Love For Nature (Deadline)
Netflix’s Hilda director is creating a 2D animated preschool series that intends to inspire children to love and respect nature. Andy Coyle is behind Bunny McBee, which comes from Canada’s Mercury Filmworks and Ireland's Turnip + Duck Studio.

Poll: Bluey’s Bandit Named TV’s Top Dad (Advanced-Television)
Bluey and Bingo’s dad Bandit is the onscreen father figure with the biggest influence on day-to-day parenting, according to a BBC Studios survey.

Disney+ Hotstar Sued By Pocket FM Over Alleged Copyright Violation (Outlook India)
A suit has been filed against Disney+ Hotstar, a video streaming platform, in the Delhi High Court by audio entertainment platform Pocket FM. The suit has been filed against alleged copyright violations of the platform’s web series named ‘Yakshini.’ This was first reported by the Economic Times. 

MultiChoice Profits Down 5% (Broadband TV News)
Revenues for the relaunched Showmax streaming service increased by 22% for the South African pay-TV platform MultiChoice. Subscriber numbers also increased by 16%, but total losses doubled in part because of the expense of bringing in the Peacock technology from partner Comcast.

Report: 49% Of Canadian Streamers Use FAST (Advanced-Television)
During its inaugural event, Samsung Ads Canada Innovation Day 2024, Samsung Ads Canada, the advertising arm of Samsung Electronics in Canada and a specialist in advanced TV including Connected TV (CTV), unveiled insights into Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST) viewership in Canada.

Graphic India’s Animation Hits #1 and #2 On Disney+ Hotstar During Annecy Conference (Business News This Week)
In just its first week Season 4 received a staggering, 6.1 Million views according to independent media consulting and data analytics group, Ormax Media, which tracks viewership figures across the major Indian platforms. Ormax also estimated the previous season 3 of The Legend of Hanuman, which released in January 2024, had 11.4 million viewers in the first 3 weeks of release with 3.4 Million viewers in its first week. Season 4 is now tracking much higher and nearly double that number in the first week.

International Espionage Drama ‘Extractors’ Is Returning & Will Be Inspired By Another Real-Life Rescue Mission – NEM Dubrovnik (Deadline)
One of the biggest-budget Czech drama series to date is getting a second run, with the focus on another real-life rescue mission. Extractors follows a Czech team of agents who work in the shadows to bring home people being held captive abroad.