10 Global TV Stories You Should Know: 12/18/2024

Here are the global TV and streaming television stories that should be on your radar for Wednesday, December 18th, 2024:

Prequel To Smash Israeli Series ‘Shtisel’ In The Works (Deadline)
The Shtisel universe is expanding. The smash Israeli series about the trials and tribulations of an orthodox Jewish family is being handed a prequel titled Kugel, following Libi Shtisel in Belgium years before she marries Akiva.

Continente Begins Selling Disney Plus Via Bango’s Digital Vending Machine (The Desk)
Technology firm Bango has enabled Portugal’s retail chain Continente to sell subscriptions to the streaming service Disney Plus via its Digital Vending Machine, the companies announced on Wednesday. Starting this week, Continente shoppers with the Cartão Continente loyalty card will be able to add Disney Plus for just €2 per month (around U.S. $2.10 per month), which unlocks the ad-supported tier of the entertainment service.

Formula 1 Drama Series ‘One’ Starring Felicity Jones Being Developed By Amazon MGM Studios (Variety)
“One” — which marks Formula 1‘s first officially sanctioned scripted series — will focus on a failing family-owned racing team, led by Jones’ character, as it contends with fierce personalities, ever-changing rivals and multi-million-dollar stakes.

Report: UK Is A Nation Of Split-Screeners (Advanced-Television)
The UK has become a nation of split-screeners, secret streamers and event schemers according to research commissioned by BT Group. Network Wrapped is a new annual study that combines mobile and broadband data with consumer insights to reveal the latest trends around how the British public engaged with the biggest cultural moments of the year.

Half Of Norwegian Households Now Have Streaming Bundles Via Operators (Broadband TV News)
Currently, 75% of households in Norway subscribe to at least one paid streaming service, a significant increase compared to the same period last year. The growth has largely been driven by TV and broadband operators increasingly offering streaming bundles alongside other services. Nearly half of all households in Norway now have access to at least one streaming service via their TV operator. These bundles include services like Netflix, TV2 Play, or Viaplay and are often combined with broadband or pay-TV. In households with pay-TV, this is very common – over 60% of these households also have streaming services from their operator.

How Nigerian Government Loses Money Annually Due To Intellectual Property Rights Violations In The Music And Film Industry (Niametrics)
Wura, a popular Nigerian soap opera, tells the story of Wura Amoo-Adeleke, a ruthless chief executive of Frontline Gold Mine married to a police commissioner. It is Showmax Nigeria’s most-watched show and also its longest-running series, with over 100 episodes already aired and a third season underway. Yet, most people who watch Wura stream the show illegally, according to Showmax Nigeria.

Czech Republic Boosts Production Incentive To 25% For Live-Action Projects, And 35% For Digital And Animation Projects (Variety)
An amendment to the country’s Audiovisual Act has upped the incentive for live-action projects from 20% to 25%. Added to that an incentive of 35% for digital production and animation, excluding live-action sequences, has been introduced. Also, the maximum amount that can be claimed per project has been tripled to $19 million.

Disney+ Hotstar: ‘Thukra Ke Mera Pyaar’ Breaks Records As India’s Most-Watched Show Of 2024 (Technosports India)
Disney+ Hotstar has achieved a major milestone with its latest Hindi-language drama, “Thukra Ke Mera Pyaar”, which has become the platform’s most-watched show of 2024. Within just 16 days of its release, the series has set new benchmarks for viewership and subscriber engagement, making it the most successful show on the platform in the past four years.

Netherlands: Netflix €4.75m Privacy Fine (Advanced-Television)
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) has fined Netflix €4.75 million (£3.9m) for not properly informing customers about its use of their personal data between 2018 and 2020. An investigation, started in 2019, showed that “Netflix did not inform customers clearly enough in its privacy statement about what exactly Netflix does with those data.”

‘The Traitors Ireland’ Lands Siobhán McSweeney Of ‘Derry Girls’ Fame As Host For RTÉ (Variety)
McSweeney, known for her role as Sister Michael in “Derry Girls,” said: “Like everyone, I am a huge ‘Traitors’ fan so when I was asked to host the Irish version I jumped at the chance. I’m looking forward to meeting our loyal Faithful and delicious Traitors. The Irish have a charm and ability to deceive while smiling which will make this version rather special, I think. And I’m the luckiest person in the world to watch them close up.”