Here are the global TV and streaming stories that should be on your radar for Tuesday, June 4th, 2024:
Disney EMEA Boss Reveals UK Production Spend Over Past Five Years (Deadline)
Disney has spent £3.5B ($4.5B) on production in the UK since 2019, EMEA boss Jan Koeppen has revealed. Koeppen, who has been in the role for five years, rolled out a wealth of stats that focused on Disney's long connection with, and long-term commitment to the UK.
TrueVisions In Another Last-Minute Euros Deal (Sportcal)
TrueVisions, the prominent pay-television broadcaster in Thailand, has secured rights in the country to this year’s UEFA European Championship national teams soccer tournament. The network is set to show all 51 games from the 24-team Euro 2024, which will take place across 10 German cities between June 14 and July 14.
25% Of CEE SVOD Subs Now Coming Via Partnerships, Says Omdia (Digital TV Europe)
About 25% of all paid SVOD subscriptions in central and eastern Europe now come via pay TV and telco bundles, according to data from Omdia. According to the research group, indirect net additions, rather than direct-to-consumer, will account for the lion’s share of SVOD net additions in the region between now and 2028.
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WBD Sees Record Audiences For Roland-Garros Week 1 (Advanced-Television)
Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) has announced its coverage of the first week of Roland-Garros saw record audiences on its streaming platforms and has delivered its highest tournament television audience on Eurosport in eight years. Across Europe (excluding France), viewership on Eurosport’s television channels has risen by +45 per cent year-on-year with WBD’s total streaming audience.
Sky Boss Says Talks Still Ongoing on Warner Content Deal, Sets Out Commissioning Strategy (Variety)
The deal, which primarily covers HBO content such as “Succession” and “And Just Like That,” is set to expire next year. Given the rise of studio-owned streamers, at the beginning of the multi-year output deal it seemed it would be unlikely to be renewed, with WBD focusing on funnelling exclusive content to its own streaming offering Max.
MultiChoice Independent Board Says Yes To Canal+ Offer (Digital TV Europe)
The independent board set up by MultiChoice to assess Canal+’s bid to take control of the company has recommended the French pay TV giant’s all-cash mandatory offer. The board said that the term of the offer are fair and reasonable. Canal+ is offering ZAR125 per share for those shares in the company that it does not already own in a deal that would value the South African pay TV operator at about ZAR55 billion (US$3 billion).
‘Walking With Dinosaurs’ Returning To BBC & PBS After 25 Years (Deadline)
The BBC and PBS are stomping back to Walking with Dinosaurs after 25 years. The returning series, which is being co-produced with ZDF and France Télévisions, will land in 2025 and has already entered production.
RMC Story Revives Gameshow ‘Let’s Make A Deal’ Following Two Decade Hiatus (TBI Vision)
RMC Story in France has revived veteran gameshow Le Bigdil, which last aired on TF1 in 2004. The show is based on the US format Let’s Make A Deal from Marcus/Glass and ran for six years on TF1 between 1998 and 2004. It is sold by Can’t Stop Media.
Netflix Boss Greg Peters Pays Tribute To U.K. Slate, Citing Hits ‘Baby Reindeer’ and ‘Beckham’ (Variety)
He also gave some insight into Netflix’s often closely-guarded data, admitting that despite the streaming giant’s heft “We can’t manufacture a hit.” Discussing internal recommendations on the platform, he said that what viewers want to watch is not always easily predicted, pointing out that viewers of “The Crown” are more likely than other Netflix subscribers to watch “Pepsi, Where’s My Jet?” according to internal data.
SkyShowtime Expands Content Slate For 2024 (Digital TV Europe)
Comcast and Paramount Global joint European streamer, SkyShowtime, has unveiled its expanded content slate for the rest of 2024. Among the new titles is 10-part thriller series, The Day of the Jackal, starring Academy, and BAFTA award-winning actor Eddie Redmayne. The novel adaptation follows an unrivalled and highly elusive lone assassin, and a tenacious MI6 agent, played Lashana Lynch, in a relentless, global pursuit to catch him.