10 Global TV Stories You Should Know: 08/15/2024

Here are the global TV and streaming television stories that should be on your radar for Thursday, August 15th, 2024:

‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power’ Season 1 To Stream For Free On Samsung TV In Viewership Push Ahead Of Season 2 (Deadline)
Viewers can catch the first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power for free on Samsung TV Plus, beginning today through August 28. As part of a push by Amazon for an audience boost ahead of the August 29th Season 2 premiere on paid service Prime Video, the first season is available for free for Samsung TV and Galaxy owners in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, the UK, and Germany. It marks the first time the first season will be available to stream for free.

EBU Bringing Women’s Euro 2025 To 34 Territories (Advanced-Television)
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has announced an agreement with UEFA to acquire comprehensive media rights for the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, spanning 34 territories on behalf of 37 EBU Members. The media rights acquired encompass broadcast on TV, digital, and radio.

The Dark Horse In SA Streaming – And Canal+ Is A Big Investor (Tech Central)
French broadcasting giant Groupe Canal+, which is in the midst of trying to acquire a controlling stake in DStv parent MultiChoice Group, owns 36.8% of Viu. Similar to its strategy with MultiChoice, Canal+ has been slowly increasing its stake in Viu ahead of an unbundling from parent Vivendi, which will involve a separate listing in London.

Data: UK SVoD Homes Hit 20m For First Time (Broadband TV News)
Barb has released data from its Establishment Survey showing that 20 million UK homes (68.7 per cent) had access to a subscription video-on-demand (SVoD) service in Q2 2024. This is a slight increase from 19.5 million UK homes (67.9 per cent) in Q1, and the first time more than 20 million UK homes report having access to an SVoD service.

Scottish Producers Hail Return Of Edinburgh Industry Program While Calling for More Talent Development, Networking Opportunities Year-Round (Variety)
The industry weekend will comprise a series of panels and networking opportunities for Scottish and international creatives, and features new collaborations and partnerships with Fringe organizations and venues. Panellists include “Scrapper” director Charlotte Regan, BBC Film director Eva Yates, WME Independent head Alex Walton, Picturehouse Entertainment acquisitions manager Julia Trawinska and producer, writer and curator Lynda Myles.

DAZN, Deezer Partnership (Advanced-Television)
Deezer, the music streaming platform, and DAZN, the sports streaming service, have announced a multi-year joint distribution partnership. Later this year, music and sports fans in France will be able to seamlessly access premium streaming on Deezer and DAZN through multiple direct-to-consumer offers.

Showmax And Capitec Join Forces To Offer Half-Price Subscriptions (Showmax Stories)
Capitec’s 12m active app users are now able to buy Showmax streaming vouchers from only R22 a month – less than R1 a day – exclusively on the Capitec banking app.  Showmax, which is aiming to become Africa’s leading streaming service, and Capitec, the biggest digital bank in South Africa, have joined forces to make entertainment and sport more affordable.  

Disney+ Hotstar Elevates ‘Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes’ Experience With 3D Billboards (Brand Equity)
Spanning 21 prime locations, including Jio World Drive in Mumbai, Cyber Hub in Delhi, and Garuda Mall in Bengaluru, these billboards employ cutting-edge technology to bring the world of 'Kingdom of the The Apes'.’ The innovative 3D visuals create an illusion of depth and motion, with the apes seemingly leaning out of the screen, giving viewers the sense that the characters could leap off the screen at any moment.

Switzerland: Serie A, Ligue 1 On Sunrise TV Via DAZN (Advanced-Television)
Swiss football fans from any of the language regions can watch all Serie A and Ligue 1 football matches now available live on Sunrise TV in Italian, German or English (Serie A) or in French, German or English (Ligue 1).