Here are the global TV and streaming television stories that should be on your radar for Monday, March 31st, 2025:
Korean Actor Kim Soo-hyun Denies He Groomed And Dated Late Actress When She Was Underage (Korea Joongang Daily)
At a surprise press conference, Kim Soo-hyun denied claims he groomed Kim Sae-ron, who died by suicide in February. Flanked by his lawyer, Kim Soo-hyun, the 37-year-old star of several hit K-dramas, tearfully addressed the wave of allegations about his relationship with Kim Sae-ron, reading out a statement that gave a timeline of their relationship and reiterating that it started after the actress became an adult. Kim Sae-ron, an actress known for her roles in A Brand New Life (2009) and The Man From Nowhere (2010), died Feb. 16 at 24. Her death was ruled a suicide. The date was the same as Kim Soo-hyun’s birthday.
Netflix makes Adolescence Available To All UK Secondary Schools (Advanced-Television)
Netflix is making its British crime series Adolescence available to all secondary schools across the UK through the Into Film+ streaming platform from April 1st. Additionally, healthy relationships charity Tender will produce guides and resources for teachers, parents and carers to help navigate conversations around the series.
Grand Slam Track Secures Global Coverage With New Rights Deals (Sportcal)
The announcement raises the total number of Grand Slam Track broadcast partners to 21, including BeIN Sport across MENA, CazéTV in Brazil, CBC in Canada, L’Equipe in France, New World TV across countries in West and Central Africa, PCCW in China and Hong Kong, Rush Sports across the Caribbean, SPOTV across South East Asia, SuperSport across Africa, TBS in Japan, and TyC Sports across Central and Latin America.
BBC Says “Unprecedented Funding Challenge” Lies Ahead As Content Spend Set To Fall By $200M (Deadline)
The BBC faces an “unprecedented content funding challenge” in the year to come, the corporation’s Annual Plan setting out priorities for the next 12 months has said. “Without intervention, it will be difficult to maintain the current ambition and volume of UK content,” said the plan.
‘Adolescence’ Co-Creator Responds To Theory About Show Being “Anti-White Propaganda” (The Hollywood Reporter)
The accusation began with a post on X [formerly Twitter] by Ian Miles Cheong, a Malaysia-based right-wing commentator, who claimed the series is “about a British knife killer who stabbed a girl to death on a bus, and it’s based on real life cases such as the Southport murderer. So guess what,” the post continued. “They race swapped the actual killer from a black man/migrant to a white boy and the story has it so he was radicalized online by the red pill movement. Just the absolute state of anti-white propaganda.”
Sky: 950m Hours Of Sport Viewed In H2 2024 (Advanced-Television)
Brits are spending more time watching content than ever before, consuming 16 billion hours of content on Sky in 2024, according to Sky’s bi-annual Attention Index report. The latest data reveals that while viewing is up, the content people consume is increasingly fragmented as audiences shift away from pre-scheduled broadcasting and instead move to on-demand.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s JB Perrette Charts Max Expansion Path As Platform Launches in Australia (Deadline)
The company expects to attract “millions of subscribers” in Australia, leveraging a partnership with Foxtel that provides immediate access to a subscriber base already familiar with WBD’s content. This follows similar distribution partnerships in Europe with companies like Canal+ in France, Sky in the U.K. and Telefonica in Spain, evolving “legacy traditional content licensing partnerships into Max distribution partnerships,” according to Perrette.
JioHotstar’s Subscriber Surge: JioCinema And Disney+ Hotstar Merger Leads To 100,000,000 Subscribers, Outpacing Netflix And Prime Video In India (DNA India)
Despite its success, JioHotstar faces challenges in India's competitive streaming market. Experts point out that while sports and reality shows like Bigg Boss have driven much of its viewership, JioCinema's prior strategy of simply adding more content without proper marketing or user engagement could hinder its ability to grow its subscriber base further. For JioHotstar to continue its upward trajectory, it will need to focus on a more strategic approach to content creation and user engagement in a market crowded with competitors.
Showmax Nigeria Originals Emerge Top Contender For 2025 AMVCA, Clinch Eight Nominations Across Six Categories (Brand Communicator)
Showmax Nigeria Originals have emerged strong contenders, with Princess on a Hill, Cheta M, and Style Magnate securing eight nominations across six categories for the 11th edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCAs) Leading the charge is the Nigerian corporate drama Princess on a Hill. The series garnered five nominations for Best Scripted Series, Best Editing for Laughter Ephraim and Peter Ugbede, and Best Writing TV Series for Bibi Ukpo, Niyi Adeniji, and Sonia Nwosu. Notably, Bimbo Manuel received his inaugural AMVCA nomination for Best Lead Actor, while Efa Iwara earned a nod for Best Supporting Actor.
Museum TV launches In Netherlands And Germany Via M7 (Broadband TV News)
Museum TV is launching in the Netherlands and Germany on April 1, the Secom Group channel and its partner THEMA, a subsidiary of the Canal+ Group, announced. The channel will now be available on the Canal+ group’s M7 network. “After successful launches on Odido and Breedband Helmond, this new expansion is a key step in establishing Museum TV in the Netherlands,” said the channel in a statement.