The Weather Channel announced today that meteorologist Jordan Steele will be the weekday host for Quibi’s new show, Weather Today. Weather Today will join Quibi’s Daily Essentials category of programming, […]
Two thirds of Americans (66%) have access to a streaming video service, and 28% watch content “only” on streaming platforms. The percentage of Gen Z OTT-only viewers is even bigger at over a third (38%).
It’s been a brutal few years for broadcast and cable networks. Many are seeing annual double-digit ratings declines as audiences increasingly turn their back on live linear viewing and flock to streaming services. From more events to “urgent” shows, here’s how broadcast and cable channels have shifted linear strategies.
Hulu has promoted Chief Marketing Officer Kelly Campbell to president. This comes a few weeks after Disney announced that Randy Freer would be stepping down as CEO.
Exclusives
Comcast said it has acquired Xumo, an ad-supported streaming service. Financial terms were not disclosed. Comcast said that Xumo will continue to operate as an independent business inside of Comcast Cable.
AMC Networks today announced a comprehensive, long-term distribution agreement with Dish Network and Sling TV that includes continued carriage of AMC Networks’ linear channels AMC, BBC America, IFC, SundanceTV, WE tv and BBC World News, as well as the launch in the coming months of AMC Networks’ targeted SVOD services Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now and Urban Movie Channel; AMC Networks’ ad-free offering AMC Premiere; and its IFC Films Unlimited streaming service.
Netflix Inc., which has been tight-lipped about the popularity of its shows and movies, is taking another step toward transparency. A new feature on the streaming service will show its top 10 most popular programs and movies, updated daily. Netflix has been testing the approach for about six months in Mexico and the U.K., the company said on Monday.
Tossing a possible monkey wrench into its proposed merger with TiVo, Xperi Corp. says it has received an unsolicited, non-binding proposal from Metis Ventures to acquire the outstanding equity of Xperi for $23.30 per share in cash, or about $1.16 billion. Metis Ventures said the offer represents a 33% premium to the 30-day trading average of Xperi shares prior to its proposed offer, and an 11% premium to Xperi shares as of Dec. 18, 2019, the last trading day prior to the announcement of the Xperi-TiVo merger.
The glut of shows has created more opportunities, but short seasons and unpredictable schedules have made life tricky.
The Price Point | Appetite For New Streaming Services Is Limited
Today’s consumer does not have an unlimited financial appetite for new streaming services. Every time a new OTT service is selected, the consumer will feel pressure to drop something else. As competition increases, one must ask what all this means to retransmission consent.
NBCUniversal is in talks to acquire Walmart’s Vudu video business, a source familiar with the discussions tells The Hollywood Reporter. A deal would give NBCU ownership of Vudu’s digital marketplace for movies and television shows. Vudu also offers a free, ad-supported video service.
It’s official. Months after the 25th anniversary of the launch of Friends, the cast will be reuniting exclusively for an untitled unscripted special for HBO Max. It will be directed by Ben Winston and produced by Fulwell 73 (The Late Late Show with James Corden) and Warner Bros. Unscripted & Alternative Television.
Capitol Broadcasting Programs Earn Regional Emmys
With more Americans cutting the cord, watchdogs worry that voters lack a full understanding of who’s trying to influence them. Nothing requires fast-growing digital providers to disclose who political ads targeted and who viewed them. The absence of federal transparency rules stands in stark contrast with traditional TV broadcasters.
The free TV station signal streaming service says it will be streaming a dozen local TV channels in Puerto Rico later this year.
YouTube TV will carry HBO Max as part of an expanded distribution deal with WarnerMedia. This is the first deal that WarnerMedia has announced for the third-party distribution of HBO Max but more are expected in the lead up to the service’s May launch.
Retrans, Reverse Comp Surge For ViacomCBS
ViacomCBS CFO Christina Spade says strong 4Q retrans/reverse comp will continue as growth drivers this year, along with political advertising. And President-CEO Bob Bakish was extremely bullish on streaming opportunities.
ViacomCBS has revealed more details about its digital future with plans to expand CBS All Access by launching a “House of Brands” product. The company said it would look to “accelerate momentum in streaming” after laying out a strategic update as part of its fourth-quarter fiscal 2019 results, the first since it closed the merger between the two companies on Dec. 4.
As media giants launch their own streaming services, studios are focused on supplying content to their growing roster of platforms rather than focusing purely on broadcast.
CBS Launches CBSN Denver
It marks the newest expansion of major market local news streaming services from CBS and features local news content produced by KCNC.
Video streaming service Deltatre is nearing a deal with Sinclair Broadcast Group to be the digital video provider for the 21 regional sports networks that the broadcaster bought last year from Walt Disney Co., according to two people familiar with the talks.
Cord-cutters now have another website they can visit to catch up on TV shows for free. Redbox recently launched a basic online streaming service, entering a crowded field of ad-supported live entertainment offerings on the internet. The company best-known for its DVD kiosks quietly added a video viewing tab to its website called “Free Live TV.”
Marquee Sports Network, the new channel being launched Feb 22 by the Chicago Cubs and Sinclair Broadcast Group, took a big step by making a carriage deal to be streamed as part of the Hulu+ Live TV lineup. It is Marquee’s first over-the-top deal with a virtual MVPD, which is important because it means Cubs fans can watch games if they cut the cord.
WarnerMedia has dramatically shifted its balance for commissioning content away from its cable networks and toward its streaming services like HBO Max. According to Ampere Analysis, just over one quarter of WarnerMedia’s commissioning activity was from its cable networks, down from more than 90% in the fourth quarter of 2018. At the same time, the company’s streaming has grown from 7% of commissions in the fourth quarter of 2018 to 73% in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Now more than ever, the broadcast networks are feeling the need to change up their typical pilot season strategy. With existing streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus and Amazon and new competitors like HBO Max and Peacock developing shows year-round, the broadcasters are slowly but surely shifting their plans to include more off-cycle pickups.
The Google-owned video giant is considering giving people the ability to sign up, through YouTube, for a wide range of subscription-streaming services run by entertainment companies, according to people familiar with the situation. YouTube has talked with several entertainment companies about adding their services, the people said.
As WarnerMedia’s streamer HBO Max preps for a May launch, a new film division will become a direct pipeline — and could spark awkward internal politics.
Before Hulu was serving up network television bundles, before PS Vue had come (and recently gone), and before AT&T was pushing streaming TV, there was Sling TV. Streaming TV was in its infancy back in February of 2015 when Sling launched with a handful of offerings and a ton of promise. But even back then, you could see the potential that Sling had.
Even at AT&T’s WarnerMedia, home to HBO and Game of Thrones, cable is no longer king. As WarnerMedia prepares to launch its streaming service HBO Max in May, the company has shifted resources from its cable networks to invest in online originals. A new study published today by Ampere Analytics found that while new streaming shows accounted for just 7% of WarnerMedia’s original commissions in the fourth quarter of 2018, by 4Q 2019, streaming commissions represented 73% of WarnerMedia’s new TV projects.
Tubi, the ad supported streaming service said it had record growth in 2019 and racked up big increases in December. The company said that monthly active users hit 25 million in December and that total view time in December grew 160% to 163 million hours.
A record 532 original scripted series aired on television in 2019, according to research from cable network FX. The network’s annual figure is the most commonly cited number to show how programming has mushroomed in the Peak TV era. In terms of the sheer volume of content, though, the FX figure understates what’s available — by a factor of more than 1,000, according to data from Nielsen.
Sony Pictures Television Chairman Mike Hopkins will exit the studio and lead Amazon’s video entertainment business, including Amazon Studios. Amazon Studios head Jen Salke will now report to Hopkins, who will report directly to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Hopkins had been with Sony since 2017, following four years with Hulu.
