Advanced Television

VOD

Netflix: “48m have watched Ratched”

Netflix, normally cagey over viewer numbers, has trumpeted the success of its original TV series Ratched. The One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest prequel spin-off, starring Sarah Paulson as a younger Mildred Ratched, has become the platform’s most watched debut season of 2020.  Netflix revealed via Twitter: “In its first 28 days, 48 million members […]

October 19, 2020By Nik Roseveare

DCMS ‘clarifies’ post Brexit rules

In a coordinated move with PM Boris Johnson’s statement on the state of Brexit negotiations on his ‘deal deadline’, DCMS has issued a clarification of where British broadcasters and VoD services will stand on January 1st 2021. As is traditional with Brexit, the deadline has now been moved. DCMS says the Audiovisual Media Services Directive […]

October 16, 2020

Wiseman exits Netflix

Jane Wiseman has become the latest Netflix departee, leaving her role as Original Series VP after nearly seven years, as the streaming compay’s restructuring of its senior content team continues. Wiseman’s departure comes just days after another VP of Originals, Channing Dungey, left Netflix. Previously, Wiseman was the SVP Comedy at Chernin Entertainment. Prior to that, […]

October 16, 2020

Amazon tops new UK SVoD sign-ups

Kantar, the data, insights and consulting company, has announced Q3 2020 results from its Entertainment On Demand service in the UK, the newest offering from Kantar to help entertainment industry and investors understand the full entertainment subscription service consumer journey. The service reveals the following consumer behaviours in the three months to September 2020: Amazon […]

October 15, 2020

Salto goes live on Oct 20

France’s Salto, the joint streaming platform co-owned by leading French broadcasters, TF1, France Télévisions and M6, will go live on October 20th, according to local reports. Salto has already started consumer testing in June with a promised launch in the autumn of this year. At launch, Salto’s catalogue will include an archived library from the […]

October 15, 2020By Chris Forrester

Netflix scraps free trials

Netflix has confirmed that it is no longer offering 30 day free trials in the UK or the US. The company said in a statement: “Free trials are not available, but you can still sign up and take advantage of all Netflix has to offer. There are no contracts, no cancellation fees, and no commitments. […]

October 15, 2020

Chili launches AVoD service

Milan-based VoD platform Chili is making some of its content free of charge, accompanied by advertising. The platform, present in Italy, the UK, Poland, Germany and Austria, has now opened to the AVoD model having previously been exclusively TVoD. Although TVoD will remain the core business, according to founder and CEO Giorgio Tacchia, Chili wants […]

October 15, 2020From Branislav Pekic in Rome

Blackpills to hit 15 countries in Q1 2020

French SVoD service Blackpills has announced its platform will be available in France before the end of 2020 on four additional IPTV platforms; SFR, Bouygues, Orange, Free as well as on OTT service Molotov, smartphones, tablets and STBs. An international roll-out into 15 countries is set for Q1 2021. Dedicated to short form content, the […]

October 15, 2020From Pascale Paoli-Lebailly in Paris

LG Channels adds Korean content

LG Electronics (LG) is expanding its free content streaming service, LG Channels, to provide owners of its smart TVs in key markets with even more premium entertainment to enjoy at home. The expanded service will offer an impressive selection of viewing options to choose from, including a wealth of new, free content covering all things […]

October 15, 2020

‘The Real Right Stuff’ on Disney+ celebrates space race

Nearly six decades after NASA successfully sent its first astronaut into space, restoring the world’s faith in the US space programme, Disney+ ventures back to the very beginning of the high-stakes space race era with the premiere of The Real Right Stuff on November 20th. The documentary tells the true story of the nation’s first […]

October 15, 2020