Advanced Television

netflix

Motion Blur to produce Netflix Norwegian feature film Troll

Netflix has announced the Norwegian feature Troll. The Norwegain language action-adventure film will be directed by internationally acclaimed Roar Uthaug, with films such as Tomb Raider and The Wave on his resumé. Espen Horn and Kristian Strand Sinkerud from Motion Blur, partly owned by SF Studios, will produce. Motion Blur is also the production company […]

August 25, 2020

Pact: “Streamers outbid broadcast for new content”

Streaming giants such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are consistently outbidding British broadcasters for new shows amid a global shortage of content, forcing traditional broadcasters to find new ways to fill schedules in the coming months and years. Although TV audiences rose sharply during lockdown, the near-global production shutdown has created a looming shortage […]

August 24, 2020

Netflix pulls Cuties poster

Netflix has removed a promotional poster which showed young girls posing in inappropriate outfits in a new movie called Cuties. The poster for the French drama sparked widespread disapproval and a petition for Netflix to drop it, which attracted some 25,000 signatures. The award-winning drama follows an 11-year-old who joins a dance group. Its maker […]

August 21, 2020

Netflix tests shuffle button

Netflix is testing a ‘Shuffle Play’ button that will let viewers jump straight in to a random film or TV show. The shuffle option, which is currently only available through the connected TV app, will analyse titles that users have watched before, as well as things saved to watch lists, in order to provide something […]

August 19, 2020

Research: Covid accelerates shift from linear TV to OTT

Brightcove, the video technology platform, has published the Brightcove Q2 2020 Global Video Index Entertainment and Media Edition, which found that OTT streaming of entertainment content continued to dominate, even as governments began loosening stay-at-home restrictions. The data suggests that consumers’ media consumption habits may be permanently shifting away from linear TV, cementing streaming as […]

August 19, 2020

Netflix acquires Hope Frozen doc

Netflix has announced that Hope Frozen: A Quest To Live Twice, an award-winning documentary feature from Thailand directed by journalist-filmmaker Pailin Wedel, will be available on its service starting September 15th. This documentary takes the audience on a heart-rending journey with Thai Buddhist parents who decide to have Einz, their two-year-old daughter cryonically frozen on […]

August 19, 2020

Analyst: 1.6 trillion hours spent on mobiles in H1

App Annie, a specialist in mobile data and analytics, has released its latest report which shows that consumers spent 1.6 trillion hours on their mobile devices in the first half of 2020. From gaming to streaming movies to social media to video conferencing, mobile has taken centre stage in consumers’ lives — ingraining new app […]

August 18, 2020

Banks react to Bertelsmann consolidation comments

Thomas Rabe, CEO/chairman of Bertelsmann, has shared his view that there’s a strong case and a need for consolidation amongst streaming platforms. His comments prompted a note to clients from a couple of investment banks. Exane/BNPP asked: “Does this give RTL the impetus to be the European broadcasting champion?” The bank adds: “As a reminder, […]

August 18, 2020

Bertelsmann: “Europe should consolidate streamers”

Thomas Rabe, chief executive and chairman of Bertelsmann says regulators should allow European media companies to scout mergers and partnerships to enable them to compete with US streaming giants such as Netflix and Disney+. Rabe told the FT that the economic impact of coronavirus on the industry had strengthened his view that it will be […]

August 17, 2020

Australia: Home entertainment subs soar

The Covid-19 pandemic has boosted home entertainment subscription services in Australia according to research from emerging technology analyst firm Telsyte. Australians added 5.6 million new subscriptions to the end of June 2020, an increase of 18 per cent from a year ago. This growth was across streaming video on demand (SVoD), streaming music and games-related […]

August 17, 2020