Netflix boss says The Crown will ‘look like a bargain’ as streaming battle begins September 20, 2019 Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings says the its drama about the British Royal family, ‘The Crown’, will “look like a bargain” as the arrival of streaming rivals Apple, Disney and NBC will push content costs up. The series, which will include 60 episodes over six season, cost a reported £100m to produce. Read more: Netflix [...]
Apple TV Plus gives Netflix chills as it undercuts streaming rival September 11, 2019 Apple has turned up the heat on incumbent streaming firm Netflix, revealing its new Apple TV Plus service will launch with a price tag of just £4.99 per month. The Silicon Valley tech giant last night confirmed its eagerly-anticipated streaming platform will launch in 100 countries, including the UK, on 1 November. Read more: Apple [...]
Netflix snaps up Uxbridge production space in latest UK push August 19, 2019 Netflix has signed a deal to rent out production space in Uxbridge, just weeks after it unveiled its new UK hub at Shepperton Studios. City A.M. understands that the US streaming giant is set to take a 134,000 square feet unit called UX1 in an industrial park in west London as part of a 10-year [...]
Youtube and Netflix among most-watched channels as streaming booms August 7, 2019 YouTube and Netflix are now the third and fourth most-watched video services in the UK, as streaming continues to eat away at traditional TV viewing. British adults watch on average 34 minutes of Youtube and 18 minutes of Netflix per day, overtaking both Channel 4 and BBC Two. Read more: The new King of the [...]
Netflix loses its chill: Four ways the streaming giant can recover July 18, 2019 Netflix shares dropped roughly 11 per cent when Wall Street opened today, as bleary-eyed investors reacted to a disappointing set of second-quarter results. The streaming firm posted a 26 per cent rise in revenue to $4.9bn (£3.9bn), but added just 2.7m worldwide subscribers, well below its 5m forecast. Read more: Netflix to open huge UK [...]
Stranger Things vs Mickey Mouse: How the media old guard is adapting to disruption July 17, 2019 | City Talk As I discussed earlier this month, disruption is everywhere (see Five things every investor needs to know about disruption). Incumbent companies have a choice: they can either deny the changes are happening, or they can adapt to the new regime. Faced with the seemingly inexorable rise of streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, [...]
Ofcom calls for new laws to protect public service broadcasters July 4, 2019 Ofcom has urged the government to introduce new laws to support public service broadcasters amid rising competition from streaming giants. The media regulator has called for new legislation to ensure channels operated by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 are displayed prominently on online platforms. Read more: Revamp media regulation to help broadcasters [...]
Netflix to open huge UK production hub at Shepperton Studios July 3, 2019 Netflix has signed a deal to set up a production hub in the iconic Shepperton Studios, marking a major expansion of the streaming giant’s UK presence. Netflix will take over 435,000 square feet of space in the Surrey studio complex, which boasts a rich history of productions including A Clockwork Orange, Gladiator and Gravity. Read [...]
Global video-on-demand subscriptions set to near 1bn by 2024 June 3, 2019 Global subscriptions of on-demand video platforms are set to surge towards 1bn over the next five years, new figures have revealed. The total number of subscriptions will soar 86 per cent from 439m last year to 947m in 2024, according to London-based firm Digital TV Research. Read more: Live TV still holds top spot despite [...]
Netflix raises prices by 20 per cent as it blames $15bn production budget May 30, 2019 Netflix is raising the prices of some of its subscriptions by as much as 20 per cent as it prepares to ramp up investment in new TV shows and films. The streaming service is increasing the cost of its standard plan, which allows users to watch on two screens, by £1 to £8.99, while the [...]