1.2 billion video subscribers by 2025. That’s the total global SVOD customer base estimated by leading U.S. platforms. Netflix tops the list at 341 million! Here are the numbers collated by leading industry analyst LightShed Research. Takeaways: Full Steam Ahead. Legacy studios and channels operators are now “ALL IN!” to the streaming strategy. Consumers are …
OSCAR nom for MY OCTOPUS TEACHER. Listen to executive producer Ellen Windemuth in our “Selling Octopus to Netflix” podcast

Congrats to MY OCTOPUS TEACHER‘s extended family for their nomination in the Best Documentary Feature category by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). I write “family” because it took a deeply committed and close-knit group of friends and colleagues to bring Craig Foster‘s unexpected subject from chilly False Bay to Hollywood’s #1 …
Disney+ with Nat Geo tops 100 million subscribers. Forecast: 230M+ by 2024. Podcast with Dan Salerno

The Disney+ streaming service roared past the 100 million subscriber mark. That’s according to yesterday’s investors’ call. Disney+ is the home of the National Geographic “yellow border” brand and programming from Nat Geo Channel and Nat Geo Wild. Veteran programming executive Dan Salerno follows our recent exploration of the launch of discovery+ by reviewing Nat …
discovery+ Report Card: 11 million subscribers. What does it mean? A Dan Salerno podcast

Discovery’s new streamer discovery+ released early subscriber data: 11 million have signed up in the few weeks after launch. I ask veteran programming exec Dan Salerno: What can we learn from the numbers? Is discovery+ ‘cannibalizing’ the channels’ program pipeline and ultimately revenues? Where are the documentaries that made the Discovery brand? Dan gives a …
SELLING YOUR DOCUMENTARY TO NETFLIX: My new resource-packed online course. Now with a 700-program online database

SELLING YOUR DOCUMENTARY TO NETFLIX is my new, resource-packed course designed for both industry professionals and developing talents. The online course features: How to pitch your project effectively! A unique 700-program database of Netflix originals & acquisitions Step-by-step video tutorials Worksheets, and other downloads Proposal templates, and much, much more… The course includes NETFLIX 2021: …
BBC director general floats deep cuts to documentaries in ‘Smarter. Bigger. Better’ strategy

BBC director general Tim Davie yesterday mounted a spirited defense of the pubcaster’s value to British audiences versus the streamers led by Netflix. His presentation and white paper BBC Value for Audiences gained wide coverage in the business media, where the initial focus was on $556 million in proposed cuts. Cut Documentaries Davie later spoke …
Nielsen’s Streaming Ratings 2020: Positive Takeaways for the Documentary / Unscripted Sector

Nielsen released their Top 10 Streamed Programs for 2020 (U.S.) in three categories: Originals, Acquisitions and Movies. Their key metric is Minutes-Streamed-per-Show. In the Originals category, the Top 10 is led by OZARK with 30.5 billion views in 2020. TIGER KING is #4 with 15.6 billion views. When I looked deeper into the data, I …
Today’s discovery+ launch spotlights David Attenborough’s 10 years of ratings dominance

David Attenborough is a promotional hook for Monday’s long-awaited launch of discovery+. The 94-year old legend narrates A Perfect Planet, a blue chip series that stands out among the new streamer’s higher quality programs. I am in awe of Attenborough’s lifetime contribution to documentary filmmaking. I earned a credit on one of his hit series. …