The giant Discovery and Nat Geo shark promotions are going strong 33 summers after the launch of Shark Week in 1988? What do these promotions tell us about how the legacy channels are transitioning to streaming? And is the Shark programming niche really a $23+ million opportunity for producers? Veteran programming executive and senior consultant …
A random email blast from streaming promoter KillTheCableBill revealed lots of fascinating data about the streamers – their subscribers and their economics. The Netflix breakdown by political party is a favorite: What does it mean? Demographics Cable subscribers are found more in U.S. counties and households that are characterized by lower income, but above poverty. …
Essential Afghan Documentaries – War boosters & critics: 15 key documentaries about Afghanistan, From ‘Taxi to the Dark Side’ to ‘Hell and Back Again‘ // Variety ‘Pat Tillman‘ and other films both critical and supportive of the war // Washington Post Art Workers in France Mobilize to Help Afghan Creators // Artnet Women journalists fear brutal Taliban // Vice Director’s escape from …
“When you look at the entertainment war for attention and you realise that there are seven trillion-dollar Death Stars – Amazon, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Tencent and Alibaba – all with unlimited resources and diversified revenue models, you understand why scale is the most important thing,” says Evan Shapiro, producer, media commentator and creator of …
Last week Nielsen released The Gauge, a very useful pie chart that captures the total time Americans spent watching cable TV, broadcast TV and streaming services. Digging deeper reveals the seismic shift that our industry is experiencing. The Gauge: Here it is… Let’s dig into the findings: Cable + Broadcast: 64% Cable (39%) & Broadcast …
Story of the Month: Investors Target Unscripted Production. There’s a frenzy of investment in unscripted production // Wall Street Journal. New SVOD’s fail to understand that success depends on streaming addiction // Lightshed Partners. Netflix Australia: Revenues surge but avoids taxes and local production // The Age + Documentary Business. Audiences want more documentaries in streaming libraries …
Two articles on the state of the industry caught my attention this week: A brilliant analysis of a key success factor for streamers from Lightshed Partners. And a ho-hum Wall Street Journal story that nonetheless captures the current investment frenzy for Unscripted productions. Nat Geo also shared an updated INCLUSION STANDARDS. Scroll down for the …
The rise of the streamers has an overall negative impact on global spending on television production. Why? Channels greenlight 200-600 hours / year to populate their linear, 7-day schedules with original programs. Streamers buy enough new programs to attract and retain subscribers. The following Australian example is revealing… if you accept my back-of-envelope calculations and …