By Daniel Frankel September 2, 2019 | The global over-the-top video distribution market grew its revenue by 33% last year, reaching $68 billion, according to figures released by Digital TV Research. Global OTT revenue was more than double the $30 billion generated in 2016. OTT revenue reached $26.8 million in the U.S. last year, vs. $20.3 billion in 2017 and $15.6 billion...
Consumer viewing time is leveling off, but there is still interest in adding new services -- with the right content September 4, 2019 | There is little question that the proliferation of media and entertainment services and content available to consumers can be overwhelming if not mind-boggling. What started as a way of giving consumers more choice and control over their...
By Julia Alexander August 29, 2019 | Streaming subscribers became accustomed to binging shows. But powerhouses like Disney, Apple, and Hulu are looking to change the game again by taking the opposite strategy with their streaming services. If Netflix turned patience into a forgotten virtue, its competitors are trying to bring it back. At Disney’s biannual D23 Expo executives revealed that episodes on the...
By Janko Roettgers August 29, 2019 | Get ready for yet another ad-supported video service: Media center app maker Plex is gearing up to add free movies and TV shows to its app, starting with content from Warner Bros. Plex announced a deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution Thursday, which will allow it to add a still-unspecified amount of the studio’s movie catalog to...
By Caroline Giardina [caption id="attachment_8177" align="alignright" width="600"] Director Rian Johnson spoke about Filmmaker Mode at a UHDA press conference.[/caption] August 27, 2019 | Leading directors including Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, Ryan Coogler, Patty Jenkins and Rian Johnson have teamed up with the UHD Alliance — a coalition whose members include Hollywood studios and consumer electronics manufacturers — to introduce a new "Filmmaker...
A 10-year vision for the future of media production, post and creative technologies August 20, 2019 | The media industry has seen tremendous technological advancements and achievements in storytelling over the last 10 years, but there are still major challenges and inherent inefficiencies in production and distribution workflows that threaten to limit future ability to continue innovation, reduce time and expand...
By Thomas K. Arnold August 18, 2019 | For the second year, Media Play News is saluting the top women in home entertainment, with a special focus on the 10 “captains” who are driving the business — as selected by a panel of studio executives, key retailers, journalists and other industry leaders. Our “captains” span a broad range of the home entertainment spectrum. We...
By Paul Bond August 13, 2019 | Media Networks is Disney's largest business, but it is forecast to grow just 14 percent over the next five years as cord-cutting takes its toll, courtesy of streamers like the one Disney will launch, says Michael Morris of Guggenheim Securities. In the same five years, Disney's smallest segment, Direct-to-Consumer and International, is expected to...
By Rebecca Keegan August 9, 2019 | Netflix has been evolving its public policy strategies in recent months to align itself more with Hollywood and less with Silicon Valley, a shift driven by the streamer's maturation into a full-fledged film and TV studio, by its international expansion and by the intense scrutiny Washington is now applying to the tech companies. In...
By Ben Munson August 9, 2019 | Pitting Netflix against Disney in a good old-fashioned donnybrook for the U.S. streaming market is good fun, but not a realistic depiction of the industry. At least, not until the Disney+ bundle showed up. This week Disney+ confirmed its long-speculated streaming service bundle, which will include Disney+ (launching Nov. 12), Hulu with ads and ESPN+ for $12.99...
