News in Brief

PRODUCTION NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

BANIJAY LAUNCHES OWN BRAND FAST CHANNEL Distributor Banijay Rights has launched its first Banijay-branded general entertainment FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) channel, called Horizons: Powered By Banijay. MOVIES AND SCRIPTED TV: NO LONGER DIFFERENTIATORS FOR STREAMERS The winners in the streaming wars will be those companies that diversify into news or sports or video games or preferably a mix of the lot, according to a survey from Consumer Insights, the research division of Publisher’s Clearing House. It polled 15,000 Americans and teamed with consultant Evan Shapiro to analyse the results.

“What is glaringly clear is that having movies and TV shows are now, simply, table stakes,” said Shapiro. “They are not at all a differentiator. In streaming TV, scripted and non-fiction TV are an expensive, hitdriven, share-shift model. Consumers of all ages and incomes will sign up for them, to binge something. But if that is all you have, they will not stick around.”

Trends increasingly favour the tech giants – Apple and Amazon – which are both heavily invested in bundling numerous genres of services. It makes perfect sense that Microsoft, which already offers gaming and business products is getting into business with Netflix. While Disney+ only has movies and TV, a Disney Bundle offers sports, news, and even local content. “This is why their bundle churn is now lower than Netflix’s, and how they surpassed Netflix for subscribers worldwide,” Shapiro thinks.

Shapiro thinks there’s hope for the paid content business model yet – among youth. Two hundred million mostly young people are paying for Spotify and another 90 million pay Apple Music. Hundreds of millions of paying users play Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft.

“We have trained three generations (Millennials, Gen Z and Gen A) that (despite social media) great content is often what you pay for it. Despite their addiction to free video on TikTok two thirds of America’s young people are ready to pay for what they feel they need.”

The channel boasts more than 200 hours of UK content including 8 Out of 10 Cats and Pointless (pictured above), as well as drama series Gunpowder and The Woman in White.

Shaun Keeble, VP Digital, Banijay Rights, said: “Launching our own, dedicated, Banijay-branded FAST channel in the UK is the perfect way to attract new viewers to some of our leading global IP. It’s a fantastic time to expand on our already burgeoning suite of channels and continue to lead the market in this space.”

The channel is available on Samsung TV Plus UK and LG Channels. The launch comes amid rapid growth for the FAST market, with analysts predicting it could be worth USD4 billion this year. FAST leaders include Pluto TV, Tubi and Roku.

SAUDI STUDIO OFFERS PRODUCTION INCENTIVE Saudi Arabian region NEOM has opened NEOM Media Village and Bajdah Desert Studios, the country’s largest sound stages and film production support facilities.

NEOM also announced a 40% plus cash rebate production incentive scheme.

“Clearly production incentives play a vital role in terms of attracting productions but are best leveraged when the entire package is in place: infrastructure, on-the-ground international production expertise, crew depth and ease of doing business,” commented Wayne Borg, MD for Media Industries, Entertainment and Culture at NEOM. “NEOM is now in the position to offer this competitive package.”

The first three sound stages across the two locations are already operational. A further seven, including a Volume, are set to open early 2023.

The peaks of Al-Lawz Mountain, NEOM's highest mountain.

“This is an important milestone in realising our aim of becoming the epicenter of the region’s media industry,” added Borg. “Our team, facilities and diverse filming locations mean we can provide world-class production experience and use our capabilities to become the focal point of collaboration within the global media industry.” There are also 350 dedicated accommodation units for cast and crew, “supported by a great offering of lifestyle facilities.”

The facilities have housed fantasy-adventure Rise of The Witches and reality show Million Dollar Island.