The world of TV and entertainment is moving, shifting, evolving in all directions - here are four areas that caught our eye recently:
1. “If I was kidding, I would've said you're witty and handsome.” (Ruth Langmore, Ozark)The most watched shows this month across streaming platforms were the money laundering crime drama Ozark which released its third season and the divisive true crime documentary Tiger King that spawned a slew of Joe Exotic vs Carole Baskin internet memes (according to data from J.D. Power’s Streaming Provider Experiences During COVID-19 Pulse Survey)
2. “I don't want to get defensive, but... you're comparing apples to submarines…You can't get what we're doing on a television set.” (Jeffrey Kaztenberg via Fortune)
And while Mr Exotic was the content king last month, the big screen TV holds onto its crown and remains king of the living room (too many royal references?!). The majority of respondents to the J.D Power’s survey stream to their big (50”+) screen TV as opposed to smartphones or tablets. The prevailing dominance of the TV is why many observers are still calling on the newly launched smartphone-centric Quibi to quickly “get the cast-to-TV thing going”
3. “Yeah, the real world sucks, deal with it like the rest of us.” (Jonathan, Stranger Things)
It’s no surprise given we’re in global lockdown that more and more people are watching TV and turning to streaming platforms to keep entertained, our appetite for content is insatiable! Disney+ which has racked up over 54m subscribers (almost hitting its 4 year target in just five months!) shared this week that it is pulling forward release schedules - the 2021 planned release of its filmed version of Broadway hit Hamilton will now air in July. But despite subscriptions soaring, production has been hit, with shows like Succession and Strangers Things 4 facing delay. It’s no wonder streaming leader Netflix last week laid out its plans to reopen production on shows and films to ensure it’s content coffers don’t run dry.
4. "You say potato, I say vodka." (Karen, Will & Grace, available on Peacock)
The walls between traditional TV and streaming services and applications are continuing to break down or blur at some of the industry’s biggest players. Last week, restructuring at NBCUniversal saw leadership for the broadcast and cable networks as well as Peacock, the company’s new streaming service, converge under the same head. And this week, Charter CEO Tom Rutledge shared that 8m customers are now connecting to the company’s video services via its top rated application rather than a set-top. As reported in MCN, speaking at the virtual MoffettNathanson Media & Communications conference, Rutledge told moderator Craig Moffett “What that does is it reduces our capital intensity, it reduces our revenue from equipment, but it also allows us to have a better user experience and it allows us to be on more devices, the consumer can save money.”