Politics
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‘Breaking Bad’ Movie a Streaming Sensation
El Camino, the feature film sequel to the TV series “Breaking Bad,” was seen by nearly 6.5 million viewers its opening weekend, according to Nielsen, the ratings company. According to Nielsen’s SVOD Content Ratings, the film reached nearly 8.2 million unique viewers in the United States during its first three days of availability on Netflix. … Continue reading “‘Breaking Bad’ Movie a Streaming Sensation”
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Nintendo Switch Game Console Tops 15 Million Unit Sales in North America
Nintendo continues to spearhead the sluggish North American video game industry as market rivals Microsoft and Sony ready next-generation consoles launches a year from now. Nintendo Oct. 17 disclosed it has sold 15 million Switch and Switch Lite consoles in North America since the device’s bow in 2017. The console has sold another 10 million … Continue reading “Nintendo Switch Game Console Tops 15 Million Unit Sales in North America”
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Report: India Considering Censorship of Netflix, Amazon, Disney Streaming Video Content
With India and its second-largest population in the world, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney have aggressively sought an over-the-top video presence in the nascent market. The influx of foreign SVOD services has reportedly prompted some government officials to ask for increased monitoring of content on the platforms — above existing regulations. Reuters reports that … Continue reading “Report: India Considering Censorship of Netflix, Amazon, Disney Streaming Video Content”
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Netflix Brass Doubles Down Indifference to Pending SVOD Competition
With Disney and Apple just weeks away from launching branded subscription streaming video services, Netflix remains defiant to the pending competition, which includes service launches from WarnerMedia (HBO Max) and NBC Universal (Peacock) early next year. Speaking on the Oct. 16 fiscal earnings webcast, CCO Ted Sarandos walked back any apparent corporate weakness regarding comments … Continue reading “Netflix Brass Doubles Down Indifference to Pending SVOD Competition”
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‘Last Week Tonight’ Host John Oliver Mocks HBO Max
British comic John Oliver has never shied away from calling out perceived hypocrisy within corporate America, social media and politics — even if it includes his network employer. His weekly satirical look at events and newsmakers has made HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” a critical success at industry awards, including winning multiple Primetime … Continue reading “‘Last Week Tonight’ Host John Oliver Mocks HBO Max”
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Netflix Just Misses Q3 Subscriber Growth Estimates; Shares Up Regardless
Netflix Oct. 16 said it added 6.77 million subscribers in the third quarter ended Sept. 30. The tally was 230,000 fewer than the subscription streaming video pioneer had projected — but up 700,000 subs from the previous-year period. In the U.S., paid net sub adds totaled 500,000, down from 800,000 forecast and 998,000 last year. … Continue reading “Netflix Just Misses Q3 Subscriber Growth Estimates; Shares Up Regardless”
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Amazon Studios Partners with Howard University to Promote Racial Diversity in Hollywood
Amazon Studios and Howard University Oct. 10 announced a partnership designed to diversify the entertainment industry by creating a pipeline for African-American students and other marginalized groups to train and study alongside Hollywood executives. The Howard Entertainment program is an immersive two semester class located in Los Angeles that offers Washington, D.C.-based Howard University students the opportunity to … Continue reading “Amazon Studios Partners with Howard University to Promote Racial Diversity in Hollywood”
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FCC’s Pai Says Streaming Video Competition Negates Need for Pay-TV Rate Regulation
Ongoing proliferation of over-the-top video services has created an effective argument against continuing basic rate regulation on pay-TV operators, says FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. In an Oct. 3 in blog post, Pai said increased availability of subscription streaming video services has established credible competition to pay-TV; and thereby negates the need to further regulate basic cable … Continue reading “FCC’s Pai Says Streaming Video Competition Negates Need for Pay-TV Rate Regulation”
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Federal Appeals Courts Upholds Net Neutrality Deregulation
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Oct. 1 affirmed the basic principles of Republican-led efforts to deregulate net neutrality guidelines established during the Obama Administration. The three-judge panel did rule against the FCC superseding state efforts to impose local guidelines where the federal government did not. “We uphold the 2018 order, with … Continue reading “Federal Appeals Courts Upholds Net Neutrality Deregulation”
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Post Kevin Tsujihara, WarnerMedia Releases First Diversity Report
WarnerMedia Sept. 26 released its first-ever annual report looking at diversity, inclusion and belonging across both its corporate operations and the films, television series and digital content created by its various production businesses. In September 2018, WarnerMedia announced a “production diversity policy,” which included the commitment to report on its diversity and inclusion efforts annually. … Continue reading “Post Kevin Tsujihara, WarnerMedia Releases First Diversity Report”
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Congress Seeks Greater Copyright Protection for YouTube Videos
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has sent a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai asking the tech giant to expand copyright infringement protections to a greater number of content creators. The letter, spearheaded by Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), co-chairs on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, addresses “YouTube Content ID,” … Continue reading “Congress Seeks Greater Copyright Protection for YouTube Videos”