Latest news with #originalcontent
Yahoo
27-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Breaking down Netflix viewership in 1H25
-- Netflix viewership rose slightly in the first half of 2025, though underlying engagement trends show mixed signals, according to MoffettNathanson. In a note to clients this week, the firm told investors that 'overall engagement grew +1% in 1H25 to 95.2 billion hours,' but noted that 'on a per-subscriber level, we estimate this represents a high-single-digit decrease in engagement.' However, adjusting for the volatility introduced by password-sharing changes, engagement appears more stable. 'On an owner household basis, stripping out the volatility of password sharing, engagement has been steady over the past 2.5 years,' MoffettNathanson wrote, citing Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX)'s own comments on its second-quarter earnings call. Series are said to have continued to outpace films in driving viewership. The firm said series viewing rose 4% year over year to 71.1 billion hours, while film viewership declined 7% to 24.1 billion. 'Original series in 1H25 drove the second-highest level of engagement of any half since Netflix started releasing this data in 2023,' analysts said. Critically, the reception of Netflix's top shows has improved. 'Netflix continues to balance the need of producing a vast amount of content... while also focusing on the quality,' the note stated. However, original films have lagged. 'The reception to Netflix's original films remains muted,' analysts added, though they expect improvements in the second half of 2025, helped by recovery from the 2023 Hollywood strikes and recent management changes. Looking ahead, MoffettNathanson expects engagement to rise. A stronger content slate, including Wednesday Season 2, Stranger Things Season 5, and NFL Christmas Day programming, 'should also drive even higher advertising and further monetization opportunities across its subscriber base.' Related articles Breaking down Netflix viewership in 1H25 Apollo economist warns: AI bubble now bigger than 1990s tech mania If Powell goes, does Fed trust go with him? Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Times
25-07-2025
- Business
- Times
Sky invests in hit factory so it can thrive alongside streamers
Sky's television and film studio in Elstree was not even fully built when the set builders and production crews moved in to start shooting Wicked in summer 2022. Initially relying on back-up generators for power, Sky scrambled to ensure that the blockbuster tale set in the land of Oz before Dorothy arrived, was not faced with any more delays, as the studio grappled with the after-effects of the pandemic as well as soaring energy costs. The trophy 28-acre site in the historic heartland of Britain's film and TV industries in Hertfordshire, is symbolic of the growing strategic importance of original content for Sky, as broadcasters and streaming platforms alike battle to prove their worth to viewers. The site, which houses 12 sound stages — vast, soundproof hangars that can house realistic and intricate sets without fear of weather or noise interference — is the first production studio to be built in the UK by Comcast, the $133 billion American conglomerate that acquired Sky in 2018. Film and TV is produced here not only for Comcast, whose huge empire spans Universal Pictures, the maker of Wicked, DreamWorks Animations and CNBC, but also external production houses: Paddington in Peru and Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy were both filmed there. The studio, which was given the green light in 2019 and finally completed in 2023 just before the Hollywood writers strike pushed the industry into fresh turmoil, was not built with the assumption that it was going to be a huge revenue opportunity, Cécile Frot-Coutaz, chief executive of Sky Studios and Sky's chief content officer, said. It is more of a strategic asset for Comcast, allowing it to better plan its production slate, instead of competing for space available elsewhere, she said. It is also evidence, however, of the growing importance for Sky, led by Dana Strong, its American chief executive, of building its own hit factory in an ever-crowded marketplace, where the explosion in streaming has changed viewing habits and the economics of the industry. Originals such as The Day of the Jackal and The Tattooist of Auschwitz are 'critical' in the face of intensifying competition, Frot-Coutaz said, particularly if Sky is to set itself apart from its rivals. 'You want to be offering something that you've commissioned for a UK audience', she said. 'The originals are those shows that are going to be what's distinctive about your offering. Anybody can buy the American shows.' Sky, created by Rupert Murdoch, the ultimate owner of The Times, as the UK's first satellite television service in 1989, has become a titan of the European media and entertainment market. It has attempted to diversify its revenue streams through its faster-growing broadband and mobile businesses but television, which also includes sport and news, remains the centrepiece of its operations. Under Strong, Sky has invested heavily in building its entertainment offering, particularly in sport, the engine of its pay-TV business. A record £5.2 billion Premier League deal that gives the broadcaster the rights to more matches than ever before, kicks in next month. It has also been spending about £500 million on the drama, comedy and documentaries that populate its TV channels and streaming services such as Now TV, split across originals and acquiring content from its rivals. The challenges are gathering, however, for Sky and its content business, which was built on unique access to sports, TV and films. Since its acquisition by Comcast, Sky no longer discloses its subscriber numbers. Frot-Coutaz insisted that the business had had 'a really good year overall'. Several analysts have painted a less rosy picture, though, assuming customer numbers that are flat at best, or in decline. In a research note last month the specialist research firm Enders Analysis pointed towards Sky's 'mature' pay-TV and telecoms businesses, which like its peers had declined because of the cost of living crisis and the 'abundance of video choices available'. The rise of streamers such as Netflix, which is to invest $18 billion this year on content, and the cost of living crisis have pushed people to reevaluate their spending on telecoms and media products, Paolo Pescatore, of PP Foresight, said: 'They're probably saying, 'Why am I spending so much for channels I barely watch?' ' Along with customer numbers, there is also a question mark over how much Sky's brand actually resonates with younger audiences, Ian Whittaker, an independent media analyst, said. 'That's also where the new content strategy fits in because Sky can produce content targeted at younger audiences and which gets them to say, 'There's actually content on Sky that we like and we want to watch.' That both keeps Sky relevant to such audiences and potentially makes them more open to becoming subscribers.' In Sky's most recent accounts filed at Companies House, revenue, which also included mobile and broadband, was flat and pre-tax losses rose from £563 million to £773 million, reflecting a writedown in loans to its Italian and German businesses, the latter of which was sold last month. It also wrote down the value of SkyShowtime, a streaming service jointly owned with Paramount, the owner of Channel 5, that went live in Europe in 2022. In 2022, four years after Comcast bought Sky for $39 billion, it wrote down the company's value by $8.6 billion, which it blamed on a 'challenging economic environment' in Europe after the war in Ukraine. Sky has been attempting to manoeuvre its business towards what Frot-Coutaz described as an 'aggregator' approach, instead of attempting to go toe-to-toe with the streamers. Netflix is now bundled into its packages and the company is open to more such deals, she said. She emphasised the practical appeal of the technology platform that Sky has, allowing customers to access Sky content as well as streaming from public service broadcasters and the big American players across one interface. 'People don't buy Sky for a single piece of programming,' she said. Sky's content may, though, need to shine brighter. From April next year a deal with Warner Bros Discovery that gives it the sole right to air HBO shows including hits such as Game of Thrones, Succession and The White Lotus on its own services in the UK will come to an end when Max, WBD's new streaming service, is available in the UK. The ad-supported version of Max will then be bundled in for Sky customers at no extra cost but it will lose the element of exclusivity and it opens the door for WBD to negotiate deals with other providers. Frot-Coutaz insisted that because 'the customer is not losing' access to HBO shows, there will be a 'continuity of experience' that counts in pinning down an audience. She also points towards eight out of the top ten best watched shows over the past 12 months across its services being Sky Originals. At Elstree an expansion of the studios to the north is planned, which would more than double its size, adding an extra ten sound stages. It hopes to receive a planning decision before the end of the year.
The Sun
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Sky reveals ‘deeply concerning' change to popular kids TV channel
SKY has scrapped plans to make original kids' TV shows — sparking 'deep concern' from experts. UK-based watchdog the Children's Media Foundation (CMF) slammed the move, after Sky confirmed it will stop creating its own content and instead buy in shows from other providers. 2 Recent original titles from Sky include Pip & Posy — co-commissioned with Channel 5's Milkshake! — as well as BooSnoo! and The Brilliant World of Tom Gates. Sky Kids, led by Lucy Murphy, currently has around 150 original titles in its catalogue. Although it will honour content still in production, Sky confirmed it has no plans to greenlight any new original children's programming. The broadcaster also warned that some job losses may follow as a result of the strategy change. Jamie Morris, Sky's executive director of content strategy and performance, said: 'With a strong pipeline of new original shows still to come, we now have a rich slate of content that allows us to evolve our strategy. 'In the future, Sky Kids will focus on acquiring third-party content. "While this means reviewing the number of roles required to deliver the next phase of our offer, we remain committed to bringing the very best in children's entertainment to families across the UK.' The decision comes just over two years after Sky made headlines by launching its own children's linear TV channel — a bold move at a time when many other broadcasters were moving away from traditional channels in favour of digital platforms. But the CMF said the change was 'a depressing and short-sighted decision, which will leave UK children less well-served.' Highlighting that only the BBC and Milkshake! remain as major commissioners of factual and entertainment content for children, the organisation said Sky's exit removes 'healthy competition' in the market and urged the broadcaster to think again. Sky TV remotes have hidden trick that saves you so much time Greg Childs, director of the CMF, said: 'This is not the time to give up on great UK content for UK kids. "Just as we are working with government and platforms like YouTube to help children and young people find more personally and socially valuable content on video-sharing platforms. "Sky is walking away from its kids' needed is fresh thinking about deals and partnerships that take their content to where kids are watching, not a knee-jerk cost-cutting spree which will damage their relationship with their customers and certainly diminish the prospects of quality viewing time for children in their country.' Animation UK also hit out at the decision, calling it a 'significant blow' to the animation sector and those behind Sky's well-received original content. Will more kids TV channels vanish? Analysis by Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun These latest closures don't come as much of a shock with children largely shifting to digital platforms for entertainment thanks to apps like TikTok and YouTube. Some of the POP's other channels have gone digital-only already. And in September 2023 the CITV channel closed down, switching to a new digital-only streamed channel ITVX Kids on the ITVX app. The BBC have been mulling the closure of CBBC's linear channel and making it digital only via iPlayer too. But it's been granted a temporary reprieve for now. Children's TV boss Patricia Hidalgo told the i paper at the end of 2024 that "currently the numbers don't tell us you have to close it yet", adding: "It's really important to us as public service broadcasters that if children still need us on a linear network, we're going to be there for them." It warned that losing a major commissioner like Sky limits creative opportunity and reduces access to culturally relevant UK storytelling. Kate O'Connor, chair of Animation UK, said: 'Sky has played a valuable role in backing original UK animation and children's programming. "Its decision to step away from commissioning is another signal that the children's content sector needs urgent attention. 'Without intervention, we risk losing the UK's ability to tell its own stories to its youngest citizens and to support our world class content creation sector.' The change to Sky Kids follows a wider shake-up across the broadcaster. Earlier this year, Sky shut down its standalone Sky Mix channel and moved some content to its streaming platform NOW, while also cutting several back-office roles as part of a cost-saving restructure. The group has been gradually shifting its focus toward digital-first content and streamlining services under pressure from increased competition and changing viewer habits. The Sun has reached out to The Children's Media Foundation for further comment.
The Verge
14-07-2025
- Business
- The Verge
Netflix is losing its edge.
Posted Jul 14, 2025 at 7:43 AM UTC Netflix is losing its edge. Nielsen data compiled by the Entertainment Strategy Guy newsletter shows that Netflix's original titles have gradually been losing ground to original content from rival streaming platforms, such as Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Apple TV Plus, and Paramount Plus. While Netflix owned 80 percent of the weekly top ten charts in 2021, that's now down to 52 percent this year so far — and Disney Plus isn't doing so hot either.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
In Spain, Warner Exec Explains the HBO Max Rebrand
Warner Bros. Discovery's decision to return to the HBO Max brand for its streaming service was the elephant in the room that Jose Maria Caro, director of Max Local Original Production at WBD, Spain, addressed right at the start of his appearance at the Conecta Fiction & Entertainment in Cuenca, Spain on Tuesday. 'Many of you are asking what has happened,' he said, addressing the industry audience directly, showing a slide with an advertising message with the slogan 'Max becomes HBO Max.' More from The Hollywood Reporter Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and 'Jurassic World Rebirth' Cast Stun London at World Premiere Eurovision Drama and 'The Nameless': Movistar Plus+ Exec Touts Focus on Event Programming Lewis Hamilton Signed Off on Brad Pitt and Damson Idris' Driving in 'F1: The Movie' 'What does it mean? In terms of the content, we can't lose the value of HBO,' the top executive explained. 'It contributes much value.'Caro highlighted that the brand also represents the core 'editorial line' and focus areas for the company when greenlighting original content. 'The creator is the pillar from which we begin a project,' he shared, emphasizing that ideally that a creator is 'someone with great ambition who can make a difference in the market.' Developing appealing original characters is also in focus for his team, he shared. 'We are also looking for new characters,' the exec said. Highlighting that HBO Max is about quality rather than volume of original fare, Caro also reiterated WBD's commitment to local originals. 'Without local productions, we are not going to reach the local spectators,' he explained. If they also travel, that is a wonderful bonus, he added. Originally, the WBD streaming service launched as HBO Max in 2020. Then, in 2023, the company controversially changed the name to simply Max — ditching the venerable network brand name. Ahead the company's mid-May upfront presentation in New York at Madison Square Garden, WBD president and CEO David Zaslav unveiled though that the name will be changed back to HBO Max. The powerful growth we have seen in our global streaming service is built around the quality of our programming,' he said in a statement back then. 'Today, we are bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media, to further accelerate that growth in the years ahead.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire
