LIVE VIDEO
Twitch is opening its monetization features to thousands of additional users. The Amazon-owned live-streaming service announced a new revenue-sharing feature, called the Affiliate Program, that will be open to creators that fit even a low threshold of metrics such as time spent streaming and number of followers. The feature will launch later this month. Previously, only the most-popular game-streamers on the site – the 17,000 or so “Twitch Partners” – were able to monetize their channels.
PLATFORMS, APPS + DEVICES
The Guardian is pulling the plug on a couple of its platform partnerships. The U.K. media company will now longer publish content on Apple News or under Facebook’s Instant Article format. The Guardian isn’t the first to lose faith in Instant Articles. A number of publishers, including National Geographic, the Wall Street Journal and others, have begun dramatically reducing the number of Instant Articles they run. The New York Times has dropped the format altogether. Many of these publishers have found that they generate more revenue by simply posting links that bring readers back to their own sites.
As first reported by Variety, Nokia and Vubiquity have struck new partnerships with the concert videos startup Qello. Under the deal with Nokia, filmmakers will be able to use Nokia’s Ozo camera to monetize VR films through advertising, pay-per-view, and subscription models. And Vubiquity – which specializes in helping content producers bring their programming to online video vendors – will use its partnership with Qello to target telco and cable providers outside of the United States. Qello was founded in 2008.
PROGRAMMING + CONTENT ACQUISITIONS
Amazon is keeping up its Japanese content efforts. Amazon Prime Japan has acquired Tokyo Vampire Hotel, an original series from well-known Japanese director Sono Sion. The series is set to debut on June 19.
EARNINGS + REVENUE
Modern Times Group is doing quite well for itself. The Swedish media company announced a 15% profit increase during Q1 of 2017. Net sales were up by 11% to $4.7 billion. Operative profits reached about $20 million. Key revenue drivers included the MTG streaming platforms Viafree and Viaplay.
AUDIO
Samsung may have shuttered its Milk Music portal last year, but it looks like the company’s not done with digital music. The difference: This time Samsung needs a partner. In a blog post, Google confirmed that Google Play Music will be the default music service on Samsung’s new Galaxy S8 and S8+ phones.
RESEARCH
OTT viewership is likely to overtake traditional broadcast TV viewership within the next five years; at least, that’s according to a new survey of industry pros from Level 3 Communications, Streaming Media and Unisphere Research. The survey – the third annual addition of the companies’ OTT Video Services report – finds that almost 70% of respondents believed OTT would surpass traditional broadcast no later than 2022. The survey reached 486 media industry professionals, about 70% of them based North America.
UPCOMING DIGITAL PROGRAMMING
… for the week of Monday, April 24, through Sunday, April 30.
– People Now at People.com, Monday-Friday at 8:30a ET and 11:30a ET. Guests include actress Rose Byrne (HBO’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks), actresses Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn (20th Century Fox’s Snatched), and actor Keith Powers (Freeform’s Famous in Love)
– Acorn TV: Season 2 of Dominion Creek debuts today, April 24
– Netflix: The 101-Year-Old Man Who Skipped Out on the Bill and Disappeared, a new comedy film, debuts Tuesday, April 25
– Netflix: Vir Das: Abroad Understanding, a new comedy special, debuts Tuesday, April 25.
– Hulu: The Handmaid’s Tale debuts Wednesday, April 26
– Netflix: Cable Girls, Netflix’s first Spanish original series, debuts Friday, April 28
– Netflix: Casting JonBenet, a new documentary, debuts Friday, April 28
– Netflix: Dear White People, a comedy/drama series based on the 2014 film of the same name, debuts Friday, April 28
– Netflix: Rodney King, Spike Lee-directed version of Roger Guenveur Smith’s one-man show, debuts Friday, April 28
– Netflix: Small Crimes, a new drama/thriller film, debuts Friday, April 28
– Amazon: Season 3 of Catastrophe debuts Friday, April 28
TRIVIA
The Wire alum Idris Elba starred in one of the very first Netflix Original films. What was it called? Answer: Beasts of No Nation. Kudos to Andy Pittman-TAMU/TX, Luke Watson-Roker Labs/NY, Louis Lewow-Lewow Media Group/GA, Kayla Baines-PR Newswire/MD, Daniel Rak-WME/NY, Sheena Das-Disney Media/NY, David Westberg-SAG AFTRA FEDERAL CREDIT UNION/CA, Lorrie Shilling/CA, Erica Ladis-Chief Media/NY, Andrew Carslon/NY, Mark Netter-Revolve/CA, and Cynthia Thomas-Viacom/NY
In 2014, Beasts of No Nation director Cary Fukunaga directed all eight season-one episodes of what HBO drama? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, and state.)
