Distribution

Starz Lost Access to Pay-One Rights for Major Studio Films

Starz’s access to third-party content was severely diminished when it lost Pay-One rights to films released by Sony Pictures after Netflix swopped in last year. Starz only has Pay-One rights to films released by its sibling company, Lionsgate, which HBO and FX previously held.

Distribution

Universal’s Unique Deal Bifurcates Pay-One Rights Between Multiple Streamers

Universal Pictures bifurcates the 18-month Pay-One Film Licensing Window for its streaming service Peacock and Amazon. After four initial months on Peacock, Universal’s live-action films will stream exclusively on Amazon’s Prime Video for ten months before returning to Peacock for the final four months.

Streaming

Netflix’s New Advertising Tier is Off to a Shaky Start

Netflix’s ad-based tier aims to reduce the high churn the company faced in 2022, attract new subscribers, and lure back those who canceled. However, by all measures, the rushed experiment is failing. Netflix’s AVOD tier accounts for just 12% of its subscriber base.

Streaming

Streaming Services Revert to Advertising to Drive Subscriber Growth

Last year was the first year in the previous four years that didn’t welcome a new subscription streaming service from Hollywood’s major players. The lack of a new streaming service did not stop the existing services from offering new ways to watch content through paid and free ad-supported options.

Streaming

Streamers Gain More Ground

Many sales agents are now positioning as wholesalers and content placement agents for streaming platforms—particularly in Europe, where there are over 450 video streaming services.

Production

The Current State of Film

Film distribution and production disruptions caused by government lockdowns have accelerated many changes that were well underway in the market for years. Large programming gaps for films are emerging for traditional television networks and OTT platforms to fill.