International Insider: Streamers target Africa and Asia; Within The UTA / Curtis Brown Deal; license fees; A quiet Oscar presentation

Good afternoon connoisseurs. We are in the holiday season, but things are not slowing down in the land of TV and movies. I’m Max Goldbart, and here’s your list of the week’s biggest titles.

Streamers apply to Africa and Asia

A solution to the problem of the teeth.: It’s no secret that some of the legacy players in the streaming world have struggled lately, with Netflix in particular struggling to grow subscribers and run shows, which has really taken its toll. One solution: Africa and Asia. Talent deals and new programming on both continents were revealed this week, with Netflix’s See What’s Next Africa 2022/23 program in Johannesburg. Both continents have populations of billions of people and a large growing middle class demographic that is ripe for further increases in benefits. And the announcements come after UK rating agency Barb revealed that in the UK, for example, both Netflix and Amazon experienced a decline in subscribers in the second quarter. Consequently, the drops of 200,000 and 600,000 sub-users are not devastating (they represent small percentage losses in the low numbers), but if they continue to go in that direction as the quarters advance, countries like Africa and Asia will only grow. The American giants are of great importance. Elsewhere, new entrants are turning their backs on Netflix and Amazon. Paramount Global’s second quarter earnings yesterday saw Bob Bakish praise the “above expectations” launch of Paramount + in the UK, Ireland and South Korea, while Paramount Global’s president / CEO predicted a “fantastic year”. “For Western Europe in France, Austria, Switzerland and Germany.. Getting closer. And Warner Bros. to Discovery Land, David Zaslav has revealed a combined HBO Max Discovery + offering in the European and APAC markets in 2024, so Netflix and Amazon will want to keep an eye on.

Netflix dubbing gameNetflix’s third African talent contract comes from the Johannesburg event in the form of a multi-project partnership with South African director Mandlakaise (Mandla) Walter Dube, following a creative alliance with EbonyLife founder Mo Abudu and Nigerian director Kunle Afolayan (pictured). above) in recent years. A talented dub who directed the first African film commissioned by Netflix siege of Silverton It will carry several Netflix projects, and its launch comes after Netflix showed a slew of African content and three new programs, including another season of a Pan-African reality show. Young, famous and African. The next day, Netflix revealed a multi-year creative partnership with Indie. film band The film duo Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK through their production company D2R Films. Check out our interview on International Disruptors last week with Monica Shergill of Netflix India for a deeper insight into the streamer’s strategy in the region.

Amazon’s turn: Not content that Netflix has grabbed all the headlines, Amazon is also busy on two continents, just this morning revealing a surge in investments in Nigeria. This amount will go to the local function Lagos Gang and Amazon’s return to unscripted success LOL: last laugh in the territory, which is quite interesting, with its first marketing campaign in Nigeria and the opportunity for consumers to register for the first time in the local currency naira. Southeast Asia was Amazon’s other port of call this week and our Asian expert Liz got the most detailed information, including a trio of sitcom improvisation shows called The island of comedy. This is not the last you will hear from SVoD in these continents and we will follow every step.

Within the UTA / Curtis Brown agreement

Call my agent: Jesse and Diana received UTA’s surprise acquisition of UK talent agency Curtis Brown Group this week. They spoke to a number of high-profile agents and CEOs on both sides of the pond to find out what this could mean for the UK and the US in general. Many wonder how the co-agent model will work, where the talent has an agent in the UK and one in the US, when the US agency owns the UK one, but UTA and Curtis Brown have spoken of a “deep respect” for each other. . And they claim talent won’t find the setup difficult or off-putting. The items will remain BAU for at least a few years, the lawsuits state, and UTA will not pressure Curtis Brown’s clients to sign them. In fact, our kids proved it strange things 4 Up-and-coming star Joseph Quinn (pictured above), who is in Curtis’ books, spoke to all three major US representation agencies, showing his commitment to the division. Quinn signed with CAA yesterday morning. But brokers love to speculate and a knowledgeable source doesn’t mince words when he said, “There’s no way in the world you’re buying to stay the same over the long term.” There is talk in London about whether a British agent is working on the “Americanization” review, but the UTA and Curtis Brown say there is nothing to worry about. much more. Read the full piece here.

License to change funding models

sacred blue: According to Melanie, who said the bill passed in parliament last night, the sweeping changes President Macron made to French broadcasts this week were seen as senators voted to eliminate a decades-old canon. The measure, which met with opposition from all parts of the Chamber, would replace the stand-alone model, used in 60% of European countries, with a small share of VAT revenue, equal to a tide of expenses of 3 billion euros. ($ 3.1 billion). France Télévisions and other French PSBs. Many fear that the new model affects public independence and worry about its short-term nature, as it only lasts two and a half years. And the same is happening in the UK, where the long-awaited fee review is expected to start in September and last anywhere from six months originally planned to a year. The topic was ripe for scrutiny, so I spoke to the bigwigs in the European television world to see how damaging the moves of France and the UK could be for the 35.5 billion euro (36.3 billion euro) broadcasting sector. dollars) of the continent. “The dramatic changes in funding models are always worrying, especially in European countries where there is not the same story as the independent media,” said Noel Curran, director general of the European Broadcasting Union. Full episode here.

Pact and Bektu are blocked

reach the summit “: Those who thought that Pact and Bektu’s big breakup over the collapse of their deal for the television drama we wrote about two weeks ago would be over by now, are wrong. The week began with Bektu members backing “overwhelmingly” with the revised deal offer and ended with the trade body saying it had no choice but to hold a “summit” with broadcasters, streamers. and Sky commissioners to resolve the dispute. . If Bectu’s terms are accepted in areas like working hours and pay, Pact fears production will have to shut down and independent producers “won’t be able to figure it out for themselves,” said the agency’s deputy executive director. commercial, Max Rumney. . Both sides are bitter about each other’s press reports, and a resolution before the renewal date of September 1 seems terribly unlikely. If the “summit”, which is expected to take place on Wednesday or Thursday, fails, the burgeoning British Indian screenwriting industry faces the prospect of working out the terms show by show, which will be incredibly difficult and probably difficult. Angry reaction of employees. “It will be a disaster,” said a source familiar with the talks. You can repeat

A quiet presentation of the Oscar

Ireland starts: A beautiful debut by Colm Bairéad quiet girl (An Cailín Ciúin) The Oscar season kicked off on Tuesday with the first nominations announced in the international feature film category. The Irish-language film rivaled last year’s blockbuster Oscars. Belfast Irish Academy of Film and Television Awards in March and it already looks like an outside bet. In the coming weeks, many other international teams will appear and we will be very attentive to the race for the prize, which has strengthened over the years.

essential

🌶️ Warm: Sam Mendes (above) and Audible team up to adapt Charles Dickens’ audio drama The Environment Oliver Twist as a debut.

🌶️ Other: Legendary British actor Stephen Fry has joined Netflix’s latest British adventure. fuck the bucket along with a host of talented newcomers. Fry was last seen on the same streamer brooch He played the bewildered director.

🌶️ Other: Jesse broke the news of AMC Networks’ Sundance Now addressing comedy / drama Sky Lovers.

stop: A feature of Sally El Hossain unicorns, Created by Stephen Daldry, it joins Principal Photography in the UK in October. Andreas and Meli collaborated for this.

🏪 Store layout: Filipino actor and singer Lovi Poe, who launched C’est Lovi Productions, has a delightful name. Mel had the scoop.

🏪 Create a different store: Former Deputy Director of Channel 4 programs e circle Commissioner Kelly Webb-Lamb, who launched Mothership Productions with two former colleagues.

👁️ He’s watching you: Three cheers for creative originality like older brother The UK opted for a third broadcaster in 20 years, ITV, which was unveiled on Monday during the final trailer. island of love the end.

🚪 Exit: Philippa Kowarski, chief editor of BBC Storyville, after less than a year of work.

🏕️ The latest from the festival: Daniel Radcliffe Strange: the story of Al Yankovic will open this year’s TIFF Midnight Madness section Across the Pond by Anthony D’Alessandro.

🏕️ and another: Our Zach Ntim brings us the news from the program of the San Sebastian Film Festival, with the European premiere of the last long-awaited film by Chilean director Sebastián Lelio. Wonder.

💺 chairTilda Swinton will chair the jury of the BFI and the Chanel Filmmaker Awards.

🧑‍💼 New job offers: Toby Dormer, Alison Brough and Lindsay Tolbert have joined Blink49 Studios, John Morainis’ growing Canadian company, which has launched an unscripted division.

🧑‍💼 There are other new job offers: Our STX UK status report reveals that senior executives Llewellyn Radley, Laura Austin Little, Jill Silfen and Mike Shanks have joined John Friedberg in a new company called Black Bear International.

🖼️ first look: thriller all the blood With Aaron Diaz and Ana Brenda Contreras, Rosie Cordero in the United States.

🦁 Roar: Nearly 40 million people in the two countries watched the British Lions win over Germany in the European Championship.

❌ It is prohibited: Piers Morgan of Russia with former British Prime Minister David Cameron. Russia’s gain is Britain’s loss …

Jesse Whittock contributed to this week’s International Insider.