Despite 20 years of often difficult relations, a clear recognition of the “frenemy” dynamic at play, and the reality of intensifying competition for attention, advertising, and consumers’ cash, many publishers still actively seek to collaborate with platform companies. - NiemanLab
Better and less expensive equipment, the growing festival circuit, and, most of all, the rise of streaming video have made it easier for Africans to get films made and for viewers overseas to see them. (Not to mention that Nigeria now has one of the world's largest film industries.) - CNN
What’s surprising is that content fueling viewership only comes from a small subset of TikTok’s user base—a statistic similar to YouTube. Only 33.9 percent of TikTok users publish content to the platform, compared to 69.9 percent of Instagram users who publish their own photos and videos. - Fast Company
Culture officials in Newcastle envision an event with "the same spirit, vibe and inclusivity as the Edinburgh Fringe" but including art shows, concerts, and dance as well as theatre. They're planning a pilot for August 2023, with a full-fledged festival in the summer of 2024. - The Chronicle (Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK)
When the financial incentives of the people paying for the movies and TV shows are aligned with those of the creators, the overall system is much more cost-effective — and often the movies and TV shows are better. - The New York Times
While Netflix’s competitors still have room to grow — and Disney in particular has committed to growing a lot — agents and creators believe they are seeing the end of the spending spree that has lined many pockets in recent years. - The Hollywood Reporter
"Director General Tim Davie is preparing to announce deep cuts to BBC output in the coming week. ... The corporation estimates it needs to find another £285m ($356m) in annual savings as a result of government-imposed cuts to its budget." - The Guardian
They changed their minds, of course: "70% of the households who initially wanted to pay nothing or less than the £159 ($200.54) per year fee had u-turned by the end of the study." Turns out they used the Beeb more than they had realized. - Deadline
Netflix’s sign of softening brought a screeching halt to the prevailing industry logic that going all-in on streaming investment was the way to please shareholders. - Variety
“When analyzing title after title, it becomes very clear that spikes in piracy are most drastic when a movie is first available to watch in the home: It doesn’t matter if it’s available via premium video-on-demand or subscription video-on-demand.” - The Hollywood Reporter
Rather than prompting new subscribers to sign up, “the people who would have subscribed anyway are using the credit.” Subscribers weren’t swayed because they wouldn’t see the benefit until tax time and because the 15% credit was too low to change many minds on paying for news. - NiemanLab
Netflix has nearly 222 million subscribers around the world, more than any other streaming company, and just last month it was forecasting eventually growing to half a billion. Now the arrow is pointing in the opposite direction. - The Atlantic
They mostly (excepting Joe Rogan) fly beneath mainstream radar, but "rightwing satirists, podcasters and standups … feature on each other's podcasts, TV shows and social media feeds, sharing ideas and audiences. … Many are masters of Reddit-style trolling and meme-making, helping them reach vast internet audiences." - The Guardian
I don’t imagine that one will wake up and open Twitter and see it magically transformed into a total cesspool of hate, harassment, and false information. But I can imagine a “going bankrupt” quality to Twitter’s degradation—it might happen slowly, then all at once. - The Atlantic
The showrunner for The Chosen, Dallas Jenkins (son of a co-author of the Left Behind novels), put up billboards advertising the show that were faux-vandalized, ostensibly by The Devil. Some fans thought the graffiti was real and were very offended, but the billboards reeled in new viewers. - Slate
