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11 - 15 September 2020
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North American streaming service for British and international TV will launch in the UK on 29 April with a slate of content to rival the likes of BritBox and broadcasters on-demand services.
The Acorn TV brand successfully curates and distributes best-selling dramas, mysteries and other genres from around the world with a special focus on British television.
The streamer boasts more than one million paid subscribers in the US after it launched in 2011. It pioneered a path for specialised streamers with commissioning, co-producing and licensing of a wide range of productions from Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.
After its UK launch on 29 April, consumers will be able to watch the service online free for a 30-day trial on Roku, Fire TV, Android and Apple mobile and Apple TV Channels. Acorn TV will also be coming soon to Amazon’s Prime Video Channels.
Catherine Mackin, managing director of Acorn Media Enterprises (AME), the UK-based development division for the streamer, said: “We are extremely excited for UK viewers to get the opportunity to see the wonderful Queens of Mystery filmed in the beautiful countryside of Kent, as well as several other productions later this year, including Irish period mystery series Dead Still and New Zealand thriller The Sounds, among many others. We continue to greatly expand our commission and co-production slate.”
Acorn TV will add exclusive new programmes every subsequent Monday, and all programmes will include English subtitles. After the free trial, Acorn TV will be £4.99 per month or £49.99 per year.
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Matthew Graham, general manager, Acorn TV, said: “Acorn TV has been phenomenally successful in North America, and we’re excited to bring our slate of exceptional programming from around the world to UK viewers.
“The UK has a long-standing tradition of producing first-rate dramas and mysteries, so we’re thrilled to feature so many popular, award-winning programs in one place like ITV’s Foyle’s War and BBC’s Keeping Faith, as well as introduce UK audiences to the charming, British-produced Acorn TV original Queens of Mystery.
“For the last eight years, Acorn TV has curated and produced the very best in global television with a diverse mix of shows from Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Scandinavia with the singular focus of satisfying a rapidly growing fanbase seeking high quality mysteries and dramas,” he continued. “As one of the best values in television, Acorn TV will make an excellent add-on to British consumers’ streaming options.”
Acorn TV will feature star-studded ITV drama Girlfriends; New Zealand detective drama Harry starring Sam Neill and Oscar Kightley; the first two series of popular ITV period drama The Bletchley Circle; Scandinavian crime drama Black Widows; BAFTA-award winning BBC drama Accused; ITV crime drama Above Suspicion; charming Australian mystery series Mr. & Mrs. Murder; classic Irish period drama The Irish RM; BBC miniseries The Great Train Robbery; Irish detective drama Jack Taylor starring Iain Glen(Game of Thrones); award-winning Australian drama Deep Water; the complete Australian crime drama East West 101; all five series of popular ITV cop drama The Commander; Australian comedy Sando; BBC miniseries The Last Enemy starring Benedict Cumberbatch; Irish legal drama Striking Out starring Amy Huberman; ITV drama The Level; Australian thriller Winter/The Killing Field starring Rebecca Gibney.
The trio of broadcasters has committed $50 million of advertising inventory to promote vital public health messages that will reach over 800 million people across the globe.
BBC Global News, CNN International and Euronews have come together to donate free airtime to public health bodies for the promotion of messages to combat the coronavirus crisis.
The broadcasters announced today the combined inventory would be otherwise worth up to $50 million in advertising revenue. It will be available to major multilateral organisations and national health bodies to communicate information to help protect citizens and stop the spread of the virus.
Jim Egan, chief executive, BBC Global News, said: “Accurate information is one of the best weapons in our collective armoury for fighting this virus.
“We are telling the global story across our editorial output, but it also feels right to do whatever we can to help health agencies get their message out to the world as widely as possible.”
This is the first time that the three broadcasters have come together for a joint initiative, signalling how important it is to them to play their part in a worldwide effort to bring vital health information to people across the globe.
They are encouraging other publishers and platforms to replicate the model, in order to help spread the message even more widely.
Michael Peters, chief executive, Euronews, said: “In these challenging times for the world, we have an even higher responsibility to bring our audiences accurate information in real time, across our twelve language editions.
“Our newsroom has been working round-the-clock, including with major multilateral organisations like the WHO, to ensure that our audiences stay up to date with the latest recommendations to avoid the virus spreading. But we want to go one step further.
“We are proud to be launching this initiative with our long-time peers BBC Global News and CNN International; together, we want to help health authorities broadcast their vital messages more widely, and we hope many other media will follow suit.”
Demand for trusted news has been exceptional in the last few weeks, with the public tuning into traditional media for timely and accurate sources of information.
According to Global Web Index, the monthly reach across TV and digital for the three broadcasters is over 800 million. Campaigns running via this scheme will be across TV and digital platforms, with the ability to target messages to reach audiences in specific regions.
Rani Raad, commercial president, CNN International, said: “Wherever you are in the world, this situation we find ourselves in is unprecedented.
“Whilst CNN’s editorial staff are working tirelessly to ensure people everywhere have the most up to date and accurate facts, it also makes sense to promote the public health agencies’ messaging.
“By working with our competitors, I hope this combined effort has a positive impact and our global footprint helps reach as many people as possible.”
T-Mobile and Quibi have inked an exclusive US distribution deal enabling its customers to have a year’s free access to the upcoming short form content platform.
Quibi, the mobile-first video content platform founded by Hollywood media mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg and led by Meg Whitman, is set to launch on 6 April with original programming that is specifically designed for watching on a smart phone in 10 minutes or less.
According to T-Mobile more than 85% of video streamed on its US network is short-form content and with Quibi’s content offering the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Reese Witherspoon and Sophie Turner, the newest streaming player is set to cause waves in the market.
Meg Whitman, chief executive, Quibi said: “Quibi and T-Mobile are a perfect match – we’re both changing our industries by giving our customers what they want in truly unique and innovative ways.
“Since Quibi is built for an optimal mobile experience, we chose T-Mobile as our exclusive wireless launch partner. With the only nationwide 5G network, T-Mobile was the obvious choice for our customers.”
T-Mobile customers with two or more voice lines at standard rates on Magenta and One plans with taxes and fees included – along with discounted First Responder, Military and Magenta Plus 55 plans – or small business customers with up to 12 lines, will score a subscription to Quibi, which is priced at $4.99 to be included in their plan at no added cost.
Customers can sign up between now and 7 July to get Quibi added to their plan.
Mike Sievert, president and CEO of T-Mobile, added: “T-Mobile customers have always been ahead of the curve – streaming more data, watching more mobile video – so when we first heard about Quibi, we knew our customers would love it!”
He added: “With more of us staying home right now, Quibi’s never been more needed. It comes on the scene with a totally different experience, made for mobile, quick to watch and as entertaining as anything you’ve ever seen.”
In addition to Quibi, T-Mobile customers will also get access to the first US 5G network at no additional cost. T-Mobile’s 5G network already covers more than 200 million people, 5,000 cities and towns across the US, and the company said it is continuing to grow as it turns on more 5G cell sites.
This week, US telco giants Sprint and T-Mobile officially completed a $26 billion merger.
With the merger closed, the combined company plans to blend the T-Mobile foundational layer of 5G with Sprint’s 2.5 GHz spectrum “to create a broad and deep nationwide 5G network for everyone”.
The newly combined parent company is called T-Mobile, and Sprint will no longer trade on the New York Stock Exchange.
Hulu’s founding boss Jason Kilar has been appointed the new chief executive of WarnerMedia, effective from 1 May.
WarnerMedia’s newest chief executive has been confirmed as media, entertainment and technology executive Jason Kilar who has held senior roles at Hulu and Amazon.
Kilar will report to John Stankey, AT&T’s president and chief operating officer.
On the announcement, Stankey said: “Jason is a dynamic executive with the right skill set to lead WarnerMedia into the future. His experience in media and entertainment, direct-to-consumer video streaming and advertising is the perfect fit for WarnerMedia, and I am excited to have him lead the next chapter of WarnerMedia’s storied success.
“Our team led by Bob Greenblatt, Ann Sarnoff, Gerhard Zeiler and Jeff Zucker has done an amazing job establishing our brands as leaders in the hearts and minds of consumers.
“Adding Jason to the talented WarnerMedia family as we launch HBO Max in May gives us the right management team to strategically position our leading portfolio of brands, world-class talent and rich library of intellectual property for future growth.”
Kilar was CEO of Hulu from its start in 2007 until 2013. He served in several leadership positions at Amazon from 1997 to 2006, including senior vice president of Worldwide Application Software.
Kilar was also co-founder & CEO of video streaming service Vessel from 2013 to 2017. Additionally, he served as a board member at DreamWorks Animation from 2013 until 2016 and Univision Communications from 2016 to 2020.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and business from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Kilar said: “In partnership with this world-class team, I’m so excited for the opportunity to lean into the future at WarnerMedia.
“Stories well told have always mattered, and they matter even more in this challenging time for the world. It will be a privilege to invent, create, and serve with so many talented people. May 1st can’t get here soon enough.”
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