Streaming
On the Rise: Southeast Asian Streaming Continues To Grow
Research firm Media Partners Asia just released their latest Southeast Asia Online Video Consumer Insights & Analytics report, which illustrated that even in the third quarter of the year, streaming continued to grow. A 6% increase in viewership was boosted by Amazon Prime’s push into the region, Vidio’s live sports, and content supply from streaming leaders like Netflix, Disney, and Viu. Southeast Asia is made up of five key markets: Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, The Philippines, and Malaysia. 42% of all streaming time in these markets went to Netflix, and platforms like Viu and Tencent WeTV lagged. The region has an overall subscriber base of 43.5 million users, and 2.5 million of that number were added just this past quarter. In Indonesia, subscriber growth was led by local football, which helped make for a strong quarter (despite schedule disruptions). In the Philippines, the arrival of Disney+ made a big impact on the market. In terms of content ownership, 28% of all premium video content was Korean made, 22% was from the U.S., and only 13% of viewed content was produced in China. While consumer sentiment has recently weakened in Malaysia, MPA analyst Dhivya T believes that recent streaming launches and strong local content slates will pave the way for a bright 2023. Dhivya T said, “with competitive intensity and a new focus on improved monetization, this could lead to new dynamics and trends playing out in the fourth quarter and over 2023.”
Incentives
California’s Tax Program Experiences Growth and Losses
The California Film Commission recently released a report that makes a great case for increasing funding to the program. Currently, the Golden State offers $420 million a year in production incentives, but that sum does not cover all productions filming in California. Runaway productions, or projects that applied for a California tax credit in 2020-2022 but were denied, spent $1 billion in other states. But even though California lost these lucrative projects, the program is still working brilliantly, and entertainment employment is growing. In-state spending grew by $200 million during the 2021-2022 fiscal year, and spending continues to grow. It’s estimated that film spending for this new program will equal $6.2 billion in its first two and a half years. According to data collected by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, “for every tax credit dollar allocated, the state benefitted from at least $24.40 in economic output, $16.14 in gross domestic product, $8.60 in wages and $1.07 in state and local tax revenues.” The program approved 106 projects for production in California in its second year, which will employ 8,135 crew people, 4,111 cast members, and 79,248 background actors/stand-ins. But even with these high employment numbers, the incentive landscape is becoming increasingly competitive. States like New York, Georgia, New Mexico, and Louisiana also offer impressive incentives to lure away productions that have been denied by the California program. The report found that 16 of the 28 denied projects left the state. The state is also losing VFX. The expanding sector is anticipated to reach $10.5 million in 2025, but the state has yet to introduce a standalone VFX credit. The recent report also touches on other topics, such as workforce training and sound stage development, to highlight ways in which the state can continue to expand.
Awards
European Contenders: Who Will Win the Oscar for International Film?
While European films are routinely found in the Academy Award lineup for Best International Feature, only one has won the Oscar in the past five years. Last year, 15 of the 23 nominated international films were from Europe and 3 out of the 5 finalists represented Europe in the final stretch, but each one lost to Japan’s Drive My Car. Now, leading up to the next Academy Awards, several European films are favored for the golden statue. But will they be able to cross the finish line? So far, 40 European countries have submitted films for consideration. The festival circuit—including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Sundance—often identifies the biggest international contenders. With these showcases now complete, Europe has some hot content heading to the Academy. Cannes launched the Belgian movie Close, which will also compete in the 2023 Bafta Awards. After a 30-year Oscars absence, France is hoping to make a splash with Saint Omer. France also recently revamped their film selection committee after winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes. But the country may also make an appearance at the Oscars via its co-productions, as 22 of all 93 submitted international films were made in partnership with France. Thrillers, dramas, and (more specifically) family dramas, seem to be a common genre in the international field. Several contenders like A Quiet Girl from Ireland, Nostalgia from Italy, A Girl Picture from Finland, and A Piece of Sky from Switzerland, all fall into this category. Spain has 16 nominations and four totals wins at the Academy Awards so far, after putting forward Alcarràs after taking home the Golden Bear at Berlinale. The U.K., despite being home of the English, usually joins the international category by selecting non-English language films. This year's film Winners, which premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival and won the audience award, is hoping to make a breakthrough at the ceremony.
DEI
Deaf Representation: CODA Success and Lack of Opportunities
After the 2020 National Research Group’s report took a comprehensive look at Black representation on-screen, DJ Kurs (artistic director of Deaf West Theatre) was inspired to do something similar in order to raise awareness for the deaf community in entertainment. The Deaf West Theater and the National research Group joined forces for a new study of 1,000 members of the deaf community between the ages of 18 to 64 (along with a comparison sample of hearing individuals). While films like CODA and TV shows like Only Murders in the Building are creating opportunities for the deaf community, the majority of Hollywood still employs harmful deaf stereotypes. 79% of those surveyed believe there is more representation of deaf individuals in media now compared to a few years ago. And this content is also becoming more widely popular, as 43% of hearing consumers have watched a piece of media with deaf representation in the last six months. 66% of respondents believe that CODA, which is about a deaf family and won Best Picture at the 2022 Oscars, has increased public interest. Some respondents still fear that the popularity will fade. DJ Kurs equated representation to a pendulum, saying, “the pendulum swings one way, and we get a lot of good representation. Then the pendulum swings back to the other side, and we have to wait another three-to-five years before we’re on screen again.” But even increased representation doesn’t mean that the image of the deaf community is always positive. Images of the deaf community as helpless and content that only focuses on their inability to hear affects deaf individuals in real life, as 76% of respondents say that media perception changes the way non-deaf people approach them. Those surveyed believed the baseline for representation is casting deaf actors in deaf roles, but also that these roles are written by deaf individuals as well.
Sports
Goal!: The World Cup Send Ratings Soaring
Across the world, people are tuning into to the world cup to support their favorite teams. The U.S. campaign started strong this Monday with a draw against Wales, which was watched by 12 million viewers across Fox and Telemundo. The game was released on Fox’s broadcast and digital platforms, averaging around 8.3 million viewers. Spanish broadcasters Telemundo, Peacock, and Telemundo Deportes’ digital platforms added 3.4 million viewers to the mix. While this is a strong start, the best is yet to come, as this Friday sees the matchup between the USA and England. Airing the day after Thanksgiving when many people are off from work, the game is expected to be one of the most watched soccer games in U.S. history. The USA vs. Wales match, which was followed by the Netherland vs. Sengal match, peaked between 3:45 and 4 p.m. with 9.4 million viewers. This game holds the record in Fox Sports history as the most streamed game with an average viewership of 563,000. Fox channels, as opposed to cable, won the day with the most viewers. The later start time also brought in many international viewers, as BBC reported the game was viewed by 11.5 million individuals. Previous matches that occurred earlier in the day had significantly smaller audiences. The 8 a.m. match between England and Iran had 1.2 million views in the U.S., while the lunch time schedule in the U.K. had 8 million viewers on the BBC. This time zone difference has a huge impact on viewership numbers. For example, one of the most watched soccer games in U.S. history was USA vs. Portugal in the 2014 World Cup. The game tracked 24.7 million viewers, or 18.2 million for Fox, and 6 million for Univision. The game was in Brazil, which is located much closer to the U.S. than Qatar, making for a primetime broadcast.
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