OTT & Transmedia

Tubi is to be launched in the UK by Rupert Murdoch. For some, it's an attempt to recover ground after his failure with TalkTV, but will TubiUK turn that failure around?

"UK viewers will be able to access content on the Tubi webpage, via a smartphone app and on smart TVs.

“Tubi has spent the last decade honing our approach to vast, free and fun streaming in North America, and we feel that now is the perfect time to bring that recipe to UK audiences,” Tubi chief executive Anjali Sud said.

Fox Corporation bought Tubi in 2020 for $440m (£348m) as the US media giant looked to attract younger audiences."

Will the UK version of Tubi establish itself as an alternative to Netflix? I would think that they may have a long way to go, as far as original content is concerned. And, considering the resentment that Murdoch has engendered in the UK, I wonder if his hoped for audience figures will fall short of his expectations?

What are your thoughts? Will it prove to be another outlet for UK Producers?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn385lgk0vjo

The article reads:

“PALM BEACH, Fla., June 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FN Media Group News Commentary - The experts agree that through 2031 the Global Virtual Production Market should continue to grow at an increasing rate. This robust expansion is driven by the escalating demand for realistic and immersive visual content in the film and gaming industries, coupled with advancements in technologies such as real-time rendering, motion capture, and augmented reality. Additionally, the film industry's shift towards remote and virtual filming techniques, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on traditional production methods, further fuels this growth by providing safer, more flexible, and cost-effective alternatives to conventional on-location shoots.”

Fuelled by the global pandemic in 2019/2020, virtual production is a response to the closer of film productions around the world. In future pandemics and social lockdowns, this may provide an answer to all those films caught in the doldrums of such governmental response to global outbreaks. Of course, this will probably only be for high-budget productions, unless of course the developers can create an affordable technology for low(er) budget films.

Read on for further news, including of Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’…

https://www.morningstar.com/news/globe-newswire/9168947/virtual-producti...

Chandrasekhar Yeleti, known for his trendsetting films that often outpace Hollywood in concept, is now venturing into the world of OTT. Thoughts on what this means?

https://www.m9.news/movienews/cult-director-chandrasekhar-yeleti-goes-di...

Subscribers of Netflix have probably never heard of Anne Aaron, but she has what is perhaps the unenviable task, of working on codecs delivery for their catalogue and also as they move into live-streaming, cloud gaming and live sports coverage.

I’m not a tech geek, but found this article an interesting read, as generally we as punters take for granted what goes into making a film or event look good on our screens - for all our different devices.

When working with DPs, I understand their concerns about overcoming ‘noise’ and low-light scenes, but I’ve never thought of the complexity of the delivery of our films to screens around the globe. The added complexity is that when Netflix moves to different territories, there is the problem of divergent bandwidths.

It makes me wonder what bandwidth our ‘real world’ must be running at, so that it doesn’t pixellate when we move through it? Just a thought about a potential digital existential crisis!

https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/22/24171581/netflix-bet-advanced-encodin...?

This is an interesting report and I think I can predict that by 2034, the OTT landscape will have changed dramatically with many a merger and acquisition ad maybe the disappearance of some old favourites.

"The video-on-demand (VoD) sector is undergoing significant expansion. Anticipated to achieve a monumental leap from $175.4 billion in 2024, the market is projected to accelerate at an exceptional Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11.67%, culminating in a projected value of $528.9 billion by 2034. This pronounced growth trajectory is attributed to the escalating consumer appetite for personalized and on-the-go entertainment solutions, facilitated by VoD services with extensive content repositories and uninterrupted streaming capabilities."

I just wonder what this expansion would mean to the theatrical market? Is there scope for a growth in both markets? Will theatres lure people back to the big screen in greater numbers?

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/video-demand-vod-market-report-1349003...

Stephen L. Stern, the president of Storyboard Graphic Novels is sharing his insights about the Creative Process For Developing A Comic Book in the below video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByFvPND1gOY

After reading a recent statement from Pixar about everything in their bucket possibly being rebooted, I started to think about films spawned from other sources that did not do great in their theatrical release. Curious about how folks feel about the growing safety-net of reboots.

Are there any films or series derived from video games or other sources that you feel would benefit from a reboot? For me, Street Fighter (1994) and Doom (2005) come to mind. Each could benefit from a more cinema-minded redo and dump the cutesy stuff.

Or, with the long list of potential live-action projects out there, is there a game - new or old - that you think would benefit from the current technology in filmmaking that has been overlooked?

Hi everyone--Welcome to my very first post on this awesome planform. My question is very easy to understand, and for me it's just completely frustrating. I am planning ( actually I" was" planning) to begin doing a podcast. As you all know Spotify music/podcast service has likely a million songs in their database. Last December I shared with my friend my plan to start in 2024 hosting a music show regarding " Jesus music from the 70es'. My plan involves playing a wide assortment of artist songs --1970 through 1979. (Remember Andrue Crouch, Amy Grant & the music group Petra?) In my podcast I would have talkback concerning the artist life and info on their music career. Great, my friend says: ' You will be able to play any music you choose, but only if your podcast airs via the Spotify platform. He told me that Spotify holds all the copyright permissions to play any song they hold on their platform. I was thrilled to learn of this news regarding Spotify's allowance. A month later (after conducting my own detailed internet search) I found that my friends advice is false. NO!, Spotify does not offer copyright permission - even if the music selected for the podcast comes directly from their own music streaming service library, understanding that my podcast would stream exclusively on their own platform. Sorry folks but I have got to say: that answer is way- way! to restrictive! Good Lord! It's 2024 we can do almost anything.

You my media pears reading this are so much wiser than I am at understanding this issue. My mind screams out to my saying: 'There has just got to exist a way around this blockage'. I do not desire to be sued over copyright infringement therefore it would appear my career dream is over.... OR, - perhaps not? Do you readers know of any way to get around or get through or get past this red tape issue? Please do offer me your advice, perhaps one of you know of a resolve. Let me close with this statement to better express my solid frustration. We in the wonderful USA can and we actually have sent men to literally walk on the moon and return safely back home- Wow! - We can also inject cancer ridden people with specific crafted drugs which literally bring them back from Stage 4 Cancer returning to full health!- Wow! HOWEVER!, we cannot legally create a music review (documentary type) Podcast aired only on the Spotify site using only music that Spotify already holds copyright permission to play - I find only one very pathetic answer; Oh NO!, that act is not possible" Of course, I know my dream podcast creation is possible -but ONLY if I want to endure a serious and costly lawsuit - WHAT,- really? - Help! My heartfelt thanks to all who reply.

PS: I certainly do miss my days of Broadcasting in local radio and TV stations way back in the 80es 90'es. I spoke out from my heart and I held true freedom ( back then) to play any song from the time allotted colored music bins. Vinyl 45'es, Cart Tape spots! Good times for sure.

I find funding comic books in single issues to build a convenient cinema length story upon completion to be a far more exciting model than producing short films.

Kickstarter's existing audience of sexy pinup art allows for fairly low-risk offerings.

The resulting comic book trade paperback tells a far more compelling story than your script, particularly when paired with a demonstrated customer base.