Comcast To Launch Peacock, Netflix And Apple TV+ Bundle At A 'Vastly Reduced Price'

Get ready for the next cable-like streaming bundle: Comcast later this month will launch a three-way bundle — with Peacock, Netflix and Apple TV+ — offered at a deep discount, Comcast chief Brian Roberts said.

Dubbed StreamSaver, the bundle will be available to all Comcast broadband, TV and mobile customers, Roberts said, speaking Tuesday at MoffettNathanson’s 2024 Media, Internet and Communications Conference in New York.

The three streaming services, Peacock, Netflix and Apple TV+, will “come at a vastly reduced price to anything available today,” Roberts said, although he didn’t reveal any pricing details. The goal is to “add value to consumers” and “take dollars out” of other companies’ streaming businesses, he added, while reinforcing Comcast’s broadband service offerings.

“This will be a pretty compelling package,” Roberts promised.

Last week, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery announced a three-way bundle comprising Max, Disney+ and Hulu, to be available starting this summer in the U.S. (with pricing TBA). In addition, Disney, WBD and Fox Corp. have formed a joint venture to launch a streaming sports bundle stocked with ESPN+ and linear TV networks from each, slated to debut this fall. Critics have alleged the venture, which some have dubbed “Spulu” (a mash-up of “sports” and “Hulu”), is anticompetitive and violates antitrust law.

Like the other streaming bundling strategies, Comcast’s forthcoming Peacock, Netflix and Apple TV+ package is an effort to reduce cancelation rates (aka “churn”) and provide a more efficient means of subscriber acquisition — coming as the traditional cable TV business continues to deteriorate.

Apple Looking To Close Deal On FIFA World Cup, Might Block SuperSport And SABC

Soccer's global governing body FIFA is close to an agreement with Apple to give the tech company worldwide television rights for a new, month-long club tournament, the New York Times reported on Monday.

The deal with Apple could be announced as soon as this month and valued at around $1 billion, a quarter of the $4 billion FIFA had first estimated, the report said, citing three people familiar with the matter.

The potential agreement would give the company's streaming business an edge amid competition among streaming services providers to lap up rights for widely watched sporting events in a bid to add subscribers.

If the deal goes through, this would mark the first time that FIFA has agreed to a single worldwide contract, the report said.

Senior executives at FIFA, however, have raised concerns over the possibility of "free-to-air rights", which would make the event only available to subscribers of Apple TV+, according to the report. It is unclear whether the deal includes any such rights.

Sponsors have also been reluctant to commit the $150 million that FIFA is seeking for sponsorship packages, the report said.

The 32-team event will be held next year between June 15 and July 13. Usually, no major events are scheduled during this period in order to allow players to rest in the off-season a year before the World Cup, according to the report.

FIFA has faced criticism from players unions for not consulting them before making announcements about the event, according to the report.

"As a general practice, FIFA does not confirm or deny commercial discussions," a spokesperson for the governing body said in a response. Apple declined to comment.

Trouble for sports in SA

Seeing as Apple is looking to secure this for their platforms being Apple TV+ it's possible that SuperSport and SABC might miss out on the action. Considering that MultiChoice opted to minimize the sports on Showmax its likely that it could be televised. 

Provided that SuperSport licenses the rights from Apple same goes for the SABC as opposed to running through SuperSport. This comes after eMedia Investments had won a broadcasting dispute against MultiChoice in regards to the Rugby World Cup.

Although this news may seem pleasing to some readers, in other countries you have most sporting events from SuperSport viewed on multiple platforms (additional fees) while in South Africa it was under one tile (one fee).

Roundups #89: Megan Thee Stallion Joins The Marvel Cinematic Universe, Selena Gomez Enters Negotiations For Working Girl Reboot, Scrapped HBO Max Series Drawing Interest Of Various Streamers

Megan Thee Stallion joins the cast of She-Hulk

Megan Thee Stallion is following up her role on Starz’s P-Valley with a cameo appearance in Marvel’s She-Hulk: Attorney At Law.

In an upcoming episode, she becomes involved in a legal case that is being handled by attorney Augustus “Pug” Pugliese, played by Josh Segarra. Segarra teased what’s ahead while chatting with Deadline on the red carpet of the show’s premiere.

“A gentleman is being catfished by somebody that lives in another universe, let’s say. Another world,” Segarra said before confirming Deadline’s teasing response that the catfisher is pretending to be a certain recording artist.

Selena Gomez might be joining another reboot

Selena Gomez and 20th Century Studios are partnering for a reboot of Working Girl.

Gomez is in talks to produce a remake of the 1988 comedy that starred Melanie Griffith as a Long Island woman who secretly takes over her boss’ job while she recovers from a broken leg. Harrison Ford and Sigourney Weaver also starred in the original film, which was directed by Mike Nichols and was a massive success, earning Oscar nominations and an impressive $100 million box office haul.

It is unclear if Gomez would also star in the project, which is eyeing a release on Hulu.

Batman is gaining traction

While Bruce Timm, Matt Reeves, and J.J. Abrams' Batman: Caped Crusader won't be coming to HBO Max, the animated series is reportedly very much alive and drawing interest from Apple, Hulu, Netflix, and more.

As reported by THR, Batman: Caped Crusader was one of six animated titled that was pulled from HBO Max's upcoming slate and will no longer be produced by the company. It was stated that these shows were not necessarily canceled, but instead would be shopped to other studios.

According to THR's sources, "it is believed that the various Warners divisions making the show and movies will make more money on the titles by selling them to other outlets than having them on Warners’ own streamer."

 

Australia Is Following South African Government And Have A Much Higher Demand In Local Content For Streaming Services

AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT
Netflix and other global streaming services could be forced to spend millions of dollars on Australian programs and films under major changes to media laws proposed by the federal government that could level the regulatory playing field with free-to-air TV networks.

The government is also considering scrapping annual broadcast spectrum taxes for commercial TV networks and replacing them with a new licensing regime which could save broadcasters up to $12 million each year.

Netflix and other global streaming services could be forced to meet Australian content quotas under the proposed changes.

Federal Communications and Arts Minister Paul Fletcher, who will launch a green paper with the proposed reforms on Friday, said the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic had reinforced the need for regulatory action to help the TV industry.

"What we are proposing would rebalance Australia's media regulations so that the industry can continue to support jobs, connect communities, and keep Australian stories on our screens regardless of whether they prefer to watch free-to-air television, subscription television or video-on-demand services," Mr Fletcher said.

The green paper proposes creating a law that requires streaming services to invest a percentage of their Australian revenue on local content, either in the form of commissions, co-productions or acquisitions of content. However, it stops short of stipulating what the percentage should be.

"We're seeking feedback on all of the proposals including the percentage rate," Mr Fletcher said.

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher will release the green paper on Friday with several proposed changes to media laws.
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher will release the green paper on Friday with several proposed changes to media laws.

He said the content obligation would not apply to streaming services such as Stan, which is part of a group that has a broadcasting licence and is already subject to Australian content obligations.

A 2017 federal parliamentary inquiry into the Australian film and television industry recommended subscription streaming services invest 10 per cent of the revenues they earn in Australia in new local content. But when the government announced plans for changes to rules around content in September, it did not outline any plans for streaming services to meet a local content quota.

Under the plans announced two months ago, Mr Fletcher said commercial broadcasters would no longer be required to create a certain amount of hours of local children's content and drama. But 55 per cent of total content on a free-to-air broadcaster must be Australian.

Mr Fletcher said Netflix was an "increasingly significant acquirer of Australian content" and there was a possibility it would already meet a content obligation should one be imposed.

Other streaming services operating in Australia include Foxtel's Binge, Disney Plus, Amazon's Prime Video, and Apple TV. The streaming services are expected to oppose any move to regulate their local content.

In a joint submission to a federal government options paper earlier this year, Netflix, Stan, Prime Video and Disney Plus said "we strongly believe that there is no market failure to address" and claimed each company "already makes a significant contribution to Australia's screen production industry".

As part of the proposed reforms, free-to-air TV networks would also be given the choice to opt-in to a new broadcasting licence in exchange for transitioning to using less radiofrequency spectrum. The spectrum made available would be sold to telecommunications companies and used for their rollout of 5G, which will deliver faster mobile network speeds.

Mr Fletcher said broadcasters could move to transmission arrangements which used less spectrum but which maintain their service levels at close to current levels, with a minimal impact on viewers.

Media companies such as Nine, Seven West Media and Network Ten were put under financial pressure this year due to sharp falls in advertising spend caused by the crisis. Regional broadcasters such as Prime Media, WIN Corp and Southern Cross Austereo were also badly affected and were forced to slash jobs or put staff on JobKeeper to adapt to the market conditions. The government provide some interim relief to cope with the financial pressure such as the removal of spectrum licence fees.

Spectrum fees were introduced after the abolishment of broadcast licence fees back in 2017. The fee is dependent on a range of factors, including how much spectrum a network has and its strength, but broadcasters have advocated for these to be removed altogether.

Should sufficient numbers of industry players opt for the new licence, the government is further proposing to allocate some of the proceeds from the auction of the extra spectrum to establish trust funds to support the Australian media and production sectors.
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SA GOVERNMENT
The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies said that it plans to enforce local content quotas on streaming services such as Netflix.

The proposal is contained in the department’s white paper on Audio and Audio-visual Content Services policy framework which is currently open for public comment. The department presented the framework to parliament on Wednesday (25 November).

In his presentation, the department’s chief director of broadcasting policy Collin Mashile said that local content should be ‘enabled’ by further policy interventions within the audiovisual broadcasting space.

“Where video-on-demand subscription services come and operate in South Africa, everything that they show to South Africans in terms of their catalogue – 30% of that catalogue must be South African content,” Mashile said.

“What this means is that we are trying to create opportunities for the production and creative industry sector.”

While US-based streaming services like Netflix have increased local content output in recent years, making just under a third of all content on the platform local may prove particularly onerous for the streaming giant.

Mashile addressed this by pointing to the popularity of local shows in South Africa. “We were asked where we got the idea that South Africans are interested in this 30%,” he said. “The most popular shows in every country remain the local shows.”

The White Paper also broadens definition of a “broadcasting service” to include online broadcasting services.

By implication, that would require the payment of a license fee for the viewing any “broadcasting services” which would include a streaming services, regardless of the device on which it is viewed.

In an op-ed published at the start of November, the SABC’s head of TV licences Sylvia Tladi said that changes need to be made to South Africa’s broadcasting regulations – including an expanded definition of a ‘TV set’ or now, a broadcasting device.

Some of the devices which are being considered under this expanded definition include: Laptops; Tablets; IPTV; Internet; Decoders; Set-top boxes; Smartphones.

Tladi said that these devices, which have resulted in new media platforms and content dissemination channels, have a direct impact on TV licence legislation.

She said that the SABC’s submission also calls for an overhauled TV licence fee system and changes to the legislation regarding public funding strategies envisaged by TV licences.

“To ensure maximum compliance with legislative requirements concerning the payment of TV licence fees, the SABC proposes that the act should place stricter obligations on all relevant stakeholders or role players because the ‘traditional’ television set is no longer the only means of receiving a television broadcast.

“Therefore, to administer compliance on the payment of licence fees, the SABC is of the view that other entities must be compelled to report on the sale, lease or usage of these ‘television sets’ or ‘viewing devices’.

Why SABC Wants Streaming Platforms To Pay TV Licences?

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has clarified its requests for new regulations that would require companies like MultiChoice and Netflix to collect TV Licence fees on its behalf.

The public broadcaster recently proposed that the definition of a TV licence be expanded and that pay-TV and streaming companies be engaged to assist in the collection of TV Licence fees.

It added that this would be similar to municipalities collecting traffic fines and motor vehicle licence discs.

Speaking in an interview with MyBroadband, SABC Head of TV Licences Sylvia Tladi confirmed the SABC was looking at improving compliance as well as expanding the definition of the television set to include devices such as smartphones.

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“We are of the view that the regulation is outdated,” Tladi said.

“Bear in mind that the Broadcasting Act was last amended in 1999, whereas the TV licence regulations are 16 years old. In that time, there has been a significant development in the manner in which content is being consumed.”

“We cannot play in the media environment as much as everyone else is doing because the legislation is outdated,” she said.

Looking at obligations for MultiChoice and Netflix
Tladi said that the SABC was considering working with companies like MultiChoice and Netflix to improve compliance in terms of TV licence fees.

“We would like obligations to be placed on companies that sell set-top boxes, decoders, to be able to ensure that when people apply for a subscription, there needs to be a process where it can be validated that they do have a current TV Licence,” Tladi said.

She said that the motivation behind this is that customers do not buy a decoder on its own – they are going to connect it to a TV for which they should have a valid licence.

Tladi added that the SABC is also looking at ensuring TV Licence compliance through streaming services including Netflix.

“With regards to the likes of Netflix, what we are talking about here is streaming services, and what we are looking at is that where streaming services are available in the market and people are able to stream SABC’s content, there needs to be valid or paid-up TV Licence,” she said.

“We are not saying they should physically go out there and collect; we are looking at a process of making sure that there is compliance.”

She noted that the regulations of how this process will unfold will have to be drafted to outline a specific process.

“For example, instead of saying Netflix collect TV Licence fees, there are various ways of doing it. We can negotiate with the streaming service about a percentage of whatever people are streaming that is content which belongs to the SABC,” Tladi said.

She added that the SABC’s main priority in proposing regulation changes is to improve compliance.

“I think a part of that will include tying up loose ends where pay-TV operators are concerned as well as streaming services,” Tladi said.

It is important to note that these proposals by the SABC are currently in very early stages.

These potential changes to regulations must be debated before parliament and concretely defined before they are propagated further towards becoming law.

The SABC issued a statement on 29 October stating that it will make a detailed submission on the Draft White Paper on Audio and Audiovisual Content Services and invited public comments on the proposed changes to local broadcasting regulations.

“In finalising the SABC’s submission, the public broadcaster will take cognisance of the wide range of views expressed on the need for a licence fee or a public broadcasting levy,” the SABC said.

“The SABC calls on the public and all interested parties to also make their comments to the DCDT by 30 November 2020.”

Read Also:
- SABC wants platforms like OpenView and DStv to pay TV licence
- SABC is launching a streaming service
- Plans are underway to get SABC Education on DStv and Starsat

The Current Status Of TV Licence In South Africa And The Rest Of The World + Other Matters

South Africans who watch video streaming services like Netflix or pay-TV services like DStv or StarSat and who don't even watch or use the services of the South African public broadcaster could be forced to pay a SABC TV licence fee like a compulsory "traffic fine" - even if they don't use a TV, the SABC or just watch content on devices like laptops and tablets.

This is the latest plan of the financially struggling South African public broadcaster to prop up its finances, with Pinky Kekana, South Africa's deputy communications minister, who told parliament's portfolio committee on communications on Tuesday morning that the SABC wants to broaden the definition of the existing mandatory SABC TV licence that is payable by people with a TV set.

There's about 27 other countries that still do TV licences followed by 25 countries that abolished it and make their revenue through commercial sales, advertising, tax and pay or free-to-air platforms (which is what SABC is proposing). Then there's 11 other countries that never had a TV licence some of them don't have a national broadcaster (e.g. SABC, BBC), some are funded by private companies (e.g. e.tv), some rely on advertising, grants and government funds.

MUST CARRY RULE
The SABC wants the government to remove the must carry clause on their channels since it benefits other platforms as they don't pay a cent for their channels.

SPORTS
SABC wants national sports to be available to them at a very affordable price.

If SABC wants to charge people TV licence they could have added it onto our taxes regardless most people using DStv or OpenView don't watch their channels since they lack redeeming quality. If the government does abolish the must-carry regulation it means all platforms will likely do away with SABC 1-3 or have less SABC channels on their platform.

I know most people don't watch their channels but for the people that rely on their channels, what are the chances that these platforms will indeed do away with SABC entirely. Knowing some providers they're likely to keep only 1 or 2 out of the 3 channels.

Read Also:
- SABC is still planning to launch SABC Education on DStv

Apple TV Plus Launches In November For R73 A Month

Apple’s upcoming streaming service, Apple TV Plus, will cost $4.99 (R73) a month, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced at Tuesday’s Apple event.

The service will launch on Nov. 1 — neck and neck with Disney’s streaming platform, Disney Plus, which arrives Nov. 12. Apple TV Plus will be cheaper than Disney Plus, however, which is set to cost $6.99 a month.

Starting Tuesday, if you purchase an iPhone, Mac, or Apple TV, you’ll get one year of Apple TV Plus for free.

Apple TV Plus will launch with a small selection of shows, before slowly expanding its catalog. The lineup includes The Morning Show, a comedy-drama about the fast-paced world of morning news shows, starring Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carell, and Reese Witherspoon; Dickinson , a coming-of-age comedy about Emily Dickinson, starring Hailee Steinfeld; and For All Mankind, which explores an alternate history where the USSR won the space race.

Other shows coming to the platform include See, a dystopian sci-fi thriller starring Jason Momoa; a Sesame Street spinoff called Helpsters; and Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet, a workplace comedy about a game studio.