In The Frame - May '22

Streaming/Online/Tech

The Netflix website and apps are no longer available in Russia and subscribers there no longer have access. Netflix is the latest western company to cease trading in the country following the invasion of Ukraine.

Channel 4 has announced an extension of its partnership with YouTube through which it will make 1,000 hours of full episodes available to watch across the broadcaster’s network on the platform by the end of 2022. The deal enables Channel 4 to sell its own advertising around the shows, and is the first of its kind across Europe. YouTube is used by 98% of online 18-34-year-olds each month.

CHILI, the European OTT service that streams to about five million subscribers across Italy, England, Germany, Austria and Poland, now allows users to make purchases with Bitcoin, XRP, DigitalBits and Tether.

BBC News

Director-general Tim Davie has given a speech to BBC staff in which he covered three areas: “The pressing need to build a digital-first BBC; how we spend our money now that we have the certainty of public funding for six years; and how we keep reforming the way we work.” He went on to announce the expected loss of “around 1000 roles”, the removal of linear services BBC Four, CBBC and Radio 4 Extra, and a reduction in “the volume of hours we commission a year by around 200”.

Mr Davie announced a pay deal earlier in the month.

The BBC (like Channel 4) is to commemorate 50 years of Pride next month with a number of LGBTQ+ titles across TV and radio, while the Sounds app – which is used by four million people each week – is now available on the PlayStation 5.

This year’s Glastonbury will be the first music event to be broadcast by the BBC in UHD. Sets from the Pyramid Stage will be shown live in UHD on iPlayer, while key performances and a special programme featuring highlights from that stage will be available on demand in UHD following the festival.

And finally…

• BT has agreed a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to merge BT Sport with Eurosport UK. The joint venture, worth up to £540 million, will grant “the majority” of existing BT TV subscribers in the UK and Ireland access to Discovery Plus, which includes Eurosport’s live and on-demand offering in the UK, “by the end of 2022” at no additional cost.
• ITV and Twitter have agreed a two-year partnership to bring the broadcaster’s content, including the FA Cup, Rugby World Cup, and this year’s men’s football World Cup, to the platform.
• Channel 4 has launched a scheme designed to identify and support new TV drama writers in the west and south west of England.
• Applications for the Elstree Centre for Screen Excellence are now open for year two. Courses are open to young people from all backgrounds who want to get into the industry, and include two new traineeships, in sound and post-production editing.
• The gender diversity advocacy group, Rise, has announced the pairing up of mentees and mentors for its fifth annual mentoring scheme in the UK and its others across the world. Those interested in becoming a mentor for the 2023 programme can apply here.
• This year’s Media Production & Technology Show, the UK’s largest broadcast event, was visited by a record 8,000 people.
• A new eight-stage film studio is expected to open in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, later this year. Wycombe Film Studios, spanning 26 acres and supporting about 1,200 jobs, has been announced by studios operator Stage Fifty.
• This year’s Eurovision Song Contest, the 66th edition of the event, reached 161 million people.
• The World Cup play-off final on Sunday 5 June, when Wales will play either Scotland or Ukraine, will be free to air on ITV in England, S4C in Wales and STV in Scotland, following agreements between Sky Sports and the PSBs. The winner will secure a place at the World Cup finals in Qatar later this year.

From the latest news to the latest positions – click here to see Frame 25’s most recent additions to its list of available TV jobs