Live streaming service providers

Apple is said to be interested in bidding for the rights to broadcast English soccer games, according to a new report published this morning. The report, found in Bloomberg, states that the rights currently under consideration at Apple would allow the company to broadcast games from the Premier League , the highest level of English soccer, alongside games from the lower-ranked English Football League. Deadline has reached out to Apple for comment on the matter. The move would expand the company’s global soccer coverage following its $2.5B, 10-year deal with Major League Soccer to stream games from the US-based league. The MLS deal was one of the biggest sports streaming deals in history. Apple also recently inked a deal with Major League Baseball and broadcasts live Baseball games on AppleTV+ every Friday alongside pre and postgame shows available across the world without local broadcast restrictions. The English Football League is offering the rights to seasons … [Read more...] about Apple Considering Bid For English Soccer Streaming Rights — Report

The BBC has been told that it must be more transparent about its content acquisitions strategy after being accused by ITV of buying glossy U.S. shows to chase ratings. Ofcom , the UK’s media regulator, said the BBC must explain in its Annual Plan how buying content, as opposed to commissioning British originals, supports “distinctiveness” and engages different audiences. The BBC is funded by the British public to the tune of £3.8B ($4.7B), meaning it has an obligation to be distinct from commercial rivals like ITV and serve all audiences. Ofcom made the intervention as part of plans to update the BBC’s operating licence for a digital age from next month. A guiding principle of the changes is transparency, with Ofcom arguing that the BBC has not always provided proper “detail and clarity” on updates to its output and services. In a submission to Ofcom’s review, ITV said the BBC had “dramatically increased” its spend on acquired content over the past six years, … [Read more...] about BBC Must Explain Glossy U.S. Acquisitions After Being Accused By ITV Of Chasing Ratings

“We all have to become a bit more Scandinavian,” Beta Film MD Moritz von Kruedener told a Series Mania audience this morning. Opening the Lille Dialogues section on the final day of the France confab, von Kruedener raised the requirement to be flexible and seek financing from more than one local network for projects, given that budgets have increased so steeply. He explained that Scandinavian and Eastern European territories have been doing this for decades. “Even if you’re only producing locally, national funding is not enough,” he added. “In Germany and other nations you now have to combine two local partners. In a way we all have to become a bit more Scandinavian.” Beta is distributing event series Estonia from several Nordic networks, which recently sold to Germany’s Seven.One Entertainment Group. The outfit has nurtured a reputation over the decades for acting as broker on pan-European projects – von Kruedener stressed its position as “partner” several … [Read more...] about “We All Have To Become A Bit More Scandinavian,” Declares Beta Film MD – Series Mania