2024 saw many long-standing partnerships shift between content providers and services, alongside the studios opening up their walled gardens to third parties once more. We detail the most read Show Tracker insight stories of the year.
10. Free TV Businesses Going Digital
Enhanced catch-up rights have become much more ubiquitous across Free TV services as they continued to prioritise the creation of firm digital footprints for their acquisitions to support their burgeoning BVOD services.
9. Warner Activity on Netflix Continues to Accelerate
Warner sales to Netflix increased both on the scripted TV and movie front, with the studio electing to aim for a balance of sales that would not only bring in more licensing revenue, but also dangle the super IP underWarner’s umbrella that might entice Netflix users to subscribe to Max.
8. EMEA Leading the Way for Second Windows after Disney+
Disney became one of the most prolific studios for selling second windows in 2024, with EMEA clearly exhibiting the most eager buyers. The likes of ITVX in the UK in particular have proven to be a reliable buyer for Disney titles after their initial premiere on Disney+, even if that second window doesn’t come with exclusivity.
7. Amazon Favouring Individual Acquisitions over Multi-Market
Acquisitions from both Amazon and Netflix began to wake up from their multi-year hiatus in 2024 with Amazon favouring individual market acquisitions, with particular priority on big markets like the US and India. While the prolific amount of global acquisition deals seen in the 2017/18 season have not returned, it does present Amazon Prime as a reasonable target for distributors.
6. NBCUniversal Sees TV Success Alongside Global Box Office Triumph
With the launch of SkyShowtime across Europe, 2024 saw NBCUniversal grow its vertical integration activity to be a little more in line with its studio rivals without adopting an all-in approach. Its delayed entry into the European SVOD market has allowed the studio to act more pragmatically when it comes to making licensing decisions.
5. Opportunities for Buyers and Pay TV Open Up as Warner Volume Deals End
After many years the various international “Homes of HBO” started to come under more threat. Market expansions of Max ended the relationship between Warner and OCS, while in other markets volume deals ended without a Max launch, opening up their titles to more buyers than ever before.
4. Studios Stepping in to Both Sides of Second Window Distribution
Proving that studio second window activity remained a keen topic of interest amongst our readers for all of 2024, not only did we start to see studios sell more of their second windows in 2024, but many of the services they own became keen buyers of second windows from third-party distributors.
3. The Show Tracker Mid-Season Report
Our mid-season report covered many of the most talked about topics of the year, but also dove deeper into commissioning trends. 2024 saw the least number of original concepts come out of newly commissioned series, with a heavier reliance on known IP than ever before.
2. Viacom18’s JioCinema Reshapes India’s Streaming Landscape
Now no longer under Viacom18, the streamer has maintained its relationship enough to keep a steady stream of content coming fromParamount, among several other high-profile studios like Warner. Coupled with its winning of the Indian Premier League (IPL) rights, the streamer quickly became a fierce competitor to the well-established Disney+ Hotstar.
1. Sky and HBO’s Relationship Looks Set to Evolve Further
Warner’s future relationship with Sky remains an area of great speculation amongst commentators, as Warner executives continue to tout the possibility of bringing Max to Sky markets, or even selling to Amazon instead, while negotiations for a possible extension continue behind closed doors. We broke down what their relationship has looked like over the past few years and how it is already changing.