News from NBCUniversal & U-NEXT, Streaming Made Easy Live, Apple TV & Sphere Abacus, Netflix's Manifest spinoff, ZDF Studios' Neo Match Up format, Paramount+ & Skydance Sports, Disney+ & Pokémon & PBS Nature & Sesame Workshop. Plus, the August edition of ScreenMDM Scripted Digest. |
Universal+ to Land in Japan Via Wide-Ranging NBCU/U-NEXT Deal
NBCUniversal has secured a wide-ranging partnership with Japanese streaming platform U-NEXT that goes beyond studio content licensing to include the launch of Universal+ in Japan, experiences at Universal Studios Japan, and the global expansion of local IP.
Agenda Unveiled for Streaming Made Easy Live
Marion Ranchet has released the agenda for her second annual Streaming Made Easy Live summit, running on September 10, ahead of IBC, bringing together 150-plus senior executives for a day of conversations about the new media economy under the theme "The Long Game".
Library Deals, Real People, Global Distribution & Microdrama Expansion
ScreenMDM Scripted Digest recaps a busy month in global drama, from library and FAST deals to the ongoing push for known IP, real-life events, mysteries, romance, and the rapid rise of serialized short-form. Sign up for ScreenMDM Scripted Digest here.
Apple TV Scores Small Prophets from Sphere Abacus
Apple TV has secured the rights to the BBC Two comedy Small Prophets in a deal with Sphere Abacus.
Manifest Spinoff Ordered at Netflix
Netflix has ordered from Warner Bros. Television a spinoff of the sci-fi series Manifest, which ran for three seasons on NBC before moving to the streaming platform.
ZDF Studios to Roll Out Neo Match Up Format
ZDF Studios is handling the international format distribution rights to Neo Match Up, an entertainment guessing game that is returning to ZDFneo for a second season from 1Take Films.
Paramount+ Slates New Weekly Sports Show
Paramount+ is launching a new weekly original sports series executive-produced by NFL MVP and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Skydance Sports, and the NFL.
ScreenMDM Factual & Formats Digest: True Crime, History, & Format Battles
ScreenMDM Factual & Formats Digest features a comprehensive look at the latest commissions, digital pivots, and global distribution trends shaping the unscripted landscape. Subscribe—it's free!
Disney+ Inks Global Pokémon Deal
Pokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu, a new stop-motion series created by Aardman, arrives on Disney+ in 2027 as part of the platform's new global deal with The Pokémon Company International.
PBS’s Nature Strand Sets Sesame Workshop Crossover Episode
This October, PBS will bring U.S. audiences a special Nature episode featuring characters from Sesame Street.
ScreenMDM Kids/YA Digest: Pubcaster Pacts, AI Moves & YouTube Shifts
A recap of the kids' media headlines from the last month, from pubcaster alliances to AI opportunities and the game-changing shifts at YouTube. Get your free subscription here.
The Accused: A new true crime series exploring the impact that fighting against miscarriages of justice has on the people involved. BossaNova Media.
ScreenMDM at MIPCOM
Reach, impact, and engagement at every budget level.
Digital-only packages starting at US$500. Print and digital packages start at US$1,000.
Contact Mansha Daswani (editorial) or Kate Roach (advertising) for more information.
This week's episode covers our thoughts on Untold: The Disappearance of Shannon Matthews (ITN Productions), Lanterns (DC Studios), Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues (Imagine Documentaries), New York Undercover (NBCUniversal), and Nation's Dumbest (FOX/BBC Studios). Email Mansha if you have ideas or want to be a guest.
ICYMI
An Estate of Mind with Jake Horowitz & Jeff Biederman
As their new series Estate of Mind arrives on Bell Canada’s Fibe TV1, Jeff Biederman and Jake Horowitz join ScreenMDM Talks to share the genesis of the hybrid docu-comedy series from indies Sideways Dog Productions and Grainey Pictures.
Ampere: Global SVODs Slow Price Hikes
Average subscription price hikes at Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video have fallen from 24% in 2023/24 to 14% in 2026/26, according to Ampere Analysis.
Building a Premium Subscription Ecosystem in Pakistan
Jonathan Mark Tatti, CEO of Begin, tells ScreenMDM about how the platform is using high-end entertainment—imported and domestic—and premium sports to set new benchmarks for streaming in Pakistan.
ScreenMDM Talks: The MIPCOM Marathon Begins
It's ScreenMDM's first MIPCOM Cannes, and we've got a lot planned, from print magazines with premium distribution to our thought-leadership strands, podcasts, and digital shorts across our social footprint.
Local Streamers in Asia: Convergence Takes Center Stage
Local streaming platforms in Asia are winning share with originals, vertical video, sports, and partnerships.
The SwitchScreen: FAST Times at TV5MONDE with Patrice Courtaban
Patrice Courtaban, EVP of global growth and business development at TV5MONDE and CEO of TV5MONDE USA, joined ScreenMDM Talks’ The SwitchScreen strand to weigh in on how the French-language broadcaster is betting on CTV expansion and AI discovery tools to power its international reach.
Vertical, Viral & Bundled: Recapping the Summer’s Digital Shifts
New YouTube milestones, a wave of vertical video investment, bigger streaming bundles, and fresh creator alliances: recapping the digital-facing deals that made headlines over the last month. Subscribe to ScreenMDM Digital-First Digest here.
Building a $1 Billion Vertical Video Giant: The View from Crazy Maple Studio
2026 is proving to be the breakout moment for vertical video, according to Joey Jia, whose Crazy Maple Studio, owner of the ReelShort app, is on track to top $1 billion in revenues this year.
Ex-China Microdrama Revenues Projected to Reach $9.5 Billion in 2031
Microdrama revenues outside of China are expected to hit $3.6 billion this year, rising to $9.5 billion by 2031, according to Media Partners Asia (MPA), with ReelShort/Crazy Maple Studio among a handful of dominant players, generating revenues of more than $1 billion this year.
The Vertical Video Revolution with RoseBerry Media’s Guy Hameiri & Lior Friedman
On the heels of the launch of their new vertical video platform Epis, Guy Hameiri and Lior Friedman, co-founders of RoseBerry Media, joined ScreenMDM Talks to discuss reformatting content for mobile-first audiences and leveraging data and analytics to chart a new path in premium, short-form, 9:16 content.
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ScreenMDM's inaugural White Paper, Digital-Shift, delivers practical insights for making sense of the trends reshaping content production, monetization, and distribution.
Find out more here.
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