According to Digital TV Research, OTT revenues from rented episodes/movies will increase in the period between 2022 to 2028, from $1.8B to $2.5B.

Simon Murray, Principal Analyst at Digital TV Research, said: “AVOD will grow faster than SVOD. AVOD revenues will increase by $10 billion between 2022 and 2028 to reach $16 billion. SVOD revenues will total $24 billion by 2028 – up from $17 billion in 2022.”

The company says: “As content costs have risen and we continue to invest in our quality of service, we’ll be adjusting our monthly cost, after 3 years, from $64.99 per month to $72.99 per month, in order to bring you the best possible TV service. We are committed to offering a premium way for you to stream TV, but understand this new price may not work for you.”

“We do hope YouTube TV continues to be your service of choice, but we want to give you the flexibility to cancel at any time.”

The rise in price comes in the same week that YouTube TV launched early access to “multiview,” an feature that allows viewers to watch up to four different streams at the same time. YouTube also announced it is lowering the price of its 4K Plus add-on from $19.99 per month to $9.99 per month.

Media Distillery believes that the main technical cause preventing a good UX for linear TV ads in replay, is the lack of time markers. According to the AI-powered video analysis solution provider, this not only hinders service providers’ and broadcasters’ ability to generate additional revenue from ads, but also limits their ability to personalise and enhance the viewing experience.

The solution will enable operators and service providers to replace existing linear ad breaks with dynamically inserted and personalised ads for catch-up and replay. Additionally, the company says Ad Break Distillery can help them repurpose broadcast content for FAST and AVOD services, and to create a premium subscription which allows ad skipping.

Roland Sars, CEO of Media Distillery, says: “With the ad break markers we provide, video service providers are now enabled to do dynamic ad replacement, enforce trick play restrictions during ad breaks only, and deliver novel viewing experiences.”

Sam Barnett, CEO of MBC Group, says: “We are pleased to extend our licensing deal with NBCUniversal. This deal allows us to bring top Hollywood titles to our audiences in the region. Through our collaboration, we are not only able to expand the reach of NBCUniversal content but also to work together to offer a range of films to different groups of people.”

Belinda Menendez, President and Chief Revenue Officer for NBCUniversal Global Distribution, comments: “We are delighted to extend our longstanding relationship with MBC Group through this new licensing deal.”

Subscribers will also have access to mixed martial arts (MMA) content from top competitions, including the Professional Fighters League, MMA Bushido, King of Kings and the Brave Combat Federation.

Alongside a package of elite combat sports, fans can watch women’s football content which includes every game of the UEFA Women’s Champions League and top-flight Spanish women’s football league Primera División Femenina. Subscribing to DAZN 1 HD grants customers access to the entire DAZN service via the DAZN app.

Shay Segev, CEO of DAZN Group, says: “Getting DAZN widely distributed is a priority for us as it delivers our great and growing array of content to more and more fans. We have ambitious, long-term and strategic plans for the UK market. The more people get to know DAZN and what we offer, not just in terms of rights but the full range of digital, interactive and sports entertainment we are developing, the better.”

According to Digital TV Research, Netflix will control 31.7% of total SVOD revenues by 2028, while Disney+ will earn 14.2% and Paramount+, 7.2%. HBO and Amazon will earn 9% and 7.5% respectively, while Apple TV will control 1.9%. The research company says that, while Netflix will remain the top SVOD revenue earner and will experience growth in Asia, in North America and Latin America its SVOD revenues are set to fall. The streamer that will generate the most additional SVOD revenues is Disney+, climbing by nearly $7B between 2022 and 2028.

Simon Murray, Principal Analyst at Digital TV Research, says: “This growth comes despite most of the major platforms scaling back their content spend, which makes them less attractive to new subscribers. There is still plenty of growth left in the sector – both from international expansion and as US pay TV subscribers continue to convert to OTT.”

The service will also offer Showmax Originals and local content from MultiChoice’s proprietary channels including Mzansi Magic, Africa Magic and Maisha Magic.

MultiChoice will relaunch Showmax using NBCUniversal’s Peacock technology platform, and the new Showmax group will be 70% owned by MultiChoice and 30% owned by NBCUniversal. The companies say the move comes as Africa approaches an inflection point in terms of broadband connectivity and affordability, and builds on MultiChoice’s success on the continent, on which it has a 50-market footprint.

Calvo Mawela, Chief Executive Officer of MultiChoice, says: “We launched Showmax as the first African streaming service in 2015 and are extremely proud of its success to date. This agreement represents a great opportunity for our Showmax team to scale even greater heights by working with a leading global player in Comcast and its subsidiaries.”

Matt Strauss, Chairman, Direct-to-Consumer & International, NBCUniversal, comments, “This partnership is an incredible opportunity to further scale the global presence of Peacock’s world-class streaming technology, as well as to introduce millions of new customers to extensive premium content from NBCUniversal and Sky’s stellar entertainment brands.”

Michele Uslenghi, General Manager – Italy, TP Vision, says: ‘We are continuingly developing our in-house Smart TV platform and our latest version will ensure that Philips Smart TVs are among the easiest, fastest and most intuitive available. Naturally, giving easy access to the best content is an essential part of that offering and by partnering with Mediaset Italia we can guarantee that our Italian customers enjoy an enhanced viewing experience.”

Pablo Falanga, Commercial Director, Mediaset Infinity, comments: “As the leader in the digital video market in Italy, we seek to constantly enhance and expand our content experience. By partnering with TP Vision, we give our viewers the additional option of easy access to the best Mediaset Infinity content in the highest quality via the Philips Smart TV platform. A key part of our journey to make our customers’ viewing experience better than ever before.”

The streaming service will also offer action titles such as Rush, Rambo, and Highlander, and comedies that include Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa and Four Lions. Other titles include Legend, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy, The Imitation Game and Non-Stop. Additionally, Premium subscribers will have access to a catalogue of TV series that includes Hannibal, Years and Years and All the Way Up.

Laura Franses, Director of Content Partnerships, Streaming, ITV, says: “We are thrilled to announce our partnership with STUDIOCANAL PRESENTS. This fantastic collection of films and television series is the perfect addition to ITVX Premium, where subscribers can browse quality content ad-free to their hearts’ content.”

 Canal+ Action broadcasts popular action titles such as The Expendables 2: Back for War, Escape Plan and The Revenant.

Ladislav Řeháček, VP of CANAL+ Luxembourg for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, says: “Following our successful entry into sports broadcasting last year in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, we plan to expand into films and series this year, starting with the action genre. With the launch of CANAL+ Action, we aim to offer viewers high-quality action programming with minimal advertising interruptions within a single program.”

Berk Uziyel, CEO of SPI International (owned by the CANAL+ Group), comments: “We’re thrilled to collaborate with all of our partners and Ladislav Řeháček to introduce CANAL+ Action to new markets. Our mutual goal is to continuously improve the value we provide to our partners and customers while delivering top-notch entertainment across the board.”