Videoage International December 2020

6 World December 2020 V I D E O A G E This means that advertisers spend more money than ne- cessary, and most are not only concernedwith brand safety but alsowith thepotential forwaste. Until the streaming platforms become more transparent there is little chance that some of the $70 billion a year spent in the U.S. on FTA will be siphoned off. Direct is Netflix’s first fo- ray into real-time, scheduled programming. It chose France to test its first linear channel due to the high consumption of traditional TV in France, which remains very popular with people who don’t want to choose the shows they watch. Direct, which will be more broadly available early this month in France, may also appeal to older demographics that make up a significant por- tion of households in France. Hollywood Bets on Post- Brexit U.K. U .S. property developer Hackman Capital Part- ners (HCP) is investing £300 million (U.S. $397 mil- lion) to build a Hollywood- style production complex in Dagenham, a region in eastern London, after its original back- er, Pacifica Ventures, pulled out last year citing Brexit un- certainty. HCP, the owner of pro- duction facilities such as Culver Studios in Los Angeles and Silvercup Studios in New York City, is to invest £300 million over the next three years, with the first productions due to roll out by mid-2022. The U.K. remains one of the leading locations for Holly- wood’s film and TV dramas. More than 200 films and 120 high-end TV shows were made in the U.K. last year with a total production investment of £3.1 billion (U.S. $4.1 billion). In the last two years, both Disney and Netflix have struck long-term deals with Pinewood Studios and sister Shepperton Studios for production space. Sky and The Fast and the Furious producer Universal Studios (both owned by Comcast) are also building a Hollywood-style film studio at Elstree in north London. W hile linear channels are fast moving to FAST and AVoD, on November 5, 2020, Netflix, the king of SVoD, started “Direct,” an experimental linear channel in France, which for now is only available to Netflix subscribers. It broadcasts French and international feature films and TV series that are available on its streaming service. Direct is reportedly a way for Netflix to retain subscribers who may feel fatigued after having binge-watched the titles that were recommended to them through the service’s algorithm. However, it could also be a way to enter FAST, which is a form of linear AVoD. Indeed, no matter how linear TV can be viewed, it represents a safer bet for brands to advertise on. The proliferation of streaming platforms has created unsafe environments for some brands that don’t want to be associated with services that don’t align with their brand values. This situation is exacerbated by the use of automated marketplaces that offer inventory aggregated from multiple services. Netflix Goes Linear: A prelude to FAST? (Continued from Page 4) For further information please contact: LUANA PERRERO for enquiries ROW luana.perrero@mondotvgroup.com www.mondotv.it ULLI STOEF for enquiries GAS, BeNeLux and English speaking info@toon2tango.com www.toon2tango.com