Disney+, Netflix, Other Streaming Companies May Face Tighter Local Regulations Overseas
As the domestic market reaches a point of saturation with regard to new streaming audiences, big players like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video have been looking internationally for greener pastures and potentially untapped viewership. Their efforts have not been fruitless, as streaming services have been experiencing tremendous worldwide growth.
“This rapidly expanding international audience has created an enormous opportunity for content developers, device manufacturers and advertisers to engage new audiences as the brands and publishers who understand exactly how, when and where people are streaming, will inevitably triumph,” said Bill Demas, CEO of online video analytics firm Conviva.
Big streamers know that it’s critical to establish a foothold in these new markets. Those late to the party may find that potential subscribers are already tuned in to their competitors. Paolo Pescatore, an analyst at PP Foresight, says that “It is paramount to launch in as many markets as possible and forge key distribution deals with local providers. Build a base, scale the business, understand viewers’ habits and then invest in local production.”
Netflix has been leading the charge when it comes to international expansion. Domestic viewers, hungry for fresh content, have been showing a great deal of interest in foreign programming. The streamer has also committed to putting up almost $500 million this year alone on productions from South Korea, and also in financing about 16 anime projects from Japan.
Disney+
Disney+ is a video streaming service with over 13,000 series and films from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, The Muppets, and more. It is available in 61 countries and 21 languages. It is notable for its popular original series like “The Mandalorian,” “Ms. Marvel,” “Loki,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” and “Andor.”
However, the grass may not stay as green as big streamers are hoping for, on the other side of the pond.
The U.K. government is acutely aware of the global intentions of U.S.-based streaming services. As a result, the powers that be are in the midst of considering a tightening of oversight in relation to foreign interest in gobbling up audiences and potentially smothering locally-sourced and British-funded broadcasting.
Regulations for broadcasters in the U.K. were developed for the Communications Act of 2003, long before anyone could have predicted the explosion in online streaming services. Many feel that those rules are long overdue for revision.
Changes to regulations might result in Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and any other streamers being subject to the same rules as traditional, linear outlets like the BBC or ITV, in regard to age ratings and the accuracy and impartiality of documentaries and news content. The goal is to allow public service media outlets, such as the U.K.’s Channel 4, to have a chance to compete against the international juggernauts.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 10,000+ movies, TV shows, and Prime Originals like “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” “Jack Ryan,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Boys,” and more. Subscribers can also add third-party services like Max, Showtime, STARZ, and dozens more with Amazon Prime Video Channels. Prime Video also offers exclusive live access to NFL Thursday Night Football.
“The time has come to look at how we can unleash the potential of our public service broadcasters while also making sure viewers and listeners consuming content on new formats are served by a fair and well-functioning system,” said U.K. Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden in a statement quoted by Fierce Video. “So, we’ll now be looking at how we can help make sure Channel 4 keeps its place at the heart of British broadcasting and level the playing field between broadcasters and video-on-demand services.”
While some streamers, like Netflix, have created their own relationships with British regulatory agencies to maintain restrictions when it comes to age ratings and potentially offensive content, “the current landscape makes for an inconsistent, ad-hoc and potentially harmful gap in regulation between video-on-demand services alongside a potential competitive disadvantage between U.K. broadcasters and their internationally funded online counterparts,” according to the U.K government.
To coincide with potential restrictions being placed on international streaming services, the government is also looking to bolster public broadcasters by making their content easier to find and view on connected devices and smart TVs.