Content is moving freely across screens and borders nowadays, the result of fragmented audiences, multi-screen consumption patterns and growing importance and quality of what was once called pejoratively “Web video.”
Canadian subscription streaming video service Shomi has signed a deal with Corus Entertainment for 700 hours of Nickelodeon programming. Part of the Shomi deal includes six Nickelodeon series that will appear exclusively in Canada on Shomi – and not on any other streaming service in the country, although they will appear in linear TV channels. The content includes TV series “Penguins of Madagascar”; “Rabbids Invasion”; “Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn”; and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and “Bubble Guppies.”
Shomi is the result of a joint venture between Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications, two pay TV providers that have pooled resources and subscriber reach to launch an OTT service that might compete with Netflix. The service costs $C8.99 per month.
Fox, meanwhile, has won exclusive rights to air Hulu’s latest original series “11.22.63”, from director JJ Abrams, throughout markets across Europe. The series stars James Franco and is based on a novel by Stephen King. “The golden age of television is being driven by serialized drama,” said Fox EVP for Distribution, Caleb Weinstein. “And in 2016 Fox channels across Europe are at the forefront: delivering on-demand access to the best content in the world, whenever and wherever our pay TV subscribers want to watch.”
And an e-sports Web series from digital video network Machinima is moving to linear TV channel. The CW for its third season finale. The series “Chasing the Cup” is a non-scripted series following the top five players of the video game “Mortal Kombat.” The first two seasons appeared on Machinima’s YouTube channel where it garnered a collected 2.6 million video views. The series has been picked up for its third season to stream on The CW’s online video site, CW Seed, with new episodes appearing weekly. The finale will air as a one hour special on The CW’s linear TV channel.
“As video games and eSports become more mainstream, broadcast networks are looking for content to attract this highly valuable audience,” said Daniel Tibbets, chief content officer of Machinima.
This first ran in Rider Research’s Online Reporter.