News Brief
July 10th – july 16th
Bob Iger Shifts From Building an Empire to a Disney Yard Sale. Iger put roughly a third of the company up for sale this week, declaring Disney’s linear TV assets noncore. That includes TV networks ABC, FX and Freeform. He also said Disney is looking for a strategic partner for ESPN.
Roku Channel is now available on Google and Android TV. Before this announcement, The Roku Channel was limited to Roku devices, Samsung TVs, Amazon Fire TV devices, and the mobile app.
Redbox partners with TikTok for streaming popular videos and advertising on over 3,000 DVD rental kiosks. Redbox, aiming to generate revenue and attract attention, partners with TikTok, a short-form video platform owned by China’s ByteDance. TikTok will curate “top content” for Redbox, displayed on over 3,000 video screens across their U.S. kiosks. Brands can also purchase advertising alongside the TikTok content.
Fox has closed its TV Everywhere app and is directing streamers towards Hulu. Although the network did not state a specific reason for the app’s closure, they encouraged viewers to find alternative ways to access Fox programming. Fox still provides three additional streaming TV apps: Fox Sports for live sports content, Fox Local for aggregated news from Fox-owned local TV stations, and Tubi, a free streaming service with an extensive collection of movies and TV episodes, including Fox content.
Netflix allows transferring user profiles to existing accounts, introducing a new option amidst the crackdown on password-sharing. Netflix now allows users to effortlessly add a paid “extra member” to their primary accounts or transfer their streaming preferences to another household. Starting from July 11, all Netflix members worldwide can move their profiles from one account to an existing one.
Prime Video now includes French culture streamer, France Channel. France Channel’s owners say the service provides the largest collection of French titles, and is now available in the U.S. for the first time. Founded and developed by media veteran Julien Verley, it offers a diverse range of content. Prime Video introduces the service at $7.99 per month, with a complimentary seven-day trial.
Rakuten TV introduces FIFA+ FAST channel for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The new channel plans to deliver an immersive football experience for enthusiasts ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup on July 20th. This service is accessible in key European markets like the UK, Spain, France, Germany, and Italy.
Brazilian multi-play operators Vero and Americanet announce merger. Forming a larger player with 1.4 million customers and 1.9 million revenue-generating units, the combined company will become Brazil’s largest ISP by RGUs and the fourth largest fiber broadband player, offering streaming video, internet, fixed, and mobile telephony services across the country.
Singapore operators collaborate for the Women’s World Cup. Singapore operators Mediacorp, Singtel, and StarHub join forces for complete coverage of FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. Fans can stream all 64 matches live or on-demand on any device. No additional cost for new and existing mewatch, Singtel TV, and StarHub TV customers.
Jawwy TV launched for Umniah Fiber customers in Jordan. Intigral partners with Umniah, Beyon Group’s subsidiary, to introduce Jawwy TV in Jordan. Umniah Fiber users can enjoy VOD and live channels via flexible bundles, offering 1-month, 3-month, or 12-month subscriptions at competitive rates.
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Atrangii TV to broadcast Hindi-dubbed Korean, Turkish, and Russian content. Atrangii TV, a Hindi GEC, will soon broadcast Hindi-dubbed Korean, Turkish, and Russian content with English subtitles starting July 17, 2023. The channel aims to provide a diverse selection of international shows for viewers aged 15 and above.
July 3rd – July 9th
Netflix now streams HBO shows through a new licensing deal. The HBO comedy drama Insecure launched on the streamer service earlier this week, after Deadline revealed the licensing deal last month. This move comes as Warner Bros. Discovery aims to improve its financial standing through cost-cutting measures and show cancellations.
Plex lays off 20% of its workforce amid advertising slowdown. Plex laid off 37 people on Monday, a figure that represents more than 20 percent of the company’s staff. Plex bet big on adding free, ad-supported (FAST) movies and shows and live TV. But Plex has found it can be tough to make money in the business due to slowing global advertising market.
Movistar Peru expands its TV offering by adding Disney+ and Star+ to its lineup. Customers can now enjoy 4K original content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic.
Vix, the LATAM streaming platform, secures the rights to All Elite Wrestling. AEW, established in 2019, is the second-ranked professional wrestling league in the US after WWE. Vix, the LATAM streaming platform, brings All Elite Wrestling (AEW) to its premium plan subscribers.
Amazon Prime Video increases the price of Le Pass Ligue 1 while reducing its coverage. Amazon Prime Video raises the price of Le Pass Ligue 1, its French football offering, to €14.99 per month or €99 per season for the upcoming 2023-2024 season. Starting from that season, Prime Video will exclusively broadcast seven out of the nine Ligue 1 matches per day on the Le Pass Ligue 1 channel.
SKYmedia Corporation LLC debuts Go+, a Mirada-powered PayTV service. SKYmedia Corporation LLC, a subsidiary of Skytel Group, a major telecommunications provider, expands its services through Mirada. This follows the successful collaboration on the SkyGO app, which quickly gained popularity and topped the charts on Mongolian app stores.
StarzPlay introduces ‘StarzPlay Store,’ a new TVOD service. StarzPlay Store is a pay-per-view service enabling users to rent or purchase the latest blockbuster movies. The SVOD platform offers a subscription-free option for immediate access to box office films following their theatrical release.
Fanflix, a content creator platform, makes its debut in the MENA region. The platform enables creators to engage with their fans by offering exclusive behind-the-scenes content behind a paywall. Moreover, creators can monetize their direct messages with pay-per-message rates and virtual tip jars, giving them the flexibility to set their own prices for exclusive feeds.
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Amazon miniTV introduces ‘miniTV Imported’ to its platform. The newly launched category of Amazon’s free video streaming service will feature International shows dubbed in Hindi across various genres like romance, drama, and thriller. Starting from July 7th, 2023, the platform will stream popular global shows each month, featuring Korean, Turkish, Mandarin, and Spanish dramas.
Viacom18 secures broadcast rights for India’s inaugural Major Cricket League. Starting from July 13th, Viacom18 will provide comprehensive coverage of the MLC through live streaming on JioCinema. The inaugural season will follow a round-robin format, with the top four teams advancing to a playoff and final round to determine the champion, who will be crowned on July 30th.
OTTplay Premium and NXTPlay join forces in a strategic partnership. NXTPlay users gain access to a vast selection of content, including 17 OTTs, 150 live channels, and an extensive library of 50,000 movies and web-shows.
June 26th – July 2nd
Paramount+ and Showtime Premium Tier unite to strengthen Paramount Global’s platform strategy. Paramount+ introduces a new premium tier at $11.99 per month, now including Showtime’s extensive content library. The ad-supported Paramount+ Essential Plan (without Showtime) will see a price adjustment from $4.99 to $5.99 per month.
Netflix discontinues its ad-free ‘basic’ plan in Canada. The previous basic plan, priced at C$9.99 for single-screen viewing, has been removed, while the ad-supported version at C$5.99 remains. Canadian subscribers can still choose the standard package for C$16.49 (access on two screens) or the premium package for C$20.99 (access on up to four screens).
Roku secures Formula E streaming rights in the U.S enters live sports arena. The partnership marks Roku’s first-ever live sports rights package, with both live and on-demand replays of races available starting next season.
DirecTV provides NFL RedZone and Sports Pack subscriptions to both satellite and streaming customers. DirecTV has entered into a multi-year agreement to carry NFL RedZone on all platforms, including an upgraded Sports Pack add-on.
Fubo adds Canela.TV to its Spanish streaming plan. Subscribers of Fubo’s Latino plan and the Latino Plus add-on package can access four FAST channels: Canela Deportes, Canela Clasicos, Canela Cinema, and Canela Telenovels. Fubo’s Latino plan offers over 50 channels, 100 live events, and 250 hours of cloud DVR storage for $32.99 per month, while the Latino Plus add-on package costs $20 per month and can be added to any English-language streaming package.
Russian OTT services now offer original content to their viewers. Russian OTT services increase spending by 30% on original productions compared to last year. TelecomDaily reports an investment of R54 billion (€575 million) in Q1, projected to surpass R207 billion in 2023.
Rakuten TV launches its own channel in Poland. Rakuten TV debuts Top Movies Polska, its first owned FAST channel in Poland. The channel offers a diverse range of movies from Hollywood and European distributors. Viewers can access Top it via the Rakuten TV app on all devices, marking the first dedicated FAST movie channel in Poland. Rakuten TV has also expanded its AVOD catalogue in Poland with almost 100 localised films and currently provides around 70 FAST channels in the country.
NBCUniversal launches nearly 30 new FAST Channels with Amazon Freevee and Xumo Play. Many of the offerings from across the NBCU Television & Streaming portfolio and NBCUniversal Global Distribution library will be available to viewers on demand for free.
A+E Networks EMEA is expanding its streaming channel lineup in Europe. A+E Networks EMEA expands its streaming channels with the launch of History Play and Crime+Investigation Play on Prime Video Channels in Sweden and Poland.
Sky Sports Draws Peak Audience of 480k for Women’s Ashes Opening Test. Women’s Test Sees Average Viewership of 198k, the Highest in Nearly Three Decades.
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Netflix and Hansal Mehta join forces in a multi-year creative collaboration. Following the successful launch of filmmaker Hansal Mehta’s debut series “Scoop” on Netflix, the streaming giant has unveiled a multi-year series partnership with Mehta. Building upon this initial collaboration, Hansal Mehta will now develop a variety of series exclusively for Netflix in the years ahead.
manoramaMAX takes a stand against piracy while promoting legal streaming options. In a proactive stance against piracy and in support of legal streaming, manoramaMAX, a leading Malayalam OTT platform, has initiated an anti-piracy campaign concurrent with the release of their latest film “Live”.
NxtDigital launches OTT aggregation platform NxtPlay. Mukund Sharma, Advisor to NxtDigital, said, “NxtPlay is designed as a one-stop content discovery and data platform. Our partners OTTPlay, Sabot, and Playflix bring 25+ immensely popular OTT platforms with diversified linear and non-linear streams of multi-genre, niche and special interest content.”
June 19th – June 25th
Amazon tricked its Prime customers and slowed their efforts to unsubscribe. The FTC claims that Amazon tricked customers into purchasing more expensive full Prime memberships instead of the cheaper Prime Video subscriptions.
Magnite Announces Broad Support for ClearLine From A&E Networks, AMC Networks, DIRECTV Advertising, DISH Media, Disney Advertising, FOX Digital, Nine, and Warner Bros. Discovery. ClearLine is an ad server-agnostic solution that offers agencies direct access to high-quality video inventory on Magnite’s platforms. By leveraging Magnite’s strong relationships with streaming TV media owners, agencies can efficiently purchase inventory from leading suppliers through ClearLine.
Gray Television has reached a new deal with Paramount Global covering the renewal of all 54 of Gray’s current CBS affiliates. The agreement covers stations in seven markets acquired from Meredith and 47 stations previously owned by Gray. The stations’ signals will continue to be available to subscribers of Paramount Plus and on virtual MVPD platforms.
The European expansion of Prime Video propels revenue to $4.5 billion, marking a significant 22% increase. Amazon Digital U.K’s revenue increased by over £633 million for the year ending December 2022 compared to the previous year. In 2021, the company posted revenues of £2.86 billion.
Canal+ is set to acquire 26.1% stake in PCCW’s streaming service Viu with initial investment of $200 million. Canal+ has committed to a total investment of $300 million. Viu currently operates with a freemium model across 16 territories in Asia and the Middle East.
Shahid’s content now available on Google Search. The ‘What to watch’ feature on Search will give users better access to a range of premium Arabic content on Shahid available for UAE residents.
QVC and HSN Launch Livestream Video Shopping Experiences on Amazon Freevee. QVC and HSN will provide approximately 40 hours of daily live vCommerce programming, showcasing popular brands and exciting new products presented by celebrities, influencers, and engaging personalities.
Intigral collaborates with Saudi-based Bedaya TV. Intigral has signed a strategic partnership with Bedaya TV, a socially-oriented Saudi channel dedicated to producing reality TV shows and promoting local content and talent.
DAZN extends La Liga rights in Japan for five years. DAZN will deliver coverage 2023-24 season to the 2027-28 season of the Spanish professional football league in East Asian region.
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Amazon Prime Lite membership with ad-supported streaming has launched in India for Rs 999 a year. Members will have access to Ad-Supported Streaming, two-day delivery. The full Prime membership costs ₹1,499.
ZEE5 says it will ‘learn from competition’ before deciding restrictions on password sharing.
ZEE5 SharePlay feature offers collective viewing experience. SharePlay allows ZEE5 users to watch content together through FaceTime on iPhones and iPads, fostering virtual connections and social interactions.
JioCinema is set to acquire Aha, a prominent Telugu OTT platform, in the near future. JioCinema is reportedly in talks to acquire Aha, the popular Telugu OTT platform, similar to Voot Select. The acquisition will benefit both My Home Group and JioCinema, with Aha’s dedicated fanbase in Telugu states and an increased subscriber base for JioCinema.
JioCinema will broadcast the inaugural Global Chess League on its platform for free . JioCinema has been named the official OTT partner for Global Chess League. All matches to be streamed live on the platform starting from June 22nd, 2023.
June 12th – June 18th
Disney has decided to discontinue its Asian networks as part of its efforts to shift towards streaming. Disney is set to cease its pay television networks in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and certain parts of Southeast Asia by September. However, in South Korea, the channels will continue broadcasting until the end of this year. To compensate, Disney Plus and Hotstar will offer the majority of the content from these networks, excluding China, where the streaming services are yet to be introduced.
Twitch will allocate 70% of subscription revenue to eligible streamers as payouts through it new ‘Partner Plus’ program. Twitch’s upcoming Partner Program, launching in October 2023, will provide qualifying streamers with a 70% share of net subscription revenue, while Twitch retains the remaining 30%. To be eligible, Twitch Partners must maintain a minimum of 350 recurring paid subscriptions for three consecutive months. This is a significant increase from the standard 50% revenue split offered to streaming partners.
Independent Streamers form Alliance In a Bid To Achieve Parity With Major Media Players In FAST Sector. Allen Media Group, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Cineverse, Future Today, kweliTV, Revry, Scripps, Tastemade, TMB (Trusted Media Brands), and Vevo have come together to form Independent Streaming Alliance (ISA). ISA said it will “use its platform to advocate for more diverse programming and a more equitable playing field” across the industry.
Mainstream Media adds FAST Channels to Amazon Freevee. Mainstream Media, the German broadcaster, is set to launch its FAST Channels, including Filmgold, Strong Women, and World of Freesports, on Amazon Freevee. Starting from autumn 2022, viewers in Germany and Austria will be able to access these channels on the free, ad-supported streaming platform.
Leading Russian Streaming services, more.tv and Wink, are merging. The newly merged service will adopt the Wink brand and will be majority-owned by Rostelecom (70%) and NMG (30%). NMG will contribute more.tv and a 50% stake in NMG Studio, while Rostelecom will transfer Wink, which includes a unified platform catering to both OTT and IPTV environments.
DAZN has signed an agreement with RWS to livestream Muay Thai fights. DAZN has collaborated with Rajadamnern World Series (RWS) to deliver live streaming of exhilarating Muay Thai fights to more than 200 countries. This thrilling event will be broadcasted live on DAZN starting from July 1.
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Disney’s strategic approach to cricket streaming in India highlights the significant financial impact of the sport. Disney has made cricket a central aspect of its streaming strategy in India. In a significant move, the company’s premium streaming platform, Hotstar, owned by Disney, will now provide free mobile streaming of cricket tournaments in India. Disney’s move reflects a strategic reevaluation in response to changing market dynamics.
JioCinema secures digital rights for India’s tour of West Indies. JioCinema will live-stream the month-long series featuring two Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is. The tour commences on July 12 with tests in Dominica and Trinidad, followed by a three-match ODI series starting on July 27 in Barbados and Trinidad.
JioCinema intensifies the competition in the OTT arena. JioCinema disrupts the digital landscape with a significant content budget of ₹3,500-4,000 crores. This substantial investment is expected to have a major impact on the competition, especially considering that the total online video content investment in India reached ₹8,200 crore in 2022.
Jio TV to introduce a trio of music channels in collaboration with Saregama. The music channels namely, Saregama Music, Saregama Telugu, and Saregama Hum Bhojpuri, can now be accessed by Jio subscribers via the JioTV and JioTV+ apps. This partnership offers over 400 hours of music entertainment in multiple languages on mobile phones and smart TVs.
June 5th – June 11th
Netflix records 100,000 new subscriptions in 2 days after its crackdown on password-sharing in US. Netflix’s US password-sharing crackdown resulted in a notable surge in subscriptions. Antenna reports that after implementing paid sharing policies on May 23, the streaming platform recorded nearly 100,000 new daily signups on two specific days.
Amazon plans to launch an ad-supported tier on Prime Video. Amazon is in talks to launch an ad-supported tier of Prime Video. Amazon’s Prime membership package includes Prime Video, available for $14.99 per month. Alternatively, users can opt for a separate Prime Video subscription at $8.99 per month. To enhance their viewing experience, subscribers can also add ad-free subscriptions to Max, Paramount Plus, Showtime, and more through Prime Video Channels.
Orange has launched its commercial content delivery network (CDN) in France in alliance with Akamai. Orange has launched a new commercial CDN offering in France and is now selling content delivery services for live and on-demand video, software downloads and dynamic content.
Netflix subscribers declined by 13% in Portugal during the last 4 months. In February, Netflix revealed the end of password sharing and the new price list for anyone who wanted to use the same account in different homes. The ban on account sharing is therefore being identified as one of the reasons that justify the drop in subscribers.
Real Madrid has introduced its own OTT service called RM Play. Over 700 hours of content from top Spanish football club Real Madrid is now available through a new streaming platform.
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During the initial two days of the WTC Final, Disney+ Hotstar achieved a peak concurrency of 1.5 million viewers. In a recent announcement, Disney+ Hotstar revealed plans to make upcoming cricket tournaments, such as the Asia Cup and ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, accessible outside of their paywall. Following JioCinema’s successful strategy of keeping sports, including the IPL, outside the paywall, this move aims to attract a wider audience to streaming platforms.
Shemaroo and Seven Network have joined forces to introduce Shemaroo Bollywood in Australia. This collaboration marks Shemaroo’s first venture with a major broadcaster in the region, offering an immersive Indian entertainment experience to Australian viewers. Shemaroo Bollywood will be accessible for free on Seven Network’s streaming platform, 7plus+, providing a wide selection of iconic Indian/Bollywood movies.
Voot Select subscribers can now obtain a complimentary JioCinema Premium subscription. The anticipated merger between JioCinema and Voot is nearing completion. With this merger, Voot Select subscribers will gain complimentary access to the JioCinema Premium subscription, further enhancing their streaming experience.
May 29th – June 4th
Verizon’s new streaming bundle offers Netflix Premium and Paramount+ with Showtime for $26
Disney to Take $1.5 Billion Content Write-Off Charge in June Quarter After removing dozens of shows and movies from Disney+ and Hulu last week, said it will incur a $1.5 billion impairment charge for the June quarter.
Netflix shareholders vote to reject executives’ pay packages Netflix shareholders rejected the pay packages for top executives at the company, including co-CEO Ted Sarandos, former co-CEO Reed Hastings, and Greg Peters, who was COO of the company last year and was elevated to the co-CEO role earlier this year.
AMC Theater Chain Rolls Its TVOD Into Vudu AMC Entertainment’s streaming service is migrating its users to Vudu. The companies announced today that Vudu is “the official new streaming platform for consumers of AMC Theatres on Demand.”
All3Media Up For Sale From Warner Bros. Discovery, Liberty Global Liberty Global and Warner Bros. Discovery are considering their future involvement in All3Media, the UK’s leading independent TV production company. According to Reuters, quoting three people familiar with the matter, one possible option will be selling their stakes in the joint venture in a deal worth over £1 billion (€1.16 billion). It adds that another would be for one to buy the other out.
Vimeo to shut down all of its TV streaming apps later this month The company is ceasing support for Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, and Roku as of June 27, 2023.
New DirecTV Stream customers will receive priority registration for Telly 55” Dual-Screen TV Telly and DirecTV Stream have signed an agreement that will give new DirecTV Stream customers priority access to the Telly waiting list to get a free 55” 4K dual-screen television.
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IPL Ad Revenue: Digital outperforms TV; JioCinema rakes in ~Rs 2,300 crore The official streaming partner for Tata IPL 2023 has garnered approximately Rs 2,300-2,500 crore in advertising revenue. Insiders estimate television ad revenue to be around Rs 1,800-2,000 crore.
JioCinema experienced a fourfold surge in penetration during IPL 2023 Viacom18-owned streaming platform Jio Cinema’s penetration has grown by almost 4X to 40.26% on the back of free streaming of the Indian Premier League (IPL), says research by Bobble AI, a conversation media platform. Prior to the start of the IPL season, the platform’s penetration stood at 10.73%.
Amazon Prime Video Brings Animax + Gem, Japanese Entertainment to India
JioCinema and NBCUniversal Forge Multi-Year Partnership, Expanding their Content Offering
May 16th – 28th
Netflix’s ad-supported plan (AVOD) has nearly 5 million monthly active users
YouTube to start 30-second unskippable ads on CTVs
Disney is preparing a standalone ESPN streaming service
Disney will reportedly continue to offer EPSN as a TV channel even after breaking it out into its own streaming service.
Comcast Launches $20 Monthly Streaming Service Now TV, With 60-Plus Channels and Peacock
Cinedigm Rebrands to Cineverse
As per the company, the corporate name change is an important step forward in the Company’s evolution into a streaming content and technology company – focused on transforming the way people discover and interact with a universe of films, television series and other streamed content.
Warner Bros. Discovery Unveils ‘WBD Stream’ Digital Video Product Suite for Advertisers
ViX’s premium tier is now accessible as a Premium Subscription on Roku
ViX, the leading Spanish-language streaming service, offers a diverse range of Spanish programming across various genres and formats. From movies and series to novelas, realities, musical tentpoles, live news, and sports, ViX boasts an extensive content library. For a monthly fee of $6.99 or an annual fee of $59.99 (with a seven-day free trial), Roku users can easily subscribe to ViX’s premium tier.
Netflix rolls out password-sharing crackdown in the U.S
Members can transfer a profile of someone outside of their household so that the person can begin a membership they pay for on their own. Or they can pay an extra fee — $7.99 a month — per person. Netflix has said that more than 100 million households share accounts, which is about 43% of its global user base.
By integrating Cloud Video Kit and the Bitmovin Player, they provide an all-in-one solution that incorporates Cloud DRM capabilities.
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Disney+ Hotstar leads premium VOD consumption with a 38 percent market share in India
The combined Zee and Sony group had a 13 percent share (Zee5 – 7% , SonyLIv – 6%). Prime Video and Netflix had an aggregate 10 percent share (Prime Video – 5% and Netflix – 5%) based on the data from last 15 months.
JioCinema, Voot merger in final stages
The companies are waiting for the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to conclude before finalising the merger.
May 8th – 15th
Disney Plus Will Start Adding Hulu Content as Part of ‘One-App Experience’
CEO Bob Iger announced that the company will combine Disney+ and Hulu content in a “one-app experience” by the end of 2023. Each service, however, will remain available separately.
Disney+ lost 4 million subscribers in the last quarter, now has 157.8 million subscribers.
Hulu gained 200,000 subscribers to reach 48.2 million, and ESPN+ grew by 400,000 to reach 25.3 million.
Dish lost 552K pay TV subs in Q1, 2023, up from 462K a year earlier
Amazon miniTV collaborates with Meta
Amazon miniTV, a free video streaming service on Amazon’s shopping app and Fire TV, partnered with Meta. Creators will promote and feature in upcoming shows on miniTV through this unique collaboration.
CABSAT to host 75+ speakers from broadcast and satellite industries
ThinkAnalytics to support Go3 with personalized content recommendation
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May 1st – May 7th
Q1 Financial results
Warner Bros. Discovery Sees Q1 Loss of $1.07 billion. Attributes $1.81 billion costs to merger
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India’s SonyLIV and Applause Extend Partnership, Renew ‘Fauda’ Adaptation ‘Tanaav’ for Season 2
