RTL Group is set to acquire the Sky Deutschland business from Comcast, marking a significant shift in the German television landscape. The transaction combines Sky’s premium sports rights, including Bundesliga, Premier League and Formula 1, with RTL’s leading entertainment and news brands across free and pay television channels and the RTL+ online service. It also unites the fastest growing streaming offers in the German market, RTL+ and WOW. This move further consolidates RTL Group’s position in the German media market as it strengthens its portfolio of free-to-air and streaming services.
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BBC Studios and BBC News are introducing a subscription model for access to BBC.com in the United States. It marks the first time the international web site will offer a paid experience for readers outside the United Kingdom. The move reflects the continuing shift towards subscription-based digital news services.
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Adults on the United Kingdom now spend more time on their mobile phones than watching television on a television set, marking a major milestone in media habits. Average daily mobile phone use has overtaken television set viewing for the first time. This shift highlights the growing dominance of mobile devices as the primary screen for many people.
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Online video services reached almost 45% of total television usage in the United States in May, which for the first time was more than broadcast and pay television combined. YouTube was the most viewed online video source, with an eighth of all viewing.
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Netflix is planning to offer TF1 channels and on-demand programmes from TF1+ on its platform for members in France. This is the first time that Netflix has engaged on such a distribution partnership with traditional channels. The landmark deal announced in Cannes marks a move to aggregate services that could be adopted in other markets.
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ITV, Channel 4, and Sky, in collaboration with Comcast Advertising, are planning to launch an advertising marketplace that will allow easy access to online video advertising through a single campaign. For the first time, it will bring together addressable inventory from all three sales houses into a single marketplace.
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