Tag: Streaming

Australia – Nine has announced a major strategic realignment of its streaming and broadcast division, revealing a new leadership structure and operational framework aimed at driving growth, accelerating innovation, and strengthening its market position across free-to-air and subscription platforms.

The announcement, made by Amanda Laing, Nine’s Managing Director of Streaming and Broadcast, is part of the broader Nine2028 transformation program and follows the introduction of the company’s new Group Operating Model and the formal creation of the Streaming and Broadcast Division earlier this year.

Set to take effect from 1 July 2025, the restructure introduces a series of new senior roles overseeing key areas across Channel 9, 9Now, and Stan — marking the first time these brands will be managed under a unified leadership team.

Key appointments include:

  • Michael Healy, Executive Director – Entertainment: With four decades of experience in content creation, Healy will now oversee entertainment across both free and subscription services. His extensive understanding of Australian audiences and local storytelling will be central to programming strategies across all platforms.
  • Cailah Scobie, Executive Director – Entertainment Content Acquisitions: Scobie brings a strong background in both free-to-air and paid media, known for her negotiation skills and ability to secure high-performing content that drives both advertising and subscriber growth.
  • Fiona Dear, Executive Director – News & Current Affairs: Dear continues her leadership of Nine’s news and current affairs division, tasked with further transforming 9News and ensuring strong editorial performance across all broadcast and digital channels.
  • Brent Williams, Head of Sport Production: Sport remains a major investment pillar for Nine, and Williams will unify the production capabilities of Wide World of Sports and Stan Sport to optimise output and resources. Amanda Laing will also lead strategic initiatives across the wider sports business, focused on rights, advertising, and partnership growth.

Two additional executive roles are being created to support the division’s commercial and brand strategies:

  • Chief Strategy Officer – Streaming and Broadcast: Recruitment is underway for this new role, which will support strategic planning and execution across Nine’s suite of products.
  • Chief Marketing Officer – Streaming and Broadcast: A new marketing leader will be appointed to coordinate brand strategies across platforms and enhance audience engagement.

In a further shift, Nine’s State Managing Directors — Kylie Blucher (QLD), Clive Bingwa (WA), and Sean O’Brien (SA) — will now report directly to Amanda Laing. This realignment aims to support market-specific growth across Nine’s streaming and broadcast businesses in those regions.

Profit and loss accountability has also been redefined, with three executives overseeing the group’s core platforms:

  • Hamish Turner, Executive Director – Channel 9, 9 multi-channels and 9Now: Turner assumes financial and strategic responsibility for Nine’s free TV and streaming services.
  • Dan Taylor, Executive Director – Stan: Taylor continues to lead Stan, a key growth asset for the group, with full P&L accountability.
  • Tom Malone, Managing Director – Radio: Radio operations remain under Malone’s leadership, contributing revenue and EBITDA to the broader Nine Group.

Commenting on the changes, Laing said: “There is immense opportunity to drive growth for the Nine Group, and we are already building strong momentum. While our streaming and broadcast brands have each performed well independently, our greatest strength lies in how we bring them together under the power of the Nine Group.

“These changes are the first step in unlocking that potential. We’re fortunate to have some of the industry’s most talented leaders, and I’m excited to harness their experience as we move into this next phase.”

The new structure is designed to streamline decision-making, promote synergy across platforms, and align Nine’s strategic and operational efforts more closely with evolving audience and advertiser needs.

Singapore – Samsung has made key leadership appointments across its TV services business as fast ad-supported TV (FAST) viewing continues to rise. Brigitte Slattery has been named the first regional head of Samsung TV Plus in Asia-Pacific, overseeing regional content, operations, product, and marketing to drive local growth.

In her role, she will be reporting to Salek Brodsky, senior vice president and general manager at Samsung TV Plus. Prior to Samsung, Brigitte held roles at Network Ten, Foxtel, HBO and NBCUniversal.

Meanwhile, Samantha Cooke has been promoted to head of marketing & analytics at Samsung Ads Southeast Asia and Oceania. With extensive experience in previous publisher and agency roles, Sam will lead marketing and data efforts to drive results for partners while fuelling the brand’s regional growth. 

In addition, Virgile Edragas, has expanded his role to head of data & analytics for APAC and Alex Smith joins Samsung Ads after over a decade at Nielsen to lead its role as a founding member of the Video Futures Collective (VFC) and key industry bodies.

Alex Spurzem, managing director at Samsung Ads Southeast Asia and Oceania (SEAO), said, “The remarkable growth of ad-supported TV underscores the immense potential for advertisers to reach highly engaged audiences through streaming. These leadership appointments are testament to both the team’s achievements to date, and the huge opportunities still ahead for brands and advertisers.”

Meanwhile, Brigitte commented, “Audiences still love watching TV channels – the only difference is now they are streaming it. We’ve made the free TV experience easier and instant, so when you switch on a Samsung TV, you’ve got a great mix of both local and global premium content ready to go.”

Singapore – Samsung TV Plus is teaming up with SM Entertainment to bring K-Pop’s biggest performances to the big screen in celebration of its 30th anniversary. Samsung TV Plus will debut a new, dedicated SMTOWN channel–enhancing its commitment to deliver the best-in-class content to K-fans around the world.

The partnership will kick off its first live event from the Los Angeles Dignity Health Sports Park on May 12th starting at 9 AM SGT, with a star-studded concert to remember.

The artist lineup includes TVXQ!, SUPER JUNIOR; KEY, MINHO of SHINee; SUHO, CHANYEOL, KAI of EXO; Red Velvet (IRENE, SEULGI, JOY); NCT127, NCT DREAM, WayV, aespa, RIIZE, NCT WISH, Hearts2Hearts, and SMTR25.

With this partnership, K-Pop fans from around the globe can experience live performances across 18 countries, with concert replays, music videos, and playlists with additional K-Content added to the channel following the SMTOWN LIVE 2025 concert.

Salek Brodsky, senior vice president and global head of Samsung TV Plus, said, “Our partnership with SM Entertainment reflects our continued commitment to leading the K-Content space through bold investments and exclusive experiences. By bringing this milestone event to audiences around the globe, we’re not only celebrating K-Pop’s growing popularity, but further expanding the depth of the Samsung TV Plus K-Content offering, which remains amongst the largest in the world.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Streaming platform sooka, alongside Mediabrands Content Studio (MBCS), have announced a unique Ramadan campaign designed to address the increased social media consumption and fasting challenges faced during the holy month.

Recognising the shift in viewing habits and the prevalence of “doomscrolling” during Ramadan, the sooka Ramadan – Buat Puasa Tak Terasa (ease your fasting struggles) campaign aims to offer a refreshing alternative: engaging content on the sooka streaming platform.

Leveraging insights from Google’s YouTube data, the campaign targets key moments throughout the day when people are most likely to be online – before and after Sahur (pre-dawn meal before the fast), lunchtime, before breaking fast, and after Terawih (evening prayers). 

These times are often associated with challenges like oversleeping or the struggle of viewing food content while fasting. The campaign directly addresses these hurdles, positioning sooka as a solution to make the fasting experience more manageable and enjoyable.

Unlike traditional Ramadan advertising focusing on emotional family issues and food-based ads, the campaign tackles the often-overlooked issue of excessive social media consumption. Instead of simply adding to the noise on social platforms, the campaign aims to provide a compelling alternative.

Kevin Le, executive creative director at MBCS, said, “While every other brand is serving ads around typical festive themes, they don’t actually talk about helping people through a difficult fast. We understand that doomscrolling peaks during Ramadan and happens at key times. We see this as the perfect time to explore sooka as a useful distraction. We understand your struggle, and sooka can help you through this.”

He added, “The Ramadan-themed messages and sooka clips are specifically designed to encourage viewers to shift their focus from mindless scrolling to immersive and fulfilling content on sooka. It’s also our first foray into YouTube Shorts, getting our viewers to go from vertical to horizontal viewing. By acknowledging and addressing the unique challenges of Ramadan, we hope to not only help you through your fast but introduce you to a truly valuable service.”

Australia – Nine has been appointed by Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) as Max’s exclusive sales partner to commercially maximise its ad-supported Basic With Ads tier. This comes ahead of the streaming platform’s anticipated launch in Australia on March 31.

Leveraging Nine’s cutting-edge technology, Max will play a pivotal role in Nine’s digital video offering for advertisers, represented nationwide by Nine Sales.

With the addition of 9Now and Stan Sport, Nine’s partnership with WBD significantly expands its audience reach across the leading Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) and Broadcast Video On Demand (BVOD) sectors.

Built on Max’s extensive library of premium content, this inventory will be integral to Nine’s high-value revenue strategy, led by Powered (premium integrated sales and strategy). Meanwhile, Nine’s Centre of Digital Excellence (encompassing digital solutions, data, product, and programmatic) will underpin the overall sales approach.

This collaboration enables Nine to provide agencies and clients with seamless and innovative advertising solutions across SVOD and BVOD platforms, ultimately driving stronger business outcomes for advertisers.

Michael Brooks, general manager for ANZ at Warner Bros. Discovery, said, “This is the first time WBD’s premium slate of content has existed in one place in Australia. Launching Max with an ad-supported tier creates a compelling offer for viewers and advertisers alike, while partnering with Nine allows us to tap into their deep experience, strong relationships and proven capabilities.”

Meanwhile, Matt James, acting chief sales officer at Nine, commented, “The combination of Max’s amazing content and world-leading advertising products with Nine’s local expertise, sales infrastructure and scale is a unique opportunity for clients in this country. This relationship with WBD will accelerate our strategy into the digital video market and offer clients better return on investment.”

It is worth noting that WBD recently appointed Foxtel Group as its launch partner for Max in Australia, wherein Max’s expanded content offering will be available to Foxtel’s 1.4m residential subscribers at no additional cost to their Foxtel subscription. It had also recently tapped Special Group and EssenceMediacom for their creative and media mandate respectively–both related to Max’s launch in Australia.

Singapore – A new report from Nexxen has recently highlighted key preferences and habits around advertising platforms and formats-specifically on OTT platforms. In its report, it highlighted that around51% of surveyed consumers in Singapore said they watched content on ad-supported streaming platforms such as meWATCH, Singtel CAST, Viu, iQIYI, WeTV, Tubi TV, and Viddsee multiple times per week. 

Moreover, some 35% indicated that they watched once a day or more. Among the ad-supported content viewers, meWATCH was the most popular streaming platform.

In Singapore, mobile devices lead as the primary platform for consumption at 77%, followed by Smart TVs at 64%, demonstrating a growing demand to consume content across larger screens. Computers and laptops followed at 51%. Tablets, streaming devices and game consoles were also represented, but with fewer users primarily using them for consumption.

Meanwhile free, ad-supported platforms are popular among Singaporean consumers, 60% of whom identify cost as a key factor in their choice of video streaming platform. Nexxen also signalled that ease of use was another leading factor of this choice. 

The report also highlighted that the format and delivery method of ads clearly matters, with the data stating that viewers prefer shorter ads that deliver value without disrupting their experience. This is why 61% of advertisers are already using 6 to 15-second ad formats around content to meet this demand. 

In addition to brevity, the occurrence of the ad relative to the content is also worth noting. When asked which types of ads generally caught their attention when watching ad-supported streaming platforms, 36% of consumers identified pre-roll ads (running before the content starts), and 32% identified mid-roll ads (displayed during the show). Pre-roll ads were identified by 44% of advertisers as being effective. 

Effective personalisation is another important ingredient in increasing the likelihood that ads will be noticed and acted on. Viewers (41%) also indicated this as an area where ads on streaming platforms could improve; they want more personalised ads that are relevant to their interests.

The report also highlighted insights from advertsers, noting that 50% of advertisers are planning to incorporate OTT into their media strategies within the next two years. 

While not all surveyed advertisers are currently using OTT, around 73% of them hold a positive impression of its role in the marketing mix, with more than 25% recognising its potential to outperform traditional media.

Half of surveyed advertisers are already anticipating to benefit from these trends, while the other half are still on the fence, despite generally holding a positive impression of OTT advertising’s capability. 

Lastly, the report observed that 73% of Singapore-based advertisers hold a positive impression of OTT advertising and expect to factor it considerably into their overall marketing mix in the next 2-3 years. Additionally, more than a quarter of advertisers see potential to outperform traditional media in this sector. 

Australia – Foxtel Group and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) have announced an evolved partnership for 2025 and beyond, and will see Foxtel Group become a launch partner as Warner Bros. Discovery brings its Max streaming app to Australia on 31 March, 2025.

As launch partner, Max’s expanded content offering will be available to Foxtel’s 1.4m residential subscribers at no additional cost to their Foxtel subscription. In addition, the Max app will be available on Hubbl, offering easy access with seamless integration into the user interface.

The Max app will include HBO Originals, Max Originals, and premium content from Warner Bros., Discovery, Cartoon Network and more. Content will include key WBD franchises such as Harry Potter and the DC Universe, as well as current and returning seasons of hugely popular series including House of the Dragon, The Last of Us and  And Just Like That…

Moreover, the continued partnership between Foxtel Group and Warner Bros. Discovery recognises the strength of Foxtel Group’s reach, brands and commitment to quality by one of the world’s largest entertainment partners and production studios in showcasing premium content and ability to generate growth in market.

Hilary Perchard, chief executive of Foxtel Retail and Hubbl, said, “This renewed collaboration confirms our position as a partner of choice for the world’s largest entertainment studios who seek scale and reach for their premium entertainment content. We have always said optionality is central to our long-standing partnership. The strength of our products and much-loved brands means that we have been able to innovate and evolve our partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery in a unique model that enables mutual growth.”

Hilary added. “We have been partners with Warner Bros. Discovery for over 20 years and are delighted that our world-class aggregation products will play key roles in launching Max in this market. As launch partner, our Foxtel and Hubbl customers will be able to seamlessly access the breadth of content across the Warner Bros. Discovery content slate, which has always been popular among audiences, ensuring we continue to deliver exceptional value for our subscribers.”

Meanwhile, Michael Brooks, general manager of ANZ at Warner Bros. Discovery, commented, “Through our long-standing partnership, Australians have enjoyed WBD’s world-class content through Foxtel Group platforms for many years. As we launch the Max app in Australia – and look to maximise its reach through partnerships – it makes perfect sense for us to create a unique option we know will resonate with Foxtel subscribers and Hubbl users.”

The news follows after Warner Bros. Discovery had tapped Special Group and EssenceMediacom for their creative and media mandate respectively–both related to Max’s launch in Australia.

Max has been previously rolled out in Southeast Asia, as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan on November 19, 2024. To mark this launch, Max created localised immersive and outdoor activations for all of these markets to showcase their diverse entertainment content offerings.

Singapore – Anime, the popular form of Japanese animation, has generated $19.8b in total global revenue in 2023, including $5.5b from streaming and $14.3b from merchandising sales, according to the latest data from global entertainment analytics firm Parrot Analytics and the Association of Japanese Animations (AJA).

According to the report, anime accounted for 6% of global streaming revenue in 2023. Notably, 41% of anime’s streaming revenue originated from North America, highlighting the region’s strong engagement with the medium. 

Merchandising further amplified its global impact, with North America and Asia leading as the largest contributors to anime’s total revenue. Asia led merchandising revenue with $5.46b, followed by North America at $4.97b, together comprising 73% of global anime merchandise sales.

It is also worth noting that anime drove over $2b in revenue for Netflix globally, demonstrating its importance as a cornerstone of the platform’s content library and accounting for 38% of total anime streaming revenue.

Alejandro Rojas, VP of applied analytics and global head of Parrot IQ at Parrot Analytics, said, “Japan is at the heart of the global entertainment ecosystem, and anime is a clear testament to its creative power. Our expertise in streaming economics, global entertainment analytics, and IP valuation enables Japanese creators to unlock new revenue opportunities and expand their global footprint even further.”

Australia – TCL and NBCUniversal have announced a new agreement that aims to enhance the entertainment options for TCL viewers in selected regions. This deal marks the first partnership between the two companies, and it introduces a range of iconic NBCUniversal TV shows to audiences in Australia and New Zealand via these branded FAST channels.

Viewers in regions such as Australia and New Zealand can now indulge in a selection of beloved classic TV shows on TCL Channel. Fan-favorite reality shows from hit franchises like ‘The Real Housewives,’ ‘Top Chef,’ and ‘Million Dollar Listing,’ as well as early gems like ‘The Lone Ranger’ are also now easily accessible to TCL viewers.

Expressing their excitement for the collaboration, Howie Li, general manager at TCL FFalcon stated, “We are thrilled to partner with NBCUniversal. This marks a starting point, and in the future, we aim to work with NBCUniversal to bring in more content to serve TCL TV users better, while also enhancing our offerings and services for our advertisers.”

Meanwhile, Rob Bell, executive vice president of digital distribution & global content strategy at NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution, commented, “We are delighted to partner with TCL and bring NBCU’s suite of FAST channels, featuring our iconic drama, sci-fi, reality, and animated kids series to TCL’s audiences in Australia, and New Zealand.”

Singapore – Max made its debut across Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong with regional activations across seven markets – Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, as well as Taiwan and Hong Kong. 

The series of creative and immersive outdoor marketing efforts showcased the streaming service’s rich collection of blockbuster movies, groundbreaking series, iconic hits, best-in-class real-life stories, and family favourites, inviting fans to feel, experience, and become part of the stories, connecting with local audiences through dynamic and culturally relevant campaigns. 

On November 19, Max celebrated its arrival with a spectacular regional light-up moment across all seven markets. Scenes from Warner Bros. Discovery’s beloved brands and franchises, including ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘House of the Dragon,’ ‘The Last of Us,’ ‘Dune: Part Two,’ ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,’ ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,’ and ‘Barbie’ were projected on prominent buildings and landmarks. 

Moreover, audiences were invited to join in local launch celebrations, where fans in the Philippines explored ‘The Last of Us’ and ‘House of the Dragon’ themed Christmas trees and were treated to a magical Harry Potter Christmas tree light-up countdown by James and Oliver Phelps, followed by an amazing fireworks display. In Thailand, audiences were captivated by a life-size “Krathong” installation during the Loi Krathong Festival, as well as on-ground pop-ups inspired by ‘Barbie,’ ‘Dune: Part Two,’ ‘Friends’ and ‘Harry Potter.’

In Taiwan, pop-ups of iconic Warner Bros. Discovery brands including Game of Thrones and Harry Potter allowed guests to step into the world of their favorite shows. 

Upping the ante, Max also took over prominent train stations, transportation, billboards and building projections across Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong, transforming daily commutes into Warner Bros. Discovery-inspired journeys.

To connect viewers in Asia with Max, a series of creative social content brought iconic characters from Max’s loved shows into the heart of each market, incorporating characters into Asia’s vibrant culture, where characters ‘react’ to hyperlocal landmarks, dishes and cultural experiences. 

“The extensive launch campaign generated significant excitement, fostered emotional connections, and positioned Max as the region’s newest streaming experience. The campaign has successfully launched Max on an upwards trajectory in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong, deeply connecting with local audiences in the region,” the streaming service said in a press statement.