n a rare sunny day in London, Digital TV Group (DTG) hosted TV: The Bigger Picture, an annual nine-to-five summit which brings the technology, television and media sectors together. With each passing year ushering a host of changes, from evolutions in consumer behaviour to shifts in the ongoing streaming wars, the event regularly unpacks the TV industry’s biggest challenges and opportunities. Kicked off by Julia Lopez MP’s ministerial keynote, the summit’s various speakers covered topics like distribution and discoverability, the state of streamers, balancing people with product and future-proofing via the latest innovations. We heard from experts across both the private and public sectors, who sometimes presented opposing views and even engaged in healthy debates and discussions. It didn’t take long for a few key themes to emerge – but the most critical take-home point was that change is inevitable; what matters is how we address it. ENOUGH SPACE FOR EVERYONE We have heard the term streaming wars thrown about, but its accuracy remains up for debate. Panellists Leah Hooper Rosa (EVP EMEA streaming, Warner Bros Discovery), Kerry Ball (chief commercial and strategy officer, Britbox) and Monty Sarhan (CEO, Sky Showtime) discussed the current streaming ecosystem, paying special attention to password
sharing, market saturation, appealing to distinct locales, bundling and serial churners (those who constantly and intentionally swap between streamers). In a world where consumers are spoilt for choice, introducing a new streaming service might seem counterproductive. But some platforms – Britbox, for instance – have managed to establish a niche and garner an enthusiastic community. “We built a small dinghy with a big engine rather than running a cruiseliner,” says Ball. Audiences turn to Britbox for its high- quality British content, whether that’s a true crime story or a period piece. It’s naive to assume carving out a corner of the market is all it takes. Despite Britbox centring around British culture, “it needs to resonate in lots of different places,” argues Ball. “We will look to see how we can evolve our proposition in the future, to take into account how to deliver more value in different segments.” Hayu – created by NBCUniversal – is all about reality TV and unscripted shows. Like Britbox, it revolves around a single genre or special interest. Hendrik McDermott, MD of EMEA networks, Hayu and international direct-to-consumer at NBCUniversal, describes Hayu as an add-on. It’s not meant to replace the standard Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or Disney+ but to complement these services instead – which brings us to bundling. Streaming services have proven largely unprofitable, with the
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