Canadian media company Blue Ant Media and Smithsonian Networks are partnering on a new joint venture, Blue Skye Entertainment, to develop and distribute the world’s largest library of Ultra HD (4K) natural history and wildlife content. Blue Skye Entertainment, operating out of London, will distribute this content globally via SVOD and linear television services under Blue Ant Media’s Love Nature brand and Smithsonian Network’s stand-alone streaming service, Smithsonian Earth. Joining Blue Skye Entertainment is Jo Parkinson, appointed to the Managing Director role. Jo previously worked was the VP and General Manager at WWE’s London office.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) order of Canada’s cable and satellite TV providers to offer a-la-carte TV stations will take effect in December 2016. The order makes huge waves for the industry as it upends the current cable business model of offering specialty channels in bundles. Subscribers instead will be able to pick and pay for each separate channel or choose a small package. Subscribers can also choose a small package as CRTC ruled back in March that TV providers must include all specialty channels in at least one channel bundle.
AMC is in the middle of negotiations with the National Cable Television Cooperative, which represents 740 small and medium cable companies that jointly serve upwards of 4 million subscribers. AMC is reportedly upping their price by at least 150%, but as a part of the deal, operators would also receive streaming and VOD rights. This follows AMC’s numerous hits in recent years including Mad Men, The Walking Dead, and Better Call Saul.
As noted in Exec Shuffle, AT&T and DirecTV have started to link their operations after a $69 billion deal and will both raise their rates. U-Verse TV subscribers can expect $2-$4 monthly price hikes and other increases in other fees such as the “Regulatory Video Cost Recovery Charge” and a “Broadcast TV Surcharge.” DirecTV’s monthly rates will be jump $2 to $8 on most TV packages, as of Jan. 28. Other fees will also rise.
Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios has inked a carriage deal with AT&T and DirecTV after it participated in a $10 billion lawsuit that accused the distributors of carrying too few minority-owned services. Under the deal DirecTV will offer Comedy.TV and Justice Central.TV and U-verse will offer Comedy.TV, Recipe.TV, ES.TV, MyDestination.TV, Cars.TV, and Pets.TV.
AT&T will add Sean “Diddy” Combs’ music channel Revolt to DirecTV. Revolt will be included in DirecTV’s Xtra package and U-verse’s U-200 package and AT&T will offer it “across multiple platforms in the future.” Revolt reports it reaches upwards of 50 million young adults across all platforms. The channel’s also available domestically on Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Verizon FiOS, CenturyLink Prism TV and Suddenlink.
T-Mobile users can now access unlimited streaming of Netflix, HBO, and Hulu. YouTube will not be under that deal as the now Google-owned company is accusing T-Mobile of downgrading video quality and “throttling all video services,” which would be a violation of net-neutrality rules.
Mnet America and Time Warner Cable will extend their carriage agreement in Los Angeles and extend the network to San Diego and Desert Cities. The network will continue to be available in New York City, Dallas-Fort Worth and Honolulu. Mnet America’s overall distribution tallies upwards of 20 million homes.
Scripps Networks Interactive has made HGTV, Food Network, and Travel Channel available through Apple TV. Pay-TV subscribers will be able to access programming on demand or watch live streams of the nets.
