Even as businesses begin to open up again, the coronavirus pandemic is still fueling streaming viewership — and media companies see an opportunity to expand overseas.
Fox will launch Fox News International starting in Mexico on August 20, with plans to be in 20 countries by the end of 2020. ViacomCBS is planning streaming services in Australia and Latin America, among other countries, slated for next year. Disney will also launch an overseas version of their streaming content called Star.
Even streaming giant Netflix sees a chance to extend its reach, with its eyes set on Southeast Asia. The company told Reuters it will continue to expand its sub-$5 monthly mobile-only streaming plans there and increase local language content. It currently has more than a million subscribers in the region.
Streaming has been one of the only profitable segments of many media companies’ quarterly earnings during the pandemic with no signs of stopping. Video view times in July were up 28 percent year-over-year in the U.S., according to a new study from Adobe. The rate is about the same as it was this March, when the first stay-at-home orders were put in place.
The data falls in line with recent research from Conviva, which found that pandemic global viewership has only increased throughout the year. Domestically, streaming viewership now makes up 25 percent of total viewership in the U.S. compared to 19 percent last year, per Nielsen’s total audience report.
Some analysts point to a second wave of shutdowns to explain the consistently high viewership through the summer. Other analysts believe the return of live sports has drawn viewers back to their televisions. In either case, the pandemic has shown that consumers are willing to consider entertainment as part of their essential budgets, and media companies are hoping the global phenomenon is here to stay.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
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President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
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Disney's changes to a program for disabled visitors are facing challenges in federal court and through a shareholder proposal. The Disability Access Service program, which allows disabled visitors to skip long lines, was overhauled last year. Disney now mostly limits the program to those with developmental disabilities like autism who have difficulty waiting in lines. The changes have sparked criticism from some disability advocates. A shareholder proposal submitted by disability advocates calls for an independent review of Disney's disability policies. Disney plans to block this proposal, claiming it's misleading. It's the latest struggle by Disney to accommodate disabled visitors while stopping past abuses by some theme park guests.
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