Summer of Love? Depends On Your Content Provider...

Summer is often called 'silly season' by broadcasting-types because of the extended holidays and the accompanying news drought that causes even the most hardened of BBC anchors to roll their eyes and adopt a pained expression when introducing surfing dogs. That said, however, the last fortnight has seen a couple of announcements sneak out that I believe are of pivotal importance to the broadcast industry, and I'm a little surprised that people aren't making a bigger fuss. Maybe it's because they're all on the beach watching the surfing dogs. First of all, Amazon announced that it has snapped up the rights to the ATP tennis. I've always considered streaming services moving into live sport as an inevitability but also as another nail in the coffin of the traditional linear content providers. The big sporting events still have the power to draw the family together around the box, and if these grandstand events are steadily migrating over to the web, it's got to be a sign of even slimmer pickings ahead for our terrestrial channels. The second announcement was probably expected, but is still impressive in ambition; Disney will soon sever ties with Netflix and launch its own streaming service. From Snow White to Star Wars, the house of mouse is a content powerhouse and it's perhaps no surprise that they now want a larger slice of the revenue pie and have summoned up the minerals to go it alone.  What does this mean for Netflix? A short-term dip in earnings, maybe, but they have the brand awareness and library to see them through. For Disney, the strategy is riskier; they're effectively banking on customer loyalty and the success of future releases to make this endeavor both profitable and scalable. Mary Poppins 2 and the Han Solo origin movie may look like bankers on paper, but the controversy surrounding both titles suggests Disney still has its work cut out and cannot take its future library for granted. At this point, I'd normally offer up a clever and erudite conclusion, but let's be honest - you're already on the sun-lounger with a gin and tonic, aren't you? Enjoy the summer...