Netflix and Spotify partnership
Netflix is in talks with Spotify to partner on live music award shows and concert series and could include celebrity interviews and documentaries. This collaboration is part of Netflix's wider push into live programming, including sports events and competition shows. Netflix premiered a new music competition series called "Building the Band" last week featuring an appearance by former One Direction star Liam Payne who passed away last October. They are also working on another music competition expected to release in the next few months.
The Circana Take:
- Netflix has aggressively expanded its live programming recently. Music programming is another way for Netflix to diversify, increase advertising revenue and attract new subscribers.
Amazon will sunset Freevee
Amazon plans to shut down its stand-alone Freevee service in August. Prime Video now features all Freevee content for free with no subscription required under the “Watch for Free” section. Amazon confirmed last November that it would shut down the service which launched in 2019 under the name IMDb and integrate its content into Prime Video. Freevee original content includes “Jury Duty,” “Bosch: Legacy,” and “Neighbours.”
The Circana Take:
- Amazon’s decision to shut down the service is an expected next step following the launch of the Prime Video AVOD tier. This kind of happened already back in January. Shuttering the stand-alone app merely finalizes this and directs remaining viewers to the Prime app.
Fox Nation expands to live sports
Fox Nation is entering the live sports arena partnering with Professional Bull Riders (PBR). Starting Aug. 8, Fox Nation will exclusively air “PBR Friday Night Live” series and continue weekly airing ten “Friday Night Teams” broadcasts across the country. Before airing the weekly live events, Fox Nation will launch Season 2 of the reality series “Last Cowboy Standing” which tracks eight amateur bull riders as they vie for a spot in the individual bull riding competition, “Unleash the Beast”. PBR has over 1,000 bull riders competing in over 200 events annually.
The Circana Take:
- Sports is a huge component of the home entertainment landscape, and Fox Nation aims to take advantage of this segment by bulking up content. It will also allow Fox to bring in more ad revenue and allow for increased engagement.