‘Joker’ Tops UK Home Ent In 2020; Disney+ Debuts In Singapore; ‘Death In Paradise’ Renewed; Discovery+ MENA Launch; ‘Little Birds’ Takes Flight; Cinesite London Hire – Global Briefs

Tom Grater and Jake Kanter
·3 min read
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‘Joker’ Tops 2020 UK Home Ent Chart
Joker was 2020’s biggest home entertainment title in the UK, with more than 1.4 million copies of the film sold across physical disc, EST and TVOD, according to industry body BASE. In total, the market was worth £3.3BN across the year, up 26% on the previous 12 months. Digital formats accounted for that growth, with TVOD (transactional video-on-demand / rental) purchases up 24% in 2020 and EST (electronic sell-through, or digital purchase) across both film and TV up 14.5%. During the lockdown, the total number of customers buying and renting grew by 14% to 12.9 million, according to research company Kantar. Streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon grew by 42% in the year and now represent 74% of the total market value. The market for physical was down from £477M in 2019 to £365M in 2020, with the closure of some high street retailers for much of the year impacting sales.

Disney+ To Go Live In Singapore
Disney+ is to roll out in Singapore on February 23 after Disney struck a deal with local cable operator StarHub. The service will host more than 500 movies and 15,000 episodes from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and Star, including originals such as The Mandalorian. StarHub customers can register their interest right here.

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BBC Orders Two More Seasons Of ‘Death In Paradise’
The BBC has committed to another two seasons of its tropical detective series Death In Paradise. The Red Planet Pictures drama returns to UK television tonight for Season 10, meaning the renewal takes it into its twelfth season. Starring Ralf Little, Death In Paradise is made for BBC One with the support of the region of Guadeloupe and is distributed by BBC Studios.

Discovery+ Launches In MENA
Discovery has partnered with Middle East VOD player Starzplay to launch Discovery+ across MENA. Discovery’s non-fiction content will be available from dedicated areas across all existing Starzplay platforms, including originals in genres such as home and food and true crime. Titles include Shark Week, MythBusters and Gold Rush. The Discovery+ platform has been rolling out globally and is looking to add 18 additional territories.

Starzplay, STAN Swoop For ‘Little Birds’
Warp Films’ Sky drama Little Birds has flown to new international territories in deals secured by ITV Studios. Streamer Starzplay has picked up the adaptation of Anaïs Nin’s erotic short stories in Belgium, Brazil, France, Luxembourg, Spain, French-speaking Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Latin America. Australian streamer STAN has also acquired Little Birds, as has TVNZ in New Zealand. Other deals include India (Lionsgate), Korea (KT Corporation), Hong Kong (PCCW Media Limited), Germany (RTL), Russia (MORE.TV), and Greece (COSMOTETV).

Cinesite London Hire
London-based VFX studio Cinesite has hired VFX Supervisor Artemis Oikonomopoulou. The exec brings more than 20 years’ experience in film and comes to the company having just delivered sci-fi thriller Infinite. Her credits also include Venom, Thor: Ragnarok and Ant-Man. Cinesite is currently working on The Witcher season 2 and Marvel’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

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