<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



Actress Judi Dench on Wednesday became the latest high-profile critic of the upcoming season of&nbsp;The Crown&nbsp;on Netflix, pushing the streaming service to clearly label the show a work of fiction, as worries grow that the series could portray the royal family—and the new king, Charles III—in a poor light after Queen Elizabeth II’s recent death.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



In an open letter to Netflix published in&nbsp;The Times&nbsp;of London, Dench&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/scobie/status/1582819506522816512/photo/1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">called</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-crown-is-crude-and-cruel-says-dame-judi-dench-l6wzqpns9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">out</a>&nbsp;two&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/why-the-crowns-new-season-is-the-most-controversial-yet-wtxhdtq3p" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rumored plotlines</a>&nbsp;in the fifth season—“that King Charles plotted for his mother to abdicate” and that he “once suggested his mother’s parenting was so deficient that she might have deserved a jail sentence”—as reasons&nbsp;The Crown&nbsp;should consider adding disclaimers at the start of each episode clarifying the show is “fictionalised drama.”&nbsp;



The 87-year-old dame called the plotlines “cruelly unjust,” and said she fears “a significant number of viewers, particularly overseas,” could view them as accurate.&nbsp;



Former U.K. Prime Minister John Major—who is reportedly portrayed in the upcoming season having a conversation with Charles, Elizabeth’s eldest son and the current king, about getting the queen to abdicate the throne in the 1990s—called the alleged plotline &#8220;a barrel-load of malicious nonsense” and denied that it happened.



A Netflix spokesperson&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63283024" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told reporters</a>&nbsp;the show is a “fictional dramatisation, imagining what could have happened behind closed doors” during a time period that “has already been scrutinised and well-documented by journalists, biographers and historians.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



“The time has come for Netflix to reconsider—for the sake of a family and a nation so recently bereaved, as a mark of respect to a sovereign who served her people dutifully for 70 years, and to preserve its reputation with its British subscribers,” Dench wrote.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT TO WATCH FOR&nbsp;</h2>



The fifth season of&nbsp;The Crown&nbsp;premieres on Netflix on November 9, and will show its version of the royal family living through the 1990s.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND&nbsp;</h2>



This is not the first time&nbsp;The Crown&nbsp;has faced calls to add a fiction disclaimer. In 2020, several prominent Britons asked the company to add the warning to its episodes, including U.K. culture secretary Oliver Dowden and Princess Diana’s brother, Charles. Helena Bonham Carter, who played Princess Margaret in the series, said the show has a “moral responsibility” to state that it’s a work of fiction, not fact. In response, Netflix said it has “no plans, and see no need, to add a disclaimer,” as it has always presented&nbsp;The Crown&nbsp;as a drama, and “we have every confidence our members understand it’s a work of fiction that’s broadly based on historical events.” When the fourth season aired two years ago, it depicted the affair between King Charles III and Queen Camilla Parker-Bowles. Some viewers took to the royal’s official Instagram in response and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.insider.com/the-crown-fans-trolling-prince-charles-and-camilla-social-media-2020-11" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">posted comments</a>&nbsp;about Princess Diana on photos of Parker-Bowles, who is now queen, causing Charles’ office to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/reports/a34794646/charles-camilla-twitter/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">temporarily restrict</a>&nbsp;the ability to leave comments on its Twitter account.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">TANGENT</h2>



Deadline&nbsp;reported Monday that Netflix delayed its docuseries about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle until 2023, as executives worried about releasing two controversial projects about the royal family so close together, and so close to the queen’s death.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/10/17/netflix-reportedly-delays-harry-and-meghan-doc-after-the-crown-backlash-heres-why/?sh=69678253b18c">Netflix Reportedly Delays Harry And Meghan Doc After &#8216;The Crown&#8217; Backlash—Here’s Why</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/09/15/interest-in-the-crown-and-other-royal-media-surges-after-queen-elizabeths-death/?sh=563dc26e6d07">Interest In ‘The Crown’ And Other Royal Media Surges After Queen Elizabeth’s Death</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2020/11/29/netflixs-the-crown-should-include-disclaimer-that-its-fiction-uk-culture-official-says/?sh=78cdff767636">Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ Should Include Disclaimer That It’s Fiction, U.K. Culture Official Says</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/07/30/children-are-off-limits-hbos-the-prince-slammed-for-parodying-8-year-old-prince-george/?sh=187ef9dc4126">‘Children Are Off Limits’: HBO’s ‘The Prince’ Slammed For Parodying 8-Year-Old Prince George</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



By Marisa Dellatto, Forbes Staff

“The Crown” Filming

Controversy Over ‘The Crown’ Grows: Judi Dench Says Netflix Should Add Disclaimers To Series

Liked Black Panther? The Woman King, starring Viola Davis and Thuso Mbedu, is a tough, rewarding epic on sisterhood and empowerment. Director Gina PrinceBythewood tells us more about the just-released historical film shot in South Africa.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">‘Telling the story of us!’&nbsp;</blockquote>



BASED ON A TRUE STORY, THE WOMAN KING (released in September) introduces Agojie, the all-female warrior regiment that protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with fighting skills and a fierceness that ‘the world has never seen’.


<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default">
<figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GinaPrinceBythewood-Pic-636x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-56568" width="337" height="543" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GinaPrinceBythewood-Pic-636x1024.jpg 636w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GinaPrinceBythewood-Pic-186x300.jpg 186w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GinaPrinceBythewood-Pic-768x1237.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GinaPrinceBythewood-Pic-953x1536.jpg 953w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GinaPrinceBythewood-Pic-1271x2048.jpg 1271w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GinaPrinceBythewood-Pic.jpg 1581w" sizes="(max-width: 337px) 100vw, 337px" /><figcaption>Photo by Ilze Kitshoff</figcaption></figure></div>


Although based on past events, the themes explored in the movie look at issues like racism, gender-based violence and female oppression, to name a few, that still plague Africa today.



“There are some difficult things we deal with…[but we] wanted to be truthful [about] it,” the film’s director Gina Prince-Bythewood says in an exclusive interview with FORBES AFRICA.



“But we also wanted to focus on the decision that was being made at that time, historically, and have the Agojie and Nanisca represent that huge faction of the kingdom, in real life, who wanted it abolished.



“So [it] was helpful to be able to put that into the world to connect from then to now in our mentality, as a whole, of not being our own oppressors. And just seeing the value, seeing our beauty, and living in that knowledge that we are warriors, [and] we can resist. So the toughest thing was also ultimately the most rewarding thing.”



Davis’ Nanisca has multiple moments in the film where she disarms other characters both with her words and her body blows to her enemies – mostly men.



For Davis, who was also a producer on the film, The Woman King was an important story because she saw herself in it.



“The fact that they were women is what disarmed their opponents…,” says Oscar-award-winning Davis in a press statement. “I saw my femininity in [the film]. I saw my blackness in it. I saw a really important part of history in it. I always say any part of history is important, even the small parts. And I think that it is a story that the world is hungry for.”



The power of representation has been at the forefront of storytelling in recent years, especially since the Black Lives Matter protests. There has been this call out, if not cry out, for television and film to look at how stories are not diverse or reflective enough for a lot of the audiences that consume media.



Prince-Bythewood says that she wanted to build an ensemble that represented the diversity of the diaspora.



“Film and TV are so powerful. I just know the way I grew up, and not being able to see myself reflected anywhere, I felt invisible. It is incredibly tough to grow up like that to never see yourself heroic, to never see yourself oftentimes even portrayed at all, to not see your humanity.


<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-2022-10-12-at-15.27.12-1024x693.png" alt="" class="wp-image-56566" width="635" height="429" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-2022-10-12-at-15.27.12-1024x693.png 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-2022-10-12-at-15.27.12-300x203.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-2022-10-12-at-15.27.12-768x520.png 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-2022-10-12-at-15.27.12-1536x1040.png 1536w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Screenshot-2022-10-12-at-15.27.12-2048x1386.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 635px) 100vw, 635px" /><figcaption>Photo by Ilze Kitshoff</figcaption></figure></div>


“We have women from West Africa, and African-American women. That was all intentional, to bring us all together to tell the story of us. I love the energy that it brought to set.”



Prince-Bythewood says that in filming in Africa, what she loved most was the crew as it reflected the diverse society we live in today.



“It was the most diverse crew I’ve ever had in my career. I always want, but more so for this, the faces behind the camera to mirror the faces in front of the camera.”



“Shooting this film in South Africa was the joy of my life,” adds Davis. “I felt like I was home…I felt a part of the earth, the sky. I felt at home. And I don’t think that you can recreate it on a soundstage. I think that this story is very black and very African.”



“There are so many things I love but I think the line I quote the most is when Izogie (played by Lashana Lynch) tells Nawi (played by Thuso Mbedu) ‘you are more powerful than you even know’. I love that narrative. I love a black woman saying that to another black woman.



“I’d love the audience to see that and know and believe it. That is the message I want to impart to all of us.”

Screenshot 2022-10-12 at 15.26.49

EPIC ON EMPOWERMENT: Director Gina Prince-Bythewood on Hollywood’s The Woman King shot in South Africa 

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Topline</h2>



Trevor Noah is stepping down from The Daily Show after seven years. He took over the USA late-night talk and satirical news television program after Jon Stewart left.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">Key Background</h2>



“One of the things I found myself experiencing through-out the night and even today was a feeling of gratitude,” says Noah, speaking of his journey with co-worker Roy Wood Jr. and correspondents, as well thanking the audience on The Daily Show.



“It’s been absolutely amazing. It’s something that I never expected,” says South African Noah of his time as anchor. “I found myself thinking throughout the time of everything we’ve gone through; the Trump presidency, the pandemic, just the journey, more pandemic and I realize that after the seven years, my time is up.”



He adds that during the two years spent at his apartment, hosting The Daily Social Distancing Show, he was not able to do stand-up comedy, and he realizes “there’s another part of my life I want to carry on exploring,” hinting at his return to stand-up.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Background</h2>



In his time in the USA, Noah has won an Emmy for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series in 2017, as well as hosted the GRAMMY awards in 2021 and 2022.



He also became the first African to host the White House Correspondent Dinner in 2022, asking people to donate to KwaZulu-Natal flood victims.



According to Celebrity Net Worth, Noah is worth $100 million.



Following Jon Stewart as anchor was an unenviable task as a relative unknown at the time, but Noah transformed the show for the future, making political and world-events less morbid and yet was still sensitive to serious topics. While public opinion is always divided on how to handle comedy and politics, for many South Africans, Noah is the main reason anyone watched The Daily Show or knew this much about USA events.

63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards – Telecast

Trevor Noah Leaves The Daily Show

Kobina Ackon, popularly known as Wode Maya, is Ghana’s first YouTuber to hit over a million subscribers. His channel creating positive African content has won him followers and a fortune.



AT JUST 23 YEARS OLD, AMERICAN YOUTUBE megastar Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, has reportedly amassed over 10 billion views on his YouTube channel, and taken home a staggering $54 million in 2021 by posting hilarious and philanthropic content.



In 2019, CNBC reported that a survey done by Danish toy-maker Lego found that about a third of children aged between eight and 12 dream of becoming vloggers or YouTubers; the survey polled kids in the United States, China and the United Kingdom.



But that trend has now slowly also made its way into Africa. And young content creators on the continent are glued to their monitors and screens to catch up on all the social media action and monetize it, just like their global counterparts.



KobinaAckon, popularly known by the moniker Wode Maya,is one such African sensation – he is Ghana’s first YouTuber to hit over a million subscribers.



But Ackon never aspired to be a digital star. He had wanted to become an aeronautical engineer. He and his family had humble beginnings in the Western Region of Ghana, where they lived five siblings to one room and used rice bags as school bags. Ackon was taught from an early age the value of humility. After completing his secondary school education in Ghana, Ackon relocated to China to further his studies as an aeronautical engineer.



But contrary to what most people believe, success on YouTube did not come overnight for him. In fact, it was a slow and steady rise filled with trial and error tracking analytics that would guide him to the right blend of content to identify a niche that would give him six-figure success.



That said, the genesis of his YouTube channel was quite an by accident.



“I never wanted to be a YouTuber. During vacation, I couldn’t travel because I didn’t have money to go back to Ghana and so we spent our time in our dorms. So, a friend came to me and said ‘let’s go out and shoot a video’. I was the main character in that video.



“Afterwards, they gave me the video and I realized I didn’t have a pen drive or anywhere to save this video so I decided to save it on the internet and that is when I saved it on YouTube,” recalls Ackon. That video became a sensation amongst his friends and based on the positive feedback, Ackon decided to do another video detailing how he met his Chinese girlfriend. He got a 1,000 followers but unfortunately his subsequent efforts didn’t fare too well.



“I did more comedic videos and people said you are not funny and they stopped watching them. But I had a passion for it so I kept doing it and started doing more research on the platform. That is when I started consuming a lot of content on YouTube and realized I can actually be a millionaire on YouTube.”



But his Eureka moment would come after convincing his father to let him try content creation rather than engineering.



“So, I kept on pushing for two years and trying to make it work until my dad found one of my videos and got extremely mad at me and that is when my mum came in and said I can do whatever I want and she will take care of my dad. Two weeks later, my dad gave me his blessing and told me one thing that changed the game for me. He said you speak Chinese, so why don’t you use the Chinese language to bridge the gap between Africans and Chinese people and that was my breakthrough,” avers Ackon. He took his father’s advice and his channel grew to 8,000 subscribers. Ackon had found his niche and things began to slowly take off. He began making videos to help the Chinese better understand Africa and Africans and before long, he had peaked at about 100,000 subscribers.



But even then, something wasn’t adding up for Ackon.



“I felt like the videos I was doing was attracting Africans to China but China was not my country and I am trying to change the narrative of Africans living in China but it was still not working. So, I said to myself ‘let me come to Africa and preach about Africa to Chinese people’.”



That’s when he discovered that even Africansdidn’t know much about other countries on the continent. In 2018, he made the decision to start profiling the continent of Africa to not only the Chinese but to Africans both at home and in the diaspora. He received a loan from a Chinese friend who booked him on a pan-African tour of five countries.



“When I did that, within a month, I had 50,000 people following my channel. And it had taken me four years to get to 100,000 people. It showed me that a lot of people were yearning for African content,” says Ackon.



Today, with over 1.1 million subscribers, Ackonsays he is raking in anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000 a month from his YouTube channel. Most of his revenue comes from YouTube advertisements as well as from charging up to $10,000 a pop to profile Africa’s brightest entrepreneurs.Along the way, he has also picked up some invaluable pearls of wisdom from them.



“The youth of Africa don’t really have mentors and during Covid is when I had the chance to spend time with African entrepreneurs and they changed my life in the way of investment and I actually started investing in 2021. I had money but it was sitting in a bank and I didn’t know what to do with it because our parents taught us that if you have money, keep it in the bank, get married buy a house and buy a car and that is what I was doing. Until I met entrepreneurs and that is when I decided to invest in land, buy real estate and hired a team of about 10 people who work for me to expand the brand,” says Ackon.



His next milestone is to interview Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, on how he built his wealth. He also wants his channel to only push out positive African narratives to the world.For now, he certainly has the world’s attention.

Untitled

CHANNELING FAME: Meet Ghana’s first YouTuber to hit over a million subscribers

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



The Crown, the Emmy-winning fictionalized drama chronicling the life of Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family, has returned to Netflix’s Top 10 this week after the monarch died on September 8, as overall interest in media showcasing the royals has increased.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



In the week ending September 11, Season 1 of&nbsp;The Crown&nbsp;was the No. 7 most-watched English series on Netflix, with 17.5 million hours of the show viewed.&nbsp;



Clips of HBO Max’s The Prince, an animated satirical comedy about Prince George, Prince Harry’s episode of Oprah Winfrey’s AppleTV+ series The Me You Can’t See, and The Crown have been trending on TikTok this week, as interest in the royal family surges.



Meghan Markle’s podcast&nbsp;Archetypes&nbsp;<a href="https://podcastcharts.byspotify.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">remains</a>&nbsp;the No. 2 show on Spotify in the U.S., despite&nbsp;<a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ellievhall/meghan-markles-podcast-paused-mourning-queen" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">not releasing</a>&nbsp;new episodes during the mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II.&nbsp;



Forbes has reached out to AppleTV+ and HBO Max for comment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT TO WATCH FOR&nbsp;</h2>



Season 5 of&nbsp;The Crown&nbsp;is set to debut in November. Imelda Staunton has taken over the role of Queen Elizabeth II from Olivia Coleman. Jonathan Pryce will play Prince Philip, Dominic West is Prince (now King) Charles, Elizabeth Debicki is Princess Diana and Olivia Williams is Camilla Parker Bowles (now Queen Consort). Come Season 6, newcomers Ed McVey and Meg Bellamy&nbsp;<a href="https://variety.com/2022/tv/global/the-crown-casting-prince-william-kate-middleton-1235358208/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">will take on&nbsp;</a>Prince William and Kate Middleton. Season 5 will focus on the 1990s.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND&nbsp;</h2>



Queen Elizabeth II died at age 96 last week at her home in Scotland. Her funeral is scheduled for Monday. She is currently lying in state at Westminster Hall.&nbsp;The Crown&nbsp;<a href="https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/the-crown-season-6-paused-queen-elizabeth-ii-death-1235364831/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">paused production</a>&nbsp;of Season 6 the day after Queen Elizabeth II passed, and a spokesperson for the company&nbsp;<a href="https://www.itv.com/news/2022-09-14/the-crown-back-in-netflixs-global-top-10-after-queens-death" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>production will also stop on Monday, during her funeral. Season 6 will be the show’s final season, though it’s not clear whether it will take on the queen’s death, or Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s rift with the family.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2022/09/15/new-details-released-on-queens-funeralheres-what-to-know/?sh=40a2c3ed2ae0">New Details Released On Queen’s Funeral–Here’s What To Know</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)&nbsp;



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/09/14/meghan-markles-new-round-of-mistreatment-snubs-and-conspiracy-theories-during-return-following-queen-elizabeths-death/?sh=12fdf2b333ce">Meghan Markle’s New Round Of Mistreatment: Snubs And Conspiracy Theories During Return Following Queen Elizabeth’s Death</a> (Forbes)



By Marisa Dellatto, Forbes Staff

Interest In ‘The Crown’ And Other Royal Media Surges After Queen Elizabeth’s Death

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



Amazon Prime Video’s&nbsp;Lord of the Rings&nbsp;prequel,&nbsp;The Rings of Power,&nbsp;attracted more than 25 million viewers worldwide on its first day, Amazon&nbsp;<a href="https://press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/lord-rings-rings-power-attracts-more-25-million-global-viewers" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced</a>&nbsp;Saturday, making it the streaming platform’s biggest premiere ever.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



Amazon premiered the first two episodes of the epic fantasy series based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s writing in more than 240 countries and territories Friday.



The highly anticipated eight-episode season is scheduled to run until October 14.



The release of the&nbsp;Lord of the Rings&nbsp;spinoff comes less than two weeks after HBO Max’s&nbsp;House of the Dragon, the prequel series to&nbsp;Game of Thrones, set an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2022/08/house-of-the-dragon-premiere-ratings-game-of-thrones-1234754303/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HBO record</a>&nbsp;for a premiere with nearly 10 million Americans watching, only to outdo itself last week when it pulled in 10.2 million viewers in the U.S., according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2022/08/house-of-the-dragon-episode-2-ratings-hbo-1234756320/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">IndieWire</a>, which used data from Nielsen and first-party data.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



$715 million. That’s how much the series is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-lord-of-the-rings-expensive-11661482048" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">estimated</a>&nbsp;to have cost to produce, the&nbsp;Wall Street Journal&nbsp;reported, with some budget&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2022/09/02/amazons-the-rings-of-power-certainly-looks-like-a-billion-dollars-at-least/?sh=6d96580a1d95">estimates</a>ranging between $750 million and $1 billion, which would make it the most a production company has spent on a TV series.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



It’s been 19 years since the premiere of director Peter Jackson’s final film in the&nbsp;Lord of the Rings&nbsp;trilogy,&nbsp;The Return of the King, which grossed more than&nbsp;<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167260/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$378 million</a>&nbsp;in the United States and Canada, including $72 million on opening weekend, according to IMDb. Worldwide, it grossed $1.1 billion, slightly higher than the final movie in the&nbsp;Hobbit&nbsp;trilogy,&nbsp;The Battle of the Five Armies&nbsp;(2014), which made&nbsp;<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2310332/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$962 million</a>&nbsp;worldwide and $255 million in the U.S. and Canada alone. Amazon Prime Video&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/robcain/2017/11/14/amazons-250m-lord-of-the-rings-purchase-price-is-1000-times-what-tolkein-first-got-for-it/?sh=49ce91727273">paid</a>$250 million for the adaptation and production rights from Tolkien’s estate in 2017, committing to five seasons.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2022/09/02/amazons-the-rings-of-power-certainly-looks-like-a-billion-dollars-at-least/?sh=6d96580a1d95">Amazon’s ‘The Rings Of Power’ Certainly Looks Like A Billion Dollars, At Least</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://deadline.com/2022/09/lord-of-the-rings-viewership-rings-of-power-amazon-jeff-bezos-tolkien-1235107279/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">‘LOTR: The Rings Of Power’ Forges Biggest Premiere Viewership Ever For Amazon Prime Video</a>&nbsp;(Deadline)



<a href="https://www.thewrap.com/lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-premiere-draws-25-million-global-viewers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Premiere Draws 25 Million Global Viewers – Amazon Prime Video’s Biggest Ever</a> (The Wrap)



By Brian Bushard, Forbes Staff

RPAZ_S1_UT_210709_GRAMAT_00291_R2_thumb

25 Million Watched ‘Lord Of The Rings’ Spinoff ‘Rings Of Power’ Premiere

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



At the U.K. premiere on Tuesday of Amazon Prime Video’s new series The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos <a href="https://variety.com/2022/tv/global/lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-premiere-london-1235354449/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">thanked</a> showrunners Patrick McKay and John D. Payne for ignoring his input “at exactly the right times.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



Amazon announced in 2017 it had partnered with J.R.R. Tolkien’s estate for a multi-season&nbsp;Lord Of The Rings&nbsp;series, and it&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/will-amazons-lord-rings-series-be-tvs-expensive-show-all-time-1058129/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">was reported</a>&nbsp;the company paid roughly $250 million for the rights to the story.&nbsp;



Bezos was said to be personally involved in the negotiations for the rights, <a href="https://variety.com/2017/digital/news/lord-of-the-rings-amazon-1202606519/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Variety</a> reported at the time.



The first season of the show, which is eight episodes long, cost $465 million to make, the&nbsp;Hollywood Reporter&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/amazons-lord-of-the-rings-cost-465-million-one-season-4167791/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;last year, and Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke&nbsp;<a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2021/05/amazon-justifies-lord-of-the-rings-series-budget-1234636906/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a>&nbsp;in May the budget went to “building the infrastructure of what will sustain the whole series.”&nbsp;



At Tuesday’s premiere, Bezos joked that it’s “every showrunner’s dream…to get notes on scripts and early cuts from the founder and executive chairman.”&nbsp;



Bezos, a lifelong Tolkien fan, said one of his sons warned him to “please don’t eff this up.”



The billionaire defended choosing relatively unknown showrunners to helm the series, calling it “one of the best decisions we made.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT TO WATCH FOR&nbsp;</h2>



The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power&nbsp;premieres on Amazon Prime Video on Friday.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND</h2>



The Rings Of Power&nbsp;takes place in Middle-earth thousands of years before&nbsp;The Lord Of The Rings&nbsp;and&nbsp;The Hobbit. The&nbsp;LOTR&nbsp;trilogy cost roughly $285 million to make, and the Hobbit trilogy cost a reported $623 million.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">TANGENT</h2>



The Rings Of Power&nbsp;is directly competing with HBO’s&nbsp;House of The Dragon, another fantasy prequel to the&nbsp;Game Of Thrones&nbsp;series. HOTD premiered last week, and is already breaking audience records for HBO and HBO Max.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FORBES VALUATION&nbsp;</h2>



$152.9 billion. That’s Bezos’ estimated net worth, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/jeff-bezos/?sh=4d3edd9e1b23">Forbes</a>, making him the No. 3&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/real-time-billionaires/#f0faf073d788">richest person in the world</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2022/08/31/the-rings-of-power-review-a-breathtaking-return-to-middle-earth-and-the-lord-of-the-rings/?sh=270995ca7a30">‘The Rings Of Power’ Review: A Breathtaking Return To Middle-earth And ‘The Lord Of The Rings’</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)&nbsp;



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/08/29/house-of-the-dragon-episode-2-viewership-was-even-higher-than-record-breaking-premiere/?sh=485910cc2181">&#8216;House Of The Dragon&#8217; Episode 2 Viewership Was Even Higher Than Record-Breaking Premiere</a> (Forbes)



By Marisa Dellatto, Forbes Staff

Amazon Unveils Its First Smartphone

Here’s How Involved Jeff Bezos Was In Amazon Prime’s ‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power’

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



The same-day viewership for the second episode of House Of The Dragon increased 2% compared to last week’s record-breaking premiere, HBO <a href="https://twitter.com/InsideHBOMax/status/1564348792563912705?s=20&amp;t=Nrn-0fxsqacEwlqzVx8W8w" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a> Monday, as the Game Of Thrones spin-off becomes a runaway success for the network.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



Sunday’s episode garnered 10.2 million views, according to Nielsen and first-party data, compared to the 9.986 million that HBO said watched the series premiere last week.



The premiere has now <a href="https://twitter.com/InsideHBOMax/status/1564348794916859904?s=20&amp;t=Nrn-0fxsqacEwlqzVx8W8w" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">been seen</a> by nearly 25 million viewers in one week. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND&nbsp;</h2>



House Of The Dragon&nbsp;is a spin-off of&nbsp;Game Of Thrones&nbsp;focusing on the House Targaryen. Its first episode had the largest audience of a new original series in HBO history. As of Friday, viewership of the episode had doubled to 20 million viewers. The series has already been renewed for a second season.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/08/26/house-of-the-dragon-has-now-been-seen-by-20-million-viewers-and-is-already-renewed-for-second-season/?sh=6d47b0f22ba8">‘House Of The Dragon’ Has Now Been Seen By 20 Million Viewers—And Is Already Renewed For Second Season</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)&nbsp;



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/08/22/house-of-the-dragon-episode-was-largest-cable-or-streaming-premiere-of-the-year-samba-tv-says/?sh=1f4795055abb">‘House Of The Dragon’ Earns Largest Premiere In HBO History</a> (Forbes)



By Marisa Dellatto, Forbes Staff

‘House Of The Dragon’ And ‘The Rings Of Power’ Series Photo Illustrations

‘House Of The Dragon’ Episode 2 Viewership Was Even Higher Than Record-Breaking Premiere

Untitled design (42)

PART OF THE PLAYLIST: Ten African Artists To Watch

Untitled design (41)

THE PLAYLIST: AFRICA’S TOP 20 MUSICIANS

Nigerian creative Mo Abudu is bringing Wole Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman as a film, directed by Biyi Bandele, who passed away early this month.



EbonyLife Group CEO, Mo Abudu, is bringing Professor Wole Soyinka’s 1975 stage play Death and the King’s Horseman as a feature adaptation, in a project with streaming service Netflix.



Nigerian playwright and iconic novelist Soyinka is the first Black winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature — and its first African winner.



The film, set to be the first Yoruba language movie ever to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September 2022, is based on actual historical events that took place during British colonial rule in Nigeria.



“Our goal whenever we tell African stories is to be truly authentic and stay as close as possible to the original work. In this case, it was especially important because Professor Soyinka’s work is already well-known globally and he is one of the greatest literary talents of our time. It is a great honor to be trusted with telling this compelling African drama steeped in our local traditions,” says Abudu in an interview with FORBES AFRICA.



Soyinka’s play was adapted as a feature film by famed Nigerian playwright and director Biyi Bandele, who passed away on August 7, the month before its premiere.



The filmmaker had grabbed global headlines with his directorial work of the best-selling Chimamanda Adichie book Half of a Yellow Sun and the most recent Netflix series Blood Sisters.



“Biyi’s death was a complete shock and unexpected. We were all planning to make it to the TIFF and he was over the moon. He poured everything into this depiction and it is a real loss to the industry,” says Abudu, reportedly the first African to sign a multiple deal with Netflix in 2020.



Death and the King’s Horseman is expected to air after its screening at TIFF.

Mo Abudu, image supplied by EbonyLife

Iconic Nigerian Nobel Laureate’s Play To Come To Life

In June, Senegalese-born Khaby Lame became the most followed star on TikTok. The social media app’s market is particularly growing in Africa’s biggest economy with more influencers tuning to it to make a living.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“During Covid I started posting videos on TikTok initially because I was bored.”</blockquote>



TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, has become one of the world’s most downloaded apps with more than 2 billion downloads according to figures from the platform.



In Africa too, the social media platform has made followers and fortunes for its many stars.



Senegalese-born Khaby Lame is one such example.



He became the most followed star on the social media app with 142.5 million followers in June this year, catapulting him from a humble factory worker living in Italy to landing glamorous and lucrative sponsorships with brands such as Hugo Boss.



His rise has resonated with Africans all over the world and the sensation to become the next big TikTok star has reached fever pitch particularly in Nigeria; little wonder for Africa’s biggest economy.



In recent years, the country is amongst the most active users of TikTok on the continent according to a report by international broadcaster Deutsche Welle.



In recent times, the ‘Don’t leave me’ challenge created by Nigerian TikTok star Josh2Funny became a viral sensation attracting the likes of Greek-Nigerian NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and other Hollywood celebrities.



With an unprecedented youth unemployment rate in Nigeria, social media has become a medium for Gen Z creators to earn a living. Spurred on by the negative effects of the coronavirus, TikTok reportedly attracted millions of users who wanted an escape from the lockdown.



According to TikTok, its market share in Nigeria peaked at about 50% in 2021.



“During Covid, I started posting videos on TikTok initially because I was bored. Then I realized people were gradually engaging with my content and it became a form of therapy for me because it helped me cope with the stress of being in lockdown every day,” says EmekaG, a TikTok creator in Lagos.



Like him, many young Nigerian creators are hoping to build their own unique brand on the social media platform to help them engage with brands and ultimately make a living as TikTok influencers.



The appeal of the platform lies in its micro-video sharing interface which allows users to create short, funny videos and share them on the platform as well as other apps like Instagram.

Juventus v Villarreal CF: Round Of Sixteen Leg Two – UEFA Champions League

TikTok’s Superstars In West Africa And Growing Market

<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-large is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">But the business side, you have to learn about it. Because that’s not natural, we’re not born with that knowledge, you need to learn it.</blockquote>



Spotify Monthly Listeners: 1.2 Million YouTube Total Average Views: 382 Million SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORTH Instagram: 15.3 Million Twitter: 5.3 Million Facebook: 7 Million TikTok: 1.8 Million



In 2018, Tiwatope Savage won Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards, becoming the first woman to win the category. It marked a milestone but also the responsibility to do more for both young Africans and African women trying to enter the industry.



Currently on her European Tour and speaking to FORBES AFRICA from Norway, Savage says: “I feel like I carry a lot of that burden, as a female, as a leader and female Afrobeats artist. Coming into the game, there really wasn&#8217;t that many females doing it, and there still isn&#8217;t. But there&#8217;s more now than when I started.”



Savage was born on Lagos Island in Nigeria and describes her upbringing as quite strict as the only girl growing up with three brothers, which is why she started in the music industry quite late.



“But it felt good to be protected. And my parents were very strict about us getting good grades in school. My dad and my mom did listen to music, but I didn&#8217;t grow up in like a musical home where my parents were into music or singers. It was more like ‘you&#8217;re going to grow up to either be a doctor or a lawyer, not a musician,” she explains.



This is quite the common theme for many young women on the African continent where it was expected that you either enter a traditional career or a ‘traditional’ home where you would become a housewife.



This is also why Savage chose to go into music much later, in fact, she obtained her business degree first.



“I got my first degree in business and accounts. I also went to Berklee College of Music. I studied jazz. So I got a second degree in music.”



The business degree has come in handy too for her as an artist.



“It’s called the music business,” laughs Savage. A lot of artists, in her opinion, would find it difficult to succeed in this industry not because of their lack of talent but due to a lack of knowledge when it comes to the business aspect of things.



Savage jokingly calls herself “shrewd”, diligently going through all her contracts, business details, and the receipts “for even just a Starbucks coffee”.



“It&#8217;s as important, sometimes even more important for you to be able to handle the business element because the music thing, and the entertainment part comes naturally; that&#8217;s a gift that God has given to you naturally,” Savage explains. “Sometimes you don&#8217;t even have to think about that, you just have to harness that gift. But the business side, you have to learn about it. Because that&#8217;s not natural, we&#8217;re not born with that knowledge, you need to learn it.



“At the end of the day, you can&#8217;t leave your business or your finances to complete strangers unless maybe your mom or your brother is managing you.”



Savage moved to London when she was 11 but says her heart has always been with the continent even when in America collaborating with artists such as Snoop Dogg and Fantasia. It was when in Los Angeles in 2012 that Savage was inspired by the growth of the Nigerian music industry, around which time Afrobeats was gaining in popularity.



Savage chose to move back to Nigeria.



What made her return? She puts it simply: “It was the sound.”



“There was something so raw about it. There was a soul that I wasn&#8217;t getting from the music that I was surrounded by, living in America… I would find myself listening to it in the car, in my house. And, obviously, but when I go out to clubs, or when I go out to wherever; I probably wasn&#8217;t intrigued then. And I found that I was bored. I just wanted to go home and listen to the latest Wande Coal song.”



And so she did.



“It&#8217;s so good to be African now. We are so proud of it and we’re shouting about it from the rooftop.”



But there’s still much work to be done in the industry, especially for women and young people.



“When I started, I didn&#8217;t come into it trying to be sexy, but I was labeled that. It was hard for a lot of people to accept because women shouldn&#8217;t have tattoos, women shouldn’t really wear revealing clothes, especially women who are married or a woman who is a mother,” Savage explains.



“So obviously there was so much backlash. And now, a lot of female artists too, who are coming in, who are sexier, or have tattoos, or are more controversial than me don&#8217;t even get 10% of [the backlash I got]. And that&#8217;s fine. But it was the journey that was hard to get the culture to understand and embrace that. And sometimes, you know, that&#8217;s just your calling and you&#8217;re the scapegoat.”



In a story as old as time, the music industry still has work to do when it comes to equal opportunities for female artists.



Although Savage believes that transformation is only 10% better, the work that needs to happen is for female artists to be given the same sort of preferences as their male counterparts.



“We just want the same equal platform…,” says Savage. However, that said, Savage thinks the future of the African music industry at this point looks promising. This is a fitting sentiment even as the second part of Savage’s Water &amp; Garri album is set to release in August.



“The future looks beautiful right now, it looks like you know when you just have a newborn baby, and it&#8217;s just like it could do no wrong,” she laughs. “I really don&#8217;t know what the future would hold. I can&#8217;t tell but I would only hope that African music will and should become a stable genre.”

Screenshot 2022-08-15 at 09.44.37

THE PLAYLIST: Tiwa Savage on Why the Business of Music is Important

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



Disney+ on Wednesday became the latest streaming service to raise its monthly subscription prices—joining others like Netflix and Amazon Prime—as media companies seek to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/10/disney-raises-price-on-ad-free-disney-38percent-as-part-of-new-pricing-structure.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">increase profitability</a>&nbsp;for their platforms.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



Disney+ will&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/08/10/disney-launching-cheaper-ad-supported-tier-in-december/?sh=365aec521a86">raise</a>&nbsp;its monthly subscription cost to $10.99 starting December, which means users will now have to pay an additional $3 every month to enjoy the same ad-free streams of their favorite Marvel, Disney or Star Wars shows.



Netflix, which continues to report a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2022/07/19/netflix-shares-jump-over-5-after-it-reports-smaller-subscriber-loss-than-forecast/">slump</a>&nbsp;in subscriber numbers,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/24/22993562/netflix-price-increase-us-plans-2022" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">raised prices</a>&nbsp;across all its tiers in March this year with the service’s basic plan now costing $9.99 per month (up by $1), Standard HD plan priced at $15.49 (up by $1.50) and Premium 4K plan priced at $19.99 (up by $2).



Hulu—Disney’s adult-focussed streamer—will also see the price of its ad-supported tier jump by $1 to $7.99 a month, while its premium ad free tier will be hiked by $2 to $14.99 per month.



ESPN+—the sports-focused streaming platform owned by Disney—<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/15/23220304/espn-plus-streaming-price-hike-disney-plus-hulu-bundle" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced</a>&nbsp;a $3 price hike to $9.99 in June.



Amazon Prime, the e-commerce giant’s all-in-one subscription service which includes the streamer Prime Video,&nbsp;<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/02/03/amazon-is-increasing-the-annual-price-of-prime-to-139-in-the-u-s/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hiked</a>&nbsp;its annual price by $20 to $139 a year in February.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



HBO Max is currently priced at $14.99 per month for its ad-free premium tier while its ad-supported tier costs $9.99. Earlier this month, the streaming platform’s new parent Warner Bros. Discovery&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/08/04/hbo-max-and-discovery-will-combine-into-one-streaming-service/?sh=2eba7c671931">announced plans</a>to merge the service with Discovery+, which costs $6.99 per month without ads and $4.99 with ads. No pricing strategy has been announced for this merged version of HBO Max but it is very likely it will cost more.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">TANGENT</h2>



To somewhat soften the blow for consumers, most of the major streaming services have either launched or have announced plans to launch a cheaper ad-supported tier. Disney+ will&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/08/10/disney-launching-cheaper-ad-supported-tier-in-december/?sh=365aec521a86">get</a>&nbsp;an ad-supported tier in December which will cost $7.99—same as the current price of the ad-free plan. After years of reticence, Netflix in July&nbsp;<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/19/netflix-confirms-its-ad-supported-tier-wont-have-all-its-content-at-launch/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced</a>&nbsp;plans to launch a cheaper ad-supported plan that will not feature all of its content library. HBO Max jumped on the ad-supported bandwagon&nbsp;<a href="https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/hbo-max-with-ads-launch-pricing-1234986422/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">last year</a>, launching a $9.99 per month plan. Subscribers who choose HBO Max’s cheaper plan are still able to watch its flagship HBO TV shows without any ads—just like the premium cable channel—and are only served ads while watching other content.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/08/09/netflix-loses-subscribers-as-disney-catches-up-heres-how-the-major-streaming-services-are-faring-so-far-this-year/?sh=7d2644012a1c">Netflix Loses Subscribers As Disney+ Catches Up: Here’s How The Major Streaming Services Are Faring So Far This Year</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/08/10/disney-launching-cheaper-ad-supported-tier-in-december/?sh=2b953b401a86">Disney+ Launching Cheaper Ad-Supported Tier In December</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/08/04/hbo-max-and-discovery-will-combine-into-one-streaming-service/?sh=74c4cd591931">HBO Max And Discovery+ Will Combine Into One Streaming Service</a>(Forbes)



By Siladitya Ray, Forbes Staff

TV remote control in the foreground, Video on demand screen in the blurry background

Here’s How Much More You Have To Pay For Streaming Services Compared To Last Year

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



As streaming services continue to battle for the attention—and wallets—of viewers, subscriber numbers have changed over the last few months, with Netflix on a decline for the first time in a decade as Disney+ continues to grow and HBO Max and Discovery+ prepare to merge.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY FACTS</h2>



Netflix remains the leader of the pack, with 220.67 million global subscribers as of June according to earnings reports, but as competition with newer platforms becomes tighter, it&#8217;s also one of the only streaming services to lose paid subscribers, falling by almost 1 million subscribers since March and nearly 1.2 million since December.&nbsp;



Disney’s bundle of streaming services—including Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+—rose from 196.4 million subscribers in January to 205.6 million in April, the company reported, making it a real competitor to Netflix, but Disney+ pulls most of the weight, with 137.7 million subscribers in April (up 7.9 million from January) compared to Hulu&#8217;s 45.6 million (up roughly 300,000 in three months).



HBO, HBO Max and Discovery+—all of which have been owned by Warner Bros. Discovery since April—counted a combined 92.1 million subscribers in June, up just 1.7 million from March, the company says (it’s unclear how plans to merge the streaming services together into one platform will affect subscriber numbers).&nbsp;



Paramount+, owned by CBS’ owner Paramount Global, reported just 43 million subscribers in June—but the streamer has gained over 10 million since December.



Peacock, NBCUniversal parent Comcast’s streaming network, had 13 million paid subscribers as of last month, roughly the same amount that Comcast reported in April, and 27 million active monthly accounts—unlike some of the other streaming platforms, it offers a free version of its service with select programs and movies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">KEY BACKGROUND&nbsp;</h2>



2022 has been a tumultuous year for streaming services, as media companies&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/elanagross/2020/10/12/disney-reorganizes-to-prioritize-streaming/?sh=59da0776ab09">increasingly</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dbloom/2022/02/16/rebranded-paramount-global-focuses-on-streaming-future-with-huge-array-of-announcements/?sh=2feb09b2203e">prioritize</a>&nbsp;streaming platforms instead of traditional television. Warner Bros. Discovery, which was formed after Discovery and AT&amp;T’s former subsidiary WarnerMedia merged in April, announced plans last week to integrate HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single service next summer. The company also shut down news streaming service CNN+ just one month after it launched, amid a push to control costs and a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/24/business/media/cnn-plus-discovery-warner.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">belief</a>&nbsp;that niche streaming platforms tend to fare worse than more all-encompassing services. More changes are to come: After Netflix suffered its first subscriber losses in over a decade earlier this year, the company said it would launch a cheaper ad-supported tier and cut down on password sharing, which it blamed for some of the deficit. The company shut down service in Russia after the country invaded Ukraine, resulting in a loss of 700,000 subscribers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">TANGENT</h2>



A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/04/06/streaming-viewers-feel-overwhelmed-by-options-nielsen-survey-suggests/?sh=7676f543705f">survey from Nielsen</a>&nbsp;released earlier this year found that there are more titles than ever available to stream, and the time Americans spend watching streaming content each week is on the rise. Still, 64% of respondents said they wish there was a streaming service bundle, and 46% said it’s hard to find the programs they want to watch because there are too many streaming services.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/08/04/hbo-max-and-discovery-will-combine-into-one-streaming-service/?sh=5747ddd71931">HBO Max And Discovery+ Will Combine Into One Streaming Service</a>(Forbes)&nbsp;



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/08/04/discovery-and-hbo-max-swap-content-as-warner-bros-discovery-reportedly-plans-to-restructure/?sh=62747fb2313e">Discovery+ And HBO Max Swap Content As Warner Bros. Discovery Reportedly Plans To Restructure</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/04/21/cnn-will-reportedly-shut-down-after-only-one-month-of-service/?sh=721b85b865bb">CNN+ Will Shut Down After Only One Month Of Service</a>&nbsp;(Forbes)



<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/04/06/streaming-viewers-feel-overwhelmed-by-options-nielsen-survey-suggests/?sh=7676f543705f">Streaming Viewers Feel Overwhelmed By Options, Nielsen Survey Suggests</a>(Forbes)



By Marisa Dellatto, Forbes Staff

Category: Entertainment

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