Global TV, Film & Media Industry News Roundup, Wednesday 23 July 2025
China’s $7B micro dramas go global; Venice unveils star-studded lineup; Paramount exits Africa; Lehane, Bana, Panahi, and Netflix lead bold moves in global content and streaming.
Today’s Highlights:
China’s Micro Dramas Eye Global Expansion – A $7B phenomenon reshaping international content formats, with major implications for short-form monetisation and cross-border distribution.
Venice Film Festival 2025 Line-up Revealed – A major awards-season launchpad spotlighting Netflix’s return and star-studded premieres, influencing global festival and distribution strategies.
Paramount Global May Exit Africa Market – Signals a major corporate realignment with consequences for content access and production across the African continent.
Dennis Lehane’s Smoke on Apple TV+ – High-profile scripted content from a critically acclaimed writer, reinforcing Apple TV+’s positioning in the prestige drama space.
Netflix's Untamed Starring Eric Bana Launches – A significant original title from a global star, reflecting Netflix’s continued investment in high-quality international storytelling.
BBC Studios Appoints Amanda Jones as CFO – A key leadership move in one of the world’s most important public broadcasters, with commercial and strategic implications.
Netflix Orders Monopoly Reality Competition – Highlights a shift in Netflix’s commissioning model for unscripted formats, leveraging legacy IP with new production strategies.
Fandango Picks Up Horror The Holy Boy for Venice – An emerging international genre title with festival visibility, expected to travel widely and attract critical attention.
Jafar Panahi Named 2025 Asian Filmmaker of the Year – A prestigious cultural and political honour recognising auteur cinema, reinforcing festival support for freedom of expression.
Apple’s Loot Returns With Season 3 – A renewal of a flagship comedy series led by Maya Rudolph, showing platform stability and audience retention strategy.
Plus: Insights, Executive Moves, Festivals & Markets, In Development, Deals, Cancellations, Opportunities & Jobs with M6, TVNZ, Paramount, Prime, BBC, Rakuten & Netflix in Paris, Auckland, London, Barcelona, Paris & Warsaw.
Our subscribers receive one clear, concise daily bulletin that distils the latest global TV, film, and media headlines, deals, exec moves, and job listings.
Our subscribers include executives from:
Streamers: Netflix, Apple, Viaplay, SkyShowTime, Amazon Prime, Marquee TV, Paramount Television International, MTV Entertainment Group, BET, Cineverse.
Broadcasters: NBC Universal, France Televisions, Sky, ABC, Channel 4, ITV, A+E Networks, CBC, TV2, SVT, ARTE, RTBF, SBS Play, TCL FFalcon, RTL, TVNZ, SRF, Kanal D, UKTV, Ceská Televize, FOX, Hearst Networks.
Producers: Fifth Season, Sony Pictures Television, Banijay, Fremantle, Endemol Shine, Gaumont, Pathé, Warner Bros Television Productions, Universal Pictures International Australasia, UFA Fiction, Vivendi, Entertainment One, BBC Studios, Warner Bros Discovery, Talpa Studios, Keshet, Tiger Aspect, Wild Bunch TV, Red Planet Pictures, Go Quest Media, Eureka Productions, The Ink Factory, Nordisk Film, Reel One Entertainment, Bunya Productions, Beach House Pictures, Beyond, The Global Agency, Esha Bargate Productions, blue Entertainment, Paper Plane Productions, Paprika Studios, Playmaker, Off the Fence, Goalpost Pictures, Spin Master, Stand By Me, Halcyon Studios, DPG Media, Envision, Rive Gauche, Blue Ant Media, Squareone, Great Southern Studios, Collective Media Group, New Dominion Pictures, RAW TV, Optomen, Magpie Pictures, KOJO, ShinAwiL, WildBrain, Nine Daughters, Amazon/MGM Studios, October Films, Legendary Entertainment, Bad Wolf, Mediapro, Bron, Red Arrow, Searchlight Pictures.
Also: Aarhus Series Festival, The Wit, Norwegian Film Commission, New Zealand Film Commission, IMDA, MIA, Getty Images, Ottawa Film Office, Simkins, Harbottle & Lewis, Screen Brussels, Sheffield DocFest, FilmChain, Documentary Business, Zero Gravity Management, SXSW, MEA, DOC, Attraction Distribution, Kaplan Stahler Agency, Passion Distribution, Audible, Screen Queensland, Canada Media Fund, My Smash Media, Artists First, Grey Seal Media, Screenforce Finland, BAFTA, IMAX, Condé Nast.
INSIGHTS
Adjoa Andoh Embraces the Present After Bridgerton
With Bridgerton season four wrapped, Adjoa Andoh reflects on what’s ahead for Lady Danbury, her creative goals, and why she doesn't mind being best known for her role in the Netflix hit. Though her career spans 40 years across stage and screen, Andoh embraces the moment: "The present eye praises the present object,” she says, quoting Shakespeare, adding, “People are interested in today, and so goes the world.” Read More
Eric Bana Unleashes the Wild in Gripping Netflix Thriller Untamed
Eric Bana stars as Kyle Turner, a solitary national park investigator drawn into a haunting murder mystery in Netflix’s Untamed. Set in Yosemite but filmed in Canada’s rugged wilds, the show blends suspense, trauma, and stunning landscapes—echoing Bana’s past roles but with fresh intensity. Produced and co-developed by Bana, the series explores hidden crimes and the eerie beauty of untamed nature. Read More
Dennis Lehane’s Smoke Ignites on Apple TV+
Dennis Lehane (Shutter Island, Mystic River) returns with Smoke, a nine-part Apple TV+ crime drama based on real events. Starring Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett, the series follows a young detective and seasoned arson investigator tracking serial fire-starters. John Leguizamo and Anna Chlumsky discuss their roles and the thrill of working from Lehane’s gripping script. Read More
Paramount Global Reconsiders Africa Operations Amid Strategic Shift
Paramount Global may shut down its Africa offices and local channels, potentially impacting staff, sources told The Hollywood Reporter. As the company shifts focus to streaming and global content, it is reassessing its international pay TV strategy, especially its linear channels, and concentrating on regions with more substantial revenue growth potential. Read More
Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps Lands in L.A.
Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach brought Fantastic Four: First Steps to Los Angeles on Monday. Set in a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, the film follows Marvel’s First Family as they battle Galactus and the Silver Surfer. On the blue carpet, Quinn, now Johnny Storm, shared hopes of teaming up with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, referencing their iconic comic-book friendship. Read More
Netflix Turns Up the Heat in Monopoly Reality Series Bake-Off
Netflix is intensifying its competitive “bake-off” process to select a production company for its upcoming reality series based on the iconic board game Monopoly. Known for similar auditions on projects like With Love, Meghan and The Golden Ticket, the streamer’s latest selection round has reached new heights as producers vie to bring the classic game to life in an unscripted format. Read More
Prime Video’s One Night in Idaho Alters Ending After Surprise Plea Deal
Just days before its July 11 premiere, Prime Video’s One Night in Idaho: The College Murders had to rewrite its ending. Originally stating Bryan Kohberger would go to trial in 2025, the coda changed after his June 30 plea deal. Kohberger pled guilty to the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students, avoiding the death penalty and receiving life in prison without parole. Read More
L.A. Production Slows Despite Boost in California Film Tax Credits
Location shoot days in Los Angeles decreased 6.2% in Q2 2025 compared to the same period last year, remaining 32% below the five-year average, according to FilmLA. The decline comes as California approved a major tax credit expansion, from $330 million to $750 million annually. New legislation raises individual project credits to 35%, increases caps, and makes credits refundable starting in the 2025–26 fiscal year, aiming to revive local production. Read More
The DNA of a Digital Blockbuster
Digital-era blockbusters differ from legacy media franchises in that today’s creator-driven successes are powered not by IP but by emotional resonance and scalable DNA. Legacy studios like Warner Bros. bet on content portfolios, but creators like MrBeast or Dude Perfect are the franchises, scaling through a unifying emotional idea, such as wonder, survival, or morality. The examples of Dude Perfect’s trick-shot empire and Amelia Dimoldenberg’s awkward interviews outline a framework for identifying creator-led studios with cross-platform potential. Ultimately, the key to scalability is a clear, emotional, repeatable core that aligns with the creator’s essence.
Read More
China’s Micro Dramas Eye U.S. Market After $7B Breakout Year
China’s duanju, wildly plotted, vertical micro dramas with episodes under two minutes, surpassed the country’s box-office revenue in 2024, generating over $7 billion. Fueled by platforms like Douyin and Kuaishou, the format’s addictive, fast-paced storytelling is now gaining traction in the U.S. via apps like ReelShort and DramaBox, with producers betting on global appeal and instant emotional payoff.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Further&Better to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.