Apple Will Let Content Apps Like Netflix, Spotify Link to Their Websites to Sign Up Users

Would you let your toddler out alone to run errands? Do you think they could do the shopping on their own?

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe success of Korean shows “Vincenzo” and “Squid Game” and Japanese anime such as “Attack on Titan” are justifying Netflix’s heavy spending on Asian film and TV content.The streaming giant is forecast to grow its revenues in the Asia-Pacific region by 24% in the current year as subscriber numbers swell by 20%, according to new research, from Singapore based consultancy Media Partners Asia.That optimism stands in contrast to investment sentiment in January when Netflix announced its December quarter and 2021 full year data and a spooked the financial community with a cautious (global) first quarter outlook. Media Partners Asia’ latest note on the company indicates that Netflix could grow APAC revenues by 24% in the current year to December, to $4.1 billion.

Naman Ramachandran The BBC has acquired U.K. free-to-air rights of high profile crime drama “Tokyo Vice” (8 x 60’), which has a pilot episode directed by Michael Mann, from Endeavor Content. The BBC has second window rights for the U.K.

The BBC has acquired HBO Max’s Ansel Elgort-starring Tokyo Vice from Endeavor Content.

EXCLUSIVE: After collaborating  on the film Greyhound — with  sequel in the works — and the just wrapped WWII series Masters of the Air, Playtone partners Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman have made multi-year exclusive television overall deal with Apple TV+.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentAs the Cannes Film Festival will announce its Official Selection on Thursday, Variety is starting to get a slightly clearer picture of what 75th edition will look like, though fewer titles than usual have leaked. Led by Cannes’ artistic director and general delegate Thierry Fremaux, the selection committee has been flooded with late submissions and is now in the thick of deliberations.Most surprisingly, according to two well-informed sources, there will even be a David Lynch feature film which has been completely off the radar and stars Laura Dern — either as a cameo or a supporting role — along with some other Lynch regulars.We already know the sun-dappled celebration will land several high-profile films from U.S.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorApple is stepping up to the plate with its first live sports broadcasts Friday, set to debut “Friday Night Baseball” on Apple TV Plus — and, for a limited time, the MLB livestreams will be free for anyone in the U.S. and eight other countries.The games on Apple TV Plus — which will be about 50 per season — are available to anyone with internet access, for free for a limited time without the need for a subscription to the streaming service (regularly $4.99/month).

Naman Ramachandran London-based Endeavor Content has closed several international territories on high profile crime drama “Tokyo Vice” (8 x 60’), which has a pilot episode directed by Michael Mann.Handling global sales on the project, Endeavor Content has inked deals with Crave (Canada), Canal Plus (France), Paramount Plus (Australia) and OSN Plus (West Asia and Northern Africa).The series was commissioned by HBO Max in the U.S. and by Wowow, Japan’s leading premium pay-TV broadcaster, with Endeavor as co-producer. It will also debut on HBO Max (Latin America and EMEA) and HBO Go (Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong) and Starzplay (Austria, Germany, German-speaking Switzerland, Ireland and the U.K.).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefKC Global Media has assembled a selection of Korean, Japanese and U.S. content for the second quarter across its portfolio of linear channels AXN Asia, Animax, GEM and ONE. Animax gets a second season of reality competition show, “American Ninja Warrior Junior,” season 4 of Dick Wolf’s “FBI,” season 3 of “FBI: Most Wanted” and “FBI International.” Continuing the crime theme, it will also play season 13 of “NCIS: Los Angeles” from May.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefKorean-made series have continued to dominate viewership on Netflix, following on from the breakout successes of “Squid Game” and “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha” in 2021.For ten of the 13 weeks in the first quarter so far this year, Korean shows have held top spot in Netflix’s global non-English series ranking. Romantic comedy “Business Proposal” is currently the top non-English series for the third week in a row (March 28-April 3, 2022), and is Netflix’s third-ranking series of all origins, behind only “Bridgerton” (seasons 1 and season 2) with over 32 million watch hours.“Business Proposal” has played particularly strongly in Asia, ranking as the top series in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam and in second place in India and Sri Lanka in the last week.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorPodcast series “Batman Unburied,” a thriller delving into the dark recesses of Bruce Wayne’s psyche and featuring classic Batman villains, is set to launch on Spotify worldwide this spring.The drama series will premiere May 3 exclusively on Spotify. It’s the first project under the audio platform’s multiyear deal with Warner Bros.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticOver cigarettes in a Tokyo nightclub, a newbie crime reporter eager to make a mark is speaking to his source. Jake Adelstein (Ansel Elgort), an American who’s become fluent in Japanese to work as a journalist far from home, uses the language to ask his source Jin Miyamoto (Hideaki Itō) whether the city of Tokyo has officially recorded murder cases at all. Miyamoto, a corrupt cop, is briefly caught up in all the flashes of distraction the nightclub has to offer — bright lights, music, liquor on order and young women ambiently available — before explaining the situation to this outsider.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorJuliet Stevenson has joined the cast of crime drama “Professor T,” production partners Eagle Eye and Beta Film announced at MipTV in Cannes Sunday. The companies also said that they have greenlit a second season of period drama “Hotel Portofino.” Eagle Eye’s Walter Iuzzolino said his firm was working on two further shows with Beta, yet to be revealed.Stevenson will play the therapist to the titular character, played by Ben Miller, in “Professor T,” which is shooting its second season in Cambridge and Belgium.

In her television series acting debut, supermodel Bella Hadid has joined the upcoming third season of Hulu comedy Ramy in a recurring role. Details of her character and storyline are being kept under wraps for now. Stay tuned.

live stream featuring American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters of the Oscars broadcast racked up approximately 300,000 views alongside the main show. According to data from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the Oscars ASL live stream additionally had over 1 million impressions and was watched for 903.6 viewing hours.

Naman Ramachandran Netflix has revealed 40 anime titles that will bow on the service in 2022, including new shows and returning fan favorites. Titles revealed at the AnimeJapan 2022 event include “Thermae Romae Novae,” launching on Monday, which is part of the partnership that the streamer had announced in 2020 with six anime creators.

Apple TV+’s newest drama Pachinko, based on the award-winning book of the same name by Min Jin Lee, offers poignant takeaways about family, survival and love. But, viewers should also expect to walk away with The Grass Roots’ “Let’s Live For Today” stuck in their heads.

Pachinko is here!