Weekly news round-up: Viacom, Mubi to launch streaming services & Jony Ive leaves Apple

Mubi launches streaming service in Southeast Asia
Mubi, a streaming platform specialising in film, is set to launch in Southeast Asia, starting with Malaysia, according to Variety. The service will then launch in another six territories in the region. The service has a unique approach to its content strategy in that it offers one new film per day, available on the service for just 30 days. The Southeast Asia is quickly gaining interest as a market that engages well with local regional content.

Apple design chief Jony Ive leaves Apple
Jony Ive, Apple’s chief design officer is reported to leave the company later this year, according to the BBC. Ive has led the design team since 1996, just 4 years after first joining in 1992. He is largely credited as being the driving force behind the iPhone, iPod and iMac. Apple have said Ive plans to continue working closely with the comapany on a range of products.

Spain allocates €150 million for DTT migration
Spain will be undergoing a third digital migration and the Spanish government has approved a €150 million subsidy. Homeowners will be given funding to adjust antennas and buy new TV equipment, Digital TV Europe reported. The migration must be completed before June 2020. Broadcasters will move on to 470-694 MHz band from the current standard 694-790 MHz band and will require all Spanish households to retune by then. 

More than half of UK audience consider cancelling pay-TV
According to TVB Europe, six in ten of UK consumers are considering cutting the cord on their pay-TV subscription. The research revealed that consumers now primarily watch video on social media platforms and stream video more rather than watch TV. As streaming services continue to grow, the numbers for the pay-TV market may continue to fall, despite currently putting up great resillience with offering high-quality content.

Viacom partners with Tyler Perry on new streaming service
Viacom’s BET Networks will work with American filmmaker and actor Tyler Perry to create a new subscription service, which is set to debut in autumn, according to Variety. The service, tipped to be called BET Plus, will host original series and productions amd feature more than 1000 hours of content at launch. BET is a channel targeted to African Americans, who are said to be the leading consumers of streaming services and it is likely that BET Plus will follow this direction. 

5G set to be adopted faster than previous generations
The Australian market is forecast to reach 15 million 5G handsets between 6 to 12 months - sooner than when the market shifter from 3G to 4G, Advanced Television reported. Consumers are expected to respond to the faster availabilty of 5G handsets and in Australia the market is projected to grow at a steady rate, with the likelihood of more 5G handset contract plans being priced above $1000 in the next 18 months. 

Cost of streaming likely to get higher 
In light of Disney, Apple and others launching their own services and NBC pulling US sitcom The Office from Netflix, streaming TV is likely to get expensive according to The Guardian. It is speculated that the golden age of streaming content will soon end, as consumers will have to pay for multiple services at the same time, meaning more content will be hiding behind a paywall.