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Happy birthday to us, happy birthday to us...yes, The Amp is one year old today. To commemorate, we take a look at the biggest stories of the year (based on readership) and draw out the industry themes they illustrate. This week's key stories follow as usual.

Netflix and Amazon
Our hottest stories all featured Netflix or Amazon. It's been a full year since Netflix launched downloads for offline viewing for Android, iOS and Windows 10 devices.  Netflix exceeded 100m paying subscribers in Q3 2017, helped by its continued push into original content. Just last month, it pledged to spend $8bn on original content in 2018, working from its new Hollywood studio home at the Sunset Bronson Studios. Netflix took a lease on the property back in January 2017 and expanded its space there in July.

In December 2016, Amazon rolled out its Instant Video service worldwide. With it's own more moderate push into original content also well underway, Amazon this week green-lit a new original and Jeff Bezos-pet project based on Lord of the Rings—with a reported $250m spent to acquire the rights to the stories. Amazon launched its fire TV stick worldwide earlier this month, without its virtual assistant, Alexa. There have also been recent reports of  an ad-funded version of Amazon Prime Instant Video. Ampere recently investigated the growth of Amazon's viewing devices.

Content partnerships and 'localised globalisation'
In August 2017, Disney said it would be removing its content from US Netflix when its contract expires in 2019, with plans to launch its own OTT streaming service. This week it was revealed that the planned Disney service will cost less than Netflix. The launch will be aided by its recent majority acquisition of video technology firm, BAMtech.

Although Netflix will be losing films from the Marvel franchise, its acquisition of Millarworld—the publisher behind Kick Ass—in August 2017, gives it its own super-hero franchise opportunities. Last week a new series of Netflix-branded comic books was announced in partnership with Millarworld.

Netflix has also increasingly looked outside the USA for its original production, making new shows in countries as far-a-field as Taiwan, South Korea, India and Australia, as well as a selection of Japanese Anime shows. HBO also said it plans to remove its content—predominantly older series—from Amazon when its existing partnership expires. HBO is also planning to  bring its non-domestic original content to its US subscribers.

Since Amazon's global launch, its content strategy has had a particular focus on India where its first Indian original, Inside Edge, has been well received. It also recently agreed a £10m original series following UK-based soccer club, Manchester City.

During the year, Netflix and Amazon decided not to launch services to China due to strict regulation. However, in April, Netflix partnered with local iQIYI, which is planning an IPO next year at a valuation of at least $8bn, to offer some of its original content.

OTT launches and milestones
In February, HBO hit the 2m subscriber mark for its direct-to-consumer (D2C) streaming service, HBO Now. By July its total subscriber base for broadband-delivered subscribers, which included those receiving HBO through Amazon channels, had exceeded 3.5m. This week, it launched its European D2C service, HBO Go, across four central European markets.

In May, YouTube and Hulu both launched linear TV streaming services, YouTube TV and Hulu TV, competing with existing US players Sling TV—owned by Dish Networks—and AT&T's DirecTV Now. This week, Philo—a sports-free streaming bundle backed by US channel groups—launched. Prices start at $16 per month. Amazon this week reportedly scrapped its plans to launch its own equivalent service.

Two weeks ago, Chinese mobile manufacturer, Huawei, said it was planning to launch a mobile-first SVoD service in Italy and Spain. Vivendi, which currently has a mobile-first OTT service of its own, Studio+, also recently rolled out the service in the US.

Sports and eSports rights
In March, Google went head-to-head with Amazon and won rights to FaceIt's Esports Championships League (ECS) for its subsidiary, YouTube, taking the rights previously held by Amazon-owned Twitch. Other companies, including Twitter and Facebook, have been vying for eSports rights. We recently published an infographic on some investments in the eSports space over the past few years.

In August, the world of non-electronic sports saw further disruption as Amazon  beat UK operator Sky in the bidding war for rights to the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour. In September, Facebook went up against Fox-owned Star, bidding $600m for rights to Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket. Although unsuccessful, the attempt mark the start of a ramp up in social platform's interest in live sports.

This week
And in this week's stories, Liberty Global-backed production group Platform One has sold its first original, magazine franchise. Sports Illustrated is launching an SVoD service on the Amazon channels platform and British commercial broadcaster, Channel 4, has created a digital advertising partnership with European broadcasters Mediaset, TF1 and ProSiebenSat.1. Austrian operator Telekom Austria has launched a zero-rated mobile service in its native Austria, China's Tencent hit a 43m subscriber milestone and HBO has launched its stand-alone streaming platform in four Central European countries.


The Amp is a weekly newsletter from Ampere Analysis in which we pick out the week's key industry news and include some of our latest analysis, subscribe here if you are not currently signed up.

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Industry Events

Suisse Digital Day: 28th November 2017, Bern, Switzerland**
CES: 9 - 12 January 2018, Las Vegas, USA
NATPE Miami: 16-18 January 2018, Miami, USA
CSTB: 30 January - 1 February 2018, Moscow, Russia
MWC: 26 February - 1 March 2018, Barcelona, Spain
Cable Congress: 6-7 March 2018, Dublin, Ireland
Cartoon Movie: 7-9 March 2018, Bordeaux, France
NAB: 7-12 April 2018, Las Vegas, USA
MIP TV: 9-12 April 2018, Cannes, France*
Festival International Du Film: 9-20 May 2018, Cannes, France
LA Screenings: 15-23 May 2018, Los Angeles, USA.
NEM: 11-14 June 2018, Dubrovnik, Croatia
International Animation Film Festival & Market: 11-16 June 2018, Annecy, France
ANGACOM: 12-14 June 2018, Cologne, Germany*
Cannes Lions: 18-22 June 2018, Cannes, France
NATPE Europe: 25th-28th June 2018, Budapest, Hungary
Edinburgh International TV Festival: 22-24 August 2018, Edinburgh, Scotland
IBC: 13-18 September 2018, Amsterdam, Netherlands*
MIP Junior: 13-14 October 2018, Cannes, France
MIPCOM: 15-18 October 2018, Cannes, France*
American Film Market: 31st October-7th November 2018, Los Angeles, USA

*Ampere will be attending
**Ampere will be presenting

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News editor: Toby Holleran. Managing editor: Guy Bisson