Jan Koeppen: Celebs Rumors

Naman Ramachandran Streamer Disney+ will launch its ad-supported subscription plan across several European countries in November. The ad-tier was launched in the U.S. in December 2022.

K.J. Yossman The Royal Television Society (RTS) annual convention, which took place all day Thursday (Sept. 27) in London, U.K., brought together some of television’s biggest hitters including Warner Discovery, Disney, Sky, ITV and BBC. The title – and theme – of this year’s convention was “The Fight For Attention” and the broadcasters and content creators discussed challenges, strategy and sustainability, especially in the shadow of a looming recession. Undoubtedly, content is still the most important factor for broadcasters, streamers and viewers alike. “Content is still probably the most – for sure, in my opinion – the most important [factor],” in terms of consumer choice, said Warner Bros Discovery International president Gerhard Zeiler, who said that as well as continuing to invest in local content the company was of course investing in franchises such as Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and more. Unsurprisingly, Jan Koeppen, president of IP powerhouse The Walt Disney Company EMEA, also said that in an era of choice, content would be the deciding factor. Said Koeppen: “Even with economic woes that we have right now, people are going back to quality, and I think great content will win.”

Major European streaming and media bosses have debated how best to help viewers navigate the overwhelming content choice out there in today’s TV landscape, as they talk up the future of AVoD and FAST Channels at RTS London.

K.J. Yossman Fresh from seeing “Elvis” become his highest-grossing film of all time in the U.K., Australian director Baz Luhrmann is set to be one of the leading speakers at this year’s Royal Television Society (RTS) conference in London, set to take place later this month. Luhrmann, who has also created series such as “The Get Down,” will be in conversation with British host Edith Bowman, discussing “the power of creativity.” Also joining the lineup are head of interactive at BBC Studios Tom Burton, Vicki Dobbs Beck, VP for immersive content at Lucasfilm and ILMxLAB, BBC technology correspondent Marc Cieslak and Jan Koeppen, president of The Walt Disney Company EMEA.

NBC’s ‘New Amsterdam’ To Be Remade In Turkey

Naman Ramachandran Jan Koeppen, president of The Walt Disney Company Europe, the Middle East and Africa is bullish about production of originals in the region.Delivering a keynote at Series Mania Lille Dialogues on Tuesday, Koeppen noted that Disney is currently on track to produce 60 European original series by 2024, up from the previous target of 50.“While The Walt Disney Company has a long heritage of producing content in Europe for our channels business, as well as producing some of our big blockbuster movies like ‘Cruella’ or ‘Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker’ here – it is the launch of Disney Plus that has allowed us to put an afterburner on our European productions and to create a whole new slate of local originals,”

Disney Plus has greenlit Kaiser Karl, a six-episode series about the famed fashion designer from Paris-based Lupin producers Gaumont. Jan Koeppen, president of Disney EMEA, announced the show during his Series Mania keynote this morning.

Disney+ has no plans to enter the live sports arena in Europe any time soon, according to the Mouse House’s top European executive, meaning that the streaming giant will not be competing for Premier League rights in the UK.