Is a streamer also a broadcaster? For the UK, at least, that answer is a strong “Yes.” There are big changes coming to streaming regulation in the UK, as an entertainment attorney at Blake & Wang P.A., Brandon Blake, examines below.

Brandon Blake

More Like Broadcasters

This change will mean new standards and new accessibility codes for streamers with more than half a million UK users operating in the UK. A number which now includes Netflix and Disney+ alongside Prime Video. The regulation happens through the UK media regulator, Ofcom.

These changes will be brought into the Media Act 2024 as secondary legislation. While there are a number of shifts and changes to understand, effectively, they will now face the same Ofcom scrutiny and rules traditional broadcasters do. 

Tier 1 Services

The biggest change will be streaming’s promotion to “Tier 1” services. That means a new VOD standards code, aimed at keeping harmful and offensive material out, and driving accurate impartiality as a standard. Ofcom will gain powers to investigate and take action where that code is breached. There will also be minimum accessibility feature requirements. For example, 5% must be sign language accessible, while a tenth of the catalog must be audio-described.

 

Blake & Wang Lawyers

This is a change that, perhaps, was inevitable in many ways. As streaming becomes everyone’s de facto way of enjoying entertainment, it has to move from the looser privileges of an emerging tech into a fully mature format. It’s really no surprise that the UK would be one of the first to move on to tighter regulation. It’s had a tough approach to these issues for a while now. 

With this now the first regulatory framework to see such updates, there’s a core question still to be answered: will this now be the “new normal” for streamers operating internationally? Or remain in the UK alone?

Roku may have finally gained some mainstream prominence, but it remains one of the least considered streaming services. Despite that lack of real market saturation, the company continues to perform strongly, with December 2025 now its all-time high month, as Brandon Blake, check entertainment attorney Los Angeles with Blake & Wang P.A., is here to share

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Brandon Blake

Positive Net Income

Alongside that monthly high of 6.3% of all TV streaming, Roku also had a strong fourth quarter. Their $1.5B of net revenue is a 16% uptick on the year and managed to exceed Wall Street expectations. Net income was $80.5M, or $0.53 per share. Platform revenue was the bulk, at $1.2B, an 18% boost driven mostly by video ads and interface improvements.

This was also their biggest quarter so far for premium subscriptions, which includes Roku’s third-party bundles. Quite logical, really, given this was also the festive season, and so holiday promotions would have lured in some new eyes. Roku has also been busy with expanded sports offerings, which, considered alone, saw a 75% uptick in interest.

Full Year Results

Given this was the last quarter for the company, we also have their full-year performance. That sees $4.7B in net revenue, or 15% up for the year. Platform revenue again did fantastically, at 18%, or $4.1B. They also saw a fully positive year, hitting $88.3B for net income. To round out the picture, they accounted for 145.6B streaming hours over the year, another 15% gain.

That’s a strong place to start the new year off, too. Currently, they are predicting $1.2B in revenue and $50M in income for the coming quarter, expanded to $5.5B in revenue and $325M for income over the year.

With a new streaming service recently launched, called Howdy, Roku is definitely starting its new year in a very strong place, even though it does not report its full subscriber numbers.

After a shaky first quarter post the Starz split, things are looking a lot better for Lionsgate. Having managed to beat out the Wall Street forecasts, there are even better things ahead with a strong release slate, too, as our entertainment attorney from Blake & Wang P.A., Brandon Blake, is here to share.

Brandon Blake

Beating Forecasts

In their latest quarterly earnings release, which details Q3 for them, Lionsgate Studios saw an 18% tick up in revenue, landing at $724M, and operating income at $85M – much better than Wall Street believed it would make. 

Motion Picture revenue was up 35%, with 2 highly successful releases, The Housemaid and Now You See Me, Now You Don’t, helping along the $421M taken. And importantly, we will only see The Housemaid’s full impact in Q4 for them, given it only had 12 days of Q3 in its run. 

The news wasn’t all good, however. Higher prints and advertising costs put pressure on the film segment, although it still brought in $58.5. This helped to offset some of the good news into an overall net loss for the year so far, but it’s still great to see the studio hitting its stride now that it is operating separately from Starz. 

Strong Slate Ahead

With the Starz split finally put to bed, we are also looking at a year with a much stronger Lionsgate release slate ahead. Their TV production arm also did well, with revenue of $303M and a segment profit of $55.7M. Although these are lower than the previous year, that’s mostly a timing snag. Their extensive library has been bringing in strong revenue, rising 10% to set a billion-dollar new record. 

While Lionsgate itself likely would have liked to see that loss gap close up a little more, it’s a more impressive showing than we saw in the prior quarter, and suggests we will see some great results from them in their next fiscal year. 

AMC is not due to give us its Q4 results just yet, but given that the chain is still struggling with a heavy debt load, we got a little sneak peek as they renegotiated their credit arrangements for some more breathing room. Review the entertainment attorney Brandon Blake, from Blake & Wang P.A., tells us what they shared.

Brandon Blake

Revenue Dip

Although revenue took a small knock, it only dropped by $0.01B from the year earlier, so it is probably best considered as flat. Adjusted losses also pulled in to $127.4M, from $135.6M.

That leaves their adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization at $134.1M, vs. the $164.8M prior. They will finish the year at $428.5M, with $48.8M withheld from that as restricted cash. Overall, revenue managed a 4.6% rise, with profit up by 13%.

A Step Forward

 With the box office offering a steady improvement from year to year post-pandemic, it may not be a dramatic recovery, but it is more than enough for some returned hope and confidence. We’ve also seen this year’s box office start well, and although the major snowstorms have held that back a bit, it’s still promising, with a strong slate ahead to support it.

 AMC was also able to share that their debt will be restructured again, with some new, secured debt, also offering them the breathing room to continue. This debt, which actually pre-dates the COVID pandemic, has proven very hard for AMC to get out from under, especially with the closures further impacting its performance. However, hopefully this will be the extra injection of hope and stability the chain needs to move ahead and take advantage of what should be a very good year at the box office, and hopefully overall for the exhibition industry.

One of the biggest worries for many when it was first announced that Netflix would be taking over Warner Bros. Discovery was what that would mean for WBD’s massive legacy of theatrical films (and current commitments). After all, Netflix has firmly rejected theatrical releases for its own originals. It seems that may have changed, and we have Blake & Wang P.A. the USA entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles, Brandon Blake, to show what’s happened.

Brandon Blake

Just Not a Priority

Now, at least if we fully believe their recent statements, it’s not so much that Netflix didn’t see value in theatrical releases (a stance they have reiterated many times) but that it just wasn’t a priority for them. They’ve always loved cinema. Suddenly.

The rhetoric shared on their latest earnings call worked very hard to reposition Netflix from “anti” cinema releases to a more neutral “didn’t have the time.” Apparently, they have also “long been departing,” building one of their own.

Maybe they truly have changed their stance, especially with the historic Warner Brothers’ lot up for grabs, but let’s rather admit that as a development, not a handy retcon of facts that have been well-recorded over the years.

The Warner Bros. Question

It’s doubtful we’d be hearing from Netflix on cinemas at all if not for the looming deal with WBD, which has theatrical output still under contractual terms. Many have wondered what moving that powerhouse into a company thoroughly cold on theaters would mean for the wider entertainment world, and if we would lose the Warner Bros. legacy entirely.

However, it seems we can at least put that worry to bed. Faced with the prospect of a lucrative, established way to “win the box office”, especially given how well WBD releases have performed this year, it seems Netflix is, in fact, keen for its own slice of the pie. That’s at least one worry over that deal shelved, for now.

While HBO may be a little late to the European expansion party, it has now netted itself a flock of bundling deals that will let it scale its local streaming fast. We have Blake & Wang P.A. USA based entertainment lawyer Los Angeles, Brandon Blake, on hand to share the news.

Brandon Blake

New Carriage Deals Included

With last week’s launch in both Italy and Germany, two of the largest European territories, alongside several other, smaller rollouts, HBO Max has finally made its presence felt. Thanks, in part at least, to a series of multi-year carriage deals with Amazon Prime Video. This means that HBO Max will be on offer as an add-on to existing Prime Video customers in these areas. As part of the deal-making, existing European Prime Video deals in several other territories are included.

Late Entry

HBO is reasonably late in entering the European streaming game, mostly due to its prior deals with pay-TV group Sky, which kept it out of the biggest territories. However, with this slew of fresh bundling and carriage deals under its belt, including some with local partners, should offer HBO Max a great way to scale up fast – and possibly, make up for lost time as streaming gets ever-more competitive.

It may look a whole lot like old-school cable bundling in streaming at the moment. But let’s be honest, cooperation is a smart answer to an increasingly crowded environment.
For HBO Max, the last phase of its European market grab will roll out in March, when it will launch inside the UK and Ireland. We will also see several local-language originals join the HBO Max slate for their territories, on offer from the middle of this year.

Will this European ramp-up be enough to reinvent HBO Max as a real player in the area? It’s certainly a good start.