iWorld
Turner launches Oh!K in Hong Kong with PCCW
MUMBAI: Turner has joined hands with PCCW to launch a new 24 hour linear channel, Oh!K in Hong Kong on now TV.
The channel will be available from 12 January, 2016 and will air a slew of Korean entertainment, premium drama series as well as variety and music programming across a number of platforms.
Additionally, MBC shows will also be available through now TV’s SVOD service, Oh!K On Demand, as well as via PCCW’s newly-launched OTT service Viu. Another part of the Turner-PCCW agreement is the delivery of MBC shows on now TV’s upcoming free-to-air channel, launching in April 2016.
Oh!K will be part of now TV’s Asia Entertainment Package, and available with English and Traditional Chinese subtitles and Korean audio.
Turner Southeast Asia managing director and senior vice president Phil Nelson said, “This is an outstanding multi-platform partnership. In its short history, Oh!K has grown significantly with the addition of Hong Kong to our distribution roadmap. Likewise, our content partnership with MBC has allowed new audiences – across all platforms – exposure to a truly impressive and exclusive line-up of Korean content.”
The current MBC shows available include Glamorous Temptation and Sweet Mob Family, and Korean variety show Infinite Challenge, which will be aired in the same week as its original telecast. In January, Hong Kong viewers will be treated to She Was Pretty.
MBC director of global business Hyuk Jae Choi added, “This announcement is great news for fans of our content in Hong Kong. We know that they crave MBC dramas and variety shows in both Chinese and English, as soon as possible after their original Korean broadcast, and on platforms beyond just the TV screen. Through Turner, PCCW and MBC, this has become a reality.”
iWorld
Netflix cuts jobs in product division amid restructuring
Layoffs hit creative studio unit as leadership and strategy shifts unfold.
MUMBAI: The streaming wars may be fought on screen, but the latest plot twist is unfolding behind the scenes. Netflix has reportedly begun laying off several dozen employees from its product division as part of an internal reorganisation, according to a report by Variety. The cuts are believed to have primarily affected the company’s creative studio unit, which works on marketing assets such as in app trailers, promotional visuals and live experience content for the streaming platform.
The company has not disclosed the exact number of employees impacted.
According to the report, the layoffs were not tied to employee performance. Instead, the restructuring eliminated certain roles while other employees were reassigned to different teams within the organisation.
The roles affected are understood to include designers, producers and creative specialists responsible for marketing and brand experience initiatives.
The job cuts come as Netflix adjusts its leadership structure and reshapes its product and creative teams. Last month, Elizabeth Stone was promoted from chief technology officer to chief product and technology officer, giving her oversight of product, engineering and data operations across the company.
Earlier, in December 2025, Netflix also appointed Martin Rose as head of creative for global brand and partnerships, a move seen as part of a broader restructuring of the company’s brand and product functions.
Despite the layoffs, Netflix remains one of the largest employers in the streaming sector. The company is estimated to employ around 16,000 people globally, with roughly 70 percent of its workforce based in the United States and Canada. In 2023, the company reported approximately 13,000 employees, indicating that its headcount had grown significantly before the latest restructuring.
The workforce changes arrive at a time when Netflix is navigating a shifting financial and strategic landscape in the global entertainment industry.
The streaming giant recently secured $2.8 billion in additional cash after receiving a breakup fee from Paramount Skydance following its withdrawal from a deal involving Warner Bros. Discovery.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Netflix co chief executive Ted Sarandos explained that the company had evaluated multiple scenarios during the negotiations but chose not to match the competing offer once it learned that a higher bid had been submitted.
Netflix had capped its offer at $27.75 per share and ultimately stepped back rather than pursue Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition deal, which included a personal guarantee.
Sarandos also cautioned that the financing structure behind the Paramount Skydance transaction could have ripple effects across the entertainment industry.
According to him, the debt heavy deal could trigger significant cost cutting, with David Ellison, chief executive of Paramount Skydance, expected to eliminate about $16 billion in costs and potentially cut thousands of jobs as part of the integration process.
For Netflix, the current restructuring appears to be part of a broader attempt to streamline operations while continuing to invest in product, technology and global content even as the streaming industry enters a new phase of consolidation and financial discipline.
