Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LinkedIn here if ya like), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on TUESDAY May 16, 2023.

Where I’m attending my first Upfront today! So if you’re at DISNEY too and see a taller-than-most mid-40s bald guy (I’m sure I’ll stand out in a room full of Ad & TV execs…), who looks kinda clueless – say hello! Drop me a note on LinkedIn or my email is seanmcnultynyc@gmail.com as always.

Anyone know if Martha’s stylist is available btw? I wanna look sharp.

PLUS: CANNES begins, so know that I’m writing this in a very bad French accent today to get in the spirit 🍟.

Today’s ~~UPFRONTS~~ News & Sports UPFRONTS: TELEVISA UNIVISION at Pier 36 in AM, and DISNEY at the Javits Center in the late afternoon.

FOX highlights: Nowhere to sit, Gronk throws out signed footballs, Gordon Ramsay curses up a storm, and The Five bombs.
NBC highlights: Newscasters galore, Ted speaks (including some unintended TWITTER slams), Nick Jonas sings, and 200+ picketers abound.
WBD note tomorrow: A talent-less presentation. Err. Not including executive talent of course… ahem. So – if you loved the April MAX presentation, come see the sequel of talent lineup in NYC.

HUH: UNI is putting Super Mario Bros on PVOD today for home rental & purchase, with the film still clearing 10-figures a weekend at the Box Office. Hey man – 45 days is 45 days.

AND: The MOFFETT-NATHANSON Conference kicks off today through Thursday, and here’s a sampling of folks taking the stage this week:

Brian Roberts from COMCAST
Christine McCarthy from DISNEY
David Zaslav from WBD
Nick Khan from WWE
Jim Burton from CAA

Most will stream via the respective companies’ corporate websites (with I’d hope replays afterward?), so I figured I’d put in some links each day for some pertinent names for fellow #medianerds. Today’s of note:

9a Brian Roberts, COMCAST – listen here
3p Greg Maffei, LIBERTY MEDIA – listen here

🏡🚗💰 NOTES FROM THE ECONOMY:

HOME DEPOT reported its worst quarterly Revenue miss in 20 years, as folks are buying fewer big ticket items (grills, patio sets etc) and are delaying large home projects.
US Credit Card debt didn’t decrease in Q1 for the first time in 20 years, according to Bloomberg (typically people pay off debt incurred over the Q4 holiday spending season in Q1, lowering overall balances).
- Debt that became delinquent (meaning over 30-days past due) rose in Q1 across most kinds of debt (auto, credit, etc).
In fact: Credit Card debt is rising, as delinquencies hit 8.3% among 18-39 year olds in Q1, according to Axios (scroll down to item #5).
- That’s still slighly below the 2019 rate (and way below the 10% to 11% rate seen before the 2008 crash).
- But just a reminder for this group – student loan repayments are about to kick back in on June 30 as Federal delay protections expire.
The amount of people who say this is a bad time to buy a home is the highest ever according to a new Gallup poll, going back to 1978. Gonna guess especially if you’re in the 18-39 demo.
- Although for those who do have homes, balances on Home Equity loans rose for the 4th quarter in a row. Although apparently that cash is not being spent at HOME DEPOT.

IN TODAY’S EDITION:

PEACOCK pays $110 Million (ish) to stream one NFL WILCARD Playoff game – a look at some numbers here, both Ad $ and Audience size.
Guardians is showing there’s still life for US pics in CHINA.
SEARCHLIGHT’s got a heater for Fall 2024 OSCAR season with Chalamet + Fanning + Mangold / Bob Dylan.
FOX gets the award for best executive quote at an Upfront, without releasing a schedule.
JIO makes WBD content a separate pay add-on in INDIA.
DISNEY faces shareholder lawsuit with some… interesting tactics, including naming Chapek & Daniels, and much more.