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 August 22, 2023.
Where let’s start the day with a congrats to Riri and A$AP Rocky, who reportedly welcomed their 2nd child in 15 months earlier this month, a boy according to TMZ.
PLUS: It sounds like a lot of folks are throwing in the towel on a TIFF with real starpower… with a major Toronto restauranteur with several spots around the BELL LIGHTBOX indicating that many folks have now lifted holds on his spaces, with repercussions hitting other sectors of Toronto’s business & employees as well.
Stallone will be the keynote at TIFF in their ‘In Conversations With…’ series, described as a career-spanning conversation, where… I guess he’ll only be talking about the films he’s directed if the SAG strike is still going on? 🤷♂️
AND: NFL Sunday Ticket discount promo #37 – new and existing FAN DUEL customers who place a $5 bet before Sept 18 will get $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket. Basically, if you’re paying full price for Sunday Ticket this fall, that’s on you.
TBT: LIONSGATE has re-instituted an in-office mask mandate and employee health reporting process (have you been overseas in the past 10 days? etc.), following in increase in cases.
ALSO: Conan O’Brien will be doing 2 live-tapings of his Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast on Nov 7 and 8 at BAM in Brooklyn, as part of the NY COMEDY FESTIVAL. Tix on sale Friday.
THEN: The Britney Spears music-driven BROADWAY show Once Upon a One More Time will close Sept 3.
PLUS: The ENTERTAINMENT COMMUNITY FUND has disbursed about $4.7 Million in aid to industry workers in need thus far in the strikes.
IN TODAY’S EDITION:
While Iger is keeping his ESPN bets close to his ESPNBET wallet, he’s now fully laid out his moves in regards to getting DISNEY Streaming out of continual triage, and into profitability… but how exactly?
I took out my pen and a napkin to break down the numbers behind his strategies, and see how close he’s getting.
Plus – another pro sports team sets a DtoC Streaming partner – how is no one service provider emerging here in this sector? A look at the opportunity.
📽 THE SILVER TV 📺
JUST A FEW THINGS TODAY
MGM set Blue Beetle director Ángel Manuel Soto to direct their Momoa / Batista action-comedy The Wrecking Crew, written by Jonathan Tropper (The Adam Project, Banshee). /The Wrap
Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee set up her next series at CHANNEL 4, a comedy-thriller called How to Get to Heaven from Belfast.
It’s about 3 thirtysomething women who grew up together in Belfast, but have gone their separate ways later in life… until they are pulled back together in an adventure around Ireland after the death of one of their childhood friends brings up some unfinished business. /Deadline
ABC is now going with Game Shows on Wednesdays this Fall (starting Sept 27), and Golden Bachelor/Bachelor in Paradise on Thursdays – I mean if you’re gonna counter-program AMAZON Thursday Night Football… I’d be hard pressed to think of a better idea this Fall.
Tuesdays are still 🤷♂️, as are Mondays at 10p. /THR
Ken Jennings will handle hosting duties on Celebrity Jeopardy!. /Deadline
The SUNDANCE INSTITUTE has given out $1 Million in grants to about 20 docu projects globally (mostly ones in production or post).
AND: This read on Korean Box Office fraud from THR was a #goodread, especially in context of the Sound of Freedom ‘pay it forward’ ticket buying technique employed by ANGEL STUDIOS this Summer. Different things afoot over in KOREA for sure… but also this notion of tickets being bought, but not used is in play here.
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💻 THE MEDIA BIZ
How DISNEY Streaming Gets (close) to Profitability
DISNEY has a stated streaming profitability timeline of…
