Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LinkedIn here if ya like), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on WEDNESDAY Aug. 30, 2023.
Where… Streaming production spend pullback? What spend pullback? 🤷♂️
Investor BLACKSTONE and soundstage operator HUDSON PACIFIC have teamed up on a project to build a 6-soundstage facility at Pier 94 on Manhattan’s Upper West Side (around west 52nd St.), on land leased from VORNADO Realty Trust.
So at least it has about a 20 block buffer from the busy 30th Street heliport on the West Side #SoundproofingInvestment.
VORNADO would get a 49% stake, with BLACKSTONE and HUDSON PACIFIC each getting about 25% of the $350 million project, hoping to break ground this fall and be completed in 2025.
There would also be 25k sq ft of ‘waterfront open space’ for New Yorkers and tourists alike to gawk from.
AND: A Happy VENICE FILM FESTIVAL to those who celebrate.
ALSO: Sounds like TIFF will at least have some starpower, with names such as Jessica Chastain, Sean Penn, Nic Cage, Dakota Johnson, Finn Wolfhard and more expected to attend, according to Deadline.
THEN: CNN officially has a new boss as expected, former BBC and NY Times head Mark Thompson is officially the new CEO & Chairman (reporting to Zaz), starting on Oct 9… sadly just as leaf peeping season peaks at his home in Maine 🍂, where Semafor had indicated he’s been spending most of his time these days.
Mark was the leader at the Times from 2012 to 2020, when he transitioned the (declining) print publication to a (growing) digital subscription future 👀.
TBA about his management structure (i.e. if David Leavy will continue his current hands-on COO role at the division, although all top execs are continuing in their current roles in the meantime).
Most importantly – TBA for Mark’s creative aesthetic when it comes to on-screen, lower-third font graphic design.
PLUS: DISNEY+ revealed an actual view number for a TV series! Who says strike negotiations aren’t having an effect…. STAR WARS Ahsoka episode 1 got 14 million views globally in its first week, according to DISNEY.
Unfortunately we have… zero comps for this in the DIS+ universe to put it in perspective, or any indication how many views were in the U.S. etc.
BUT: Out of 146 million global DIS+ subs, about 10% of DIS+ subs checked it out in the first week… using very ballpark math here.
This was tabulated by the new NETFLIX metric (and method I’ve been doing for well over a year for NETFLIX Films) of dividing the episode’s hours viewed by the duration of the episode.
IN THIS EDITION
Ballers and Suits have both now had 2 weeks-worth of NETFLIX data – who comes out on top? Plus other comps to note.
The latest NETFLIX Films chart shows a muted opening for the new Sandler family Bat Mitzvah comedy, a nice jump for their new Animated movie, and a great week for Keanu Reeves 2008.
WBD sets plan to dispose of inherited AT&T SportsNet RSN biz.
APPLE ditches “platform” release theatrical ambitions with Flower Moon.
Zucker looks at another digital publisher investment, as VOX experiments with paid newsletters and more.
ALSO…
The white male GenX Late Night TV show host club of Jimmy, Jimmy, Stephen, Seth and José (just kidding, it’s John) are hosting a podcast together called Strike Force Five (no relation to my occasional 🪧 STRIKE FORCE section) for at least 12 episodes, starting today.
All proceeds from Ad Revenue will go to support staff members of their NBC, CBS, ABC and HBO series.
MINT MOBILE and DIAGEO are ‘co-presenting’ sponsors, with Ad sales led by SPOTIFY (the pod is hosted on its MEGAPHONE service).
SPOTIFY link here (although it’s avail everywhere like… well, all podcasts now).
📽 THE SILVER SCREEN
NETFLIX Films Weekly Global Viewership Chart
Week of Aug 21 thru Aug 27:
usual caveats: back of the napkin math, assumes everyone finished the movie (including the credits), no one watched twice, or that a bunch of folks didn’t rewind certain parts, etc. so consider these minimum numbers. And it’s based on NETFLIX’s self-reported numbers.
Sandler NETFLIX drawing-power muted as a co-star in Family pic
You Are So Not Invited to my Bat Mitzvah did about 1/3 of ….
Email me anytime at seanmcnultynyc@gmail.com or connect here on LINKED IN, or @theseanmac on TWITTER
-SEAN MCNULTY
