☀️ Ari Taking Control of ENDEAVOR Gambling Assets
Decipher the new NETFLIX ad tier data / AMAZON, A24 add more movie projects / SONY shows 'arms dealer' benefits
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LinkedIn here if ya like or email me at seanmcnultynyc@gmail.com), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on TUESDAY, November 12, 2024.
Where I’m sorry Vision Pro, it really sounds like you’re being replaced by RAY BANS with cameras. 😎
First, there was the recent news that APPLE is setting up a group to explore creating its own “smart glasses” product (APPLE’s other new idea btw is APPLE smart home cameras, basically taking on AMAZON Ring).
Now AMAZON is creating its own smart glasses product for its drivers to wear to, of course, make them more “efficient” (you know how lazy they can be 🙄) and shave off “valuable seconds” from package deliveries according to Reuters. AMAZON is also working on the next consumer version of its Echo Frames smart glasses product for a potential 2026 launch.
So, basically, in 8 years everyone will just be constantly recording everyone else with their glasses, and soon no one will be having any interesting conversations in public spaces. Great work, Big Tech! Turns out 1984 was only about 45 years off.
ALSO: More good news! Wall Street bonuses will very likely be increasing this year for the first time since 2021. I mean, I know debt underwriters do it for the excitement and the glamour . . . but it’s nice when they also get a little something for the effort too.
AND: The Rock basically confirmed in a new GQ profile that yeah — coming to set whenever he’s ready vs. what is on the call sheet for everyone else involved in the production “happens” on a given day, and yes — he definitely pees in water bottles on sets . . . but ya know, everybody seems cool about it and knows he’ll show up eventually. It’s just Dwayne being Dwayne.
Plus, DJ throwing in sums like $20k to $30k+ 💵 to the weekly Friday crew raffle certainly helps — so uh, let’s all just move on, mmmkay? Certainly can’t argue with the candor.
THEN: Chris Wallace and CNN have parted ways after 3 years, something which Lachlan Cartwright nodded to at The Ankler as being a likely development about a month ago.
OH: Pause is the new cancel in streaming — according to the WSJ, more services are giving folks who go to cancel their subscriptions an option to “pause” it for, say, 6 months instead . . . at which point they’ll be charged again when they’ve probably totally forgotten about it. 😁
This is of course all in an effort to mitigate churn. ANTENNA had a new report (again, 3rd party data — but an informed 3rd party) laying out which SVOD services had the biggest issues with U.S. cancellations, aka churn:
NETFLIX had the best retention, which should not be a shock to anyone who reads this newsletter given its subscriber number trends.
DISCO+ was next — which, while not surprising given the nature of the programming, is still a . . . huh. 🤔 Good for you, service that WBD never talks about!
HULU and DIS+ were next — kudos DISNEY Bundle!
MAX, however, was at the bottom . . . hence the constant WBD talk about bundling is the future.
EH: I’m sure this’ll work out just fine for those L.A. Times subscription numbers. I mean, fair & balanced — how could things go wrong? New Editorial Board also coming soon so . . . this should be fun.
GOOD NEWS: APPLE TV+ is finally hiring someone to figure out how to make money from this thing! Apply for the new APPLE TV+ Commercial Strategy Lead position here, which comes with a nice $176k to $318k salary . . . although no free APPLE TV+. You don’t find profits by giving the thing away, folks — what is this, 2021?
AND: There’s also an exec assistant job in APPLE TV+ Comms & PR, to, uh, help deal with people like me I’m guessing. 😬
Some other good new jobs to check out down in my weekly GET A JOB! section below, including exec roles at ILLUMINATION and NETFLIX, and some solid assistant gigs at BRILLSTEIN, APPLE TV+ and Taylor Sheridan’s company.
FINALLY: With all the talk of the economy outweighing things like abortion rights & medicine in the election — I just wanted to shed some light on this excellent 60 Minutes piece 👇 a week ago on the ramifications for overall healthcare due to Texas’ new abortion laws.
The effects on the ability to get proper reproductive healthcare in TX are actually just the start — the long-term effects on women getting proper medical care overall in the state will have repercussions for years.
🎥 THE SILVER SCREEN
