☀️ Cable TV still screwed as CHARTER wins DISNEY war
NETFLIX buys Anna Kendrick TIFF pic / NBC, CBS suspend more deals / TKO begins Wall Street trading
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 Sept. 12, 2023.
Where… worst finale of HBO’s Hard Knocks ever eh? (sorry, I’ve been reading too much TIFF coverage). I kept waiting for “Don’t Stop Believin” to kick in.
But quite a JETS game to remember across the board… and hey at least one N.Y. team had a season begin with some heart!
D’OH: COMCAST’s XFINITY app crashed for many right around NFL kickoff on Sunday afternoon, remaining down for as long as two hours for some customers. I can happily report my free over-the-air antenna worked just fine.
HMM: DIS+ & ESPN+ will stream a “Toy Story Funday Football” animated simulcast of the FALCONS & JAGUARS on Oct. 1 from London - “in Andy’s room,” where I think even 5-year-olds will ask “Why are they doing this for an… ATLANTA / JACKSONVILLE game?? 🙄”.
I look forward to seeing how they portray a damaged Achilles tendon in animation, but I could totally see Buzz giving a killer halftime speech. Here’s a trailer which… well, I think I get what this is?
ERR: Everyone’s an expert amirite? (via Next TV)
AND: I send a happy TKO Day to those who observe. The UFC-WWE stock debuts on the exchange today, and thus the new company is born.
PLUS: Steven Spielberg & Kate Capshaw have given around $1.5 million so far to the ECF (Entertainment Community Fund) and SAG-AFTRA Emergency Financial Assistance Program.
ALSO: For those keeping track of the movie pipeline, WB’s Beetlejuice 2 has just two days left of shooting to finish up. Pretty sure the timing delay won’t show on Keaton, although if there are any pre-teens in the movie - try and ignore that they’re three inches taller in a couple of scenes. It’s set for a Sept. 2024 release.
THEN: The VMA’s are tonight at 8 p.m. (exclusively on… linear Cable TV), where Diddy is the ‘legacy act’ if you want to feel as old as I do.
Other live performances include: Anitta, Cardi B, Demi Lovato, Doja Cat, Fall Out Boy, Karol G, Kelsea Ballerini, Lil Wayne, Måneskin, Megan Thee Stallion, Metro Boomin featuring Future, Olivia Rodrigo, Peso Pluma and Shakira.
Nicki Minaj is your host and also performing.
OH 📱: New iPhone details come out today, probably rather similar to the one you’re holding in your hand right now… but we’ll see what other bells and whistles Tim lays out for APPLE products.
IN TODAY’S EDITION:
While “sense of relief” or even positivity may be a natural reaction to the end of a deal standoff like CHARTER-DISNEY… the net results of the deal don’t really change any of the forces that brought us to this point, or make Cable TV a better proposition for, ya know - the customer.
Have you shopped for a Cable TV bundle lately? I did it for you, and it’s not pretty.
🪧 STRIKE FORCE
NBC & CBS suspended more big overall deals this week with names like Lorne Michaels, Dr. Phil, Dwayne Johnson and DeVon Franklin, in case you thought there was a near-term strike resolution on the horizon. /Deadline
Jamie Lynn Spears is joining ABC’s DWTS and will donate her salary to the WGA & SAG…although no specifics as to which funds here will benefit. The show is also moving to Tuesdays this Fall, starting Sept. 26. /Variety
Entertainment industry professionals have now withdrawn more than $44 million from their retirement accounts during the strike to try and get by. But wait - why didn’t they just dip into their stock options? Oh right 😂. /Variety
📽 THE SILVER SCREEN
