☀️ Elon Implosion; NASCAR continues +40% Sports Rights Bump 2023 narrative
ESPN gets new MMA league deal / LGF gets Stephen King pic / College Football sets new 2023 ratings high
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LinkedIn here if ya like), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on THURSDAY, Nov. 30 2023.
Where today’s kudos in media executive central casting goes out to… the DISNEY corporation!
Meet the two new DISNEY board members up for election at the next annual meeting: MORGAN STANLEY CEO James Gorman and former SKY head Jeremy Darroch, who were chosen after “a lengthy and comprehensive search that began in April 2023” for just the right two new white guys over 60. No these aren’t ChatGPT images, why? #happybirthdayGPT!
FOR THE RECORD: DISNEY’s 12 person board does have 5 women on it (here is the full list of folks up for election at the next annual meeting… none of whom is associated with Nelson Peltz).
ALSO FOR THE RECORD: Iger said he’s “definitely” exiting his DISNEY CEO role when his current contract is up at the end of 2026 (although he was not asked if he’d be… ya know, ‘around’ in 2028, just in case).
PLUS: SNL is closing out 2023 with some bangers:
Dec 9: Adam Driver, Olivia Rodrigo
Dec 16: Kate McKinnon, Billie Eilish
AND: NETFLIX is now seemingly licensing (major) video games, just as it does TV series and movies - ROCKSTAR’s Grand Theft Auto is adding mobile versions of three classic editions (San Andreas, Vice City and III) to the NETFLIX Gaming offering, still free of charge for all NETFLIX subs. They go live Dec. 14.
OF NOTE: There is a Grand Theft Auto 6 coming in 2024 👀.
ALSO: Here are your NY Film Critics Circle winners.
THEN: The next two WINTER OLYMPICS to be awarded will very likely be held in the ‘preferred bidder’ locations of:
2030 in the French Alps (assuming they still have snow by then)
2034 edition in Salt Lake City (assuming that will still be the name if there’s no lake left by 2034).
2026 is in Northern ITALY.
A REST IN PEACE:
Goes out to actress and two-time TONY winner Frances Sternhagen, who died at the age of 93, and whom you likely either know as Cliff’s mom from Cheers, of Charlotte’s mother-in-law from SATC.
And to former NETFLIX exec and activist/founder of the LEAD WITH LOVE social impact group Michael Latt, who was killed in his home on Monday evening by a homeless woman who had broken in. She is now in custody.
WAKEUP BOX OFFICE POLL
Queen Bey takes the multiplex this weekend with Renaissance in about 2300 locations (it’s also in 94 international territories).
The last pre-sales number out there is around $6 Million… with kind of a wide range of thinking depending on how much of the fanbase shows up… anywhere from about $15 Million to $20 Million.
So, what say ya’ll?
IN TODAY’S EDITION:
A big mix really… exec retirements and resignations, TV series renewals and endings, 2 new sports league deals, Horror movie project updates, social media news at not just X but THREADS, also… well, let’s get to it.
📽 THE SILVER SCREEN
