☀️ Endeavor Goes Private, What's Next and What it Means for Talent
HBO gets into Tim Robinson business / SEARCHLIGHT adds to fall slate / Weekend sports ratings analysis
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, April 3, 2024.
Where who’s ready for Kelce Jam 2024?! I mean, I can’t have more than a 6-week period go by without some Travis news.
Mr. Kelce has set the lineup for his new annual tradition, with Lil Wayne, Diplo and 2 Chainz leading the way on May 18 (with “Free BBQ for all” also sharing the marquee — I mean it is KC, folks).
So let the speculation start now for the “special guest musical appearance” chatter from a certain newly minted billionaire 👀 . . . but either way, Richard — get the tailgate gear ready!
AND: That women’s March Madness game (IOWA vs. LSU) that every Hollywood studio — including the one tied to the network airing the game — pretty much sat out in terms of ad buys on Monday night? Yeah, it got the 2nd biggest audience of the men’s or women’s tournaments so far at 12.3 Million viewers, and the biggest audience ever for a women’s college hoops game.
It was also ESPN’s most watched basketball game of any league/tournament since a Game 7 of the NBA Conference Finals playoffs in 2018 🤯, and topped all NBA Finals games last year except for one (as well as all MLB World Series games in 2023).
ALSO: The largest men’s game this weekend was NC STATE’s win over DUKE on Easter Sunday, which notched 15.1 Million viewers on CBS, the biggest Elite Eight game since 2019, and the biggest basketball audience on TV in 2 years — the NBA Finals included.
More on the weekend in college hoops viewership, a PREMIER LEAGUE audience record, and UFL 🏈 debut numbers below in THE TV SET section.
OH: Just a reminder — ESPN is paying a fee for the women’s tournament that is about 3% the size of the men’s fee 🤯🤯. That profitability should make for a nice start to the DIS Q1/Q2 numbers.
THEN: JLo is rebranding her summer tour to a greatest hits outing, vs. one centered on her new music (old title —“This Is Me . . . Now,” new title — “This Is Me . . . Live | The Greatest Hits.” It comes after canceling some dates on the tour, possibly due to slow ticket sales according to Variety.
PLUS: Are BOGO deals on $90 Million mansions a thing in Florida? Bezos just bought his third property on Florida’s Indian Creek Island to go with the 2 parcels he previously bought for $147 Million.
No word how much it’ll be valued at
whenif the whole thing goes underwater, but not a bad ROI for the owner, as the last sale listed for it was in 1998 at $2.5 Million.
SO: See ya at the DISNEY annual meeting at 1 p.m. ET? Remember, don’t put “Bob Chapek” as the name on your fake ID to vote — I already have that one called.
Remember — roughly 40% of DISNEY stockholders are individuals, so all the brouhaha here will just come down to counting the vote in the end . . . no matter how many expert predictions abound. Then, we go from there.
Although, I’m sure Nelson Peltz really appreciates the vote of confidence from Elon . . . delivered after voting had already closed.
A REST IN PEACE: Goes out to actor Joe Flaherty, who died at the age of 82 — an actor whom I think was always a welcome sight to my fellow GenXers in various comedies over the years, from SCTV to Stripes to Freaks & Geeks and of course this one.
IN THIS EDITION:
Yes, ENDEAVOR is going back behind closed doors — a look into the rationale, the numbers (just how good was the streaming boom for WME?), a new suprise that was filed in documents this morning, and what might lie ahead.
DO YOU LIKE THIS NEWSLETTER? Okay wait, don’t answer that (could the guy give the emojis a break for one day? 🙄). But if you wouldn’t mind doing The Ankler team an overall solid — The Ankler is up for a Webby Award!
Take 15 seconds to vote here. I mean — if we lose to The Donut, I’m not sure I can break that news to the private NYC social club that I don’t belong to.
💻 THE MEDIA BIZ
