☀️ Endeavor's Fine, but uh, No Questions Please
NETFLIX has next int'l action hit / DISNEY sets India deal, writing off billions / TKO hints at big 2025
Morning! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LinkedIn here if ya like), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on WEDNESDAY, Feb. 28, 2023.
Where I’m sorry US/CAN $10 a month NETFLIX Basic tier subs, the party is over.
At least if you still pay for your subscription through APPLE . . . as NETFLIX is essentially booting any still existing Basic plan members who pay via the app on APPLE iOS (the company eliminated new signups paying through APPLE in 2018).
So Basic folk, it’s time to either pay up for the main plan… or enjoy those advertisements!
THEN: First, UNIVERSAL MUSIC invests in the NTWRK + COMPLEX biz to drain the pockets of music fans provide expensive but very life-rewarding upsell merch & experiences for musicians’ fanbases — now WARNER MUSIC announces it’s building their own ‘superfan app’ to do the same thing.
Is there any way we can get White Lotus superfans to pay more for MAX for the new season? Just thinking out loud.
PLUS: NETFLIX is going to produce a Broadway play from The Crown creator Peter Morgan, called Patriots. It’s set in 1991 and centers on billionaire Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky who helped orchestrate Putin’s rise to power, and later very coincidentally died when he became a Putin critic. Michael Stuhlbarg is playing Boris, and previews begin April 1.
ALSO: For anyone who thought that WBD buying/doing a deal with PARAMOUNT after last week’s earnings call was still a possibility — CNBC confirmed yeah, no.
AND: Poor Things will hit HULU on March 7, a few days before the Oscars (👀 on whether there’s a promo in the show for it).
IN THIS EDITION:
DISNEY finally unloads (and writes-down) their India business, a look at the new structure and impairment charges ahead.
TKO’s WWE & UFC continue to set attendance & 💰 records — the new UFC media rights deal is next, but then what, if anything? A look at the Q4 numbers and guidance.
Go inside the ENDEAVOR Q4 numbers, the latest trends at WME as it emerges from the strikes era, and what the earnings call indicates about what’s on the horizon.
NETFLIX has found its next international films sensation. It’s not a Troll-level hit, but the numbers here are impressive… as their latest rom-com takes a big fall. Go inside the numbers to know from this week’s chart, and much more on a busy Wednesday.
💻 THE MEDIA BIZ
#medianerd🤓 gets cooking
ENDEAVOR Q4: No Questions Please
So this is kinda new — no analyst questions were allowed on the EDR Q4 earnings call Wednesday morning. Unusual, yes, unprecedented, no. It’s also understandable . . . let’s dive into the comments and numbers to know.