☀️NBA Rights Final: AMAZON In, WBD Cries Foul

Hollywood's busiest screenwriter gets busier / How the NBA deals will change TV ecosystem / DIAMOND SPORTS delays again

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, July 25, 2024.

Where your IRL Succession dreams have finally come true! Rupert’s trying to find the flexibility in the term “irrevocable” when it comes to trusts, like say the one he set up long ago for his 4 kids (sorry last 2 from the 3rd marriage, your parting gift is over here — and apologies for never fitting you into the HBO show).

• Basically he’s trying to give Lachlan more directional control of FOX CORP and NEWS CORP, as Kendall Lachlan is currently outvoted 3 to 1 on matters given the equal voting share among the 4 kids, and the 3 may have, uh, different views about what should be on the networks and publications in those respective empires once dad is gone.

• The other 3 kids are subsequently, uh, lawyering up, as kids do.

Yeah, she’s not goin’ for the “it’s for the best of the company” angle. Via Giphy

NEW BUNDLE, WHO DIS: The DISNEY-led bundling of DIS+, HULU and MAX will run ya $17 for the ad tiers (which ranges from a value of $3 off to $9 off), and $30 for ad-free (about a $7 savings).

• Just go to the catchy URL of https://disneyplushulumaxbundle.com/ to sign up.

PLUS: A happy Comic-Con to those who celebrate.

UH: Ya know what? I’m just gonna leave this one here. Thanks THR.

AND: The NYFF set Steve McQueen’s APPLE TV+ pic Blitz as the closing night pic this year on October 10. It hits the service on Nov. 22.

SO: I know no one’s ever complained about a press day being too short — but thinking this news conference for UCLA Football could have used a little more than this . . . 1-minute statement from the coach, that concluded with this informative nugget:

• “I’m sure you guys don’t know too much about UCLA and our football program, but we’re in L.A. Um . . . It’s us and USC. We, um . . . I’m just basically excited, really. That’s it. Any questions?”

MEANWHILE: Speaking of “Today in Great PR” — ya remember that global internet crash that cyber “security” firm CROWDSTRIKE induced earlier this month? Yeah the company is giving . . . $10 UBER EATS cards to their partners to make up for it. 🙏

BUT ALSO: Over in “Today in Social Media 💩🔥” — META removed more than 63k INSTA accounts involved in sextortion schemes (mostly based in Nigeria), and “thousands” of FB groups where people shared tips on how to extort people.

• Gotta love a $1T global company which:

  • A) is just allowed to let this kind of activity exist on its platform for months at a time (btw don’t worry advertisers, I’m sure none of your ads were around this activity).

  • B) doesn’t bother to spend the money & resources to make this a constant job to prevent & immediately eradicate, especially as something which has led to the suicide of numerous teen users.

    • META cleared $12B in profit in the first 3 months of this year alone.

PLUS: HULU is moving from ‘80s nostalgia #Brats to the ‘90s with a new docuseries (produced by DIS+ U.K. division) called In Vogue: The 90s, featuring the magazine’s top editors (yes, including Anna) and celebs who graced the covers during the decade. It premieres Sept. 13.

WAKEUP BOX OFFICE POLL

This summer’s moment of truth is here, albeit almost 3 months late — the R-rated Deadpool & Wolverine is tracking at around $160M to $170M.

Deadpool currently holds the titles for biggest R-rated opening weekends with $132M for the original, and $123M for the sequel in 2016 and 2018 respectively.

This one has a lot of IMAX and PLF screens, so let’s just see what ya got!

IN TODAY’S EDITION

• Take a close look at all of the actual details in the new NBA deals (pending potential WBD legal action aside), to see what really matters to sports leagues as we enter the later half of the 2020s.

  • What AMAZON is putting on the table here for the league that MAX can’t match.

  • How much increasing value broadcast TV has, and even more so — international reach.

  • The VENU of it all.

  • The challenges that the deals present for local NBA team rights, and much more.

• The latest financial health checkup for 2 big players in the movie theater biz.

• Hollywood is also no slouch — ok fine, it’s mostly just more activity at 2 of the 3 main active buyers these days.

• DIAMOND SPORTS punts another bankruptcy court date, and much more.

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📽 THE SILVER SCREEN

Chris Hemsworth, big APPLE fan. Via Giphy