NETFLIX buys Video Game studio
NETFLIX buys Video Game studio
LAW & ORDER 'classic' returning to NBC / NFL entering NFT's / SUNDANCE sets 2022 IRL + Virtual plan
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on WEDNESDAY September 29, 2021.
Where it’s a relatively light day, so I’m gonna lead off with a shoutout to my fellow Irish citizens 🍻. Their 90% fully vaxx’d rate for adults has put IRELAND at the top of the list of places to live in the covid era. I could totally write this newsletter from there no?
ALSO: Ari Emanuel had a very Ari take on the CAA-ICM deal at the CODE conference yesterday:
“I think what they bought was five incredible TV writers,” Emanuel quipped … “They bought a very good book business and a very good soccer representation business out of Europe.”
📽 THE SILVER SCREEN
SUNDANCE plans hybrid IRL/Virtual fest for 2022
Dates will be Jan 20-30. IMO this coulda been presented a lot simpler in the announcement… so take a look at the link to make sure I’m not missing something here, but it sounds like it’ll be:
A bunch of screenings in Park City, as well as Salt Lake City.
Plus screenings during the final weekend at 7 satellite theaters in different US cities.
Or just stream at home along the way as ya like. All details & ticket buying info here on their site more or less.
IN THE HOLLYWOOD EXECUTIVE SUITE
ANNAPURNA names “Minari” producer Christina Oh as their new co-head of Film. She was most recently an exec at Brad Pitt’s PLAN B. The other Film co-head Adam Paulsen just joined in June. /Variety
AMC NETWORKS COO Ed Carroll departing at the end of the year, following CEO Josh Sapan who left last month. Former SHOWTIME head Matt Blank is currently in the interim-CEO role while they look for a permanent replacement… or sell the company. Dealer’s choice. /Deadline
📺 THE TV SET
NBC bringing back “Law & Order” OG version
They ordered a 21st season of the show that started it all… No word if it’ll debut later this TV season or next Fall. Its last season was back in 2010.
Some cast members will be returning… but none specified yet. Nor an episode count. Basically - the show is coming back, and I’d say it’s even-money that Sam Waterston returns, but otherwise #ThatsAll. /THR
New Monday TV series 2nd Week Ratings:
NBC’s “Ordinary Joe” fell from 3.9 Million for its premiere, to 2.7 Million for episode 2.
FOX’s “The Big Leap” held steady at 1.5 Million. It’s lead-in “911” grew about 500k viewers in week 2, hitting 5.5 Million.
CBS’s “NCIS: Hawai’i” had a small 15% drop to 5.5 Million.
ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” was up about a million to 14.75 Million viewers. /THR
ALSO IN TV
Jesse Palmer will host the next season of “The Bachelor”. Will shoot this Fall and air in January. /THR
FXX renews “Archer” for Season 13. 8 episode order for 2022 season. /Deadline
DISNEY+ “The Mysterious Benedict Society” for a Season 2. /Deadline
CNN+ hires “Pivot” & “Prof G Show” podcast personality & NYU Marketing Professor Scott Galloway to host a new TBD show, looking at the “intersection of Media & Tech”. Will launch with the CNN+ service in TBD Q1 2022. He just did a similar show for VICE TV that lasted a season. /Variety
APPLE TV+ comedy series written & directed by Bonnie Hunt,“Amber Brown” casts Sarah Drew (“Grey’s Anatomy”) in the lead role. Based on a Children’s book series about a girl finding her voice through art and music after her parents’ divorce. /Variety
Longtime SNL director Don Roy King retiring from the show after 15 seasons. “Ellen” director Liz Patrick will take over on Saturday night. /Deadline
💻 THE MEDIA BIZ
NETFLIX buys video game developer
NIGHT SCHOOL STUDIOS, who makes a game called “Oxenfree” will now be a division of NETFLIX.
No price disclosed… as NETFLIX’s push into mobile gaming takes another big step, on top of Sarandos confirming it’s a key priority for the company this week at CODE Conference. /THR
OZY MEDIA suspends Co-Founder who fake-called into a Goldman Sachs meeting
You probably read or at least heard about this bizarre story in the NY TIMES on Monday, where OZY MEDIA’s COO and co-founder pretended to be a YOUTUBE exec on a GOLDMAN SACHS call in February, set up to give GS insight into OZY’s YOUTUBE performance as the investment bank was considering an investment in OZY at the time.
The incident was excused internally as a mental-health lapse… and the board didn’t do much. Until this story. Now the COO is suspended, and a law-firm has been hired (turns out impersonating an executive is frowned upon by the SEC).
OZY CEO and face of the compay Carlos Watson has also stepped down from hosting the News & Doc EMMYS ceremony tonight. And I’m still not quite sure what OZY’s business model is. Which sounds like an increasingly popular sentiment. Ironically Carlos Watson used to work at GOLDMAN back in the day. /Deadline
ALSO IN MEDIA
NFL entering the NFT space - looking to set a deal with DAPPER LABS, who basically launched the NFT space for sports with NBA TOP SHOT. /SportsBusinessJournal
Essentially this sounds like a similar deal to the NBA to create NFT’s of plays/moments from the NFL to sell… which would make for a fresh deal that it sounds like DAPPER could use:
NBA TOP SHOT averaged about $90 Million a month of revenue from Oct 2020 to this May.
It had about $700k of revenue in September. Granted, Sept is off-season for the NBA but… Fad? What Fad? /FOS
CNN blocks access to their FACEBOOK pages in AUSTRALIA. This based on a recent court ruling that said companies are liable for comments people make on their posts there. /WSJ
AMAZON’s free IMDBTV streaming service launches in the UK, its first market outside the US. No set plans to launch elsewhere for the time being. /THR
GROUP NINE MEDIA looks to finally be profitable in 2021, with $200 Million in revenue. They run digital brands like THE DODO, NOW THIS, and THRILLIST. /Axios
AMAZON’S WONDERY podcast company is launching a subscription Kids & Family podcast initiative called “Wondery+ Kids” on APPLE PODCASTS for $5 a month. /THR
🏦 STOCK NOTES:
A down day for most.
TWITTER, WARNER MUSIC, AMC THEATERS and PELOTON all down around 5%
SNAP down over 7%, but ENDEAVOR ended the day +6% based on their Gambling deal news.
👩💻 NEW TO WATCH:
Well you can wait for the latest in BRITNEY’s court case later this afternoon… her hearing is at 430p EST.
Or right now - you can watch this celebrity swag story from “Colbert” on Tues that made me laugh. Paul Giamatti was under the impression he was getting free BURGER KING for life. He was not (link should begin right at the story).
If you were sent this newsletter or… just kinda found it:
🎥 TRAILER HOUSE
NETFLIX “The Harder They Fall” trailer. A Western with a fast-cutting modern directorial approach, starring Idris, Regina King, Jonathan Majors, Zazie Beats, Delroy Lindo, and LaKeith Stanfield.
Jay-Z among the producers. In select Theaters Fri Oct 22, on NETFLIX Wed Nov 3.
HBOMAX “Curb Your Enthusiasm” conceptual teaser. No footage but a fun concept! Premieres Sun Oct 24… curiously the end card only says “streaming October 24” and the HBOMAX logo… but no mention of HBO. Well either way it will premiere at 1040p that night on the network.
HBOMAX “Phoebe Robinson: Sorry, Harriet Tubman” trailer. The comedy special Premieres Thu Oct 14.
🎧 PLAYING ME OFF
Well, since ADELE fans really seem to think we’ll be getting a new ADELE album this week … (GRAMMY qualifications end tomorrow Thu Sept 30). Here’s one of my Fall listening favorites, “Water Under the Bridge”.
If you need new tunes:
Email me anytime - just reply to this email, or connect here on LINKED IN.
-Sean McNulty
@theseanmac on TWITTER
@TheWakeupNews on INSTAGRAM
or I’m also here on CLUBHOUSE