☀️NETFLIX makes rare North America-only deal for Todd Haynes CANNES pic 🧐
DIS layoffs start, and more coming at WBD / NFL flex's AMAZON's Thu NFL games / META sells GIPHY
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LinkedIn here if ya like), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on TUESDAY May 23, 2023.
Where happy MAX launch day ya’ll 🥳! So, umm… Now whadda we do? Although my app doesn’t seem to have changed this morning 😢.
ELSEWHERE: A busy night for the Movie Studios on the big NBC finale (pt1) for The Voice last night (yes, including a MAX Ad).
Sidebar: Gotta love Blake Shelton making a semi-joking “Bring back the writers!” plea in the live show, when some banter wasn’t exactly landing.
The June Family Theatrical offerings had a large Voice presence (among other film spots), with the animated Spider-Man pic and Elemental both buying Ad spots involving custom shoots, Little Mermaid had a healthy presence of course, and NBCU gave at least a special-promoted Ad break for Ruby Gilman: Teenage Kracken (plus a lotta “Super Mario now avail to Rent or Buy!” spots).
Although as far as I saw - somehow NBCU’s Strays got the snub with The Voice crowd for some reason.
HUZZAH! Jeff Bezos is reportedly getting hitched again - according to People, Lauren said yes… and there was a ring spotted on her finger in photos from Jeff’s yacht in CANNES this weekend - but no word on a date for the wedding. As long as it’s not on a Friday Jeff - I’m good (I can’t miss a podcast taping).
LO AND BEHOLD! Looks like the PAR+wSHO report I shared yesterday was spot on - it’s coming Tues June 27! $12 a month (which is the same price that the 2 services are packaged at currently), with no Ad-supported tier.
Gonna say this hits $14 a month by Q1 2024.
AND: PAR+only (Ad-supported) is going up to $6 a month (+$1), and now has no PAR+only Ad-free option.
ALSO: The SHO app will hit the digital trash bin by end of year, at which point the linear network will transition to the PAR+wSHO eyechart rebrand.
IN TODAY’S EDITION:
Layoffs: May edition begins, as 2500 more DISNEY layoffs start to roll out this week, and WBD re-enters the job trimming fray this Summer.
NETFLIX makes rare North America-only prestige buy at CANNES.
META sells GIPHY.
NFL sets rules to help AMAZON with their NFL game lineup later in the season, and more.
🪧 STRIKE NEWS
The VERVE Agency will begin laying off some support staff as a result of the strike. Reduced salaries for agents & agency leaders will also be enacted.
FX ON HULU’s The Old Man is suspending production after finishing its 4th episode (scripts for the rest of the season are not finished/locked).
SAG-AFTRA has outlined the 4 main pillars they’ll be negotiating for in a new deal:
Residuals - presumably meaning rate increases… but the language here was broad.
AI Protections.
Audition Self-Taping rules.
Studio executives are overpaid! (honestly I’m not sure what this one was about… but I think it’s also rate increases, but for acting gig minimums).
👋 VOICE ARTISTS: SPOTIFY is building AI tech so you can use hosts like Bill Simmons to do your podcast Ads… without Bill having to actually, ya know, read them. Bill said he would of course have to give approval first, which may defeat the whole purpose here.
I’m sure false advertising lawyers also might have a few thoughts on this one.
AND A PODCAST RECO:
Sonny Bunch’s latest podcast with screenwriter Colby Day paints a very detailed picture about what it’s like as a working screenwriter today… if you consider “working” to be doing mostly free work.
This was a fantastic, first-person window into the life of a screenwriter - highly recommend!
🎥 THE SILVER SCREEN
