☀️NETFLIX Sees Big Returns in 'Ms. Rachel', WWE 'Rumble'
YOUTUBE Q4 💰 beats NETFLIX Q4 💰 / A24 picks up comedy pic / SPOTIFY's big turnaround
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LinkedIn here if ya like or email me at seanmcnultynyc@gmail.com), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on WEDNESDAY, February 5, 2025.
Where good news! People are going to NFL games . . . apparently to spend more time on their phones.
VERIZON reported that data usage at NFL games was +37% over 2023, with video usage making up 25% of that. Nothing like going to the game, only to spend a good portion of it on INSTA.
The biggest consumption game of the week? Mondays — huh, I guess that spreadsheet work really can be done from anywhere.
AND: AMAZON MGM’s Another Simple Favor sequel pic will open SXSW next month and is going the AMAZON PRIME streaming route on May 1. The studio’s The Accountant 2 will also play the fest.
THEN: At the rate STARZ is going, I’m pretty sure I got a bundle with the turkey sub I got for lunch the other day — the 3rd deal announced in a week is 30 days of free STARZ for all YOUTUBE TV customers.
PLUS: The Grammys audience was 15.4M viewers on CBS Sunday, about -10% vs. last year, although I’m not entirely sure how they have the ratings yet as I’m pretty sure the show is still going (Oscars — do not take any duration lessons here from a 3h 45m+ awards show).
Although the show apparently set some kind of “social media interactions” record for a broadcast . . . and I’m sure Zuck is very thankful to the Academy for all of the resulting ad revenue without having to pay a dime to said Academy for the rights. The CBS ad sales team may have different thoughts.
AND: The record for Longest Media Standoff 😡 finally has an answer, as COMCAST ended its 5-year face-off with the ALTITUDE RSN in Colorado, agreeing to add the network with NUGGETS 🏀 and AVALANCHE 🥅 games to the $16 a month XFINITY sports tier in the state.
ALSO: NASCAR fans — the 2nd tier XFINITY SERIES is gonna have a new name, as COMCAST is taking the name off after 9 years (it’ll still be a sponsor of the league, which airs races on NBC/USA Network).
THUS: NASCAR now needs to find a new naming sponsor — the SPINCO SERIES has a ring to it, no? 🧐
HOUSEKEEPING FOR TODAY:
You’re getting this a bit earlier this morning as I’m going to do a separate breakdown of the DISNEY Q4 numbers in a little while and will be busy listening to the dulcet tones of Bob Iger for an hour-ish shortly.
His . . . 2 minutes of prepared comments before Q&A were certainly a new one.
IN THIS EDITION
Lotta key data to break down in the latest NETFLIX charts, including the promising results from its latest move in kids programming — and the IP now available out there that I haven’t seen folks talking about that could be another opportunity for NETFLIX.
Plus the popularity of Euro action pics solidifies, and Back in Action continues to rule.
And the new WWE numbers to know (plus the breakdown of the rest of the TV sports audiences from the weekend across NFL, PGA and NBA).
All the YOUTUBE 💰 comps to know as it reclaims the quarterly crown from NETFLIX, why this may just be a one-quarter thing, and a breakdown of revenues of its ad biz vs. its cable TV bundle biz.
Another notable A24 pickup, a small Sundance deal, some moves in the executive suite and much more.
🎥 THE SILVER TV 📺
