☀️New CHARTER TV Bundle Shows Exactly What's Wrong with Hollywood
PARTICIPANT shutters / NBCU likely losing another RSN / WB adds 2nd Animation pic in a month
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LinkedIn here if ya like), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on WEDNESDAY, April 17, 2024.
Where a congrats goes out to the LAKERS for (barely) continuing their season with their slim “play-in” game win last night over the PELICANS to make the big boy NBA Playoffs.
GOLDEN STATE, however, well, it’s been a nice run fellas.
PLUS: The SAG Awards will take place Sunday, Feb. 23 next year, streaming on NETFLIX of course (a week before the Oscars).
OH: Jon M. Chu will direct a Broadway musical adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians.
ALSO: The WNBA draft got 2.5 Million viewers on ESPN Monday night, the biggest audience for the WNBA since 2000, period. Some comps — it was roughly the size of Friday Night Smackdown on FOX Friday night, and a smidge below NBA “Play-in” games last year.
The NBA Draft last year got 3.7 Million viewers, although it aired on both ABC and ESPN.
I have the rest of your weekend sports ratings comps down below as usual on Wednesdays, including Masters final numbers, UFC 300, UFL, NHL, PREMIER LEAGUE and more.
AND: Two Democratic Congressmen sent a letter to Sports HULU leadership requesting answers to some questions about what’s afoot, and want them to cc the Justice Department with their replies by April 30 (the 19-question pop quiz is in the link).
Given that we’re just about 4 months away from the start of college football season, I’m sure they’re not the only ones looking for some details by May.
FUN CHART: From the WSJ’s look at the box-office variety this year, where of the 20 pics yet to be released that are projected to gross $100+ Million, 17 are sequels, or based on TV / Broadway IP.
Of course the 3 biggest pics so far this year are all sequels as well (Dune Part 2, Godzilla x Kong and Kung Fu Panda 4), and the biggest Christmas movie was a reboot too (Wonka).
IN THIS EDITION:
With all of the focus on women’s sports this spring — did you know the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has been playing for almost a month already? Any idea how many Americans are watching? Take a look at the comps vs. other sports from the weekend.
CHARTER’s new “skinny bundle” offering demonstrates exactly why Hollywood studio stock prices are where they are. Time for a good look in the mirror at what we’re trying to sell to America, folks.
You should look too Congress, as you get ready to grill the Sports HULU idea.
The NETFLIX murder doc genre gets a new hit, as international films again took a big part of the NETFLIX Films viewership last week. Get the insights to know from the latest numbers.
Chicago looks to be ending their current RSN era for the most part.
PARTICPANT pics shuts down, plus a lotta project news around town, from WB to AMAZON, PAR, LGF, SONY, APPLE TV+ and, well okay, pretty much everyone.
🎥 THE SILVER SCREEN
