☀️PAR+ creating SHOWTIME MCU, as YELLOWSTONE hits rumored Costner impasse

VOX loses 50% of valuation in PENSKE deal / NETFLIX doing Prince Andrew pic / AMC Theaters puts tax on the good seats

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 February 7, 2023.

Where fast-NIELSEN numbers put THE GRAMMYS at 12.4 Million viewers… but that can and likely will go up a bit in final numbers today.

So the 11% of Wakeup Swiftie readers who rolled the dice on 13 Million in the poll yesterday… you have an excellent shot! (btw 81% of you took the under 13 Million option).

And yes, that’s up about +30% from THE GRAMMYS: The Covid Sessions… but it’s down over -30% from pre-Covid numbers.

this is how I picture them when the newsletter hits their inbox each morning. via Giphy

NOTE for ADELE & LIZZO: Tomorrow’s edition will be a little late, due to FOX’s morning Q4 Earnings Call. Come for the increased FOX NEWS Midterms Ad Revenue, stay for the TUBI talk.

ALSO: Apparently the rotating turntable stage for the HARRY STYLES performance at THE GRAMMYS on Sunday… went in the wrong direction from what the dancers were rehearsing with for the entire week leading up.

AND: Meet Bard, GOOGLE’s first noteworthy AI Search salvo against ChatGPT. It’s based on GOOGLE’s language processing tech called LAMDA… and even ChatGPT couldn’t help trying to find the perfect “Revenge of the Nerds” gif to go with it. You’ll never replace me GPT!! Also Bard? Really?

• BUT: Axios had a read on how these AI Search tools will very likely take away a small but meaningful source of traffic (💰) for some online publishers, who do articles a la “How to watch the Super Bowl online” and such as Revenue grabs.

IN TODAY’S EDITION:

• SONY looks to revive “I Know What You Did Last Summer”. again.

• Early TWITTER BLUE sub numbers… are not great.

• Costner’s days at “Yellowstone” may be close to the sunset.

• The details on PENSKE becoming largest shareholder in VOX… which has now taken 2 valuation hits in the past 7 years.

• PAR+ with SHOWTIME extends the PAR+ Originals “just do the hits” mantra onto SHO programming.

• COMCAST is still dumping BUZZFEED shares.

• NETFLIX is doing a Prince Andrew pic, and LIONSGATE & BLUMHOUSE team up on thriller.

• “The Last Of Us” keeps growing at HBO (in the non-fungal way), and more!

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📽 THE SILVER SCREEN

see Ryan, this is why you’re not coming back. Also I’m 60% sure you died in the first one. via Giphy