☀️PAR+ looks at folding in SHOWTIME, here's why it's complicated
WBD layoffs begin, more to come / AMAZON sets NFL audience guarantees / GOT & NETFLIX Movie audience updates
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on WEDNESDAY September 14, 2022.
Where HULU has set a “back to school” deal for college students: $2 a month (ad supported) for anyone with an .edu email address. Which I’m sure works out to a very cost effective price when you split it with your entire floor.
PLUS: The Ankler audience knows all once again… as my optimistic option of “7.5 Million or lower” for the EMMYS audience had far too high of a ceiling.
Final numbers are still due but initial numbers put The 2022 EMMYS at 5.9 Million on NBC Monday night, the lowest broadcast ever including the 2020 Covid show.
The “Monday Night Football” premiere was nearly 4X The Emmys at 20 Million viewers.
10 Million on ABC
8 Million on ESPN
And the near 2 Million spillover audience on ESPN2 and ESPN DEPORTES… which was bigger than the audience for “Succession” episodes on HBO on Sunday nights last season.
Richard and I discussed the future of the EMMYS franchise on the Ankler Hot Seat podcast, including:
The growing issue of “What America Watches” differing from “What Hollywood Creatives Watch”
How the “Squid Game” wins opens up a new lane for streamers still going hard with “prestige” series strategy - and why at least a couple of them should really get over this obsession and pull other levers.
Plus at least a few ideas to help the show (hint: Um, maybe stop going up against the NFL?? #self-inflictedwound)
ALSO: Guy Raz, who hosts NPR’s very popular entrepreneur podcast “How I Made This” is branching out into celebrity interviews with “The Great Creators with Guy Raz”. Initial guests include Zooey Deschanel, Jim Parsons, Andy Garcia and Blair Underwood.
AND: “The Music Man” will close on BROADWAY on January 1 when Hugh was scheduled to depart the show.
CORRECTION from yesterday: MIRAMAX’s 50% (ish) MIDDLE EAST owner beIN MEDIA is based in QATAR, not SAUDI ARABIA. PARAMOUNT owns the other half (ish) of MIRAMAX.
IN TODAY’S EDITION:
How SHOWTIME’s legacy business makes a PARAMOUNT+ integration complicated. Doable… but complicated, and the bigger industry picture considerations around doing so.
NEON makes TIFF aquisition.
New cast addition at HBOMAX’s “Julia” Season 2.
Exec news at AGBO, UTA, SECOND CITY and PARAMOUNT, as big layoffs hit PATREON, and WBD’s attrition only begins.
What 2004 SONY pic was… #6 on NETFLIX’s global movie chart this weekend.