☀️PAR Shutters TV Studio, More TV Layoffs Surface
NETFLIX's next live content genre / HULU's big series order / Studios dominate NETFLIX films chart
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, August 14, 2024.
Where don’t mind all of that chatter about the U.S. Gov’t considering ways to break up GOOGLE this morning — look at its new and improved AI bot!
Finally, the ability to have that actual hours-long conversation with your (AI) assistant that you’ve always dreamt of having, and I can guarantee there won’t be one mention of paying them an extra $2 an hour so they can afford health insurance! Technology is really something.
This was all part of GOOGLE’s big Made by Google hardware promo day yesterday, which also gave us the, uh, bold (🤷♂️) shade-throwing talking point that you know who you’re talking to with our Gemini AI bot on the Android OS, as opposed to . . . whichever bot you may be talking to on the upcoming APPLE Intelligence offering 🙄.
And yes, we’re talking about humans . . . talking to computer software. Well, at least we found another episode plotline for our Silicon Valley reboot.
PLUS: It’s not just the U.S. which is keeping a keen eye on media regulation — DISNEY and RELIANCE are offering to sell (fewer than) 10 TV channels to get DISNEY’s $8.5B merger of its STAR business to RELIANCE through the approval process.
What’s that? Our near domination of TV & streaming rights of the country’s most popular sport 🏏? Oh don’t worry, that’s fine.
AND: Just a little chart here for CEOs and Corp Comms teams to keep in mind going forward, according to a new GALLUP poll.
BUT: Talk about a tough chart to have associated with your LINKEDIN account from that time you ran STARBUCKS for a year or so. 😬
THEN: X’s annual advertising revenue:
2021: $4.5B (via company documents)
2023: $2.5B (via Bloomberg)
2024: $2B (via Axios)
Just a comp: PARAMOUNT made more than $2.2B of revenue from TV & streaming advertising in Q2 alone.
ALSO: The NY Times has a look at TUBI’s rise at FOX today, as “free” continues to rise in popularity in the face of continual #pricehikes. A couple of interesting audience NIELSEN #funfacts, outside of TUBI’s growing share of the monthly NIELSEN streaming viewership chart:
46% of the June TUBI audience was Black.
Over 50% of the audience is over 50.
As TUBI/FOX has stated previously — about 90% of viewing on the platform is on-demand, and only 10% is of the linear FAST TV channels.
OH: DOORDASH is including MAX (ad tier) for subscribers to the delivery service’s annual subscription program. #FunFact — the person doing your delivery may have actually been working at the streaming service as recently as last month. #toosoon?
IN TODAY’S EDITION
Yes, one of the iconic TV studio brands is being sunset at PARAMOUNT, as the first round of downsizing begins — a look at why this is very likely just a first round based on what’s ahead, as yet another linear TV-based brand steps on deck with staff cuts.
A look at just how much studio movie libraries matter for NETFLIX engagement.
PLUS: The Olympics certainly has had a chilling effect on NETFLIX Films viewership, although likely due to what appears to be NETFLIX’s tactic of just letting the games have their moment — look at the latest audience viewership numbers, and the NETFLIX Films resurgence on the horizon.
HULU sets a big new series swing, as NETFLIX talks to dead people this fall and much more.
📽 THE SILVER SCREEN
