☀️ REDBIRD’s New $$ Boost to Prod Co. Space
NBA Cup, MLS audience woes continue / WB ANI reviving 'Tom & Jerry' / WGA's new AI letter
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect here on LINKED-IN if ya like or email me seanmcnultynyc@gmail.com) and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on FRIDAY, December 13, 2024.
Where NFL fans are gonna have a real Sophie’s Choice on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. 😬 — do you go with the big STEELERS vs. EAGLES game on FOX, or the big BILLS vs. LIONS game on CBS?
This is just the 2nd time ever that 2 NFL games have happened on the same weekend at this point in the season with all 4 teams playing having over 10 wins, much less playing in the same timeslot.
I mean, naturally we all make our sports TV viewing decisions based on which announcers are calling the games each week anyway 😉 . . . but both networks will also feature their top announcing teams who make more than $20M a year to call football games.
Ah geez, I may need to consult Janice & Richard for advice on this one. 😳
🎄 PSA: A Charlie Brown Christmas is free for all to watch on APPLE TV+ tomorrow and Sunday (link here).
HUH: Elon’s charitable MUSK FOUNDATION has failed to give away the IRS-mandated minimum of 5% of the assets it controls each year . . . for the past 3 years. 🫣 I mean, Elon wouldn’t be using it as a way to dodge taxes, would he?
The foundation can remedy the situation by giving away more money over the 5% minimum in 2024 to make up the deficit — which is $696M over the 2021-2023 period. There is no indication that it has done so as of yet.
The foundation was founded in 2002, has never had any paid employees, and had $9B worth of assets — mainly in TESLA stock Elon has put into it . . . which comes with a nice tax break.
THEN: That was fast — you can now get CNBC+ for $100/yr or $15/month, no cable TV subscription required.
AH: Your latest addition to the “We cool, bro? 🥴” fund is AMAZON, which is also chipping in $1M to Trump’s Inauguration fund.
ALSO: Et tu, YOUTUBE? Yes, YT TV is hiking prices by $10 to $83 a month starting Jan. 13 for current subs (and right now for new subs). I mean — GOOGLE isn’t made of money, y’all. 🤥 Have fun, 2025 #cordcutting trends!
SO: This oh-so-conveniently matches HULU+ LIVE TV’s $83 a month rate — but there you also get the DISNEY Bundle included (with ads).
UH: But hey — with YOUTUBE TV you get, uh, free YOUTUBE! 🥴
IN THE END: Look folks, somebody’s gotta pay the $3 a month for TNT, constant FOX NEWS CHANNEL affiliate increases and NBC’s big NBA bill next year — and that person is you. 👋
NOTE: YT TV was $65 a month just 2 years ago, and $40 a month in spring 2018, so yes if you feel like you were sold a bad bill of streaming goods . . . you were. Ah, the 2010s.
PLUS: Yeah I’m really starting to think SPOTIFY CEO Daniel Ek is giving gifts to every citizen of Sweden this year — he sold another $28M of stock on Wednesday, making for a new total of $248M this year.
SPOTIFY cofounder and board member Martin Lorentzon has sold $556M worth of SPOT in 2024. 🤑
MAN: The NETFLIX Christmas rom-com department never rests . . . count Alicia Silverstone and Oliver Hudson as 2 of your stars next November in A Merry Little X-Mas, directed by Steve Carr (Paul Blart, Daddy Day Care).
Melissa Joan Hart is co-starring and producing through her HARTBREAK FILMS.
AND: Add Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to the remake big board — AMAZON MGM has dug it up from the library for EON PRODUCTIONS (Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson) to develop into a new movie — it was originally based on a book by Ian Fleming.
HULU also ordered a pilot for a Prison Break reboot.
OH: The WGA sent a carefully worded letter to the studios essentially saying “Hey, for a business that so feverishly fights against digital piracy . . . maybe, uh, protect your friggin’ script copyrights too!”
This is in response to the Atlantic article last month about how AI is training itself on the TV and film scripts that studios own.
Gee, I wonder if this will come up in WGA-AMPTP deal negotiations in about 18 months?
BUT: AI video generator RUNWAY expects revenue to 3x in 2025 to $265M on an annual run-rate basis, not full-year basis (i.e. RUNWAY will make less than $265M in 2025).
COMP: PERPLEXITY AI expects $127M in 2025 revenue, again on an annual run-rate basis, so it will be far less than this on the whole for 2025.
Annual run rate = take the revenue in a given month and multiply it by 12 (even though the previous 11 months likely did not reach the revenue amount in the 12th month)
WAKEUP BOX OFFICE POLL RESULTS
The Kraven bears have spoken. See you Sunday.
NEW ANKLER PODCAST EPISODE
Is coming later today, so just make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to podcasts — APPLE is here, SPOTIFY is here, or just search “The Ankler” and hit subscribe on your platform of choice.
📺 THE SILVER SCREEN
