☀️ROKU sets 3rd Layoff in a year, with Multi-Million 💰 write-offs
SONY strong on NETFLIX Films chart / NEON buys DuVernay pic / CBS adds Aussie programming to Fall Sched
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 Sept 6, 2023.
Where the NFL is now… doubling down on the whole “Hollywood” angle to promote the new season, this time with ESPN using fake casting sessions with athletes and celebs for a “3rd host” audition for its Manningcast this season on ESPN2.
Something that the likely now circa 14 Million CHARTER TV subs may not be able to watch if a DISNEY deal isn’t struck by Monday evening.
Then again - the guys only do Manningcasts for 9 weeks/games of the 17-week NFL season, with their 2nd one not until early October.
Funny at times, yes (was 7 minutes really the ideal length for this?). But - first using script table reads, and now auditions to sell the new NFL season this year - yeah I mean, couldn’t you have put in a pin in this one til the 2024 season?
AND: DISNEY publicly recommended signing up for its digital HULU+LIVE TV bundle to watch ESPN… 4 days after CHARTER made its Friday Sept. 1 early morning bombshell. So… once all of the College Football and big US Open matches from the weekend were over. What’s going on over there??
ACTUALLY: CNBC has a few answers - well, at least in regards to the Iger-Chapek-Iger 2.0 thing in this deep dive into more minute details of the 3-year saga for those inclined.
THEN: The FTC is likely to mount an anti-trust lawsuit against AMAZON next month for anti-competitive sales tactics around 3rd-party sellers, according to the WSJ.
ALSO: As expected from rumors over the weekend, Joe Jonas filed for divorce from Sophie Turner after 4 years of marriage, and 2 children together.
OH: AMC THEATERS stock is -20% this morning again… nothing like making moves to potentially issue another 40 Million shares to make existing stockholders super psyched.
PLUS: Add… Airline “Strategic Advisor” to Tom Brady’s CV. #TomKnowsAviation🤷♂️?
IN TODAY’S EDITION
ROKU drops its 3rd and biggest layoff in a year’s time, and sizable (for ROKU) content write-off… while also raising its Revenue guidance. A look at what’s afoot here as the stock rises this morning.
WBD adjusts its Q3 $$ projections due to the strikes which means… their execs are officially ending their “over by early-mid September” thoughts.
NEON buys a VENICE pic, Langley brings in a business leader at NBCU, ANGEL sets its Easter season pic, CBS Fall Primetime turns to… Australia and much more.
ALSO - BIG DAY:
GOLDMAN SACHS Communicopia + Tech Conference lineup today:
COMCAST CEO Brian Roberts at 730a PT link to listen here
IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond at 850a PT link to listen here
SPOTIFY CFO Paul Vogel at 850p PT link to listen here
LIBERTY MEDIA CEO Greg Maffei at 105p PT link to listen here
WBD Zaz at 225p PT link to listen here
PARAMOUNT Bakish at 305p PT link to listen here
ALTICE CEO Dennis Matthew at 340p link to listen here
📽 THE SILVER TV 📺
