☀️Sandler rules NETFLIX again, as DeNiro sets 2nd TV project in a row
Cruel Intentions gets TV series / Kit Harrington joins HBO series / MARCH MADNESS ends with whimper for Men's tourney
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 April 5, 2023.
Where the Men’s MARCH MADNESS Championship game got 14.7 Million viewers on CBS Monday night in prelim Nielsens (excl. bar viewing etc), which will likely be a new low for the game if it doesn’t get a huge bump in final numbers (not likely).
But - that is bigger than any NBA Finals game last Summer, and the biggest audience for any basketball game in a year, and the game itself was never really that close. The College Football Championship also was the least-watched ever with 17.2 Million viewers back in January on ESPN, although that one was a 65-7 blowout.
The Final Four was a bit of a mix:
The early game got 11.9 Million viewers, +200k viewers vs. last year.
The later game had 12.9 Million, down considerably from 17.7 Million last year…
Although that was DUKE vs NORTH CAROLINA (and the last game for DUKE’s Coach K) which is a terribly tough comp.
Prior to the final 2 rounds, Men’s MARCH MADNESS averaged 9.4 Million viewers, pretty much in line with the past 2 years (down slightly from last year, up slightly from 2021). The Women’s hoops Championship of course set a new record at 9.9 Million on ABC Sunday afternoon.
AND: A happy Passover to those who begin celebrating later today.
BUT: The Murdoch wedding is off! Cancel the FOX NATION special… as Rupert and Ann Lesley Smith have decided not to get married in late Summer. Or ever I suppose. Damn, hope I can still get in on that Jersey Shore summer share in August 💪.
PLUS: Remember when gaming consoles were going to be a key gateway for TV viewing? Yeah not so much - only 6% of streaming TV viewing is done via things like PLAYSTATIONs and XBOXs according to a new poll of 2000 folks.
Smart TV’s accounted for 50% of viewing time
Streaming devices (ROKU’s, APPLE TV boxes etc) accounted for 21%
Wakeup Box Office poll results:
Super Mario Bros: 57% think we’ll be over $130 Million for the 5-day - not a resounding confidence… but a general optimism I’d say.
AIR: Definitely a mixed bag here which tracks - the majority (46%) say it will stay in its $16 Mil to $19 Mil tracking, although “under $16 Million” was 2nd at 31%.
IN TODAY’S EDITION:
Sandler dominates global NETFLIX Films viewing with the top 2 movies (by far), with regional hits in INDIA and KOREA emerging. Plus a look at Sandler’s now 10 movies at the world’s most popular streaming service.
SEARCHLIGHT rounds out the top leads for their Rock opera.
LIONSGATE partners on 3rd production soundstage hub.
A24 sets cast for next Ti West pic.
DeNiro’s coming to TV, again.
Wrestlemania gives USA WWE viewer bump, plus AMAZON adds to their DIRECTV for Business… uh business, and more.
OH: A congrats to Justin Long & Kate Bosworth who are now engaged.
📽 THE SILVER SCREEN
