Streaming services embrace BLACK FRIDAY sales tactics
Streaming services embrace BLACK FRIDAY sales tactics
NBC's return of LAW & ORDER sets 2 leads / Why DISNEY+ has a content drought / Everything to watch over the holiday weekend
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on WEDNESDAY November 24, 2021.
Where I’m getting a jump on the Thanks this week to all of you who continue to have me into your inbox, and a special thanks 🙏 to those who have also shared the newsletter this year with your co-workers, students and friends, or just dropped a brief note to me. It really means a lot. 🤜🤛
Also nothing says Day before Thanksgiving like the question “Are you ready for Summer Movie Season?!?”… so here’s the first 5 minutes of “Jurassic World: Dominion”. 6+ months early in case you have trouble finding parking in June.
It picks up right after 2018’s ”Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” with the dinos escaping into IRL. Uh I mean off the island - not Ireland. But I guess they could be havin’ a pint there too - Irish hospitality knows few bounds.
ALSO: Here’s the list of GRAMMY nominations, which apparently did not care too much for the new KACEY MUSGRAVES or DRAKE albums 😳. But THE WEEKND got 3 nods - even though he told them he was good, Spider.
AND: Streaming service Black Friday offers are booming this week - 2 of them using their parent company morning shows to facilitate them (ABC & NBC). Although poor #ARPU in the months ahead…
(note: Only for new subscribers, or if you haven’t subscribed in quite a while).
HULU : $1/month for a year (GMA offer here)
PEACOCK : 50% off Premium for 6 months - use code TODAY here
STARZ : 6 months for $20 (over 50% off)
DISCOVERY+ : $3 for 3 months
PARAMOUNT+ : 1 month free
AMC+ : $2/month for a year
NETFLIX : actually I think you owe them an extra $5 for some reason 🤷♂️
(the top 3 services NETFLIX, HBOMAX and DIS+ are actually not doing any of this as far as I saw, nor are the 2 richest - APPLE and AMAZON)
📽 THE SILVER SCREEN
TWO QUICK ITEMS
PARAMOUNT puts sequel to “Clifford the Big Red Dog” in the works. /THR
“The Matrix: Resurrections” has been approved for a CHINA release, date TBD. /THR
IN SO MANY WORDS…
I’m trying out a new occasional “quote” section - below is MGM’s definitive response in VARIETY’s story with a clickbait headline saying the year’s top grossing film “No Time To Die …Could Still Lose Millions” as it hits $750 Million at the box office this weekend (plus PVOD rental $$).
“Unnamed and uninformed sources suggesting the film will lose money are categorically unfounded and put more simply, not true… ‘No Time To Die’ will earn a profit for MGM, both as an individual film title and as part of MGM’s incredible library.”
VARIETY decided to post it’s lengthy story despite this unusually definitive on-the-record response from a Corporate PR department telling them they are completely wrong… with their piece going on to cite 0 on-the-record sources or experts, and just makes brief mentions of “insiders” and “industry sources” to back up their assertion that the movie will lose over $100 Million. And then in the very next sentence… they said other undefinied sources said it’ll actually lose less. Do better VARIETY.
📺 THE TV SET
NBC’s return of “Law & Order” OG adds Hugh Dancy and Anthony Anderson as leads
Although Anthony is only doing a One-year deal. Show has a Feb 24th premiere date on NBC once the OLYMPICS are wrapped up. /THR
HULU’s Sterling K. Brown limited series “Washington Brown” sets Ernest Kingsley Jr. in title role
Based on a book, 9 episodes, and Ernest is a relative UK newcomer with mostly stage work to his resume.
Story revolves around a teen boy who flees BARBADOS in the 1800s to save his own life, ends up in NOVA SCOTIA where Sterling’s character, kind of the mayor of Black Halifax, makes him his protege. /Deadline
ALSO IN TV
FOX’s upcoming Country Music series “Monarch” changes showrunners - Jon Harmon Feldman (“Designated Survivor”, “Blood & Oil”) is replacing Michael Rauch (“Instinct”, “Royal Pains”). Show premieres after the coveted NFL NFC Championship game in late January. /Deadline
💻 THE MEDIA BIZ
One of Bob Chapek’s first major decisions as DISNEY CEO looks to be a big reason for the content clog at DISNEY+
I totally forgot to include this from Friday 🤦♂️ - THE INFORMATION talked with over a dozen current and former DISNEY execs, and people doing business with DISNEY who indicated that Chapek’s decision a year ago to move all Content Budgeting and Distribution decisions under a new separate, centralized department run by Kareem Daniels is… yeah not going so great.
DISNEY+ blamed the pandemic in their Q3 Earnings Call for the dearth of new DIS+ programming this Summer (despite it not being that big of an issue for… every other streaming service). This clog in the new programming pipeline was cited as big factor for DISNEY+ Q3 subscriber additions plummeting.
But from the sounds of it in this piece, Chapek’s decision to make every production division simply ‘content factories’, losing their ultimate say in where their content will end up being seen… is slowing down the whole process.
It’s resulted in the addition of more execs to the budget approval process… as well as the greenlight & renewal decision processes…. adding more meetings and voices in the room… and well - anyone who’s worked at a Studio, Streamer or Network knows exactly how this goes. Which is perhaps something that the new CEO who never worked in TV or Movie production… did not. /The Information (subscription required)
GOOGLE looking to add streaming channels from Free services to YOUTUBE TV lineup
These could be new linear channels from popular YOUTUBE channels (BRAT TV etc) or content providers like VOX MEDIA (EATER etc).
But - you could also see this easily expanded to some of the random existing channels that stream on free bundles like PLUTO, TUBI or ROKU CHANNEL.
WHY DO THIS:
A free (or very low cost) way to pump up the apparent value of the $65 a month YOUTUBE TV offering… but more importantly 👇
Gives GOOGLE additional Video Ad inventory to sell 💰💰, as they try and squeeze a few more dimes out of the thin Cable TV bundle couch cushion profit margins in 2021. /The Information
ALSO IN MEDIA
Selena Gomez is starting her own Mental Health help platform WONDERMIND. Will offer resources for keeping mental fitness, getting mental health help and advice, and media/podcasts etc and branded products. Will launch in Feb. /CNN
ROKU’s latest software update… did not go well. They rolled it back but if you’re having issues this TECH CRUNCH piece may give some rationale and help.
NETFLIX gets its own hub on SPOTIFY for Soundtracks, Podcasts, Playlists and other TBD content related to their shows and movies. It’s apparently gratis / no money exchanged - free promo exchange only. /Deadline
🏦 STOCK NOTES:
AMC NETWORKS down over 5% ($41.83)
LIONSGATE down 4.5% ($15.62)
👩💻 THE WTFSS FEED:
(new Stuff to Watch this weekend, Wednesday - Thursday - Friday - Saturday - Sunday)
WEDNESDAY
IN THEATERS:
DISNEY “Encanto” - animated movie with Lin Manuel Miranda
MGM “House of Gucci” - live action movie with… very animated characters
STREAMING:
MOVIES
NETFLIX ”Bruised” - Halle Berry MMA movie - Stream or Add to Your List here
“Clerk” - Kevin Smith documentary hits PVOD home rentals
SERIES
DISNEY+ MARVEL “Hawkeye” - Series premiere with 2 episodes, Stream or Add to Your List here
PEACOCK PREMIUM “Saved By The Bell” Season 2 - All 10 episodes drop today, Stream or Add to Your List here
NETFLIX “True Story” - Kev Hart, Wesley Snipes limited series, Stream or Add to Your List here
PAR+ “The Real World Homecoming: LA” - Stream or Add to Your List here
AMAZON PRIME “Hanna” Season 3 - Stream or Add to Your List here
TV:
SHOWTIME “The Humans” - Movie based on the play, with Amy Schumer, Beanie Feldstein, Richard Jenkins. Airs at 8p
THURSDAY / THANSKGIVING
STREAMING:
MOVIES
DISNEY+ “The Beatles: Get Back” - Docuseries from director Peter Jackson (pt2 and 3 drop Fri and Sat respectively) - Stream or Add to Your List here
PARAMOUNT+ “South Park: Post Covid” movie - Stream or Add to Your List here
HBOMAX “8-Bit Christmas” - Movie about a 10 year old kid’s quest to find a hot NINTENDO video game in the late 80’s, with NPH and Steve Zahn - Stream or Add to Your List here
SERIES
HBOMAX “Gossip Girl” season 1, pt2 - Stream or Add to Your List here
NETFLIX “F is for Family” final season - Stream or Add to Your List here
TV:
HBO “DMX: Don’t Try to Understand” - Next Bill Simmons Music Box docu, picks up with DMX’s life when he got out of prison in 2019 for tax evasion. Airs at 8p
FOOTBALL:
1230p - BEARS at LIONS on FOX
430p - RAIDERS at COWBOYS on CBS
820p - BILLS at SAINTS on NBC
FRIDAY
IN THEATERS:
MGM “Licorice Pizza” - PTA’s next movie in limited theaters
TV:
SERIES
HBO “How to with John Wilson” Season 2 - Premieres at 10p
SATURDAY
USA NETWORK “Nash Bridges” - 2 hour movie, Airs at 9p
SUNDAY
NBC Sunday Night Football - BROWNS at RAVENS at 8p
TBS “Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses” - 4 week game show competition series, Premieres at 8p
NAT GEO “The Hot Zone: ANTHRAX” - a 3 part mini-series looking back at the early 2000s Anthrax in the mail thing, Premieres at 9p
WEEKEND READ
If you know what RAYA is - The NEW YORKER gave it the profile treatment, even though the exclusive dating & networking app has the same primary rule as Fight Club in regards to talking about it.
If you were sent this newsletter or… just kinda found it:
Or…
🎥 TRAILER HOUSE
HBO “Euphoria” Season 2 teaser trailer - Premieres Sun Jan 9
WB “DC League of Super-Pets” trailer - SUPERMAN’s dog (The Rock) teams up with a ragtag group of pets who have newly acquired superpowers to help… I think rescue SUPERMAN (John Krasinski) but I’m not sure what happened to ‘em. We’ll find out In Theaters May 20, 2022
HBOMAX“Santa Inc” trailer - 8 episode R-rated holiday comedy series about an Elf (Sarah Silverman) who wants to end the white boys club of Santa-dom as Seth Rogen’s Santa ponders retirement. Written by Alexandra Rushfield (“Shrill”). Premieres Thu Dec 2.
And… then a 180 to the HBO “Street Gang” trailer - Docu on the creation and early years of Sesame Street. Premieres Mon Dec 13
PEACOCK “Bel-Air” thematic teaser - This is the drama version of “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” , hitting TBD 2022.
🎧 PLAYING ME OFF
EDDIE VEDDER “The Halves” - From his upcoming solo album out on Feb 11.
Listen to the song here on SPOTIFY or:
If you need new tunes:
Email me anytime - just reply to this email, or connect here on LINKED IN.
-SEAN MCNULTY
@theseanmac on TWITTER
@TheWakeupNews on INSTAGRAM