Paramount reconsiders Showtime / WBD CFO: HBO "underpriced" / More WBD layoffs / YouTube music payouts

Plus today's calendar, Netflix Animation layoffs, Tubi TIFF acquisitions, Callaghan Jan. 6 doc to HBO, Tudum 2022, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network September 14, 2022

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According to The Wall Street Journal, Paramount Global executives may discontinue the Showtime standalone streaming service. Current Showtime-exclusive content would instead be folded into the company's larger Paramount+ service. More: The discussions are apparently in their early stages, and are part of an overall reconsideration of Paramount's distribution options. The traditional Showtime cable network would likely remain intact. A number of "premium cable networks" -- also including HBO, Starz, and Epix -- have reconsidered their roles amid the explosion of a la carte streaming services. According to Deadline, Showtime's streaming subscriber count has jumped more than 200% over the past three years; Paramount Global does not report specific numbers for Showtime's standalone service. Showtime is currently available in a bundle along with Paramount+ at a cost of $7.99/month with ads, or $12.99/month ad-free. DEADLINE

During a discussion at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference on Tuesday, Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Financial Officer Gunnar Wiedenfels suggested that both HBO Max and Discovery+ are "fundamentally underpriced." This has fueled speculation that the company plans to raise subscription fees, particularly after a combined HBO Max-Discovery+ service launches in 2023. More: Currently, HBO Max costs $14.99/month without ads and $9.99/month with them; Discovery+ is $6.99/month without ads and $4.99/month with them. Wiedenfels suggested that the company will prioritize profitability over growth, labeling the strategy of optimizing for maximum subscribers an example as "old world streaming" thinking. Netflix remains the costliest major US subscription service per month, at a cost of $15.49 for a standard plan. Disney+ announced that the service will continue to cost $7.99 per month with an ad-supported plan; the price for ad-free service will go up to $10.99/month. CNBC

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DAILY CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 THE HANDMAID'S TALE: The Emmy-winning dystopian drama series -- inspired by the novel by Margaret Atwood -- returns to Hulu today for a fifth season. The new season sets up a clash between Gilead's Serena Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski) and revolutionary leader June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss). Ann Dowd, Samira Wiley, Madeline Brewer, O-T Fagbenle, and Max Minghella co-star. The show has been renewed for a sixth and final season. [Hulu] THE COME UP: Debut reality series centering on six young "disruptors" chasing their dreams in post-pandemic Downtown New York City. The cast includes Taofeek Abijako, Fernando Casablancas, Ben Hard, Claude Shwartz, Ebon Trower and Sophia Wilson. New episodes air Tuesdays on Freeform and hit Hulu on Wednesdays. [Hulu] THE LAST DUEL: 2021 historical epic from director Ridley Scott, based on a real duel in 14th Century France between knight Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) and squire Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver), who stood accused of raping Jean's wife, Marguerite (Jodie Comer). The story is related from the distinct perspectives of all three lead characters. Damon co-wrote the script with Ben Affleck (who also co-stars) and Nicole Holofcener, based on Eric Jager's 2004 book. [Hulu] HELL OF A CRUISE: Documentary chronicling the experiences of passengers on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship, who were placed into quarantine together in Japan's Yokohama seaport in 2020, during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Nick Quested ("Blood on the Wall") directed. [Peacock] SINS OF OUR MOTHER: Three-part true-crime docuseries examining the case of Lori Vallow, who's accused along with husband Chad Daybell of killing her former spouse as well as two of her own children. The series, from director Skye Borgman ("I Just Killed My Dad"), looks at the impact of the couple's warped belief system -- a violent and apocalyptic take on Mormonism -- on their crimes. [Netflix] HEARTBREAK HIGH: Eight-part Australian teen comedy-drama series, set at Sydney's fictional Hartley High and rebooted from a '90s series of the same name. After a mural depicting the secret history of the school year's hook-ups triggers chaos on campus, the faculty enrolls the students in a new "Sexual Literacy Program." [Netflix] EL REY, VICENTE FERNÁNDEZ: Spanish-language biographical drama series from creator Dago García ("The Unremarkable Juanquini"), looking back on the life and career of the Mexican musical icon (Jaime Camil). [Netflix] BROAD PEAK: Biographical drama feature from Poland, based on the life of mountaineer Maciej Berbeka (Ireneusz Czop), who nearly died in an attempt to summit Asia's Broad Peak in 1988, then returned to the mountain 24 years later to complete the journey. [Netflix] THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL (LA SCUOLA CATTOLICA): Period drama feature from Italy, examining the events that led to 1975's so-called Circeo Massacre, in which three well-heeled Catholic School boys kidnapped and tortured two young women from lower-class families, eventually killing one of them. Benedetta Porcaroli, Giulio Pranno, Emanuele Maria Di Stefano, and Giulio Fochetti co-star; Stefano Mordini ("The Invisible Witness") directed. [Netflix] THE LØRENSKOG DISAPPEARANCE (FORSVINNINGEN PÅ LØRENSKOG): Scripted six-part true-crime series from Norway, chronicling the police investigation into the 2018 disappearance and suspected murder of Anne-Elisabeth Falkevik, the wife of Norwegian billionaire Tom Hagen. [Netflix] FIRST ALASKANS: Docuseries from National Geographic following Native Alaskans as they employ ancient techniques to survive within the region's harsh landscape, and pass down their cultural wisdom and traditions to a new generation. Season 1 comes to Disney+ today. [Disney+] IN THE WOMB: ANIMAL BABIES: Nature special from National Geographic, employing cutting-edge microscopic imaging techniques to study four animal pregnancies in various stages. [Disney+] GHOSTED: LOVE GONE MISSING: Reality series from MTV relating various "ghosting" stories, introducing couples that dated for a while until one partner unexpectedly and suddenly exited the relationship. Travis Mills and Rachel Lindsay co-host. Season 2, produced remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, hits Paramount+ today. [Paramount+] ABBY HATCHER: Animated Nickelodeon series for preschoolers following young Abby and her quirky monster friends The Fuzzlies, who live in her family's hotel. Seasons 3 and 4 come to Paramount+ today. [Paramount+]

Around 100 Warner Bros. Discovery staffers were laid off on Tuesday, mostly from the company's US ad sales team. This is in addition to 70 staffers who were cut from HBO and HBO Max last month, largely from the unscripted and live-action family development teams. More: WBD executives have pledged to make $3 billion in cuts; the company currently has a debt load of around $50 billion. Unnamed sources within the company told The New York Times that more rounds of layoffs are expected over the next few months. NEW YORK TIMES

BlackPink - "Pink Venom" YouTube paid out over $6 billion to the music industry between July 2021 and June 2022. The company's head of music, Lyor Cohen, made the announcement in a blog post published on Tuesday. More: According to Cohen, that's $2 billion more than YouTube paid to the music industry between 2020 and 2021. He explained that this was due to YouTube finding new ways to monetize various music formats (such as short-form videos, audio-only tracks, and live performances) across all of its apps and devices. Around 30% of the payouts to artists, songwriters and publishers came from user-generated YouTube content. Cohen pointed to the cross-platform release of BlackPink's recent single "Pink Venom" as a YouTube success story; the video had the platform's third-largest debut of all time during its first 24 hours online. Nonetheless, many music industry players have taken issue with what they consider YouTube's low payments and lack of transparency. VARIETY

"My Father's Dragon" Netflix laid off 30 employees from its animation division, part of an ongoing streamlining and restructuring of the team. New leadership has recently taken over the Animated Film team at the streamer, led by VP of animated film content Karen Toliver and VP of animated film production Traci Balthazor. More: The layoffs will apparently not accompany a downturn in animated output.  Upcoming Netflix animated films include the Key & Peele reunion "Wendell & Wild"; "My Father's Dragon" from "Wolfwalkers" vet Nora Twomey; Guillermo del Toro's stop-motion take on "Pinocchio"; and a sequel to "Chicken Run" from the UK's Aardman studio. DEADLINE

1990's "The Amityville Curse" Tubi picked up two horror titles at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), including an adaptation of Hans Holzer's novel "The Amityville Curse." The new film, from Canadian writer and showrunner Dennis Heaton, offers a fresh take on Holzer's 1981 novel, which was previously adapted to film in 1990 and serves as a fictional prequel to the classic "Amityville Horror" story. More: Tubi also grabbed the indie horror film project "Marry F*** Kill," about five estranged friends who reunite for a funeral and play a twisted version of the titular game. Both films will be produced by indie studio Incendo. Fox's Tubi primarily competes with Pluto TV, Amazon's Freevee, and the Roku Channel in the free ad-supported streaming space. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

HBO acquired a documentary feature from journalist Andrew Callaghan, investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol Building. Callaghan hosted the YouTube series All Gas No Brakes and created Channel 5, in which he visits events such as a Flat Earth Conference, anti-mask protests, the viral raid on Area 51, or Burning Man and interviews participants. More: The film follows Callaghan on a "wild RV journey through America" culminating in a visit to Washington DC on January 6, 2021. Callaghan directed the film himself and produces along with Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, of the comedy duo Tim & Eric. The film will be released by the A24 studio. VARIETY

Tudum 2022 trailer Netflix's next "Tudum" virtual fan event will be held on September 24. The streamer will post exclusive news, footage, trailers, and interviews promoting upcoming global content throughout the day.  More: Netflix promises updates about over 120 shows, films, and specials as part of 2022's Tudum event. This year's Tudum includes specific showcases for the Korean, Indian, and Japanese markets. The US event kicks off at 10 am PT. Featured shows this year include "3 Body Problem," "Bridgerton," "Emily in Paris," "Heartstopper," "Lupin," "Never Have I Ever," "Shadow and Bone," "Squid Game," and "The Witcher: Blood Origin." VARIETY

QUICK HITS Join ClickUp For Startups to scale success with hands-on support and free resources. Qualifying startups get $3,000 in credit.* Season 3 of the reality dating series "Love is Blind" makes its Netflix debut on October 19. "The Redeem Team" -- Netflix's feature documentary about the US Olympic men's basketball team's journey to the 2008 Beijing Games, four years after a disappointing performance in Athens -- arrives on October 7. In a first for the cable network, FX produced two comedy specials -- one each from Kate Berlant and Byron Bowers -- that debut Thursday on Hulu. In remarks at a San Francisco tech conference, Cinemark CEO Sean Gamble suggested that exhibitors can benefit from the rise of home streaming platforms, as a 45-day theatrical window takes some of the risk out of planning film releases for studios. Timothy Olyphant is the latest actor to join the cast of Steven Soderbergh's upcoming HBO Max limited series "Full Circle"; he'll co-star along with Zazie Beetz and Claire Danes. Netflix dropped a trailer for the three-part true-crime docuseries "The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist," arriving on September 21; in the series, a number of real-life participants take issue with the way the media portrayed their case, including the 2013 Sofia Coppola film. Hulu released a trailer for the horror film "Grimcutty," about a monstrous internet meme that somehow enters our reality; the "modern creature feature" debuts on October 10. Social media users have noted that HBO Max appears to be removing cigarettes from movie posters featured around the service, including the classic films "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" and "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean." Apple's "Shantaram" series -- based on the novel by Gregory David Roberts -- stars Charlie Hunnam as a fugitive who falls in love while hiding out in 1980s Bombay; the first three episodes debut on October 14. The six-episode Swedish drama series "The Playlist" relates the behind-the-scenes story of Spotify, and stars Edvin Endre as co-founder and CEO Daniel Ek; it premieres on Netflix in the US on October 13. Amazon signed a three-year overall development deal with Nigerian filmmaker Jáde Osiberu, the writer/director behind the new Prime Video original film "Gangs of Lagos." *This is sponsored content

Lon Harris is the writer and editor of Inside Streaming and was the very first person to ever write an Inside newsletter. He lives in Los Angeles, California, and also writes about TV and film for Fandom, Screen Junkies, Rotten Tomatoes, Gamma Ray and others. Plus he has a Game of Thrones podcast called "Casterly Talk" and competes on The Movie Trivia Schmoedown as "The Professor." Editor Eduardo Garcia is a writer and editor based in New York. He is the author of "Things You Can Do," an illustrated book about climate action. Bylines in The New York Times, The Guardian, Slate, Scientific American, and others. In one of his previous lives, Eduardo worked as a Reuters correspondent in Latin America for nearly a decade.

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