Netflix's Q3 surge and cloud gaming plans / NFL Black Friday game on Amazon / Bakish on streaming prices

Plus today's calendar, Amazon's "Seven Wonders," Hamada exits DC Films, "Glass Onion" screening details, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network October 19, 2022

On Tuesday, Netflix announced a plan to "monetize" account sharing by early 2023. The platform added 2.4 million subscribers in the most recent quarter, besting expectations and causing an uptick in early trading on Wednesday.  More: Netflix will introduce "sub accounts," extra viewers residing in a separate household who can be added to a Netflix user's main account for a fee. It will also be easy to transfer sub accounts into standalone memberships for people ultimately want to subscribe to Netflix themselves. In a letter to shareholders, executives denied rumors that the company would switch from its "bingeable release model" to a more episodic schedule, praising the current system for allowing "viewers to lose themselves in stories they love." Earlier tests run by Netflix in Latin America forced subscribers to pay an additional $2.99/month for each additional household joining their account. USA TODAY

Mike Verdu At the TechCrunch Disrupt conference this week, Netflix's VP of Gaming Mike Verdu said the company will explore "a cloud gaming offering." Verdu also confirmed that Netflix will open a new game studio in Southern California. More: Verdu said the project won't attempt to replace existing consoles, but hopes to become "this very natural way to play games wherever you are." Previous entries into the cloud gaming market include Google's Stadia and Amazon's Luna; neither has managed to attract a significant userbase, and Google plans to shut down Stadia early next year. Verdu suggests the issue with services like Stadia were business and platform-related, as opposed to problems with the underlying concept or technology. It's unknown if Netflix plans to offer its own dedicated gaming controller, as both Google and Amazon did with Stadia and Luna. The new California game studio -- the company's fifth overall -- will be led by "Overwatch" vet Chacko Sonny. TECHCRUNCH

DAILY CALENDAR TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18 SOMEBODY FEED PHIL: The food and travel series starring veteran TV writer and producer Phil Rosenthal ("Everybody Loves Raymond") returned on Tuesday for a sixth season, taking him to five new destinations: Philadelphia, Croatia, Austin, Chile, and Nashville. [Netflix] UNSOLVED MYSTERIES: Each episode of Netflix's revival of the classic reality series centers on a different case, ranging from disappearances, criminal cases, reports of the paranormal, and more. Following a two-year hiatus, the series is back for a run of nine new episodes, which Netflix is calling "Volume 3." [Netflix] GABRIEL IGLESIAS: STADIUM FLUFFY: LIVE FROM LOS ANGELES: This recording captures the comedian's landmark sold-out Dodger Stadium performances, hosted as part of this summer's "Netflix as a Joke" comedy festival. (Iglesias was the first-ever comedian to perform at the stadium, the largest in all of Major League Baseball.) The material features the LA native reminiscing about growing up in the city. [Netflix] LiSA ANOTHER GREAT DAY: Music documentary from Japan profiling the singer LiSA, whose hit songs include the theme from the popular anime "Dragon Slayer," commemorating her 10th anniversary as a recording artist. [Netflix] MAMA'S BOY: Documentary feature profiling screenwriter and showrunner Dustin Lance Black ("Milk," "Under the Banner of Heaven"), based on his 2019 memoir, with a focus on his close and complex relationship with his conservative Mormon mother, Anne. Laurent Bouzereau ("Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind") directed. [HBO Max] BY DESIGN: THE JOE CAROFF STORY: Documentary special from Turner Classic Movies examining the life and career of Hollywood graphic designer Joe Caroff, whose work includes the iconic poster for the '60s film version of "West Side Story" and the James Bond 007 gun logo. [HBO Max] BATWHEELS: The animated kids' series, based on DC Comics characters, follows crime-fighting vehicles in Gotham City. The second half of the show's first season comes to HBO Max today. [HBO Max] DUNCANVILLE: The adult animated series centers on the life of everyday teen Duncan Harris (Amy Poehler) and his blue-collar all-American family. Fox canceled the series earlier this year, partway through its third season; the final six episodes arrive today as Hulu exclusives. [Hulu] WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19 THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL: Fantasy film from director Paul Feig ("Spy"), based on the book by Soman Chainani. Sofia Wylie and Sophia Anne Caruso co-star as young friends who are kidnapped and brought to the titular magical academy, where aspiring fairy tale heroes and villains receive their training. Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Laurence Fishburne, and Michelle Yeoh co-star; Cate Blanchett narrates. [Netflix] LOVE IS BLIND: The reality dating series -- in which singles get to know one another from private pods, without ever seeing each other face-to-face -- returns today for a third season, which was produced in Dallas, Texas. The first five Season 3 episodes land today, with new shows arriving weekly through November 9. Vanessa and Nick Lachey co-host. [Netflix] THE STRANGER: 2022 Australian crime thriller from writer/director Thomas M. Wright. Joel Edgerton stars as an undercover cop who forms a close friendship with a murder suspect (Sean Harris) in the hopes of eliciting a confession. [Netflix] NOTRE DAME: French limited drama series looking back at the 2019 fire in Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral from a variety of perspectives, including firefighters on the scene and others whose lives were impacted in more indirect ways. The cast includes Roschdy Zem, Caroline Proust, Megan Northam, Simon Akbarian, and Alice Isaaz. [Netflix] THE GREEN GLOVE GANG (GANG ZIELONEJ REKAWICZKI): Crime comedy series from Poland in which a trio of elderly thieves (Malgorzata Potocka, Anna Romantowska, and Magdalena Kuta) hides out in a quiet nursing home after a failed robbery, giving their fellow residents a new lease on life. [Netflix] DOCUMENTARY NOW! The IFC anthology comedy series -- which features parodies of famous or historically notable documentaries -- returns to cable and AMC+ for its fourth season this week. The new season parodies "The September Issue," "Burden of Dreams," "My Octopus Teacher," "3 Salons at the Seaside," "When We Were Kings," "Gleaners and I," and "Beaches of Agnes" and features guest appearances from Cate Blanchett, Nicholas Braun, Jamie Demetriou, Alexander Skarsgård, and Jonathan Pryce. Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, and Seth Meyers co-created; Helen Mirren hosts. [AMC+] THE REBELLIOUS LIFE OF MRS. ROSA PARKS: Documentary profile of the iconic activist and Civil Rights leader, produced by journalist Soledad O'Brien through her company, SO'B Productions, and based on the biography by Jeanne Theoharis. Yoruba Richen ("The Killing of Breonna Taylor") and Johanna Hamilton ("Mind/Trip") directed. [Peacock] THE DEVIL'S WATCHES (LOS RELOJES DEL DIABLO): Italian-Spanish co-production (recorded in both languages), based on the non-fiction book by Gianfranci Fanciosi and Federico Ruffo. Giuseppe Fiorello stars as a boat mechanic who goes undercover to help the police infiltrate a drug trafficking ring. [Peacock] YEAR ONE: A POLITICAL ODYSSEY: Original HBO documentary chronicling President Biden's turbulent first year in office, starting with the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol building just weeks before his inauguration, and including looks at the ongoing pandemic and renewed conflicts with China and Russia. John Maggio ("A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks") directed; New York Times journalist David Sanger produced. [HBO Max] THE INCREDIBLE DR. POL: The Nat Geo Wild reality series focuses on the life and practice of veterinarian Dr. Jan Pol and his wife, Diane, in Central Michigan farm country. Season 21 comes to Disney+ in the US today. [Disney+] WICKED TUNA: National Geographic reality series following the captains and crews fishing for bluefin tuna out of the nation's oldest seaport in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Season 11 aired on cable over the summer and hits Disney+ in the US today. [Disney+] RAVEN'S HOME: The Disney Channel live-action supernatural comedy series -- a spinoff of "That's So Raven" -- follows the ongoing adventures of Raven Baxter (Raven-Symoné) and her son, Booker (Isaac Ryan Brown), who has inherited her psychic gift. 8 new episodes, part of the show's fifth overall season, move to Disney+ today. [Disney+] ALICE'S WONDERLAND BAKERY: Animated Disney Junior series, inspired by the '50s Disney animated "Alice in Wonderland" feature, in which the great-granddaughter of the original Alice opens up an enchanted bakery in Wonderland. Four recent episodes from the show's first season hit Disney+ today. [Disney+] IN THE SOOP: FRIENDCATION: In this spin-off of the Korean reality series "In the Soop," the members of the K-pop group BTS -- Park Seo-joon, Peakboy, Choi Woo-shik, Park Hyung-sik, and V -- take a relaxing four-day vacation together in Goseong. [Disney+]

The NFL announced its first-ever Black Friday game, which will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. Kick-off will start at 3 pm ET on November 24, 2023; the competing teams will be announced when next year's NFL schedule arrives. More: Amazon is currently the home of the NFL's "Thursday Night Football" series. The NFL already dominates the US airwaves over the Thanksgiving holiday, thanks to a string of traditional games on Thanksgiving Day; this move will help to expand its footprint even further. Amazon's 11-year deal for "Thursday Night Football" streaming rights was reportedly valued around $100 billion. CNN

Paramount+'s "iCarly" While speaking at Yahoo Finance's All Markets Summit, Paramount CEO Bob Bakish suggested that the cost of streaming subscriptions will go up in the future. Bakish noted that, even after further price hikes, "streaming represents an extraordinary value in general for the consumer." More: Currently, an ad-free Paramount+ subscription costs $9.99 per month, but Bakish suggested that won't last forever, pointing to recent increases by both Netflix and Disney+. Bakish said that Paramount sets its pricing based on "the performance of our product," along with prices set by rivals and costs for entertainment outside the streaming marketplace. Currently, Paramount+ boasts around 43.3 million subscribers across its ad-supported and ad-free offerings; the streamer also recently made Showtime content available for an additional monthly fee. YAHOO FINANCE

Liu and Lin Amazon is developing an action-adventure series based on the Ben Mezrich novel "Seven Wonders." Simu Liu ("Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings") is attached to star in the series, while "Fast & Furious" franchise vet Justin Lin will direct. More: Liu will play Dr. Nate Grady, a brilliant botanist who teams up with an international fixer to solve a mystery involving the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Lin will also executive produce the series, through his overall deal with Universal Television. Producer Beau Flynn helped to develop the original concept for the book with Ben Mezrich; his other recent projects include "Black Adam," "Red Notice," and "Jungle Cruise." Prior to starring in "Shang-Chi," Liu was the lead on the CBC/Netflix comedy series "Kim's Convenience." DEADLINE

DC's "Black Adam" Walter Hamada will formally exit his role as head of DC Films. He's now the fifth Warner Bros. studio executive to depart following the company's merger with Discovery, and the tenure of new CEO David Zaslav. More: Hamada has worked for WB for 15 years, and served for four years as President of DC Films. His exit comes as the latest DC release -- "Black Adam" -- is projected to open with $135 million at the box office, setting a potential new direction for the DC Films franchise. According to Deadline, Hamada has been planning his departure since before even meeting Zaslav. WB Discovery is reportedly searching for a new leader for its DC Comics division, who like Marvel's Kevin Feige, would oversee all DC projects across all mediums. DEADLINE

Founder and CEO of film exhibitor Vue International spoke to Deadline about theater chains' latest agreement with Netflix. Vue theaters will screen the Netflix sequel "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" in the UK, Germany, and Italy; North American distributors Regal, AMC, and Cinemark will screen the film for an exclusive one week engagement in the US. More: "Glass Onion" hits theaters on November 23 and will become available on Netflix three weeks later. Richards said that exhibitors have been trying to negotiate with Netflix for years, and celebrated that the company finally agreed to release a film "respecting the theatrical release window, embracing a model that has been in place for close to 100 years." Richards said that he hopes Apple is the next streamer to follow suit. DEADLINE

Hulu released a trailer for the upcoming true-crime drama series "Welcome to Chippendales." Kumail Nanjiani stars as Somen "Steve" Banerjee, the entrepreneur who started the infamous 1980s all-male strip club franchise. More: "White Lotus" vet Murray Bartlett co-stars as producer/choreographer Nick De Noia; the cast also includes Juliette Lewis, Annaleigh Ashford, Andrew Rannells, Dan Stevens, Nicola Peltz, Robin de Jesús, and Quentin Plair. "Welcome to Chippendales" comes from "Pam & Tommy" creator Robert Siegel; Nanjiani and his partner Emily V. Gordon also executive produced. The first two episodes hit Hulu on November 22; Season 1 has eight episodes in total. TV LINE

QUICK HITS You might have an amazing product and team, but you’ll struggle with your next funding round if you’re weak on this one metric.* Netflix dropped a trailer for Season 2 of the sustainability-themed travel series "Down to Earth with Zac Efron," which takes the actor and his co-host, wellness expert Darin Olien, to Australia. Apple released a trailer for "Echo 3," the upcoming thriller series from "Hurt Locker" and "Zero Dark Thirty" writer Mark Boal; Luke Evans and Michiel Huisman co-star as Marines who embark on their own rescue operation after a relative is taken hostage in South America. Paramount+ launches in France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in December. "House of the Dragon" writer Sara Hess and director Clare Kilner told The Hollywood Reporter that they're surprised Matt Smith's homicidal character Daemon Targaryen has become an "Internet Boyfriend" for many fans. Netflix released a trailer for its "21st Century refresh" of the preschooler series "Teletubbies," featuring new narrator, Tituss Burgess. Tony Danza will join the HBO Max comedy series "And Just Like That..." for its upcoming second season in a recurring role; according to Deadline, he'll play the father of podcaster Che Diaz (Sara Remirez). Original "Watchmen" author Alan Moore told GQ that he has disowned his iconic graphic novel, and that he asked the showrunner of HBO's sequel series (likely meaning Damon Lindelof) not to contact him with questions about the project. Kyle Rittenhouse -- the teen who fatally shot two men and wounded a third during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 2020, and was later acquitted of all homicide charges -- said he's planning to start a YouTube channel dedicated to "guns and talking about the 2nd amendment." Producer Dean Devlin's ad-supported streaming service, ElectricNow, will roll out in international markets for the first time later this year, launching in Australia in November. The three-part true-crime docuseries "Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty" -- examining a homicide investigation involving one of South Carolina's most prominent legal families -- hits HBO Max on November 3. Unlock profitable growth. See how Northbeam is helping marketers discover the true impact of their marketing spend.* *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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