Sarandos on live sports / ITVX launch / Bakish on Showtime's future / Netflix orders "American Primeval"

Plus today's calendar, "Legendary" canceled, Netflix's "Pale Blue Eye" trailer, Lucas exits "GBBO," and more

Inside.com Part of   Network December 07, 2022

While speaking at the UBS Global TMT Conference in New York, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos discussed the platform's reticence to get into streaming live sports. Sarandos explained that -- despite rivals like Amazon and Apple scooping up costly rights deals for major leagues and events -- Netflix executives have not "seen a profit path to renting big sports," describing the company as "not-anti-sports" but "pro-profit." More: Sarandos said that he's confident Netflix can continue to grow without sports, noting that the scripted Korean thriller series "Squid Game" was viewed by 165 million households. After a "pretty bumpy" 2022, Sarandos said that the company's major goal for 2023 is to "reaccelerate revenue growth." Sarandos also spoke about Netflix's new lower-cost ad-supported price tier, though he cautioned it may not produce an immediate material lift in Q4 earnings. About 10% of Netflix titles are currently unavailable for customers on the ad-supported plan, due to pre-standing licensing agreements; Sarandos said that this will decrease over time as rights are renegotiated. As the "Addams Family" spinoff series "Wednesday" continues setting Netflix records, Sarandos suggested that it may ultimately challenge "Squid Game" for the title of "most-watched show in the world." VARIETY

"A Spy Among Friends" Broadcast network ITV launches its new ad-supported streaming service -- ITVX -- in the UK on Thursday. ITVX replaces the network's former platform, ITV Hub, and will launch with more than 10,000 hours of content. More: ITVX will also add new originals each week, including the drama series "A Spy Among Friends" and "Tell Me Everything." The site also promises "one of the UK's largest free film libraries," with 250 individual titles available to stream at any time, and over 1,000 going up in the next year. ITV hopes to double ITV Hub's monthly average users by 2026 and plans to spend around $200 million on original content in 2023. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

DAILY CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7 TOO HOT TO HANDLE: The reality competition series returns on Wednesday for a fourth season, once again filmed on the Turks and Caicos Islands. Singles live together in a luxury beach house but are forbidden from engaging in any intimate physical contact. The show is hosted by a "virtual assistant" named Lana; Mario Lopez guest stars this season. [Netflix] EMILY THE CRIMINAL: This 2022 crime thriller is the feature debut of writer/director John Patton Ford. Aubrey Plaza stars as an unemployed woman in Los Angeles who gets entangled in a credit card scam in the hopes of paying off her student loans. Theo Rossi co-stars. [Netflix] I HATE CHRISTMAS (ODIO IL NATALE): In this holiday romantic comedy series from Italy, Gianna (Pilar Fogliati) can't face another round of questions from her family about her love life, so she sets out to find a new boyfriend in the 25 days before Christmas. [Netflix] BURNING PATIENCE (ARDIENTE PACIENCIA): Spanish-language drama feature from Chile, based on a novel by Antonio Skármeta, which was previously adapted into the Oscar-nominated 1994 film "Il Postino." Andrew Bargsted stars as Marco, an aspiring poet and mail carrier who discovers that the legendary, exiled writer Pablo Neruda (Claudio Arredondo) has moved into a home along his route. [Netflix] THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FLOWER (LA FLOR MÁS BELLA): Debut Spanish-language YA comedy series from Mexico, inspired by the personal experiences of comedian Michelle Rodríguez. Esmeralda Soto stars as Michelle, a "fabulous and undeniably true-to-herself" teen facing down the challenges of high school. [Netflix] THE MARRIAGE APP (MATRIMILLAS): In this Spanish-language rom-com from Argentina, a struggling couple downloads an app that keeps track of all the nice things they do for one another. But what begins as a casual way of exchanging loving gestures soon spirals out of control. [Netflix] SMILEY: Debut romantic comedy-drama series from Spain, based on the play by Guillem Clua. Carlos Cuevas and Miki Esparbé star as Àlex and Bruno, who fall in love after meeting coincidentally, when one of them accidentally texts an emoji to the wrong number. [Netflix] CONNECT: Fantasy-thriller series from Korea, based on the comic by Shin Dae-sung, and directed by cult Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike. Jung Hae-in stars as Ha Dong-soo, an immortal whose eyeball was stolen by an organ trafficking group and implanted into a serial killer (Go Kyung-pyo). Now, utilizing his supernatural ability to see through his removed eye, Ha takes up the investigation himself. [Hulu] PAW PATROL: The animated action-adventure series centers on a group of dedicated puppies who protect the community of Adventure Bay. Season 7 aired on Nickelodeon from 2020 to 2021, and comes to Paramount+ in its entirety today. [Paramount+] GIGANTOSAURUS: Educational animated Disney Channel series, based on the book by Jonny Duddle, about four baby dinosaur friends who are eager to learn as much as they can about the world around them, but especially biggest, most ferocious dinosaur of them all, the Gigantosaurus. Season 3 comes to Disney+ today. [Disney+]

Showtime's "George & Tammy" Speaking at the UBS media conference, Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish assured attendees that the Showtime brand "still matters" to the company, despite no longer operating as a "100% standalone organization." Bakish said the cable network -- which streams content via Paramount+ -- will "lean into franchises" moving forward. More: Bakish told attendees that Paramount was already planning to embark cost-cutting strategies, but that these are being accelerated due to a generally cloudy economic outlook. Showtime still runs its own niche streaming service, but the network's content is also available as an add-on via the Paramount+ platform; the company has apparently considered shutting down the Showtime-exclusive service entirely. Showtime chief David Nevins announced his departure in October; the cable network is currently overseen by Paramount Media Networks chief Chris McCarthy, while the digital arm falls under the purview of Paramount Streaming head Tom Ryan. Bakish noted that, as a brand, Showtime was seen as more "coastal" and "upscale" than Paramount+. DEADLINE

Netflix ordered the six-episode limited drama series "American Primeval" from producers Peter Berg ("Friday Night Lights") and Eric Newman ("Narcos.") The ensemble drama is set during the "birth of the American West" and features a diverse group of characters from different cultures and religions clashing over control of the new frontier. More: "The Revenant" vet Mark L. Smith will write the scripts and produce with Berg and Newman. Taylor Kitsch stars as a troubled man named Isaac, who's attempting to overcome his demons and find new purpose in life. Newman has an overall deal with Netflix through his company, Grand Electric; previous projects include the Jaime Foxx film "Project Power," the "Narcos" spinoff "Narcos: Mexico," the Kevin Hart thriller series "True Story," and Ryan Murphy's true-crime drama "The Watcher." Berg, Newman, and Kitsch will also collaborate on the upcoming Netflix limited series "Painkiller." HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

HBO Max canceled the reality competition series "Legendary" after three seasons. The series -- inspired by the world of ballroom culture -- featured performers representing various "houses" squaring off in themed dance challenges. More: HBO Max plans to move away from costly unscripted series; the streamer also canceled the reality dating competition "FBoy Island" this week after two seasons. The cancellation is a blow to diversity at HBO Max; the series had been praised by GLAAD for its LGBTQ representation. DEADLINE

Netflix dropped a trailer for the new period mystery-thriller film "The Pale Blue Eye," based on the 2006 novel by Louis Bayard. Christian Bale stars as veteran detective Augustus Landor, who's investigating a string of murders at the US military academy in West Point in the year 1830. More: Harry Melling co-stars as a young Edgar Allan Poe, who genuinely studied as a cadet at West Point prior to his writing career; in the film, he assists Landor with the investigation. Lucy Boynton, Gillian Anderson, Charlie Tahan, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Toby Jones, and Robert Duvall co-star. "Out of the Furnace" and "Hostiles" vet Scott Cooper wrote and directed. "Pale Blue Eye" will get a limited theatrical screening on December 23 before premiering on Netflix on January 6. VARIETY

Host Matt Lucas announced on Twitter that he's exiting "The Great British Baking Show" after three seasons as host. Lucas appeared on 51 total episodes, and referred to his time on the series as "a delicious experience." More: The actor said he needed to step away due to his prior commitments to the series "Fantasy Football League," along with other projects. Lucas co-hosted the series with Noel Fielding; regular judges are Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith. The series was recently criticized for its "Mexican Week" episode, which featured Lucas and Fielding dressed in serapes and sombreros, and making "Mexican jokes." "Great British Baking Show" airs on the BBC in the UK and streams on Netflix in the US. BUZZFEED

Disney+ released a trailer for the second season of the animated "Star Wars" series "The Bad Batch." The new episodes arrive on January 4. More: The series -- a spinoff of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" -- follows an elite squad of clone troopers as they take on mercenary missions. Dee Bradley Baker voices all of the members of Clone Force 99, save new female recruit Omega (Michelle Ang). The trailer introduces a mysterious new character, Phee Genoa, voiced by comedian and actor Wanda Sykes. COLLIDER

QUICK HITS Final days to invest in the startup disrupting the $1.2T vacation rental industry. Become a reAlpha shareholder before 12/8.* Vanity Fair got a sneak peek at the upcoming Amazon Prime Video musical drama series "Daisy Jones & The Six," based on the novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid; the show chronicles the career of a fictional '70s rock band and premieres on March 3. Eight new actors joined the cast of Amazon's "The Rings of Power" for its upcoming second season, including Oliver Alvin-Wilson, Stuart Bowman, Gavi Singh Chera, and Selina Lo; Season 2 is currently shooting in the UK. Hugh Grant joined the cast of the HBO limited series "The Palace" in a guest role, reuniting him with director Stephen Frears, with whom he collaborated on "A Very English Scandal" and "Florence Foster Jenkins." The British dark comedy series "I Hate Suzie" -- starring co-creator Billie Piper as a child star attempting to mount a reality TV comeback -- returns to HBO Max with an "anti-Christmas special" on December 22. A new Peacock reality competition series -- "The Traitors" -- will feature personalities from other reality franchises as contestants, including "Big Brother" winners Cody Calafiore and Rachel Reilly, "Survivor" vets Cirie Fields and Stephanie LaGrossa Kendrick, "Below Deck" regular Kate Chastain, and "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Brandi Glanville. Netflix dropped some new images from the debut animated series "Sonic Prime," arriving next week; the show follows the speedy hedgehog's adventures across an interdimensional zone called "The Shatterverse." Hulu renewed the reality series "The D'Amelio Show" -- chronicling the lives of social media influencers Charli and Dixie D'Amelio along with their parents, Marc and Heidi -- for a third season. Hulu renewed the New Zealand drama series "Rūrangi" for a second season; Elz Carrad stars as a trans activist who returns to his rural hometown to reconnect with his estranged father. The romantic drama "First Love" and a new season of the popular anime series "JoJo's Bizarre Adventures" have both drawn large international audiences on Netflix, a relative rarity for Japanese content on the streamer. Taking care of yourself matters, and BetterHelp connects you to a therapist within 48 hours, without having to leave home. Get 25% off your first month.* *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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