WBD's FAST plans / Netflix returns ad funds / US TV viewership rises / FuboTV cyber attack

Plus today's calendar, Perry's "Six Triple Eight," Witherspoon in "All Stars," McCarthy-Curtis holiday film, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network December 15, 2022

"Raised by Wolves" According to Deadline, Warner Bros. Discovery plans to license a number of shows that have been removed from the HBO Max catalog to free ad-supported streaming services. The titles include "Raised by Wolves," "The Time Traveler's Wife," "Head of the Class," "FBoy Island," "Finding Magic Mike," and "Legendary." More: The report also indicates that Warner Bros. Discovery may launch its own free ad-supported service in 2023. Many of these shows were produced for HBO Max by outside studios; in some cases, the licensing deals are moving forward without prior arrangements between Warner Bros. Discovery and the original production companies. Recently-canceled fantasy drama "The Nevers" and high-profile sci-fi drama "Westworld" are also potentially headed to the so-called "FAST" space. Several recently canceled comedy series -- such as "The Gordita Chronicles," "The Minx," and "Made for Love" -- will not be included in the licensing deals, and have been returned to their original production companies and studios. In a securities filing on Wednesday, Warner Bros. Discovery again expanded its planned tax writeoffs and impairments to $2.8 billion - $3.5 billion, up from a previously-projected $2 billion - $2.5 billion; this includes writeoffs on canceled TV shows. DEADLINE

Netflix's "Wednesday" According to a report from Digiday, Netflix's ad-supported programming has fallen short of viewership guarantees, prompting the service to return some funds to advertisers. The report is based on conversations with five unnamed industry executives. More: In some cases, Netflix has apparently only delivered around 80% of the expected audience to launch sponsors. The deals are structured on what's known as a "pay on delivery" basis; advertisers only pay Netflix for viewers that have actually been reached, with unspent ad dollars returned to sponsors at the end of the quarter. Typically, conventional TV networks would hang on to unspent ad dollars, committing to future "make-goods" in order to satisfy viewership guarantees. Many sponsors that have taken some money back had hoped to reach viewers during the fourth quarter, in time for the critical holiday shopping season. Netflix shares fell by about 5.3% following the release of Digiday's report. DIGIDAY

DAILY CALENDAR THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15 HARRY & MEGHAN: The docuseries offers an intimate look at the personal lives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and chronicles the history of their relationship, including their decision to step formally away from their royal duties. Liz Garbus ("I'll Be Gone in the Dark") directed. The second batch of three episodes hits Netflix today. [Netflix] WHO KILLED SANTA? A MURDERVILLE MURDER MYSTERY: Special holiday-themed installment of the improvised comedy-mystery series in which celebrity guests Maya Rudolph and Jason Bateman help Det. Terry Seattle (Will Arnett) solve a grisly Christmas whodunnit. [Netflix] SONIC PRIME: Debut animated kids' series starring the speedy hedgehog from Sega video games. In the new show, Sonic (Deven Mack) accidentally destroys an artifact called the Paradox Prism, sending him on a journey across parallel dimensions. [Netflix] THE BIG 4: Indonesian action-comedy from co-writer/director Tomi Tjahjanto ("The Night Comes for Us"), starring Abimana Aryasatya as a police detective searching for clues about the death of her father, only to discover he led a ragtag band of retired assassins. Now, she'll have to team up with her dad's old cohorts to save her own skin. [Netflix] VIOLET EVERGARDEN: RECOLLECTIONS: 90-minute recap film summarizing the "Violet Evergarden" anime series, about an emotionally scarred former child soldier who finds solace in letter writing. [Netflix] CALL ME MISS CLEO: Documentary profile of Youree Dell Harris, who portrayed the Jamaican-accented TV psychic Miss Cleo in a series of iconic infomercials in the late 1990s. The film looks at allegations of fraud against the company that hired Harris, the Psychic Friends Network, along with her deeply-felt personal connection to the character. [HBO Max] THE GAME: The comedy-drama revival series -- based on the mid-'00s CW/BET original of the same name -- is set behind the scenes among players, coaches, and team owners in a fictionalized version of the NFL. It returns on Thursday for a second season. Wendy Raquel Robinson, Hosea Chancez, Vaughn Hebron, Adriyan Rae, Analisa Velez, and Toby Sandeman co-star. [Paramount+] LOVE FOR THE AGES: Debut reality dating series from "Love is Blind" studio Kinetic Content in which three middle-aged Latino couples from Los Angeles agree to swap their spouses in for a much younger partner for one month. At the end of the trial period, each individual decides if they want to remain in their relationship or depart with their new love. Adrienne Bailon hosts. [Peacock] A SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL: Two-hour retrospective special from NBC, looking back at the most memorable holiday-themed sketches from throughout the show's 48-season run. [Peacock] BLACKJACK CHRISTMAS: 2022 holiday drama feature from co-writer/director Victoria Rowell about two sisters whose relationship is threatened by a devastating gambling addiction. Charmin Lee, Dawnn Lewis, Leigh-Ann Rose, and Adam Laazarre-White co-star. [BET+] ALY RAISMAN: DARKNESS TO LIGHT: Three-hour documentary special that aired in 2021 on Lifetime in which retired Olympic gymnast and abuse survivor Raisman speaks with other victims of sexual assault about their personal journeys toward healing. [Hulu] MASTERS OF ILLUSION: CHRISTMAS MAGIC: One-hour special from CW featuring various magicians performing holiday-themed illusions, including Ed Alonzo, Trigg Watson, Nick Dupuch, Farrell Dillon, Krystyn Lambert, Rob Lake, and Murray SawChuck. Dean Cain hosts. [CW] DANGEROUS PLAY (JUGADA PELIGROSA): Spanish-language sports documentary looking back at a 1989 Copa Libertadores championship match held at Bogotá's El Campín Stadium that became a watershed moment in the history of Colombian soccer. [HBO Max]

NFL Thanksgiving game Nielsen reports that TV use rose across all categories in the US in November, while streaming platforms continued increasing their share of overall viewership. TV viewing spiked by 7.8% in November over October, wtih Nielsen recording more than 100 billion minutes viewed on five separate days. More: Viewership in November got a big boost from the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and particularly the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade broadcast along with three NFL games. Streaming platforms received 38.2% of all TV viewership for the month, up from 37.3% in October. Time spent on streaming platforms rose by about 10% for the month. Broadcast viewing increased by 6.7% in November, based largely on World Series games and the start of the World Cup tournament. Cable TV use shrank to 31.8%, in its third straight monthly decline; the one saving grace was Hallmark and Lifetime, buoyed by a slate of fresh holiday movies. The most-viewed streaming platform in the US remained YouTube, followed by Netflix and Hulu. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

FIFA World Cup Qatar semi-final: France vs. Morocco Sports-focused cable replacement service FuboTV claims that an outage on Wednesday during a World Cup match was the result of a "criminal cyber attack." The company maintains that dropped service during a semifinals showdown between France and Morocco did not result from "any bandwidth constraints on Fubo's part." More: Fubo says it's in contact with law enforcement over the attack, and has also engaged the services of incident response firm Mandiant. Fubo streams a mix of traditional broadcast and cable channels, with an emphasis on sports, and primarily competes with YouTube with Live TV and Hulu with Live TV. The service currently has around 1 million subscribers. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion in England, 1945 Tyler Perry signed a deal to direct his fourth film for Netflix, the WWII drama "Six Triple Eight." The film -- based on an article from WWII History Magazine by Kevin M. Hymel -- centers on the true story of The 6888th Batallion, the only all-Black, all-female troop to fight in WWII. More: The 855 members of the 6888th were tasked with sorting through a three-year backlog of undelivered mail; they ultimately sorted through over 17 million individual letters, helping to connect soldiers with their families and loved ones back home. Earlier this year, President Biden awarded the members of the 6888th Postal Batallion with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor Congress can bestow. Perry's previous Netflix films include "A Fall from Grace," "A Madea Homecoming," and the 2022 release "A Jazzman's Blues," which hit the Top 10 list in 55 countries. DEADLINE

Witherspoon and McKenna Amazon landed the rights to the new half-hour comedy series "All Stars" from star and executive producer Reese Witherspoon. The project -- from Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine banner -- landed at Amazon following a bidding war between a number of networks and streamers. More: Amazon ordered two seasons of the series, which comes from "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" Aline Brosh McKenna; she'll serve as showrunner and also direct several episodes, including the pilot. Witherspoon stars as a former cheerleader from Daytona Beach who talks her way into a coaching job at a school in the UK; it's loosely inspired by the true story of cheerleading coach Andrea Kulberg. Though Witherspoon previously starred in the HBO drama series "Big Little Lies" and Apple's "The Morning Show," this marks her first leading comedic role for TV. DEADLINE

McCarthy and Curtis Melissa McCarthy will star in a still-untitled Peacock Christmas movie from "Love Actually" writer Richard Curtis. Sam Boyd, the creator of HBO Max's recently canceled anthology series "Love Life," will direct the film. More: The film is described as a "fairy tale comedy" about a workaholic who wins his family back before the holidays with help from a genie. McCarthy will next appear in Netflix's "Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story" from writer/director Jerry Seinfeld. In addition to the iconic holiday rom-com "Love Actually," Curtis has written a number of memorable film comedies, including "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Bean,' "Notting Hill," and "Bridget Jones's Diary." DEADLINE

Disney+ renewed the holiday comedy series "The Santa Clauses" for a second season. The show continues the story of the "Santa Clause" film franchise, which first debuted back in 1994. More: Tim Allen reprises his role from the films as Scott Calvin, a regular American dad who takes over Christmas delivery duties as the new Santa Claus. The series finds Calvin and his family searching for a new replacement to take over the Santa job. Allen and co-star Elizabeth Mitchell are both expected to return for the new season. The series reunites Allen and "Last Man Standing" writer/producer Jack Burditt. TV LINE

QUICK HITS Okta achieves hiring goals to support business growth using Greenhouse Recruiting. Find out how they win the best talent.* New DC Studios heads Peter Safran and James Gunn announced the end of actor Henry Cavill's run as Superman; Gunn is currently writing a new Superman film that will introduce a younger actor as the Man of Steel. A new Apple TV+ docuseries about the rise and fall of disgraced former tennis champion Boris Becker -- who was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for financial crimes earlier this year -- will feature insights from the man himself, along with members of his immediate family and fellow tennis pros John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, and Novak Djokovic. Selena Gomez and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams will co-produce a new music documentary, "Won't Be Silent," for Discovery+; the film profiles female artists who have used their voices to shift public perception on a number of political issues. Variety chatted with Netflix's head of US and Canada scripted series, Peter Friedlander, about plans for Season 2 of "Sandman" and "Wednesday"; the decision to cancel high-profile series like "Midnight Club" and "Resident Evil"; and the upcoming "Bridgerton" prequel, "Queen Charlotte." Netflix dropped a trailer for "The Glory," a Korean thriller series starring Song Hye-kyo as an adult woman with an elaborate scheme for revenge against her former high school bullies; the series arrives on December 30. Raina Falcon has been named the new senior vice president of HBO and HBO Max content; she replaces Karen Jones, who departed the company last month. YouTubers Charles “MoistCr1TiKaL” White, Gina “Gibi ASMR” Klein, and Tyler “Jimmy Here” Collins and their representatives have joined forces to start their own talent management firm, the Mana Talent Group. The trailer for an upcoming TLC reality series -- "MILF Manor" -- went viral on social media and invited numerous comparisons to an old "30 Rock" bit. Ready to streamline security and accelerate growth? Check out Vanta’s demo-on-demand for an insider look at how scaling startups get compliant quickly.* *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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