Hastings stepping down / TikTok "heating" videos / "Cobra Kai" to end after S6 / "Outlander" prequel greenlit

Plus the weekend calendar, Buster Keaton series, DAZN on Prime Video Channels, "Invincible" Season 2 tease, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network January 20, 2023

Presented by

Reed Hastings Netflix added 7.66 million paid subscribers during the fourth quarter of 2022, exceeding analyst expectations by over 4.5 million. Q4 also marked the introduction of Netflix's new ad-supported tier, though the company did not disclose specific sign-up numbers for that plan exclusively. More: Founder Reed Hastings announced he'll step down as co-CEO while retaining the title of executive chairman. Current Chief Operating Officer Greg Peters will take over the co-CEO position, alongside current co-CEO Ted Sarandos. During a call with investors, Netflix executives suggested that engagement from new members on the lower-cost ad-supported tier resembles the levels the platform sees from other subscribers; nonetheless, it's relatively rare for paid subscribers to downgrade to an ad-supported plan. Netflix executives specifically touted the success of recent releases "Glass Onion," "Wednesday," and "Harry & Meghan." Sarandos also told investors that the company remains tentatively open to launching a free ad-supported tier in the future. CNBC

According to a new report from Forbes, TikTok and ByteDance staffers engage in a practice called "heating," which artifically boosts the popularity of specific videos within the app. The report is based on accounts from six current and former employees, along with documents and internal communications. More: Apparently, while TikTok's "For You" page is mostly curated algorithmically, staff can manually hand-pick videos and "supercharge" their distribution by boosting view counts. Even a 1-2% increase in views can have a significant impact on TikTok's metrics and cause a surge in visibility for a specific clip. TikTok has never publicly disclosed its "heating" practices, and does not label videos that have been artificially boosted, as some other social networks have done in the past. Some sources told Forbes that TikTok primarily uses "heating" to entice brands and influencers into expanded partnerships, potentially at the expense of other creators; others claimed that some employees have improperly used "heating" in the past to benefit themselves or creators they know personally. It's unclear whether or not the company has ever used the practice for political purposes or to boost messaging from the Chinese government or Chinese state media. TikTok declined to comment on the report. FORBES

A message from DELL Dell for Startups provides startup expertise from dedicated technology advisors and scalable solutions to ensure your business is always ready to grow. From MVP to IPO, our Startup Tech Advisors are specially trained for your unique needs. They understand startups and will get to know your business. From client systems to infrastructure hardware, we have your startup covered with the best in scalable technology. Whether you're looking for low latency performance, deep learning, machine learning, VDI, and more. We have a solution that’s just right for you. The dell EMC Poweredge r750 is a full-featured enterprise server that delivers outstanding performance for the most demanding workloads. Inside members can save up to 50% off on Dell orders when connected to a Startup Advisor. For more information, go to www.dell.com/inside or contact us at startups@dell.com. Update your infrastructure

WEEKEND CALENDAR FRIDAY, JANUARY 20 VIOLENT NIGHT: Universal's 2022 holiday action-thriller stars David Harbour as a badass Santa Claus who single-handedly takes out a team of elite mercenaries on Christmas Eve. Tommy Wirkola ("Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters") directed. [Peacock] TRUTH BE TOLD: The mystery-drama series -- based on a novel by Kathleen Barber -- returns for a third season. In the new episodes, podcaster and investigator Poppy Parnell (Olivia Spencer) teams up with an unorthodox school principal (Gabrielle Union) to search for a group of missing Black girls, in a case with possible connections to sex trafficking. Mekhi Phifer, David Lyons, and Ron Cephas Jones co-star. [Apple TV+] SHAPE ISLAND: Debut stop-motion animated series for kids, based on the books by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen, and featuring the voices of Yvette Nicole Brown, Harvey Guillen, Scott Adsit, and Gideon Adlon. It follows the adventures of three best friends -- Square, Circle, and Triangle -- on their remote island home. [Apple TV+] THE LEGEND OF VOX MACHINA: The adult animated fantasy comedy series is based on a "Dungeons & Dragons" campaign from the massively popular web series "Critical Role," and features stars Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Matthew Mercer, Liam O'Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, and Travis Willingham reprising their voice roles. It's back on Friday for a second season. [Amazon] FAUDA: The Israeli action-thriller series returns on Friday for a fourth season, more than two years after the debut of Season 3. Series co-creator Lior Raz also stars as Doron Kavillio, a commander with the Israel Defense Forces; new cast members this year include Inbar Lavi, Amir Boutrous, Lucy Ayoub, Danny Steg, and Loai Nofi. [Netflix] BAKE SQUAD: Reality competition series in which a group of four bakers get just seven hours to produce elaborate desserts to a client's exacting specifications. Milk Bar founder Christina Tosi hosts. The show is back on Friday for a second season. [Netflix] BLING EMPIRE: NEW YORK: Debut reality series -- spun off from the LA version of "Bling Empire" -- centering on a group of wealthy Asian-American friends from the Big Apple. "Bling Empire" vet Dorothy Wang relocated to NYC for the spinoff. [Netflix] JUNG_E: Action sci-fi film from Korean writer/director Yeon Sang-ho ("Train to Busan"), set in a dystopian future when climate change has rendered Earth's surface uninhabitable, forcing humanity into underground shelters. In his final film performance, late actor Kang Soo-yeon stars as a researcher working on an advanced robotic mercenary with the cloned mind of a dead soldier (Kim Hyun-joo). [Netflix] SHANTY TOWN: Crime drama series from Nigeria, about a group of sex workers attempting to escape the grasp of their brutal pimp, who unfortunately has high-level connections in government and law enforcement. [Netflix] REPRESENT (EN PLACE): Debut French political comedy series from co-creator and star Jean-Pascal Zadi. He plays Stéphane, a well-meaning and idealistic teacher who unexpectedly becomes a serious contender for the French presidency. Eric Judor, Benoît Poelvoorde, and Marina Foïs co-star. [Netflix] ŞAHMARAN: Dark fantasy drama series from Turkey, starring Serenay Sarikaya as an academic who travels to the city of Adana for a lecture, then finds herself plunged into a mystical conspiracy. [Netflix] MISSION MAJNU: 2023 Hindi-language spy thriller film, starring Sidharth Malhotra as an Indian intelligence agent on an undercover mission investigating nuclear weapons development in early '70s Pakistan. Rashmika Mandanna co-stars as a blind woman with whom he becomes romantically entangled. [Netflix] REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER: The outspoken, humorous late-night political talk show returns for its 21st season this weekend. [HBO Max] GAME THEORY WITH BOMANI JONES: The chat series features the journalist and commentator discussing timely issues impacting the world of sports and beyond. It's back for a second season. [HBO Max] THE CABIN CHRONICLES: Unscripted series exploring the architecture and design of various cabins, and how they were customized based on their natural surroundings. Season 3 debuts today on HBO Max. [HBO Max / Discovery+] ONE WAY: 2022 action-thriller starring rapper Machine Gun Kelly (aka Colson Baker) as a young drug smuggler trying desperately to get out of town after stealing a bag full of cash from his crime boss dad (Kevin Bacon). Travis Fimmel, Drea de Matteo, and Storm Reid co-star. [Hulu] SATURDAY, JANUARY 21 THE WEDDING VEIL JOURNEY: The latest film in Hallmark's ongoing "Wedding Veil" franchise finds Tracy and Nick heading to Greece for a long-delayed honeymoon. Alison Sweeney, Victor Webster, Autumn Reeser, and Lacey Chabert co-star. [Peacock] DIG: 2022 direct-to-VOD thriller about a father and daughter who are taken hostage by a dangerous couple, seeking an alleged treasure buried beneath their property. Thomas Jane, Liana Liberato, Harlow Jane, and Emile Hirsch co-star. [Hulu] SUNDAY, JANUARY 22 HAPPENING (L'ÉVÉNEMENT): French period drama, set in 1963, starring Anamaria Vartolomei as a creative writing student who gets pregnant, and seeks an illegal abortion despite the many obstacles the medical establishment, government and society place in her way. Audrey Diwan ("Losing It") co-wrote and directed. The film won the Golden Lion at the 2021 Venice Film Festival. [Hulu]

Netflix's "Karate Kid" spinoff series "Cobra Kai" will end after its upcoming sixth season. No premiere date for the final episodes has been set. More: The show wasn't canceled by Netflix; creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schossberg made the "bittersweet" decision to end the series and have a plan to close out the story. "Cobra Kai" originally debuted as a YouTube Original before moving to Netflix for its third season. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Starz renewed the romantic fantasy drama "Outlander" for an eighth and final season. The cable network and streamer also greenlit a prequel series, "Outlander: Blood of My Blood." More: Season 8 will consist of 10 total episodes.  A bonus-length 16-episode seventh season is currently in production, and is scheduled to debut this summer. The series is based on novels by author Diana Gabaldon, who also devised the concept for the prequel, which will chart the love story of Jamie Fraser's parents. "Outlander" vet Matthew B. Roberts will write and executive produce the prequel series, and serve as showrunner. VARIETY

According to Deadline, Warner Bros. TV is developing a limited series based on the life of silent film star Buster Keaton. Oscar-winning actor Rami Malek has apparently been tapped to star as Keaton, while "The Batman" filmmaker Matt Reeves will direct and executive produce. More: "Succession" and "Veep" vet Ted Cohen will write the project, and also serve as an executive producer. Cohen's scripts were apparently inspired by James Curtis' book "Buster Keaton: A Filmmaker's Life," the rights for which are currently under negotiation. Reeves' company 6th & Idaho will shop the project around to various networks and streamers; he has a first-look deal at Warner Bros, and is currently developing a series based on Colin Farrell's Penguin character from "The Batman" for HBO Max. DEADLINE

Through a new agreement, Amazon will offer subscriptions to the sports-focused streaming service DAZN through its Prime Video Channels platform. The service rolled out this week on Prime Video in Spain and Germany and will expand to additional territories throughout 2023. More: DAZN is currently available in Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Canada, the US, and the UK as a standalone service. The platform features live soccer from a number of international leagues, along with Formula 1, NBA, MotoGP, Matchroom Boxing, Professional Fighters League, and UFC events. VARIETY

QUICK HITS Giving dry a try this January? Do it for less. Experience great-tasting non-alcoholic beer without the hangover! Enjoy $10 off your first purchase.* Amazon posted a new teaser for "Invincible" Season 2, noting that the animated superhero comedy-drama series will return in late 2023. Dennis Quaid joined the cast of Taylor Sheridan's upcoming Paramount+ Western series "Bass Reeves," a spinoff of "1883" and "Yellowstone" starring David Oyelowo as the real-life lawman. Netflix plans to adapt the YA book series "Geek Girl," from British novelist Holly Smale, for television; the story centers around awkward, neurodiverse teen Harriet Manners, who decides to pursue a career as a model. Netflix grabbed the global rights to the Australian horror film "Run Rabbit Run" -- starring "Succession" vet Sarah Snook -- ahead of its Friday evening premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. Actors Diana Lin, Archie Kao, and Tzi Ma joined the cast of Hulu's series "Interior Chinatown," based on the book by Charles Yu. Amazon picked up the rights to the true-crime documentary "Confessions of a Psycho Killer," re-examining the brutal 1975 murder of 63-year-old English vicar Anthony Crean; the perpetrator, Patrick Mackay, remains in prison and is now 70 years old. Customer trust is critical. Here's how to enhance your security without overextending your resources.* *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.

Update your infrastructure with Dell Technologies.

767 Bryant St. #203, San Francisco, CA 94107 Copyright © 2023 Inside.com

Did someone forward this email to you? Head over to inside.com to get your very own free subscription! You received this email because you subscribed to Inside Streaming. Click here to unsubscribe from Inside Streaming list or manage your subscriptions.