Starz drops dramas / Stock price target dip / Ndileka Mandela on "Live to Lead" / "The Consultant" teaser

Plus today's calendar, Roku Smart TVs, why HBO pulled "Looney Tunes," Rupp joins "Coven of Chaos," and more

Inside.com Part of   Network January 04, 2023

Presented by

"Step Up," "Dangerous Liaisons," "Becoming Elizabeth" Starz pulled the full runs of three canceled drama series from its streaming service. "Dangerous Liaisons," "Becoming Elizabeth," and "Step Up" have been removed from the platform; the company has not explained the reasoning behind the decision. More: Warner Bros. Discovery has employed a similar strategy at HBO Max, pulling a variety of archive content -- including "Westworld," "The Nevers," "Raised by Wolves," and most recently, a number of "Looney Tunes" shorts -- from their service. The decision could, in some way, reflect ongoing plans to split the Starz network and platform from its current owner, the Lionsgate studio. As well, it's possible Starz is planning to license the series to free ad-supported channels or platforms. DEADLINE

Macquarie analyst Tim Nollen lowered stock price targets for a number of media companies, including Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, and Fox Corp. Nollen argues that ad markets remain weak, while platforms and studios continue over-spending on content. More: Nollen trimmed his targets on Disney from $120 down to $110 and left the studio's rating at "outperform," based largely on confidence in returning CEO Bob Iger. Nollen theorized that the ad market will remain weak well into 2023 based on concerns about inflation and a potential recession. He remains somewhat optimistic about Warner Bros. Discovery due to the renewal of Turner Sports' NBA broadcast deal. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

A message from BIGID Automatically find, classify, and protect the data that matters most to you – on-demand, and at scale. Reduce risk, protect your data, and jumpstart DSPM today. Sometimes, big things come in small packages. Try SmallID free for 14 days, with plans starting as low as $2,000 a month.   With SmallID, you can: Easily and automatically find your cloud data Flag, tag, and classify the data that matters most to you: including sensitive, customer, PCI, secrets, and more Discover secrets and passwords in dev environments, code repos, and everywhere in between Uncover dark data & improve your security posture Start the new year off right: reduce the risk of data breaches, improve your security posture, and save time. Get started in minutes with an exclusive Inside.com free trial. “SmallID makes it easy to manage risk, understand our data assets, and protect our data - it does everything I need to support our security strategy as we grow.” - Walter Burge, Lumosity Claim your free trial

DAILY CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4 STAR WARS: THE BAD BATCH: The animated "Star Wars" series -- a spinoff of "The Clone Wars" following the further adventures of Clone Force 99 -- is back for a second season. The first two episodes arrive today. [Disney+] MAGIC OF DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM: Nature series from National Geographic showcasing animals residing at various Disney properties along with their caretakers. Locations visited include the Animal Kingdom theme park, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, EPCOT's "The Seas with Nemo & Friends," and the Tri-Circle-D Ranch. All 10 Season 2 episodes hit Disney+ today. [Disney+] PRIMAL SURVIVOR: OVER THE ANDES: Six-part 2022 Nat Geo nature and travel series in which survivalist and wilderness guide Hazen Audel undertakes a daring and dangerous journey over South America's Andes mountain range. [Disney+] LOST TREASURES OF EGYPT: The National Geographic series follows archaeologists as they search for and examine relics across Egypt's "Valley of the Kings." Season 4 aired on cable in 2022 and comes to Disney+ today. [Disney+] MADOFF: THE MONSTER OF WALL STREET: Four-part true-crime docuseries using infographics and filmed re-enactments to examine the story of infamous Wall Street scammer Bernie Madoff and his multibillion-dollar global Ponzi scheme. Joe Berlinger of Netflix's "Crime Scene" and "Conversations with a Killer" franchises created and directed the series. [Netflix] THE LYING LIFE OF ADULTS (LA VITA BUGIARDA DEGLI ADULTI): Debut drama series from Italy, based on the novel by Elena Ferrante, whose work also inspired HBO's "My Brilliant Friend." Giordana Marengo stars as a sheltered teen in 1990s Naples who bonds with her risk-taking, non-conformist aunt (Valeria Golino), much to the chagrin of her strict parents. [Netflix] THE KINGS OF THE WORLD (LOS REYES DEL MUNDO): 2022 Spanish-language drama feature from Colombia about five kids from the streets of Medellín who form their own makeshift community on a rural plot of land inherited from one of their late grandparents. Laura Mora Ortega co-wrote and directed. [Netflix] HOW I BECAME A GANGSTER (JAK ZOSTALEM GANGSTEREM. HISTORIA PRAWDZIWA.) Crime drama feature from Poland -- inspired by actual events -- starring Martin Kowalczyk as a low-level figure in the Warsaw underworld who gradually rises through the criminal hierarchy. [Netflix] WILL TRENT: First-year ABC crime drama series, based on the bestselling books by author Karin Slaughter. Ramón Rodriguez stars as Special Agent Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, a product of Atlanta's foster care system who's determined to do right by the state's youngest citizens. New episodes air Tuesday nights on ABC and hit Hulu on Wednesdays. [Hulu] TOUGH AS NAILS: The CBS reality competition series returns tonight for a fourth season. Working-class contestants with "tough jobs" face off in a variety of challenges testing their endurance, agility, and mental toughness. "Amazing Race" vet Phil Keoghan created the series and hosts. [Paramount+] THE PRICE IS RIGHT AT NIGHT: The primetime edition of the long-running CBS game show returns with five special themed episodes, starting tonight at 8 pm ET/PT. The first installment, "Redemption," features contestants who suffered heartbreaking losses getting a second chance to win big. Drew Carey hosts. [Paramount+] ITALY'S SERIE A: CBS Sports' coverage of the Italian soccer league -- which resumes play today -- streams live on Paramount+. [Paramount+]

Writer and activist Ndileka Mandela -- the oldest grandchild of former South African president Nelson Mandela -- accused Prince Harry and Meghan Markle of "using" her grandfather's legacy to promote their new Netflix series. The show, "Live to Lead," was inspired by the words of Nelson Mandela, and was produced in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela Foundation. More: In an interview with The Australian, Ndileka Mandela referred to the series as "deeply upsetting and tedious" and accused the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of taking advantage of her grandfather's name to "draw in people and make millions." "Live to Lead" features interviews with influential global figures such as Greta Thunberg, Gloria Steinem, and Jacinda Ardern. Ndileka Mandela previously criticized Meghan Markle for saying that South Africans "rejoiced in the streets" after her wedding to Harry, "the same [as] when Mandela was freed from prison." FORBES

A message from ARRIVED Unbelievable: a must-see real estate investing hack.  We know real estate has outperformed the S&P500 over the past 20 years as an asset class. Plus, it's tangible. But most don’t do it. You need massive upfront capital, it takes a ton of setup & expertise, and then you have to manage it. Exhausting. Here's that secret hack: Arrived.  Arrived is an easy-to-use real estate investment platform offering SEC-qualified investments, and it’s backed by world-class investors like Jeff Bezos and Marc Benioff.  In a few clicks, you can: Browse properties (<1% make it through vetting): AirBnBs, long-term rentals, and more coming soon. Pick your favorites: invest anywhere between $100 to $50K per property. Boom: you're officially earning income and appreciation while Arrived manages your properties. Both first-time investors and long-time real estate millionaires are flocking to Arrived, funding over 200 properties and $75M of property value since last year. Demand is high. What’s holding you back? Launch My Real Estate Empire

Amazon released a teaser for "The Consultant," a new darkly comic thriller series starring Christoph Waltz. The series is based on a Bentley Little novel of the same name. More: Waltz stars as Regus Patoff, a mysterious new consultant who joins the team at game development firm CompWare and employs some unexpected tactics. Nat Wolff, Brittany O'Grady, and Aimee Carrero co-star. Tony Basgallop ("Servant") created the series; "Game of Thrones" and "WandaVision" vet Matt Shakman directed some episodes. The series hits Prime Video on February 24. AV CLUB

At CES 2023, Roku announced plans to launch its first-ever line of smart TVs. Previously, Roku devices have been embedded in smart TVs from third-party manufacturers, such as TCL and Hisense. More: Roku's sets will be available in HD and 4K varieties, ranging from 24 to 75-inches. The TVs will cost between $119 to $999, and are set to debut in the spring. Few technical details have yet been released, but based on price, the sets are likely aiming for customers looking for the best value rather than high-end or cutting-edge features. Roku VP of retail strategy Chris Larson said the company isn't aiming to compete with former partners, but wants more control over how Roku's technology is integrated into hardware systems. ENGADGET

HBO Max pulled 256 "Looney Tunes" shorts due to end of an intra-company licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Three seasons of "The Flintstones" -- which had been licensed under the same deal -- were also removed from the platform. More: The deleted "Looney Tunes" were produced between 1950 and 2004, and included a number of classic shorts, such as "One Froggy Evening," "What's Opera, Doc?" and "Duck Amuck." "The Flintstones" Seasons 4 through 6 are also now unavailable. The licensing agreements expired at the end of 2022 and were not renewed by HBO Max as a cost-cutting measure; there are no plans to bring them back to the service. VARIETY

Debra Jo Rupp joined the cast of Disney+'s "WandaVision" spinoff series, "Agatha: Coven of Chaos." Rupp appeared in "WandaVision" as "Mrs. Hart," a neighbor of Wanda Maximoff's who was under the influence of a mind control spell. More: No specifics about Rupp's role have been announced; it's likely she'll reprise her role as Mrs. Hart in some form. Rupp is best known as Kitty Forman on the long-running sitcom "That '70s Show"; she's returning for Netflix's new follow-up, "That '90s Show." Kathryn Hahn returns as witch Agatha Harkness for "Coven of Chaos"; the supporting cast includes Joe Locke, Aubrey Plaza, Ali Ahn, Maria Dizzia, Sasheer Zamata, and Patti LuPone. "WandaVision" creator Jac Schaeffer wrote and produced the new series. DEADLINE

Apple announced the new stop-motion animated children's series "Shape Island." The series is based on a collection of picture books by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen. More: The story follows the adventures of three anthropomorphic shapes -- Square, Circle, and Triangle -- who live together on a magical island. Yvette Nicole Brown, Harvey Guillen, and Scott Adsit provide the main voices. The series -- co-created and produced by authors Barnett and Klassen -- hits Apple TV+ on January 20. DEADLINE

QUICK HITS This year, try a resolution that sticks - going to therapy with BetterHelp. Save 25% off your first month.* IndieWire shot down online rumors that Season 2 of "Wednesday" might move to Prime Video from Netflix, noting that the deal between Netflix and producers MGM was locked in well before the film and TV studio was sold to Amazon. The true-crime thriller film "Boston Strangler" -- starring Keira Knightley as reporter Loretta McLaughlin, who first connected the murders as the work of a single killer -- hits Hulu in the US on March 17. Amazon unified its "living room device partnership and marketing" efforts under a single division, which will be led by long-time staffer Andrew Bennett. Former co-host Rosie O'Donnell explained on Instagram that she skipped "The View" tribute to the late Barbara Walters because she was worried that she'd get too upset. The epic sci-fi series "Foundation" -- based on the novels by Isaac Asimov -- returns to Apple TV+ for a second season this summer. Eric Allan Kramer guest stars on an upcoming episode of "The Conners," reprising his Season 1 "Roseanne" role as Lobo Lounge bully Bobo. During an appearance on "Live! with Kelly and Ryan," Ryan Seacrest said that CNN anchor Andy Cohen declined to acknowledge him or wave hello as they recorded New Year's Eve specials from neighboring sets in New York's Times Square. *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.

Automatically find, classify, and protect the cloud data that matters most to you with SmallID.

Arrived makes fractional investing in highly curated AirBnB & long-term rental properties a breeze.

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.