Tubi hits 64M users / "Poker Face" renewed / Netflix drops Surprise Me button / 50 Cent sets up Fox deal

Plus today's calendar, Disney+ animated NHL match, Apple's "Extrapolations" trailer, "Dead Ringers" first look, and more

Inside.com Part of   Network February 15, 2023

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On Tuesday, Tubi announced that it reached 64 million monthly active users. The company last updated its public subscriber count back in May 2022, when it had around 51 million regular viewers. More: When Fox purchased the ad-supported streaming platform in 2020, it had just 25 million monthly active users. Total Tubi viewing time is up 44% year-over-year; over 5 billion hours were streamed on the platform in 2022. Viewership is set to rise in 2023 with the recent acquisition of a new library of content from Warner Bros. Discovery. Overall, Fox predicts that paid subscriptions to video-on-demand platforms will remain relatively flat over the next few years, while ad-supported VOD platforms will grow by 9% in 2023 and 24% by 2026. TECHCRUNCH

Peacock renewed the mystery-comedy series "Poker Face" for a second season. The first season is currently about halfway through its run on Peacock; the Season 1 finale arrives on March 9. More: Natasha Lyonne stars as Charlie Cale, a former cocktail waitress with the supernatural ability to determine whenever anyone is lying. On the run from her former employers, she uses her gift to solve murder mysteries featuring an ensemble of new characters each week. "Knives Out" vet Rian Johnson created the series and directed the pilot. Season 1 guest stars include Adrien Brody, Lil Rel Howery, Judith Light, Chloë Sevigny, Ellen Barkin, and Tim Meadows. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

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DAILY CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 WU-TANG: AN AMERICAN SAGA: The biographical drama series looks back at the formation and career of the seminal hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan. Ashton Sanders, Shameik Moore, Siddiq Saunderson, Julian Elijah Martinez, Marcus Callender, and Erika Alexander co-star. The third and final season premieres Wednesday on Hulu. [Hulu] LOVE TRIP: PARIS: Debut Freeform reality dating show, following four single American women who move into a Paris penthouse together that's been packed full of eligible potential suitors. New episodes air Tuesday nights on cable and hit Hulu on Wednesdays. [Hulu] CRAIG OF THE CREEK: The animated Cartoon Network series is set in an untamed wilderness where young people from Herkleton, Maryland hang out and go on adventures. New episodes wrapping up the show's fourth season come to Hulu today. [Hulu] PRIME TIME (HORATIO ESTELAR): Crime thriller series from Mexico, starring Óscar Jaenada as a well-known TV anchor who's implicated in a serious crime, then uses his influence with the public and ability to misinform to evade justice. Dominika Paleta, Maya Zapata, and Ela Velden co-star. [Hulu] FULL SWING: Eight-part behind-the-scenes docuseries from "Drive to Survive" studio Box to Box Films, following a group of professional golfers throughout the 2022 PGA Tour. The cast includes Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, Brooks Koepka, Sahith Theegala, and Mito Pereira. [Netflix] AFRICAN QUEENS: NJINGA: Historical docuseries relating the story of the 17th Century warrior queen, who ruled the kingdoms of Ndongo and Matamba in present-day Angola, through scripted re-enactments and expert interviews. Jada Pinkett Smith executive produced and narrates. [Netflix] COCOMELON: The iconic animated musical series for young kids -- which started life on YouTube before becoming one of Netflix's most-watched shows -- returns for a seventh season. [Netflix] RED ROSE: Teen horror drama series from the UK, originally produced for BBC Three. It centers on a group of recent high school grads whose smartphones are invaded by a sinister app that begins issuing a string of chilling threats and demands. Amelia Clarkson, Isis Hainsworth, Natalie Blair, Ellis Howard, and Ali Khan co-star. [Netflix] THE LAW ACCORDING TO LIDIA POËT: Six-part biographical crime drama series, inspired by the real life of Italy's first female practicing lawyer. In late 19th Century Turin, Lidia Poët (Matilda De Angelis) investigates a murder case while working to overturn a court decision forbidding women from practicing the law. [Netflix] #NOFILTER (SEM FILTRO): Debut comedy series from Brazil, starring Ademara as a free spirit who drops out of college in order to become a social media influencer, then finds life as an online personality more difficult than she imagined. [Netflix] EVA LASTING (LA PRIMERA VEZ): Spanish-language coming-of-age drama series from Colombia. Everything changes at an all-boys school in the 1970s with the arrival of Eva (Isa Garcia), a mysterious new female student. [Netflix] MARVEL'S MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR: Debut animated series from Disney Channel, based on the Marvel Comics characters. Diamond White voices brilliant 13-year-old inventor Lunella Lafayette (aka Moon Girl), who accidentally transports a T. Rex (Fred Tatasciore) into present-day New York. Alfre Woodard, Sasheer Zamata, Jermaine Fowler, and Laurence Fishburne round out the voice cast. [Disney+] CESAR MILLAN: BETTER HUMAN, BETTER DOG: The reality series finds pet expert Millan traveling across America to help frustrated caretakers develop better relationships with their animal friends. Season 3 debuted last month on Nat Geo Wild and hits Disney+ today. [Disney+] THE CHALLENGE: AUSTRALIA: Australia's version of the MTV reality series brings back veterans from a number of the country's reality shows -- including "The Bachelor," "Big Brother," "Survivor," "Married at First Sight," and "Love Island" -- for a series of physical challenges testing their teamwork and endurance. Brihony Dawson hosts. The series aired in late 2022 in Australia and hits Paramount+ in the US today. [Paramount+]

Netflix removed its "Surprise Me" button last month due to relatively low use. The feature would algorithmically choose a show or film for a user to watch based on their view history and preferences. More: A Netflix spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal that their data suggests most users come to the platform with a specific show, film or at least genre in mind. The "Surprise Me" button was first introduced under the title "Play Something" in 2021. Most industry insiders consider Netflix's user experience to be among the industry's best; a 2022 survey from Whip Media ranked Netflix #1 in terms of the actual platform. WSJ

Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson signed a new non-exclusive deal to develop scripted series -- both live-action and animated -- for Fox. Jackson will produce the shows through his own G-Unit Film and Television company, along with Fox Entertainment Studios. More: Jackson's previous deal was with Starz, where he developed the popular "Power" franchise and the crime drama series "BMF." Jackson exited his deal with Starz a few months ago, criticizing the cable network and streamer for "dumb sh*t" on his way out the door. As the Fox deal is non-exclusive, Jackson is free to sign development deals at other network and streamers as well. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Disney plans to animate a live NHL match between the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers, using characters from the Disney Channel series "Big City Greens." The modified hockey broadcast will air on Disney Channel and Disney XD on March 14 at 7 pm ET, while also streaming on Disney+. More: Utilizing pre-existing NHL technology that maps player and puck movements, the "Big City Greens" characters and world will be laid on top of the actual game footage, with their actions based on the live hockey match. Additional worldbuilding details from "Big City Greens" will be added into the background, such as supporting characters watching the action in the stands. The goal is to begin winning over young hockey fans, ultimately graduating them from Disney Channel regulars into ESPN viewers. While previous generations tended to get into sports through actual game attendance, new research indicates that younger fans are discovering their favorite leagues and players via social media and digital platforms. VARIETY

Apple dropped a trailer for the upcoming climate change-themed anthology series "Extrapolations." Episodes feature interwoven stories set over a 33-year near-future time period, exploring possible consequences of climate change on everyday human life. More: The cast includes Meryl Streep, Forest Whitaker, Edward Norton, Yara Shahidi, Murray Bartlett, Tobey Maguire, Marion Cotillard, Eiza González, Kit Harrington, Daveed Diggs, Heather Graham and many others. "Contagion" and "The Report" vet Scott Z. Burns wrote and directed the series, and also executive produced. The first three episodes hit Apple TV+ on March 17. CONSEQUENCE

QUICK HITS Athletic Brewing is pioneering a non-alcoholic craft beer revolution and donating 2% of sales towards protecting and restoring local trails.* Amazon's series adaptation of the 1988 David Cronenberg film "Dead Ringers" -- starring Rachel Weisz as twin OBGYNs who share every aspect of their lives -- hits Prime Video on April 21. A new study from Inside Intelligence predicts that US adults will spend more time on digital platforms in 2023 than viewing traditional broadcast television. Amazon shared a new trailer for "Daisy Jones and the Six," which chronicles the rise and fall of a fictional '70s rock band; the first three episodes arrive on March 3. Netflix ordered an anime series based on the acclaimed manga "Pluto," an adaptation of a classic "Astro Boy" arc from 1964. According to cinematographer Eben Bolter, the word "zombie" was banned on the set of HBO's "The Last of Us"; the show's monstrous humanoid creatures are known as "The Infected." Netflix dropped a trailer for the second half of "You" Season 4, which brings back Victoria Pedretti as Love Quinn-Goldberg; the new episodes arrive on March 9. *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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