WBD Q4 earnings / "Succession" to end with S4 / Vix hits 25M users / "Poker Face" is Peacock's top debut

Plus the weekend calendar, Del Toro's "Buried Giant" to Netflix, HBO Max "IT" prequel series, Tyler Perry's "Mea Culpa," and more

Inside.com Part of   Network February 24, 2023

WB Discovery CEO David Zaslav According to the latest earnings report from Warner Bros. Discovery, the company now has 96.1 million subscribers across its various streaming services. The overall streaming division hit total revenue of $2.5 billion but still posted $217 million in losses. More: The losses were largely tied to restructuring costs and writedowns related to the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery. With this restructuring complete, Warner Bros. Discovery executives will now focus on maintaining its linear and theatrical businesses while pushing streaming into profitability. Advertising revenue for the quarter hit $2.3 billion; WB Discovery's broadcast TV advertising business declined 17% vs. the year before. The combined HBO Max/Discovery+ streaming service will launch on April 12. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

"Succession" creator and showrunner Jesse Armstrong plans to end the series after its upcoming fourth season. Armstrong told The New Yorker that "there's a promise in the title of 'Succession'" and he "never thought this could go on forever." More: Armstrong had previously teased that the show would likely wrap up after four or five years. Representatives for HBO confirmed the accuracy of The New Yorker story but declined to comment additionally. HBO content chief Casey Bloys has long said the decision on when to end "Succession" rested entirely with Armstrong; he's also said the show is unlikely to get the spinoff treatment, though the door has been left open. "Succession" returns for a fourth and final season on March 26. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

WEEKEND CALENDAR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24 FORMULA 1: DRIVE TO SURVIVE: The sports docuseries -- widely credited with boosting interest in Formula 1 racing in the US -- returns with a fifth season, taking viewers behind the scenes throughout the 2022 season. [Netflix] WE HAVE A GHOST: Family comedy-horror film from writer/director Christopher Landon ("Freaky," "Happy Death Day"), based on a short story by Geoff Manaugh. After discovering that his family's new home is haunted by a ghost named Ernest (David Harbour), a teenager (Jahi Di'Allo Winston) puts the paranormal phenomenon on YouTube and inadvertently makes his family a CIA target. Anthony Mackie, Tig Notaro, and Jennifer Coolidge co-star. [Netflix] ODDBALLS: The animated comedy series comes from popular YouTube creator James Rallison, and follows the adventures of a bubble-shaped teenage boy from Dirt, Arizona. Season 2 hits Netflix this weekend. The voice cast includes Rallison, Julian Grant, Kimberly Brooks, Erika Ishii, Kari Wahlgren, and Harland Williams. [Netflix] POKÉMON ULTIMATE JOURNEYS: Part 2 of the third and final season of the animated "Pokémon Journeys" series comes to Netflix this weekend, concluding the story of Ash, Goh, and Chloe's research trip around all eight regions. [Netflix] WHO WERE WE RUNNING FROM? (BIZ KIMDEN KAÇIYORDUK ANNE?) Debut thriller series from Turkey, based on a novel by Perihan Mağden. Eylül Tumbar stars as a teen who begins to doubt her mother's (Melisa Sözen) various explanations for keeping them constantly on the run, moving from hotel to hotel. [Netflix] PARTY DOWN: The sitcom about LA caterers with Hollywood dreams was canceled in 2010, and returns this weekend for a long-awaited third season. Adam Scott, Ken Marino, Ryan Hansen, Martin Starr, Jane Lynch, and Megan Mullally reprise their roles for the new episodes. [Starz] THE CONSULTANT: Satirical comedy-thriller series, based on the novel by Bentley Little, starring Christoph Waltz as an eccentric and demanding efficiency expert who's brought in to turn things around at a gaming company. Nat Wolff, Brittany O'Grady, Aimee Carrero, and Sydney Mae Diaz co-star; "Servant" vet Tony Basgallop created the series and wrote the adaptation. [Amazon] DIE HART: THE MOVIE: The satirical action-comedy series originally debuted on the defunct Quibi service before moving over to Roku. This new cut turns the series into a film, and was screened theatrically in some markets, including South Africa. Kevin Hart stars as a fictionalized version of himself, who attends a stunt expert's (John Travolta) "action hero school" in an attempt to move away from comedy. Roku has picked up the series for a second season. [Amazon]. THE RELUCTANT TRAVELER: Eight-episode reality series following actor Eugene Levy as he gets over his distaste for travel and visits some of the world's most beautiful and fascinating destinations. Featured locations include Costa Rica, Finland, Italy, Japan, Maldives, Portugal, South Africa, and the US. [Apple TV+] LIAISON: Debut thriller series -- a British/French co-production -- centering on two government operatives (and former lovers) who must work together to thwart a series of international cyberattacks. Eva Green, Vincent Cassel, Peter Mullan, and Gérard Lanvin co-star; Virginie Brac ("Cheyenne & Lola") created the series and wrote the scripts. [Apple TV+] PRETZEL AND THE PUPPIES: The animated series for young kids is based on books by "Curious George" creators Margret and H.A. Rey, and follows the adventures of Pretzel, the world's longest dachshund, and his loving family. It's back for a second season. [Apple TV+] BRUISER: Coming-of-age drama feature starring Jalyn Hall as a 14-year-old who receives life lessons from both his strict but caring father (Shamier Anderson) and a charismatic drifter (Trevante Rhodes) with a shadowy past. The film, the feature debut of co-writer/director Miles Warren, premiered at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival, where it was acquired by Hulu's Onyx Collective. [Hulu] THE REEF: STALKED: 2022 Australian thriller -- a spiritual sequel to 2010's "The Reef" -- about three friends on a kayaking adventure in the Pacific who find themselves stalked by a killer shark. "The Reef" vet Andrew Traucki wrote and directed. [Hulu] SPIN ME ROUND: Alison Brie stars in this 2022 dark comedy feature as a chain restaurant manager from Bakersfield who wins a peculiar trip to participate in an Italian immersion program with the company's enigmatic founder (Alessandro Nivola). Brie co-wrote the script with her frequent collaborator, filmmaker Jeff Baena ("The Little Hours," "Horse Girl"). [Hulu] LAVELL CRAWFORD: THEE LAVELL CRAWFORD: The actor and comedian's fourth Showtime special was recorded at the Joy Theater in New Orleans, and features material about getting older, moving into white neighborhoods, and finding the best food deals. The special hits Showtime's apps and streaming platforms on Friday, and debuts Sunday night on cable. [Showtime] NOCEBO: Psychological thriller starring Eva Green as a fashion designer who develops a mysterious illness and comes to rely on a folk remedy provided by a mysterious caretaker (Chai Fonacier). Mark Strong co-stars; "Vivarium" vet Lorcan Finnegan directed. [Shudder] SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25 THE WEEKND: LIVE AT SOFI STADIUM: 90-minute concert special recorded in Los Angeles during the concluding dates of the R&B singer's "After Hours Til Dawn" stadium tour. [HBO Max] MADE FOR EACH OTHER: Romantic fantasy-comedy feature from Hallmark, starring Alexandra Turshen as a sculptor who constructs the perfect man (Aaron O'Connell) out of clay, then somehow magically brings him to life. Matt Cohen and Ileana Douglas co-star. [Peacock] THE CHALLENGE: UK: The British version of the MTV reality competition series brings together 16 UK reality stars for a string of physical and endurance tests, with the winner taking home £100,000. Cast members include AJ Pritchard, Ashley McKenzie, Callum Izzard, James Lock, Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace, Arabella Chi, Courtney Veale, and Zara Zoffany; Mark Wright hosts. [Paramount+] SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26 THE CIRCUS: INSIDE THE GREATEST POLITICAL SHOW ON EARTH: The news and politics docuseries returns for an eighth season, focusing on the results of the 2022 midterm elections and the installation of a new House of Representatives. John Heilemann, Mark McKinnon, and Jenn Palmieri co-host. [Showtime] A NASHVILLE LEGACY: 2023 romantic drama from Hallmark, starring Pooch Hall and Andrea Lewis as a new couple brought together by their shared love of music history. Stan Shaw, Roz Ryan, and Ruben Studdard co-star. [Peacock]

Vix+'s "Enfermo Amor" TelevisaUnivision saw ad sales surge by 22% in the fourth quarter of 2022, thanks largely to World Cup matches. The company's total ad revenue was up 14% in the US, and 10% worldwide. More: The company's streaming service -- Vix -- hit 25 million monthly active users on its free tier; it's now the largest dedicated Spanish-language streaming service. Vix+, the subscription tier, launched in July. The company didn't announce specific sign-up numbers, though CEO Wade Davis suggested the streamer will be profitable by the end of 2023. DEADLINE

Peacock's "Poker Face" debuted on the Nielsen Original Series streaming chart in the #3 spot during the week of January 23-29, with 547 million minutes viewed in its first four days. That's the strongest debut for any Peacock original series to date, improving on the performance of "The Best Man: The Final Chapters" in December. More: Prior to "The Best Man," "Bel-Air" had held the title as Peacock's most-viewed series debut. Natasha Lyonne stars in the episodic mystery series as a former cocktail waitress with an uncanny ability to detect when someone's lying; while on the run from her former boss, she gets involved in weekly investigations involving celebrity guest stars. Peacock has renewed "Poker Face" for a second season. "Poker Face" did not perform well enough to earn a spot on Nielsen's overall streaming chart for January 23-29; the Netflix film "You People" led the week with 1.58 billion minutes viewed over just three days of availability. VARIETY

Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro will follow his celebrated stop-motion "Pinocchio" film with an animated adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's "The Buried Giant" for Netflix. The novel centers on an elderly couple living in a fictional version of England in which no one retains any long-time memories. More: Del Toro will produce and direct the film; he's co-writing the script with "Matilda the Musical" vet Dennis Kelly. ShadowMachine, the same stop-motion studio that produced "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio," will work on the film. "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio" won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature; it's nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar as well. According to Netflix, more than 50 million households watched "Pinocchio" in its first 28 days. DEADLINE

HBO Max ordered a first season for "Welcome to Derry," a prequel series set prior to the events of Stephen King's novel "IT." The series is being developed by Andy and Barbara Muschietti and Jason Fuchs, who collaborated on the recent "IT" film adaptations. More: "IT Chapter Two" producer and "Wonder Woman" scribe Fuchs will pen the pilot and serve as a co-showrunner on the project alongside Brad Caleb Kane ("Tokyo Vice"). "IT" and "IT Chapter Two" helmer Andy Muschietti will direct the pilot along with some additional episodes. HBO Max and Warner Bros. Television will co-produce the series. DEADLINE

QUICK HITS Running late to a meeting has never looked better than with Bombas’ new spring drops. Use code INSIDE for 20% off.* Writer/director Tyler Perry's next film for Netflix will be the legal drama "Mea Culpa," starring Kelly Rowland, Trevante Rhodes, and Sean Sagar. Amazon released a full trailer for the sci-fi drama "The Power," based on the novel by Naomi Alderman; the film centers on a group of teenage girls who develop the supernatural ability to conduct electricity, and debuts on March 31. ABC's family sitcom "The Goldbergs" will conclude at the end of its current tenth season; the series finale airs on May 3 and hits Hulu the following day. Apple greenlit the drama series "The Last Frontier," starring Jason Clarke as a US Marshal in Alaska who uncovers a conspiracy while protecting a remote town from a group of violent prison escapees. Married actors Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally joined the cast of Netflix's "The Umbrella Academy" ahead of the show's fourth and final season; the duo will apparently also play a married couple on the series. Grammy-winning musical artist Sam Smith joined the cast of HBO Max's "And Just Like That" for its upcoming second season; details about their specific character are being kept under wraps. According to Reuters, Netflix is making final preparations to open a new office in Vietnam, following years of negotiations with local authorities. Despite previously announcing the show's renewal, AMC reversed course and canceled the anthology sci-fi drama series "Soulmates." You could be starting therapy with an accredited professional in just 48 hours. Join today and take 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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