Max launch / Paramount+ with Showtime details / Apple TV+ merch / Increased ad loads

Plus today's calendar, "My List" upgrade, Netflix grabs "May December," "The Idol" at Cannes, and more

Inside Streaming For May 23, 2023

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1 Warner Bros. Discovery plans to debut Max -- the new streaming platform bringing together HBO Max and Discovery+ content -- in the US on Wednesday. Some viewers will be prompted to download an updated Max app, but for most users, the changeover should happen automatically. More: At launch, Max will feature 35,000 hours of programming, more than double the size of the HBO Max library; this is mostly due to the addition of classic Discovery content, including shows from HGTV, Food Network, Discovery Channel, TLC, ID, and Magnolia Network. WBD also says that the new Max will have more stable and consistent performance than HBO Max, with simplified navigation, the ability to download select programs for off-line viewing, and enhanced personalization and customization features. Max ports over the HBO Max pricing tiers, but adds a new "Ultimate Ad Free" plan featuring 4K Ultra HD streams for $19.99/month. According to Variety, Warner Bros. Discovery has set up "war rooms" across the globe to handle any launch day glitches or difficulties. New features and updates for Max will apparently roll out every few weeks, starting in mid-June. Some fans noted that the Adult Swim series "Metalocalypse" disappeared from the HBO Max library prior to the merger.

2 The merged Paramount+ with Showtime streaming service launches on June 27. After the merger, Showtime will cease to exist as a standalone streaming platform in the US. More: Paramount+ with Showtime will cost $11.99 per month; a basic Paramount+ account with no Showtime content comes in at $5.99 per month. This is a discounted rate for Paramount+ users currently subscribing to Showtime as an add-on feature, but $2 more than current premium Paramount+ plans. Paramount+ with Showtime will still come in less than ad-free plans from key rivals Max and Netflix.

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3 DAILY CALENDAR TUESDAY, MAY 23 GREMLINS: SECRETS OF THE MOGWAI: Animated fantasy-comedy series, serving as a prequel to the "Gremlins" films, and centering on 10-year-old Sam Wing's early adventures with Gizmo in 1920s Shanghai. Izaac Wang, Ming-Na Wen, B.D. Wong, James Hong, Matthew Rhys, and original "Gremlins" star Zach Galligan provide the voices. [Max] CLONE HIGH: The cult animated comedy series -- which aired for just one season on US and Canadian television in the early '00s -- returns for a long-awaited second season on Tuesday. Now-legendary co-creators Bill Lawrence, Christopher Miller, and Phil Lord all returned for the revival, along with original stars Will Forte, Christa Miller, and Nicole Sullivan. It's set at a present-day high school for teenage clones of iconic historical figures. [Max] SMARTLESS: ON THE ROAD: This combination travel and chat series follows the team behind the "SmartLess" podcast -- Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes -- on their North American tour. Guests include Conan O'Brien, Will Ferrell, Matt Damon, Jimmy Kimmel, Kevin Hart, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and David Letterman. [Max] HOW TO CREATE A SEX SCANDAL: This three-part true-crime docuseries centers around the apparent 2005 discovery of a pedophile sex ring operating out of a swingers club in East Texas. Years later, many of the alleged victims now claim the reports were entirely fabricated. The series is based on reporting by Texas Monthly editor Michael Hall, who also served as a consulting producer. [Max] BAMA RUSH: "Revealing" 2023 documentary following a number of young pledges as they rush sororities at the University of Alabama. Rachel Fleit  ("Introducing, Selma Blair") directed. [Max] WHAT AM I EATING? Six-episode educational docuseries from host and producer Zooey Deschanel, following along as she investigates and debunks common misconceptions about food and nutrition. [Max] GERMAN GENIUS: German-language mockumentary comedy series, following actor Kida Ramadan (playing himself) as he attempts to mount a local remake of the British series "Extras," only to discover that Germans lack the sensibility to appreciate the show. "Extras" creator Ricky Gervais also appears as himself. [Max] MERPEOPLE: Four-episode docuseries centering on the world of professional underwater performers who make public appearances as mermaids and mermen. Cynthia Wade ("Gutsy," "The Flagmakers") directed. [Netflix] VICTIM/SUSPECT: Crime documentary from filmmaker Nancy Schwartzman ("Roll Red Roll"), following reporter Rae de Leon as she investigates stories of women being charged with crimes after reporting incidents of sexual assault. "Victim/Suspect" debuted at this year's Sundance Film Festival. [Netflix] WANDA SYKES: I'M AN ENTERTAINER: The comedian's second hour-long Netflix special was recorded at the Miller Theater in Philadelphia. Topics include raising Gen Z teens and today's combative political climate. [Netflix] ALL AMERICAN: Season 5 of the CW sports drama series aired in the fall on TV and hits Netflix today. Daniel Ezra stars as college football star Spencer James; Bre-Z, Greta Onieogou, Samantha Logan, Michael Evans Behling, Monet Mazur, and Taye Diggs co-star. [Netflix] AFGHAN DREAMERS: Documentary produced by MTV following a young all-girl robotics team from Afghanistan as they enter in a number of international competitions. David Greenwald ("The Blech Effect") directed. [Paramount+] THE FIRE THAT TOOK HER: 2022 documentary profile of Judy Malinowski, a mother of two who nearly died after being doused in gasoline and set on fire by a crazed ex-boyfriend. Malinowski not only survived the ordeal but became the first person in history to testify at her own murder trial. Patricia Gillespie ("The Devil You Know") directed. [Paramount+] ROSIE'S THEATER KIDS: Documentary feature about the non-profit arts education group, founded by actor and comedian Rosie O'Donnell, which uses musical theater to teach life skills to thousands of school children across New York City. Steven Cantor ("30 for 30") directed. [Paramount+] BLOOD & MONEY: The Oxygen true-crime docuseries highlights homicides and other criminal cases in which money was the primary motive. "Law & Order" mastermind Dick Wolf executive produces. Season 1 comes to Peacock today. [Peacock]

4 A new report from Bloomberg suggests that Apple plans to introduce merchandise inspired by TV+ shows to its online store. The first release will likely include "Ted Lasso" products and apparel. More: The first Apple TV+ merch will apparently hit the Apple Store early next month. Retail stores will also highlight QR codes directing shoppers to the new collection. In March, Apple partnered with Nike on official "Ted Lasso" apparel, including jerseys, hoodies, and scarves; these items will be included in the Apple Store offerings. Producers Warner Bros. have also offered "Ted Lasso" merch through their online store. Apple also previously teamed with Mondo on a vinyl release of the "Severance" soundtrack.

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5 A new report from ad info company MediaRadar suggests that streaming services are beginning to show more ads per hour. The report indicates that Hulu and Discovery+ have seen the most significant increases in ad loads, reaching up to 7.3 minutes per hour and 5 minutes per hour, respectively. More: Disney+ Basic ad loads are apparently also up around 18%, to 5.3 minutes of ads per hour. Netflix's ad-supported service is up 10% with 3.3 minutes of commercials each hour; surveys indicate that Netflix customers have already noticed the change. HBO Max was the sole service on the survey that reduced its ad load over the past year; prior to the switchover to "Max," the service was showing around 1.6 minutes of ads per hour.

6 Netflix added new features to make the "My List" queue easier to sort and navigate. "My List" allows users to bookmark movies and TV shows that they wish to watch later. More: New filters will allow users to sort their "My List" titles by release date, format, when the title was added to the queue, as well as alphabetically. There are also new categories for content that a user has already started streaming vs. titles they have not yet dipped into at all. "My List" previously had no filters, and existed simply as a long unsortable list, making it a particular challenge to navigate on mobile devices. Android users will get the "My List" upgrade first; an iOS update will roll out over the next few weeks.

7 Following an auction with other streamers and studios, Netflix is closing in on an $11 million deal for North American rights to the new film from director Todd Haynes ("Far From Heaven"). "May December" stars Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman, and premiered last week at the Cannes Film Festival. More: The deal is the largest to emerge so far from this year's Cannes festival. The film -- loosely inspired by the tabloid romance between teacher May Kay Letourneau and her teenage student, Vili Fualaau -- received an eight-minute standing ovation at Cannes. Moore stars as a fictionalized version of Letourneau; Portman co-stars as an actress who's studying her character, with the intention of playing her in a film. Other buzzy films from this year's Cannes include Martin Scorsese and Apple's "Killers of the Flower Moon" and Jonathan Glazer's "The Zone of Interest," which will be released by the A24 studio.

8 QUICK HITS Hack your gut health with the top founder-endorsed probiotic. Get 40% off Seed's DS-01® —code INSIDE40.* HBO debuted the controversial new drama series "The Idol" at Cannes on Monday; it's the first TV show to officially premiere at the iconic film festival. Peacock dropped a trailer for "Shooting Stars," a scripted coming-of-age drama feature based on the novel by LeBron James and Buzz Bissinger; the film, about a group of teens who bond on the basketball court, debuts on June 2. Kino Lorber and First Look Media plan to merge their streaming platforms, MHz Choice and Topic; Kino Lorber will operate the new service and take a majority stake. "Big Brother" returns to CBS and Paramount+ for its 25th season on August 2; the network also set dates for a few more summer series, including the musical game show "Superfan" and a new season of "The Challenge: USA." During a keynote at Cannes, upcoming streamer SkyShowtime announced its first line-up of European original series, including the Finnish-Swedish production "Codename: Annika" and the Spanish drama "The Invisible Ladies."  *This is sponsored content

INSIDE STREAMING LEADERBOARD (30 DAYS) 🥇 Jon Lusty (8) 🥈 Ayhan Ergezen (7) 🥉 Adam Joseph (3)

Lon Harris Writer 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." This newsletter was edited by Eduardo Garcia

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