Netflix password crackdown / Streaming price comparison / Comcast's Now TV / "Ice Road 2" to Amazon

Plus today's calendar, Daily Wire shows on Twitter, "Skull Island" hits Netflix in June, Max credits spark controversy, and more

Inside Streaming For May 24, 2023

Thank you to our sponsor

1 Netflix has started notifying American customers about its plans to eliminate password-sharing between households. US subscribers will be asked to pay $8 per month for anyone using their passwords from a different home. More: Netflix debuts its new password system in Latin America, and has since rolled it variations in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal, and Spain. The streamer has suggested it's pleased with the results from the crackdown thus far, indicating that it will likely expand across the globe to all subscribers eventually. Netflix isn't planning to track specific household locations, but will occasionally prompt users to verify their identity when signing in from a new internet connection.

2 How Does Max Stack Up: Warner Bros. Discovery launches their merged Max streaming service this week at a baseline price of $9.99/month with ads, or $15.99 for an ad-free experience. An "Ultimate Ad Free" plan -- which includes downloads for offline viewing, streams in 4K Ultra HD, and more premium add-ons -- runs $19.99, putting it in league with the most expensive streaming plans on the market. Peacock and Apple Still the Cheapest: Peacock's ad-supported basic plan is the most cost-effective option out there among the major streamers, at just $4.99 per month. Dropping the ads boosts the plan by an extra $5, but it's still a relatively solid deal at $9.99. The Apple TV+ core plan runs just $6.99 per month; there are also free trials for Apple customers when they buy or upgrade their products. Apple's service features just their own original content, however, and it's a much more slender and curated library than the other streamers offer. Prime Video: Amazon remains functionally in a category of its own. The company offers the ad-supported zero-cost Freevee service, and also offers access to the Prime Video library for a standalone cost of $8.99 per month. But it's just $14.99/month for the full Amazon Prime service, which also includes free shipping and other inducements.

A message from our sponsor, ATAKAMA. Over 5,000 investors already know… The demand for safeguarding sensitive data is accelerating, and Atakama is well-positioned to capitalize on this trend. 45% of businesses have experienced a data breach in the past 12 months. 83% of data breaches include personal information such as Social Security Numbers, putting data privacy at risk. The surge in cybercrime provides criminals access to sensitive data,  resulting in a $2 Trillion cybersecurity market opportunity. Today, businesses have never been more motivated to find effective solutions. Atakama already has a proven track record: Grown annualized revenue by 10x  Closed major contract wins including the US Department of Defense Patented tech proven 1000x more secure than the status quo Atakama invites individual investors to help fuel the company’s continued growth, enabling further portfolio diversification. Over 5,000 investors have gotten behind Atakama’s patented technology. Atakama is closing its current round in less than 1 month, and there is limited time to get in on the offering. Invest Today

3 DAILY CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, MAY 24 PLATONIC: Debut comedy series, starring Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen as estranged best friends who reunite at middle age. Luke Macfarlane, Tre Hale, Carla Gallo, and Andrew Lopez co-star. The series reunites Rogen, Byrne, and co-creator Nicholas Stoller, who previously collaborated on the "Neighbors" films. Francesa Delbanco, Stoller's real wife, co-created. [Apple TV+] AMERICAN BORN CHINESE: Debut action fantasy-comedy series, based on the graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang. It centers on an Asian-American teen (Ben Wang) who finds himself caught up in the middle of a battle between mythological Chinese gods. Michelle Yeoh, Yeo Yann Yann, Chin Han, Daniel Wu, Jim Liu, and Ke Huy Quan co-star. Kelvin Yu ("Bob's Burgers") created; Destin Daniel Cretton ("Shang-Chi") executive produced and directed some episodes. [Disney+] CHIP 'N' DALE: PARK LIFE: The dialogue-free animated series -- produced in the style of classic cartoon shorts -- follows the adventures of the two chipmunk troublemakers, now living in a park in the middle of a big city. Season 2 hits Disney+ today. [Disney+] THE CLEARING: Eight-part psychological thriller series from Australia, based on the J. P. Pomare novel "In the Clearing," which was inspired by the real-life religious organization known as "The Family." Teresa Palmer stars as a cult survivor who's forced to confront her past trauma in order to protect a new generation of young people. Miranda Otto, Guy Pearce, and Julia Savage co-star. [Hulu] BEAT SHAZAM: The musical game show -- in which players attempt to identify a series of mystery songs -- returns to Fox for a sixth season this week. Nick Cannon fills in this season for regular host Jamie Foxx. New episodes air Tuesdays on TV and hit Hulu on Wednesdays. [Hulu] DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS! Another musical game show from Fox, this one challenges contestants to accurately recall song lyrics from a variety of genres. Niecy Nash hosts. New Season 2 episodes air Tuesdays on TV and come to Hulu on Wedesdays. [Hulu] BROKER: 2022 Korean drama feature from acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda. Song Kang-ho and Gang Dong-won co-star as friends who sell abandoned babies on the adoption black market. Their fates are changed when a young mother (Lee Ji-eun) who was thinking of abandoning her own child catches them in the act. [Hulu] THE ULTIMATUM: QUEER LOVE: The reality dating franchise returns for a new season featuring five couples composed of women and non-binary people who have reached a critical point in their relationships. Now, they'll get a chance to date new people before deciding whether to get married to break up for good. JoAnna Garcia Swisher hosts. [Netflix] HARD FEELINGS (HAMMERHARTE JUNGS): German-language coming-of-age comedy film starring Tobias Schäfer and Cosima Henman as childhood best friends who enter puberty and discover, to their shock and dismay, that they're developing romantic feelings for one another. [Netflix] MOTHER'S DAY (DZIEŃ MATKI): 2023 action thriller from Poland, starring Agnieszka Grochowska as a former NATO Special Operations agent who must utilize all of her training after her son is kidnapped by ruthless gangsters. Mateusz Rakowicz ("The Getaway King") co-wrote and directed. [Netflix] LOVE & HIP-HOP ATLANTA: Season 10 of the VH1 reality series aired in 2022 and hits Paramount+ today. The Season 10 cast includes Rasheeda, Kirk Frost, Yung Baby Tate, Spice, Sierra Gates, Erica Mena, Safaree Samuels, Omeretta the Great, and others. [Paramount+]

4 Comcast introduced Now TV, a streaming cable replacement service designed as a rival to Sling, YouTube TV, and Hulu + Live TV. The service is exclusively available to current Comcast Xfinity internet customers. More: Now TV includes 60 live channels plus access to Peacock content, all for $20 per month. Cable networks available through Now TV include AMC, Discovery, A&E, IFC, and The History Channel. The service also comes with 20 hours of DVR storage, and 20 free ad-supported channels from NBC News, Sky News, and others.

A message from our sponsor, PLACER.AI. Data-driven report: Who is visiting malls in 2023?  Over the past couple of years, many analysts have asserted that shopping centers have lost their relevance. But visits have not dropped as dramatically as predicted, and in 2022, despite the various economic headwinds, shopping centers throughout the country still attracted hundreds of millions of visits. This white paper looks at recent location intelligence data to better understand the current state of malls and shopping centers. Read Navigating a Changing Mall: Analyzing Consumer Behavior to find out: How do high inflation and gas price hikes impact mall traffic? Do different mall formats exhibit different daily, weekly, and seasonal visitation patterns? Which type of anchor provides a traffic boost to shopping centers?  Read More

5 Amazon is nearing a final deal for international rights to the action sequel "Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky." The $17 million deal will be the largest from this year's Cannes market when it closes. More: Amazon's deal excludes Germany, where the rights to "Ice Road 2" have already been secured by a different, unnamed buyer. Liam Neeson will return for the sequel as big rig ice road driver Mike McCann; the new adventure relocates the action from Northern Canada to the mountains of Nepal. "Ice Road" writer-director Jonathan Hensleigh ("Die Hard with a Vengeance") will also return for the new film.

6 Conservative media company The Daily Wire announced plans to stream its full line-up of video podcasts on Twitter for free. In a post about the decision, The Daily Wire praises Twitter as "the largest social media platform that refuses to allow leftist censors to gatekeep content based on politics." More: Daily Wire co-CEO Jeremy Boreing said the company was inspired to expand its Twitter presence due to the positive reception for "The Matt Walsh Show." Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson also plans to stream his new commentary series on Twitter. Additionally, Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis plans to participate in a live "Twitter Spaces" event with owner and CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday, during which he will likely announce his candidacy for president.

7 Netflix and Legendary Television's animated Monsterverse series "Skull Island" premieres on June 22. The show ties in with the Legendary film franchise that includes "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" and "Godzilla vs. Kong." More: "Skull Island" centers on a group of explorers who crash land on the island, which is home to the mighty Kong along with a number of other dangerous, bizarre creatures. The voice cast includes Nicolas Cantu, Mae Whitman, Darren Barnet, Benjamin Bratt, and Betty Gilpin. "Cocaine Bear" vet Brian Duffield created and wrote the series; "Blood of Zeus" and "Castlevania" studio Powerhouse Animation produced.

8 QUICK HITS Hack your gut health with the top founder-endorsed probiotic. Get 40% off Seed's DS-01® —code INSIDE40.* In a move that has upset some Hollywood creatives, the new Max streaming platform doesn't list out individual credits for writers, directors, and other individuals who worked on a film, grouping them all together as "Creators." A trailer for Season 2 of Paramount+'s "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" features a glimpse of the upcoming "Lower Decks" crossover, with live-action Jack Quaid and Tawny Newsome as their typically-animated characters, Boimler and Mariner; the new season debuts on June 17. Amazon's epic fantasy series "The Wheel of Time" -- based on the novels by Robert Jordan -- returns for a second season on September 1. Paramount+ renewed the celebrity reality series "The Family Stallone" for a second season. During a roundtable discussion hosted by The Hollywood Reporter, Pedro Pascal revealed that his work on "The Mandalorian" is mostly limited to voiceover acting; Brendan Wayne and stunt performer Lateef Crowder portray Din Djarin physically on set. "Land Man" -- the latest Paramount+ original drama from creator Taylor Sheridan -- added Ali Larter, Michelle Randolph, and Jacob Lofland to its cast; Billy Bob Thornton stars in the series, which was inspired by the podcast "Boomtown." Peacock's official account joked around about HBO Max's name change on Twitter this week, promising NOT to drop the first half of their platform's name. "Clone High" revival co-showrunner Erica Rivinoja spoke with Polygon about bringing the cult animated series back and the decision to leave the teenage Gandhi character frozen in time. Fox Nation renewed the reality series "Duck Family Treasure," a spinoff of "Duck Dynasty" featuring members of the Robertson family searching the US for hidden artifacts, for a second season. Paramount+'s nostalgia comedy sequel "Good Burger 2" has apparently started production in North Providence, Rhode Island. "Game of Thrones" vet Indira Varma joined the cast of "Doctor Who" in a mysterious new role as "The Duchess"; Varma previously appeared on the "Who" spinoff series "Torchwood." *This is sponsored content

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

Discover more on inside.com/streaming Thanks for reading today's issue of Inside Streaming. Explore Explore

Don't miss your chance to join over 5,000 investors and get behind this rapidly growing tech company.

Make smarter business decisions with location analytics for any physical space. Try it free now!

Share Email Share on Twitter Open in Browser Open in Browser Open in Browser

Did someone forward this email to you? Get your free subscription here. Interested in sponsoring this newsletter? Connect with our sales team here. You received this email because you are subscribed to Inside Streaming. Manage your subscription or unsubscribe here. 767 Bryant St. #203, San Francisco, CA 94107 Copyright © 2023 Inside.com