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| Morning all! Warner Bros. Discovery seems poised to shake up the entire streaming marketplace with this decision to potentially license HBO shows to Netflix. The whole present landscape has been modeled around the idea that each studio would have its own bespoke destination, where you'd go to enjoy their latest debuts along with an extensive archive of classic shows and films. This new paradigm shift takes things in a totally different direction. Now, it seems, streamers will aim to keep subscribers around with big-budget, high-profile tentpoles, while licensing out their archives to one another -- or third-party services like Netflix and Amazon -- to maximize profits. It's a very different value proposition than consumers were presented with in the early days of streaming, but if we don't see a significant uptick in churn rates over the next few months, it's likely to be the new guiding philosophy for these platforms moving forward as belt-tightening and austerity measures continue industry-wide. Enjoy today's issue! Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | According to Deadline, Warner Bros. Discovery is in negotiations to potentially license some HBO library titles to Netflix. This would be the first time in nearly a decade that HBO shows were made available to stream on a rival subscription platform in the US. More: - The first HBO show that would potentially move over to Netflix is the comedy-drama "Insecure," which ran for five seasons and wrapped up in December 2021.
- Deadline reports that long-time HBO veterans pushed back against the move but were overruled.
- The shows would be licensed non-exclusively to Netflix, meaning they'd still be available to stream on the Max platform as well.
- "Insecure" has also aired on the WB Discovery-owned cable network OWN; edited versions of HBO's "Sex and the City," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and "The Sopranos" have also been syndicated to various cable networks.
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"The Gauge" Report basics: Each month, Nielsen posts their "Gauge" report, tracking overall TV use patterns in the US, across both streaming and linear platforms. Overall TV viewership fell around 4.4% from April, mostly driven by declines in broadcast and cable TV viewing. This can mostly be attributed to sports; other than the Kentucky Derby, it was a slow month for live event coverage. Following a dip in April, overall streaming viewership was back up in May. Streaming platforms were responsible for about 36.4% of all TV viewing in the US. Roku ascends: The big story in May was Roku Channel cracking Nielsen's list of the Top 10 streaming platforms for the first time. The free ad-supported service tied with Peacock for eighth place on the list, with 1.1% of overall TV viewing for the month. Roku is now one of three free ad-supported streamers (so-called FAST services) to earn a spot on the list. Tubi leads the category with 1.3% of the audience share, while Paramount's Pluto TV held on to 10th place on the list with 0.9% of the US audience. Netflix and Amazon gain momentum: Netflix and Amazon Prime Video both grew their US audiences in May, with gains for 9.2% and 5.1%, respectively. Part of this was due to a methodology change in how Nielsen monitors performance, but Netflix also got a boost from the wildly popular "Bridgerton" prequel "Queen Charlotte" and two films -- the theatrical release "A Man Called Otto" starring Tom Hanks, and the Netflix original "The Mother" with Jennifer Lopez. Amazon benefitted from the final season of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and the high-profile debut series "Citadel." | | | |
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| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21 SECRET INVASION: Limited thriller series from Marvel Studios, spun off from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Samuel L. Jackson reprises his role as former S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury, who uncovers a covert operation on Planet Earth being undertaken by shapeshifting alien Skrulls. Ben Mendelsohn, Cobie Smulders, Martin Freeman, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Emilia Clarke, Don Cheadle, and Olivia Colman co-star; "Mr. Robot" vet Kyle Bradstreet created. [Disney+] EXTRAORDINARY BIRDER WITH CHRISTIAN COOPER: Debut nature series from Nat Geo Wild, in which the wildlife expert travels the world searching for rare and colorful birds. Cooper, a Black man, was thrust into the national spotlight after being confronted by a white woman while birding in New York's Central Park. [Disney+] MINNIE'S BOW-TOONS: CAMP MINNIE: The animated Disney Junior series returns for a third season, moving the action to Minnie, Daisy, and their friends' summer wilderness retreat. The first nine new episodes hit Disney+ today. [Disney+] BREAK POINT: The behind-the-scenes pro tennis docuseries returns for the second half of its first season, which includes a look at Serena Williams' 2022 US Open run. Other players highlighted in the series include Felix Auger-Aliassime, Matteo Berrettini, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, and Maria Sakkari. [Netflix] THE STROLL: Documentary feature from HBO, relating the history of New York's Meatpacking District from the perspective of the transgender sex workers who lived and worked in the neighborhood. Zackary Drucker ("Queenmaker") and trans actress Kristen Lovell directed. The film won a special jury award at Sundance. [Max] 7 LITTLE JOHNSTONS: The TLC reality series chronicles the lives of the Johnston family of Forsyth, Georgia, all seven of whom are little due to the genetic bone disorder achondroplasia. Season 13 debuts this week on cable and Max. [Max] EX ON THE BEACH: In the US remake of the British reality dating series, singles seek out new love connections in exotic locales, only to be interrupted by their former partners. Season 5, which brings the cast to Spain's Gran Canaria Island, aired last year on MTV and hits Paramount+ today. [Paramount+] | | | |
| 4 | | Netflix announced a change to their public methodology for measuring viewership. The streamer will now report what it calls "views," which it determines by dividing a show or film's total hours of streaming viewership by its runtime. More: - Netflix will continue to publish the total hours viewed on its programs, but will use the new metric to decide Top 10 rankings and other lists of its most popular content.
- Netflix also expanded its measurement window from just a show or film's first 28 days out to 91 days, in an effort to give fresh content more time to find an audience.
- The adjustment meant a few minor shake-ups to Netflix's already-published Most Popular lists; most notably, "Wednesday" has now overtaken "Stranger Things" Season 4 as the platform's most popular English-language series of all time.
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| 5 | | Prolific TV producer Ryan Murphy plans to exit his current deal with Netflix when it expires next year and jump over to Disney. Murphy departed what was then 20th Century Fox TV in 2018 after signing a $300 million five-year overall deal to produce content for Netflix. More: - At Netflix, Murphy has produced "Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story," "The Politician," "Ratched," Hollywood," "The Prom," and "Halston"; his prior work includes the "American Horror Story," "911," and "American Crime Story" franchises.
- Along with "Grey's Anatomy" vet Shonda Rhimes, Murphy was one of the first high-profile TV creators to fully make the jump to streaming in the late '10s.
- Murphy will continue producing a number of ongoing shows for Netflix, including the "Monster" anthology and the thriller series "Watcher."
- According to The Hollywood Reporter, Murphy's ongoing involvement with a number of 20th projects -- including "Pose," "Feud," and "American Crime Story" -- during his Netflix tenure led to some tension behind-the-scenes; a 2021 announcement that he planned to work on new TV anthologies "American Sports Story" and "American Love Story" for Disney may have been the final straw for co-CEO Ted Sarandos.
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| 6 | | The new Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Disney+ series "Secret Invasion" used AI software to create its opening credit sequence. Executive producer Ali Selim confirmed the decision to use AI on "Secret Invasion" to Polygon, explaining that the use of the technology fit the show's themes of hidden identities, paranoia, and uncertainty. More: - The opening credit sequence depicts an invasion of Earth by the shapeshifting alien species The Skrulls, and was designed by Method Studios.
- Selim conceded that he doesn't fully understand how the technology works, but said he provided Method Studios with "ideas and themes and words" which were then used by the AI to generate the sequence.
- The show's use of AI has led to some backlash on social media.
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| 7 | | A new lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleges that Amazon tricked millions of consumers into signing up for its Prime membership program, which includes access to the Prime Video streaming platform. The suit accuses the company of using "manipulative, coercive, or deceptive" tactics in promoting Prime membership, and also making the loyalty program difficult to exit. More: - The suit is part of a larger effort by the FTC to crack down on what it calls "dark patterns," design and interface tactics used by companies to dupe customers into spending more money or signing away protections on their privacy and data.
- In a press release, FTC Chair Lina Khan accused Amazon of "manipulative tactics" that "harm consumers and law-abiding businesses alike."
- Among other specific complaints, the FTC lawsuit points out that Amazon presented Prime membership in misleading, "asymmetric" terms, interrupted the shopping experience with confusing messages about Prime, did not adequately disclose the cost of the monthly auto-renewal feature, and purposefully made the cancellation process arduous in order to "thwart" attempts to unsubscribe.
- The FTC has also accused Amazon of acting in bad faith throughout its investigation and attempting to delay its work.
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| 8 | | Hulu renewed the drama series "Nine Perfect Strangers" for a second season. Producer and star Nicole Kidman will reprise her role as resort director Masha for the new episodes. More: - New Season 2 cast members include iconic Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann, Dolly De Leon, Maisie Richardson Sellers, and Aras Aydin.
- "White Lotus" and "Last of Us" vet Murray Bartlett is reportedly nearing a deal to join the series for Season 2 as well.
- Bartlett previously co-starred in the Hulu series "Welcome to Chippendales."
- "Nine Perfect Strangers" is based on a novel by author Liane Moriarty, who also wrote the book that inspired HBO's "Big Little Lies."
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| 9 | | Smosh co-creators Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla reunited and purchased a majority stake in their former YouTube brand and channel. Smosh was owned by Mythical Entertainment and its founders, Rhett & Link, another popular YouTube duo; they will retain a minority share of the company. More: - Padilla exited Smosh in 2017; the following year, the brand's parent company Defy Media shut down.
- The financial terms of the new deal were not disclosed.
- Hecox and Padilla received some funding from Breeze Financial, which specializes in loans for digital creators to expand their online footprint.
- The supporting cast of Smosh creators who have produced the brand's recent creative output -- including Courtney Miller, Shayne Topp, and Damien Hass -- will remain with the company.
[FULL DISCLOSURE: I know the Smosh guys and have worked with them on a few projects in the past. -- Lon] | | | |
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- The broadcast debut of the "Yellowstone" prequel series "1883" drew around 3.8 million viewers on its first night, including replays across five different Paramount cable networks.
- Actor Dan Stevens will take over the lead voice role of grouchy alien Korvo in the Hulu animated series "Solar Opposites"; he'll replace the show's previous star and executive producer, Justin Roiland.
- The first three episodes of the Disney+ original fantasy-adventure series "American Born Chinese" will air on ABC and stream on both Roku and YouTube for free.
- Twitch announced plans to replace its Mature Content toggle with more descriptive "Content Classification Labels," allowing streamers to more accurately specify what viewers can expect from their feeds.
- Paramount+ released a trailer for "Zoey 102," a new film spun off from the classic live-action Nickelodeon series "Zoey 101"; Jamie Lynn Spears reprises her lead role as Zoey Brooks, who's returning to Malibu for a wedding.
- The new adult animated comedy series "Captain Fall" hits Netflix on July 28; the series, from "Norseman" creators Jon Iver Helgaker and Jonas Torgersen, centers around a good-hearted sea captain being used as a fall guy by an international smuggling operation.
- Paramount+ ordered a second season for the YA supernatural mystery series "School Spirits"; Peyton List stars as a murdered high schooler who returns as a ghost, determined to identify her killer.
- The pilot for "A Little Inappropriate" -- a never-produced "Curb Your Enthusiasm"-inspired HBO series featuring rapper Kanye West -- leaked onto YouTube over the weekend.
- Ryan Reynolds' "Maximum Effort" channel has officially launched on the Fubo platform; the companies signed an exclusive multi-year first-look deal in Summer 2022.
- Blumhouse TV grabbed the rights to adapt "The Quiet Tenant," the debut novel by author Clémence Michallon, into a series; the book relates the story of a serial kidnapper and murderer from the perspectives of his daughter, girlfriend, and latest captive.
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INSIDE STREAMING LEADERBOARD (7 DAYS) |
 | 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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