| |
| Paramount launches its combined "Paramount+ with Showtime" platform this week. It's a pretty good deal if you're interested in Showtime shows: for just $2 more a month, Paramount+ subscribers can access all the content from the premium cable network, a significant cost reduction from paying for both subscriptions separately. Showtime itself remains in a real transitional moment. With "Billions" wrapping up, and "Yellowjackets" by all accounts stumbling in its second season, the premium cable network desperately could use a new breakout hit. Their upcoming strategy will lean into already-popular IP, with new seasons of "Nurse Jackie," "Dexter," "Weeds," and a "Billions" spinoff all on the way. We'll see if that ignites more public interest in the network's content offerings. Enjoy today's issue! We'll be back tomorrow with more news and a chart. Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | Paramount Global will formally combine the Paramount+ and Showtime platforms this week into the new joint "Paramount+ with Showtime" service. For an $11.99/month subscription, customers now get access to the full line-up of Paramount+ along with content from the Showtime cable network. More: - That's a $2 increase from the previous Paramount+ premium subscription, but less than the cost of both Paramount+ and Showtime standalone subscriptions.
- An ad-supported Paramount+ plan is still available, without Showtime content, for $5.99/month.
- Paramount+ has dropped several original shows this week ahead of the merger; in addition to four previously announced titles, a new season of "Inside Amy Schumer," the musical docuseries "From Cradle to Stage," the anthology thriller "Tell Me a Story," and the true-crime docuseries "Ghislaine: Partner in Crime" exited the platform today.
|     | |
| 2 | | In a video posted to the guild's YouTube channel, SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher and National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland gave members an optimistic update on their negotiations with networks and studios. Guild members have already voted 97.9% in favor of authorizing a strike, should leadership fail to negotiate a new deal by the end of the month. More: - The video was taped just next to the negotiating room following Friday's session.
- Drescher called the negotiations "extremely productive" and "laser-focused on all of the crucial issues you told us are most important to you."
- Crabtree-Ireland added "We remain optimistic that we will be able to bring the studios, networks, and streamers along to make a fair deal."
| | | |
| A message from our sponsor, RYSE. |  | | Invest in the company that won over the Dragons The pioneer in smart-doorbell technology, Ring, pitched their business on the hit show Shark Tank at a valuation of just $7 million - the sharks shut them down. 5 years later, the company sold to Amazon for more than $1 Billion, turning the 10% stake initially offered to the sharks from $700K to $100M! A similar story is brewing up in the Smart Shades segment of the industry, with a company called RYSE pitching on the Canadian version of Shark Tank called Dragon’s Den. The difference? They actually received offers from two of the veteran investors and have an addressable market that could be significantly larger than that of Ring’s. The Dragons believe that RYSE has the products, technology, and the team to become the market leader for Smart Shades, and their recent deal with Best Buy has put them miles ahead of the competition. Invest in RYSE alongside the Dragons. Learn More | |
|
| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR TUESDAY, JUNE 27 THE BACHELORETTE: The ABC reality dating competition series returned to TV last night for its 20th season; new episodes hit Hulu on Tuesdays. This season stars 27-year-old Georgia family therapist Charity Lawson, who finished in fourth place on "The Bachelor" Season 27 featuring Zach Shallcross. Jesse Palmer hosts. [Hulu] CLAIM TO FAME: In the ABC reality competition series, 12 contestants -- all of whom have a secret celebrity relative -- move into a house together and attempt to guess one another's identities. Siblings Frankie and Kevin Jonas co-host. Season 2 debuted Monday night on TV. [Hulu] TAYLOR MAC'S 24-DECADE HISTORY OF POPULAR MUSIC: Concert film capturing the actor, musician, and playwright's one-time-only 24-hour musical performance, a queer retelling of US history through a combination of monologues and recognizable songs from across a range of genres and styles. Acclaimed filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman ("Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt") directed. [Max] CHOPPED: The Food Network reality competition series challenges four chefs to prepare spectacular three-course meals that include unconventional surprise ingredients. Episodes from the show's 54th season come to Max in the US today. Ted Allen hosts. [Max] M3GAN: Blumhouse's hit 2023 slasher comedy stars Allison Williams as an engineer who designs an artificially intelligent robotic playmate for her orphaned niece. Before long, the doll's mandate to protect her charge at all costs turns sadistic and violent. Gerard Johnstone ("Housebound") directed. [Amazon] | | | |
| 4 | | In an appearance before the UK's Culture, Media, and Sport Committee, Netflix's senior director of public policy Benjamin King suggested that the country's media regulator, Ofcom, is in danger of becoming "something of a global policeman." Under the terms of a newly proposed media bill, Ofcom would gain jurisdiction over streamers including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+, and the ability to regulate against "harmful material" on the platforms. More: - King warned that Ofcom could become a target for "complaint tourism" from international groups that want to pursue legal cases against Netflix content.
- He also noted that the new rules could have a "chilling effect" that prompts streamers to purge content from their UK libraries.
- Under the proposed bill, streamers would get six months to examine their libraries and remove offending content; King suggests that this is not enough time considering the size of Netflix's content archive.
| | | |
| A message from our sponsor, Remote. |  | | Remote makes it easy for any company to hire and pay anyone, anywhere in the world. Your trusted HR team in every country! As the Employer of Record, Remote fully owns and operates entities in the markets we serve so you don’t have to. You’ll save time and money while protecting your business and employees. - We offer comprehensive coverage at rates meant for larger groups — even if you’re still a small team.
- Get personalized service from our HR and legal experts during every step of your global hiring journey.
- We do the work to understand and proactively act on local labor and tax law requirements.
- Our fair price guarantee means that you can say goodbye to 3rd party markups and hidden fees.
- Retain full ownership of your IP and invention rights in every country where you operate.
- We help you understand tax treatment in each country so you can offer the best plans and packages.
- For employees looking to apply a special tax regime in their country, which will help them maximize their take-home pay, we have an expert team to help them navigate the process free of charge.
- We're proactive and not reactive about our customer service. We care for you, the customer, and that is why we make every interaction count.
Start onboarding your team in a few clicks! Start today | |
|
| 5 | | YouTube removed the accounts of three North Korean vloggers following a request by the South Korean government. The North Korean channels were lifestyle vlogs posted by young women, all of whom spoke English and claimed to offer an unfilitered look at everyday life in the country. More: - One young woman went by the name "Song A," and posted about visiting waterparks, attending school, and enjoying the "Harry Potter" book series.
- Occasionally, the vlogs appeared to push back against public narratives about North Korea; in one Song A video, posted during the COVID lockdown, she praised her government's response to the pandmeic and assured viewers "everything is under control as it used to be."
- YouTube said the decision to remove the channels was made in compliance with US sanctions.
| | | |
| 6 | | Roku and CBS Sports signed new licensing deals with electric racing series Formula E. This marks Roku Channel's first major push into live sports coverage. More: - Roku will stream 11 Formula E races per season on Roku Channel, via its recently launched sports hub.
- The company's head of content, David Eilenberg, called the move "a big new step for us"; he notes that the Formula E streams will compliment Roku's line-up of sports-adjacent programming, including docuseries and "The Rich Eisen Show."
- Five races per season will also air on CBS and stream on Paramount+
| | | |
| 7 | | James Cameron's period romance "Titanic" comes to Netflix on July 1, just one week after five people died on the OceanGate Titan submersible, en route to inspect the wreck of the real ocean liner. Though many on social media accused Netflix of attempting to capitalize off of the tragedy, the timing is purely coincidental. More: - Due to the long-term nature of licensing deals, it's not even possible for Netflix to secure the rights to archival films based on current news events.
- Filmmaker James Cameron, an expert on submersibles who has made several trips of his own to the Titanic wreckage, gave a number of TV interviews this week about the OceanGate tragedy.
- "Titanic" will be available to Netflix customers in the US and Canada starting on July 1.
| | | |
| 8 | | QUICK HITS - Kubernetes doesn't need to be complex. Join us for a conversation about how to increase developer productivity & reduce your pull request time by 75%.*
- HBO's "The Idol" wraps up its first season this week after just five episodes; the series was originally greenlit for six episodes, but trimmed one from its run after Sam Levinson took over for previous director Amy Seimetz.
- Apple released a trailer for the sports documentary "Stephen Curry: Underrated," a profile of the NBA star hitting select theaters and TV+ on July 21; the film premiered at this year's Sundance festival.
- Comcast's Xfinity internet customers cease getting free access to Peacock Premium this week; many of these users were grandfathered into Peacock when it launched in April 2020.
- In a guest column for The Hollywood Reporter, former Marvel Comics editor Roy Thomas sounds off on Disney+'s "Stan Lee" documentary and why Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko deserve their own profiles.
- Welsh public service network S4C will provide a block of content for Ryan Reynolds' streaming channel on Fubo in the US; Reynolds is the co-owner of the Welsh football club Wrexham FC, along with "It's Always Sunny" star Rob McElhenny.
- Max ordered the eight-part thriller series "When Nobody Sees Us," the Warner Bros. Discovery platform's first original series from Spain; Enrique Urbizu ("No Rest for the Wicked") has been tapped to direct.
- MSNBC ordered a second season for the travel series "Leguizamo Does America," in which actor John Leguizamo explores Latin influences and excellence throughout US history.
- "The Outsider" vet Max Beesley joined the cast of Netflix's "The Gentlemen," a series adaptation of the 2019 Guy Ritchie ensemble crime comedy.
- It's never been easier for your sales organization to accelerate growth. Learn how AI, and more, and more, can help you sell in a whole new way.*
*This is sponsored content | | | |
| Upcoming Events | | | | | JUN
28 | | Dev Talk: Run apps at scale without K8 expertise* | | | | | | | JUN
29 | | Inside.com Book Club - Automate Your Busywork (June 2023) | | | | | | * This is a sponsored event | | | |
Term of the Day Assessed value: The assessed value is an official estimate of a property's worth that is used to determine the appropriate tax rate for the property. Question of the Week How do you feel about the phrase "The customer is always right"? Join the conversation |
INSIDE STREAMING LEADERBOARD (ALL-TIME) |
 | 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 | |
| |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Comments
Post a Comment