NBCU's thin Upfronts / Netflix stock dip / "Secret Invasion" on Hulu / "The Bear" makes strong S2 debut

Plus today's calendar, Max animation at SDCC, Frankel calls for reality TV residuals, the rise of "TikTok NPCs," and more

Inside Streaming For July 21, 2023

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If youuuuuuuu can believe it... it's a Friday once again! I'm writing this to you from halfway through BARBENEHIMER weekend. That's right, I saw "Barbie" late last night, and will head to the theater for "Oppenheimer" in just a few hours. "Barbie," by the way, is highly recommended. It has some stuff to say about performative gender roles and power dynamics, but I fear the discourse is making it feel like a polemic or a slog. It's filled with jokes. Ryan Gosling is a standout but there are lots of funny performances. Enjoy today's edition! We'll see you back here on Monday. Lon p/lon-harris

1 In its annual "Upfront" pitch to advertisers, NBCUniversal focused on tentpole events. The 2024 Olympics, celebrations of the 50th anniversary of "Saturday Night Live" and the "BravoCon" fan event dominated NBCU's presentation, emphasizing unscripted content due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. More: NBCU executives said they anticipated ad sales in 2023 to roughly match 2022's volume, despite spikes in inflation and the unavailability of fresh scripted content. The company hopes to secure around $7 billion in advertising commitments this year. $100 million in ad sales have already been committed around the 2024 Paris Olympics from new marketers that did not take part in the 2020 Tokyo Games.

2 A Largely Positive Report: Netflix's quarterly earnings report seems to have confused Wall Street more than purely disappointing. The streamer reported seemingly successful launches for both its lower-cost ad-supported tier and its crackdown on password sharing, which added 5.9 million customers total for the quarter. So far, about 1.5 million people have signed up for Netflix's ad-supported plan, though executives declined to offer more specific data on its relative success. Nonetheless, a Stock Dip: The streamer's stock still plunged by 8% following the report, as the new sign-ups led to a lower-than-anticipated revenue jump. Michael Nathanson of MoffettNathanson suggested that Wall Street had expected the changes to lead to more revenue growth; the new numbers imply weak average revenue-per-membership, a metric of great concern to investors. The Year So Far: Following a disappointing 2022, in which Netflix subscriptions actually dipped briefly for the first time in history, the streamer's shares have rallied in 2023. The stock is up 60% overall this year. Netflix is forecasting $8.5 billion in revenue in Q3, which would be a 7% improvement over the same period in 2022. Wells Fargo analyst Steven Cahall explained that investor interest in Netflix remains high, and "patience is a virtue."

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3 WEEKEND CALENDAR FRIDAY, JULY 21 THEY CLONED TYRONE: Sci-fi comedy-mystery film starring John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, and Jamie Foxx as an eccentric trio who uncover a government cloning conspiracy. The screenplay by Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier gained attention in the Black List competition; first-time filmmaker Juel Taylor directs. [Netflix] STEPHEN CURRY: UNDERRATED: Feature documentary profile of the four-time NBA champion, combining on-camera interviews, archival footage, and a cinéma vérité approach to capturing his everyday life. Filmmaker Ryan Coogler produced; Peter Nicks ("Homeroom") directed. [Apple TV+] MINX: The period comedy series stars Ophelia Lovibond and Jake Johnson as an unlikely duo who launch an erotic magazine for women in 1970s Los Angeles. Season 1 debuted as an HBO Max original; the show moves over to Starz for its new second season. Ellen Rapoport ("Desperados") created and serves as showrunner. [Starz] BIG RV REMIX: Debut reality series taking viewers behind the scenes at Celebrity Trailers, the RV renovation company owned by rapper Big Boi and his business partner, Janice Faison. Together they specialize in reimagining and customizing large vehicles. [Hulu] THE RITUAL KILLER: 2023 action thriller, produced by Redbox, from director George Gallo ("Double Take"). Cole Hauser and Morgan Freeman co-star as a detective and anthropologist who join forces to track a brutal serial killer. [Hulu] SPACE ODDITY: 2022 indie romantic comedy from Kyra Sedgwick, making her feature directorial debut. Kyle Allen stars as a young man planning a one-way expedition to Mars who starts having second thoughts about remaining on Earth after he meets the charming Daisy (Alexandra Shipp). Madeline Brewer, Kevin Bacon, and Simon Helberg co-star. [Hulu] ALMOST PARADISE: The crime drama series stars Christian Kane as a former DEA agent who retires to the Philippines, only to find himself drawn back into law enforcement. It's back for a second season. Samatha Richelle, Arthur Acuña, and Nonie Buencamino co-star; "The Librarians" vets Dean Devlin and Gary Rosen co-created. [Freevee] MAKING MODERN WITH BROOKE AND BRICE: Unscripted Magnolia Network series centering on Nashville married couple Bruce and Brice Gilliam, a pharmaceutical rep and orthodontist by trade who renovate and customize homes as a side hustle. Season 3 debuts this week on cable and Max. [Max] THE UNIT (LA UNIDAD): The Spanish procedural thriller series follows the cases of an elite anti-terrorist team. The new third season finds several La Unidad agents in Afghanistan investigating a potential European attack, just days before the Taliban retakes Kabul. Nathalie Poza, Marian Álvarez, Michel Noher, and Fariba Sheikan co-star. [Max] REPTILE ROYALTY: Debut reality series set behind the scenes at the Reptile Zoo in Fountain Valley, California, where offbeat owner Jay Brewer cares for 600 rare and exotic animals along with his staff and family. [Roku] SHARKSPLOITATION: Feature documentary looking back at the history of the horror sub-genre, which exploded in popularity following the release of Steven Spielberg's classic "Jaws" in 1975. "Jodorowsky's Dune" vet Stephen Scarlata directed. [Shudder] SATURDAY, JULY 22 PRAISE PETEY: Debut animated comedy series for adults from "Saturday Night Live" and "Girls5eva" writer Anna Drezen, airing on Freeform. Annie Murphy stars as an "It Girl" from New York who's determined to modernize the small but dedicated cult she inherited from her late father (Stephen Root). John Cho, Amy Hill, Kiersey Clemons, and Christine Baranski co-star. New episodes air Fridays on Freeform and come to Hulu on Saturdays. [Hulu] A LIFELONG LOVE: Romantic drama feature from Hallmark starring Andrea Brooks and Patch May as former sweethearts who team up on a book project, documenting the stories of other couples in love. John B. Lowe, Michael Strickland, and Averie Peters co-star. [Peacock] SUNDAY, JULY 23 SPECIAL OPS: LIONESS: Debut spy thriller series from "Yellowstone" and "Tulsa King" vet Taylor Sheridan, inspired by a real government program, chronicling undercover investigations into potential terror attacks against the US. Zoe Saldaña, Laysla De Oliveira, Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Kelly co-star. [Paramount+] UNSELLABLE HOUSES: The unscripted HGTV series follows twin sisters Leslie Davis and Lyndsay Lamb as they try to move homes that have, for one reason or another, been on the market for a long time. The fourth season debuts this week on Max and cable. [Max]

4 The first three episodes of Marvel Studios' "Secret Invasion" series are now available to stream on both Disney+ and Hulu. The sixth and final episode premieres exclusively on Disney+ next week, on July 26. More: The first three "Secret Invasion" episodes will remain available on Hulu through August 17. This isn't the first time that Disney has promoted Disney+ content on Hulu; both the "Star Wars" series "Andor" and the original fantasy-drama "American Born Chinese" have had episodes stream on both services. CEO Bob Iger has discussed plans to merge Disney+ and Hulu in the US at some point down the line, describing plans for what he calls a "one-app experience." Spy thriller "Secret Invasion" follows former government operative Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) as he uncovers a sinister conspiracy on Earth led by a group of shapeshifting aliens known as Skrulls; Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, Ben Mendelsohn, and Kingsley Ben-Adir co-star.

5 During its premiere week, between June 19 and 25, Season 2 of "The Bear" drew around 853 million minutes of viewership on Hulu. That's more than double the acclaimed comedy-drama's Season 1 debut numbers. More: "The Bear" Season 1 cracked Nielsen's Top 10 chart just once in 2022, with 349 million minutes viewed. Season 2's debut numbers made it the week's second most-watched original streaming series, behind only Netflix's "Black Mirror." The week's overall winner was the classic USA legal drama series "Suits," which recently made its Netflix debut. This was also the debut week of Marvel's "Secret Invasion" on Disney+; it scored 461 million minutes of viewership on its first episode.

6 Max hosted a San Diego Comic-Con panel dedicated to upcoming original animation projects. New spinoff "Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake" features alternate reality versions of original "Adventure Time" characters Finn and Jake; it arrives on September 28. More: "Fionna and Cake" showrunner Adam Muto and supervising director Ryann Shannon introduced a sneak peek of the series and announced the voice cast, which includes Madeleine Martin, Roz Ryan, Tom Kenny, Andrew Rannells, and Donald Glover. Family comedy series "Young Love" expands the world of the Oscar-winning animated short "Hair Love"; Matthew A. Cherry created the series, based on his own book and short. The first three episodes of "Harley Quinn" Season 4 arrive on July 27; weekly episodes follow, starting on September 14.

7 In a new video posted to TikTok and Instagram, "Real Housewives of New York"  vet Bethenny Frankel argues that reality stars should receive residuals, just like their acting counterparts. Frankel describes reality stars as "the stepchildren, the losers, the mules, [and] the pack horses" of the entertainment industry, who will be forced to do the "heavy lifting" while other celebrities are on strike. More: In her video, Frankel describes reality TV as an exploitative system in which "green talent," desperate for a shot at fame, sign away their rights without fully realizing the consequences. She claims she was compensated just $7,250 for her first Bravo reality TV season, and suggests that reality stars should also consider going on strike. Frankel is also a bestselling author and TV producer in her own right, as well as the CEO of lifestyle brand SkinnyGirl.

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Knowledge Hub Term of the Day Earned media: Earned media describes the publicity and awareness that a company receives for free as a result of positive word-of-mouth or recommendations. Read More Question of the Week Do you think it's ever acceptable to bring politics into the workplace? Join the conversation

INSIDE STREAMING LEADERBOARD (30 DAYS) 🥇 Mehul Kamdar (21) 🥈 Jon Lusty (20) 🥉 Ayhan Ergezen (18)

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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