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| Thanks for reading Inside Streaming! Our big story today is Disney's latest earnings report, which saw a sharp decline in the company's traditional TV business, and also included rather grim yet familiar news about price hikes and password-sharing crackdowns. CEO Bob Iger picked an odd moment to introduce a price increase, on the heels of some relatively unpopular series debuts (like Marvel's "Secret Invasion") and amid strikes that are slowing the production of must-see new content. Streaming price increases were once sold on the backs on huge breakout hit shows like "Stranger Things" and "Succession." But as the big streamers are developing a reputation for middling-quality productions, and more and more shows are getting canceled and vaporized without warning, it's naturally going to be harder to make the case that fees also need to keep going up all the time. I've already started seeing blowback on social media. We'll see how this develops. Enjoy today's issue! We'll be back tomorrow with the big weekend streaming calendar. Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | Disney's latest earnings report presented a complicated picture of a company in transition. Disney shares were up just 1.1% following the report and conference call with CEO Bob Iger, who provided some good news in terms of cost-cutting but noted a number of challenges as well, including a loss of revenue to the company's traditional TV business. More: - Disney+ and Hulu will raise subscription prices in October, while also rolling out a discounted package bundling ad-free tiers of both services together.
- Like Netflix, Disney plans to crack down on Disney+ password sharing; Iger declined to get into specifics but indicated that the strategy will begin to take form in 2024.
- On a call with investors, Iger said he has "deep respect and appreciation" for striking actors and writers, and believes that the industry can "quickly find solutions" to the issues that led to the conflict, adding "I am personally committed to working to achieve this result."
- This new report once more fueled speculation that Disney might ultimately be sold to Apple.
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| 2 | | According to NBCUniversal's internal figures, "Twisted Metal" had the "most-binged" debut of any comedy series in Peacock's history. NBCU claims that the average Peacock account which pulled up "Twisted Metal" viewed three episodes per session, with many accounts watching the full 10-episode run in a single viewing window. More: - The company did not report any specific viewership numbers.
- According to NBCU, Peacock's Top 5 most watched originals are now "Bel Air," "The Best Man: Final Chapters," "Poker Face," "Based on a True Story," and "Twisted Metal."
- According to Nielsen data, "Twisted Metal" was viewed for around 400 million minutes during its premiere weekend in late July; that made it one of the week's most-watched streaming originals.
- The action-comedy series is based on a video game franchise; "Deadpool" vets Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick executive produce.
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| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR THURSDAY, AUGUST 10 PAINKILLER: Six-episode drama series from "Narcos" vet Eric Newman and director Peter Berg, based on the work of journalists Patrick Radden Keefe and Barry Meier. The show presents a semi-fictionalized look at the origins and impact of the opioid epidemic in the US from a variety of perspectives. Matthew Broderick, Uzo Aduba, West Duchovny, Dina Shihabi, and Taylor Kitsch co-star. [Netflix] MECH CADETS: Animated sci-fi action series, based on the Boom! Studios comics by Greg Pak and Takeshi Miyazawa. The story centers on an average teen who joins an elite group of cadets, protecting Earth against alien invaders while wearing advanced robo-mech suits. Brandon Soo Hoo, Aparna Brielle, Scott Whyte, Josh Sundquist, Ming-Na Wen, Debra Wilson, and Daniel Dae Kim co-star. [Netflix] MARRY MY DEAD BODY: Mandarin-language supernatural comedy feature from Taiwan. Greg Hsu stars as a homophobic and ghost-phobic police officer who finds himself betrothed to a recently-murdered gay man (Austin Lin). Now, the only way to postpone the marriage is to solve the case and track down the killer. [Netflix] THE WARRIOR (JAGUN JAGUN): Epic Yoruba-language action drama from Nigerian filmmaker Femi Adebayo Salami, about a young warrior who challenges the authority of a powerful warlord to protect the woman he loves. [Netflix] THE CHALLENGE: USA: The CBS reality competition series brings together veterans from various CBS and MTV franchises for the first time, to face off in a series of grueling mental and physical challenges. It's back for a second season, which was shot entirely in Croatia. T.J. Lavin hosts. [Paramount+] LOVE IN TAIPEI: English-language romantic comedy, based on the 2020 novel "Loveboat, Taipei" by Abigail Hing Wen. Ashley Liao stars as an American teen who travels to Taiwan for a Mandarin immersion program, then discovers she's actually been thrust into the midst of a summer festival known as "Loveboat." Ross Butler, Nico Hiraga, and Chelsea Zhang co-star; Arvin Chen ("Mama Boy") directed. [Paramount+] COOKIE MONSTER'S BAKE SALE: Original "Sesame Street" game show special, produced for Max, in which Cookie Monster and celebrity chef Eddie Jackson form teams to compete in a charitable bake-off. [Max] THE EX-WIFE: Four-part mystery-drama series from the UK, based on the book by Jess Ryder. Céline Buckens stars as a wife and mother whose seemingly perfect life is upended by her husband's obsessive ex. Tom Mison and Janet Montgomery co-star. [BritBox] THE KILLING VOTE: Debut Korean thriller series, based on a popular serialized comic. It follows a group of police officers investigating a mysterious figure known as Gaetal, who assassinates notorious criminals based on the results of public polls. Park Hae-jin, Park Sung-woong, and Lim Ji-yeon co-star. [Amazon] BROKEN TIES: Mystery-drama series from Israel, starring Yiftach Klein as a dedicated investigator working to bring down an international crime syndicate that traffics in newborn babies. Dalit Kahan wrote and co-directed the series, and also co-stars as a pregnant woman who has become the cartel's next target. [Sundance Now] JUST SUPER (HELT SUPER): Animated superhero comedy from Norway, which has been dubbed into English for US audiences. It centers on an awkward 11-year-old gamer who dreams of taking over her father's mantle as the hero Super Lion. [Hulu] | | | |
| 4 | | The Television Academy pushed the Emmy Awards ceremonies (both Primetime and Creative Arts) to January. Both Emmys ceremonies are traditionally held in September, but neither writers nor actors will be able to participate, should the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes remain ongoing. More: - Fox will broadcast the Emmy Awards on Monday, January 15 from the newly-renamed Peacock Theater at LA Live in Los Angeles.
- That's also the federal holiday Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the US.
- Voting on the Emmy Awards is taking place as originally scheduled, and will wrap up on August 28.
- The Creative Arts Emmys will be held on January 6 and 7, also at LA Live; an abridged, edited version of those ceremonies will air on FXX the following weekend.
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| 5 | | Paramount+ dropped a teaser for Season 1 of Taylor Sheridan's new Western anthology series "Lawmen." The first season stars David Oyelowo as legendary Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves. More: - "Ray Donovan" and "Banshee" vet Chad Feehan developed the series and executive produces.
- The real Reeves worked as a peace officer in Indian Territory in the post-Reconstruction era, and reportedly captured over 3,000 dangerous criminals over the course of his career.
- Lauren E. Banks, Demi Singleton, Barry Pepper, Donald Sutherland, and Dennis Quest co-star.
- Sheridan and Oyelowo are both executive producers on the series, along with Feehan.
- Future seasons will relate the stories of more iconic real-life lawmen and outlaws.
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| 6 | | Netflix greenlit the drama series "Toxic Town," based on a real UK environmental scandal. The series -- from "His Dark Materials" vet Jack Thorne -- examines an infamous case from Corby in the late 1980s and early '90s, during which hazardous materials were unsafely transported through populated areas. More: - The so-called "Corby Poisonings" resulted in a number of babies being born with upper limb defects.
- The case resulted in a famed lawsuit; 18 families were ultimately victorious in a case that was resolved in 2010.
- The high-profile cast includes Rory Kinnear, Robert Carlyle, Aimee Lou Wood, Jodie Whittaker, and Brendan Coyle.
- The four-part series is being compared to a "British Erin Brockovich."
- Production will commence next month; because the actors will appear under Equity contracts, the show can proceed during the SAG-AFTRA strike.
- "Black Mirror" producers Broke & Bones developed the series.
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| 7 | | Samba TV's latest State of Viewership report reflects continued interest in free ad-supported streamers from US audiences. According to Samba's numbers, 1 in 3 US streaming viewers subscribes to at least one so-called FAST service. More: - Amazon's Freevee saw the highest growth in the first half of 2023; viewership is up 11% over the first half of 2022.
- Pluto and Tubi saw viewership bumps of around 7% and 6%, respetively; both Roku Channel and Crackle were up around 5%.
- By comparison, audience sizes for most subscription VOD platforms have stalled or even started to decline over the last year.
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- Season 25 "Big Brother" contestant Luke Valentine was kicked off the series after using the N-word on a Paramount+ live feed; in a statement, CBS told Variety that Valentine "violated the 'Big Brother' code of conduct," which includes a zero-tolerance policy for racial slurs.
- "High School Musical: The Musical: The Series" mastermind Tim Federle spoke with Variety about developing the Disney+ comedy's fourth and final season, including the decision to get the original film's cast involved and the departure of breakout star Olivia Rodrigo.
- Two cast members from Bravo's reality series "Below Deck Down Under" -- Luke Jones and Laura Bileskalne -- were removed from the show due to "sexually inappropriate behavior"; both incidents were featured in recent episodes.
- "Stranger Things" star David Harbour told Insider that he hopes to exclusively act in films after the Netflix horror drama wraps up, noting that, while he enjoys playing Sheriff Hopper, "I don't want to just be that character."
- Romantic comedy series "Still Up" hits Apple TV+ on September 22; Antonia Thomas and Craig Roberts co-star as best friends who develop romantic feelings for one another while mutually struggling with insomnia.
- HGTV's home renovation series "Good Bones" will come to a close after its upcoming eighth season; hosts Mina Starsiak Hawk and Karen Laine are in discussions with the network about potential new projects.
- While promoting his new film "The Last Voyage of the Demeter," "Game of Thrones" vet Liam Cunningham confessed that he's phoned up former co-star Kit Harington and requested a spot on his new Jon Snow spinoff.
- The British remake of the popular French comedy series "Call My Agent" was not renewed for a second season; the show streamed on Prime Video in the UK and Sundance Now/AMC+ in the US.
- Netflix announced a new slate of 15 unscripted Japanese series in active development, including the dating shows "Is She the Wolf?," "Love Village," and "Love Like a K-Drama."
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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 | |
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