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| Morning all! I was a bit encouraged by the news that Max plans to push back the premiere of "Rap Sh!t" until November. Not because I don't want to see new episodes of "Rap Sh!t" sooner, but because that means at least SOME people behind the scenes at Max think we might actually have a resolution to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes by November. Even as the studios have reached back out to the writers to restart talks, it's been pretty doom and gloom out there about the prospects for wrapping things up, even by the end of the year. I'm on the lookout for any positive signs at this point. Enjoy today's issue. We'll see you back here tomorrow with the weekend streaming calendar! Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | Warner Bros. Discovery reported its second quarter earnings on Thursday, dipping below Wall Street expectations on all metrics. WBD lost around 2 million net streaming subscribers in the transition from HBO Max to Max. More: - WBD now has around 95.8 million global streaming subscribers, below the 96.7 million subscriber target set by analysts.
- The drop in subscribers was blamed on Discovery+ customers who dropped the service and moved over to Max.
- According to Anetnna, Discovery+ cancellations were up 68% in June compared to the year before.
- The company repaid around $1.6 billion in debt during the quarter, and announced a tender offer to pay down $2.7 billion more.
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| 2 | | Hasbro confirmed plans to sell Entertainment One (eOne) to Lionsgate, in a $500 million deal that's set to close by the end of 2023. Hasbro purchased eOne for $4 billion in 2019. More: - The transaction has apparently been approved by the boards of both companies, but still remains subject to regulatory approval.
- Hasbro has a few projects still in development at eOne, including a film adaptation of the Monopoly board game; in a statement, Hasbro executives said they "look forward to partnering" with Lionsgate on the projects.
- The deal includes eOne's scripted and unscripted productions, the company's global distribution division, and a content library with over 6,500 titles.
- Hasbro will hold on to eOne's "Family Brands" division, home to kid-friendly brands including Peppa Pig and PJ Masks.
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| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR THURSDAY, AUGUST 3 THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE: Animated adventure comedy from "Minions" studio Illumination, based on the iconic Nintendo video game franchise. Brooklyn plumbers Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) get sucked into a magical pipe and transported to the Mushroom Kingdom, where they help Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) to defeat the monstrous Bowser (Jack Black). To date, this is the highest-grossing theatrical film of 2023. [Peacock] LOLLAPALOOZA: Sets from the Chicago music festival will stream live on Hulu throughout the weekend, starting on Thursday at 3 pm PT. This year's headliners include Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Karol G, Lana Del Rey, Odesza, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and a joint performance from K-pop stars NewJeans and TOMORROW X TOGETHER. [Hulu] DEMONS AND SAVIORS: Three-part docuseries from ABC News Studios exploring the story of Christina Boyer, who was convicted in the 1990s for murdering her own three-year-old daughter, but still maintains her innocence. In a twist on the conventional true-crime docuseries, Boyer also claims that she has the ability to communicate with souls in the afterlife, earning her the nickname "Poltergeist Girl." [Hulu] THE LINCOLN LAWYER: The second half of the legal drama's second season arrives today. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo stars as idealistic LA lawyer Mickey Haller, who takes on cases large and small, and runs his practice from the back seat of his Lincoln. The series is based on books by author Michael Connelly. [Netflix] HEARTSTOPPER: Coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama series from the UK, adapted by Alice Oseman from her own comics and graphic novel. Joe Locke and Kit Connor star as gay high school classmates who embark on a tentative romance. It's back for a second season. [Netflix] ZOM 100: BUCKET LIST OF THE DEAD: Live-action Japanese horror-comedy feature, based on the hit manga by Aso Haro and Takata Kotaro, which has also been adapted into a popular anime series. Akaso Eiji stars as a depressed office drone who takes full advantage of a zombie apocalypse, coming up with a list of 100 things he wants to do before he turns undead himself. Shiraishi Mai and Yanagi Shuntaro co-star. [Netflix] THE LAST HOURS OF MARIO BIONDO (LAS ÚLTIMAS HORAS DE MARIO BIONDO): Spanish-language true-crime docuseries looking back at the 2013 death of cameraman Biondo, the husband of noted Spanish TV host and journalist Raquel Sanchez Silva. Though Biondo's death was initially ruled a tragic accident, questions have persisted about what happened during the final hours of his life. [Netflix] HEAD TO HEAD (RAS BRAS): Comedy-thriller film from Saudi Arabia, about a chauffeur and a mechanic who mistakenly offer an ill-fated ride to a retired crime lord. Abdulaziz Alshehri, Adel Radwan, and Mohammad Alqass co-star; Malik Nejer ("Masameer County") directed. [Netflix] CHOONA: Debut Hindi-language heist comedy-drama series from India, about a group of misfits with a grudge against the same ruthless politician who team up to seek revenge. Jimmy Sheirgill, Aashim Gulati, and Namit Das co-star; Pushpendra Nath Misra ("Taj Mahal 1989") created the series. [Netflix] | | | |
| 4 | | According to a new report from NPR, some Hollywood productions have already started making full digital replicas of background actors. One such performer, Alexandria Rubalcaba, told NPR that she had been scanned along with dozens of other background actors on the set of the Disney+ series "WandaVision," without being compensated or informed how the scans would be used. More: - Disney did not respond to a request for comment.
- Rubalcaba earns $187 a day as a SAG-AFTRA background actor, and did not give Disney her permission to use her digital replica or likeness in future productions.
- Studios have assured SAG-AFTRA that digital replicas and scans will only be used on the productions for which the actors have been hired, and will not be kept indefinitely.
- The use of digital background actors and AI-generated performers is a major point of contention in the current SAG-AFTRA strike that has shut down Hollywood.
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| 5 | | A decision by Disney not to stream the six-part period drama series "Atatürk" on Disney+ prompted backlash in Turkey this week. The series commemorates the Republic of Turkey's 100th anniversary, and profiles the government's founding father and first president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. More: - Rather than streaming on Disney+, the series will now air on the Fox network; the company referred to the change as a routine programming decision.
- The series prompted pushback from members of the Armenian community, who hold Atatürk and his government responsible for the Armenian genocide during WWI.
- Ebubekir Şahin, the head of Turkey's Radio and Television Supreme Council, announced plans to investigate Disney's decision to pull the series.
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's governing AK Party called the decision "shameful."
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| 6 | | With actors and writers still on the picket lines, CBS announced its Fall 2023 programming line-up. The reality and rerun-heavy schedule includes a broadcast TV run for the cable hit "Yellowstone" and the former Paramount+ exclusive "SEAL Team." More: - CBS original programming also streams on Paramount+.
- CBS will also air the original BBC version of "Ghosts"; the network produces a popular American remake of the comedy series.
- The line-up also includes new seaons of the reality mainstays "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race," primetime versions of the game shows "The Price is Right" and "Let's Make a Deal," and the Paramount+ original series "FBI True."
- "NCIS" will also air a mini-marathon in honor of the franchise's 20th anniversary on September 25.
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| 7 | | Max pushed back the Season 2 premiere of the comedy series "Rap Sh!t" from August to November. The streamer apparently hopes the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes are resolved by the fall, allowing the show's stars and creative team to make the promotional rounds. More: - The series was created by "Insecure" vet Issa Rae, and stars Aida Osman and KaMillion as estranged high school friends who reunite and form a rap duo.
- Real hip-hop duo City Girls serve as co-executive producers and consultants on the series.
- Season 2 will debut with 2 new episodes on November 9; the Season 2 finale will now arrive on December 21.
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- Season 4 of "The Upshaws" hits Netflix on August 17; Jenifer Lewis and Marsha Warfield join the sitcom's cast this year.
- Netflix dropped some first-look images from the fourth and final season of "Sex Education," premiering on September 21.
- Two of the backup dancers who have filed a lawsuit against pop star Lizzo originally appeared on her Amazon Prime Video reality competition series, "Watch Out for the Big Grrrls."
- Peacock moved up the release date for "The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: RHONY Legacy" to December, which will make it the reunion-themed reality show's fourth overall season; another season, subtitled "Ex-Wives Club," was originally scheduled to premiere first, but it has been bumped back in the line-up.
- The live feeds from CBS' "Big Brother" house now stream for free, with ads, on Pluto TV; one dedicated ad-free stream is also available on Paramount+ for all subscribers.
- Wes Anderson's 40-minute adaptation of Roald Dahl's "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar," starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Ralph Fiennes, hits Netflix on October 13.
- "Survivor" veteran Cirie Fields is competing on the new season of CBS' "Big Brother," marking the first time a contestant has jumped from one franchise to the other.
- The overall UK streaming market brought in around $4.1 billion in revenue last year, according to a study from media regulator Ofcom; that's a 21.5% year jump from 2021.
- Speaking to the Polish outlet Wyborcza, "The Witcher" producer Tomek Baginski explained that the source material's complex political storylines had to be simplified for American viewers who "grew up in a different historical context, where everything was arranged: America is always good, the rest are the bad guys, and there are no complications."
- Actor Conleth Hill, who played the calculating Lord Varys in "Game of Thrones," told The Times that he was frustrated by the show's "rushed" final two seasons, suggesting that "I think the writers wanted to do one thing to end it and the studio, HBO, wanted to do another."
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 | 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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