Ads on Prime Video / "Ahsoka's" strong start / "Squid Game: The Challenge" trailer / Mohan defends demonetizing Brand

Plus the weekend calendar, "Bumper in Berlin" canceled, WWE content leaving Hulu, binging Netflix contest, and more

Inside Streaming For September 22, 2023

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Happy Friday, Inside readers! Amazon today announced plans to start charging more for an ad-free Prime Video experience. Though I'm enjoying Season 2 of "Wheel of Time" so far, and I'm looking forward to "The Boys" spinoff "Gen V" next week... that's a pretty bold move for a platform that has struggled to launch a new smash-hit series in a while. "Mrs. Maisel" has wrapped up its run... no one really seems that interested in more "Citadel" or "Lord of the Rings" prequel stuff... It's likely Amazon's hoping that subscribers don't upgrade for an extra $3 a month, so the company can start feeding them ads. But Prime Video, just as a core offering, was itself supposed to be a perk, right? It's an added inducement to sign up for Prime shipping. So in some ways, Prime members are getting double-monetized; first as subscribers, and then again as an audience for advertising. Whether they're willing to tolerate that in order to watch Season 2 of "Invincible" remains to be seen. (It will probably work, though. Precedent indicates that people don't really mind watching a few minutes of ads if it saves them money on subscription fees.) Enjoy today's issue! We'll see you back here next week. Lon p/lon-harris

1 Amazon announced plans to charge an additional $3 per month for ad-free Prime Video access in the US. The new cost structure will go into effect in "early 2024." More: Prime Video accounts that don't pay the additional fee will see "limited advertisements" under the new plan, likely around four minutes of ads per hour of content. The price increase will impact international customers as well, though Amazon has not announced specific pricing for the ad-free tier in other territories. In addition to Prime Video, which is currently entirely ad-free, Amazon also offers the FreeVee streaming service, which has always been ad-supported and available without a monthly subscription fee.

2 According to Nielsen, the first two episodes of Disney+'s "Star Wars" series "Ahsoka" were viewed for around 829 total minutes during their debut week, from August 21-27. That works out to around 8.29 million complete views of both episodes together. More: According to Disney+'s internal figures, the first episode of "Ahsoka" alone was viewed 14 million times over its first five days. Nielsen's numbers would make "Ahsoka" the second most-watched premiere of any Disney+ "Star Wars" series, after only "Obi-Wan Kenobi."  "Suits" remained the #1 most-watched streaming series for the week, in its 10th consecutive week atop Nielsen's list; it saw just a 6% decline in viewership from the week before. "Bluey" on Disney+ was viewed for 1.03 billion minutes during this week; it was the seventh straight week that the beloved kids' series was viewed for more than 1 billion total minutes.

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3 WEEKEND CALENDAR FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 THE CONTINENTAL: FROM THE WORLD OF JOHN WICK: Three-part action-thriller series, serving as a prequel to the "John Wick" films, and tracking the rise to power of New York Continental manager Winston Scott (Colin Woodell) in the 1970s. Mel Gibson, Hubert Point-Du Journ, Ray McKinnon, and Mishel Prada co-star, while Ayomide Adegun plays a younger version of Charon, Lance Reddick's role from the films. Greg Coolidge ("Wayne") developed the series. [Peacock] LOVE IS BLIND: The reality dating series drops hopeful singles into isolation pods, where they get acquainted without ever seeing one another's faces. The new season moves the action to Houston, Texas. Nick and Vanessa Lachey return as hosts. The first four Season 5 episodes land today. [Netflix] SPY KIDS: ARMAGEDDON: Reboot of the "Spy Kids" action-comedy film franchise from original director Robert Rodriguez, who co-wrote this entry with his son, Racer Max. Everly Carganilla and Connor Esterson co-star as the children of the world's greatest secret agents, who must save the day themselves when a villainous game developer unleashes a dangerous computer virus. Gina Rodriguez, Zachary Levi, and Billy Magnussen co-star. [Netflix] HOW TO DEAL WITH HEARTBREAK (SOLTERA CODICIADA 2): Spanish-language comedy-drama feature from Peru, following up on the 2018 film "How to Get Over a Breakup." Gisela Ponce de León reprises her role as struggling writer María Fé, who's desperately seeking fresh inspiration for her latest project. Joanna Lombardi directs. [Netflix] THE BLACK BOOK: English-language revenge thriller film from Nigeria, starring Richard Mofe-Damijo as a deacon who takes justice into his own hands when his son is framed for kidnapping by a corrupt police gang. Editi Effiong ("Day of Destiny") co-wrote and directed. [Netflix] iHEARTRADIO MUSIC FESTIVAL: The annual concert streams live on Hulu on Friday and Saturday from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Performers include Foo Fighters, Fall Out Boy, Kelly Clarkson, Kane Brown, Lil Wayne, Lenny Kravitz, Miguel, Public Enemy, Sheryl Crow, Tim McGraw, and Thirty Seconds to Mars; Ryan Seacrest hosts. The stream begins at 10 pm ET/7 pm PT. [Hulu] NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU: 2023 sci-fi horror film from writer/director Brian Duffield ("Underwater"). Kaitlyn Dever stars as a young woman with anxiety issues who's trapped alone in her childhood home during an apparent alien invasion. [Hulu] LAW & ORDER: SVU: The NBC procedural crime drama series' 24th season concluded its TV run in May, and hits Hulu in its entirety today. Mariska Hargitay, Kelli Giddish, Ice-T, Peter Scanavino, Octavio Pisano, and Molly Burnett co-star. [Hulu] STILL UP: Debut comedy series from the UK, starring Antonia Thomas and Craig Roberts as a pair of insomniacs who develop a close bond while the world around them sleeps, without ever actually meeting up face-to-face. Blake Harrison, Lois Chimimba, Luke Fetherston, and Rich Fulcher co-star; Steve Burge and Natalie Walter co-created. [Apple TV+] DEADLOCKED: HOW AMERICA SHAPED THE SUPREME COURT: Documentary series from Showtime looking at the modern history of the US Supreme Court, and how it has reflected the shifting political landscape in the country at large, with a focus on some particularly pivotal, landmark cases. [Paramount+] CASSANDRO: 2023 biographical drama starring Gael García Bernal as real-life wrestler Saúl Armendáriz, a gay Texan who found fame in lucha libre as a drag performer, known as an exótico. Roberta Colindrez, Perla De La Rosa, Joaquín Cosío, and Bad Bunny co-star. Noted documentarian Roger Ross Williams ("Life, Animated") makes his scripted directorial debut with the film, which premiered at this year's Sundance. [Amazon] GUY RITCHIE'S THE COVENANT: 2023 action thriller from co-writer/director Ritchie ("Wrath of Man"), about an Afghan interpreter (Dar Salim) who risks his own life to carry an injured US Army sergeant (Jake Gyllenhaal) across dangerous terrain. Antony Starr, Alexander Ludwig, and Emily Beecham co-star. [Amazon] THE ANGRY BLACK GIRL AND HER MONSTER: Independent sci-fi horror film from first-time writer/director Bomani J. Story, inspired by Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein." Laya DeLeon Hayes stars as 17-year-old genius Vicaria, who resurrects her brother (Denzel Whitaker) from the dead, but finds that he has transformed into a vicious monster. The film premiered at this year's South by Southwest. [Shudder / ALLBLK] NANCY DREW: The fourth and final season of the CW mystery-drama series -- based on the classic YA books -- aired over the summer on TV and comes to Max today. Kennedy McMann stars as the brilliant former teen detective, who's now a high school grad investigating darker and more complex cases. Leah Lewis, Maddison Jaizani, Tunji Kasim, and Alex Saxon co-star. [Max] GUY'S ALL-AMERICAN ROAD TRIP: The Food Network series follows celebrity chef Guy Fieri, his family, and several RVs and campers full of friends as they travel across the US, visiting iconic attractions and tasting the local flavors. Season 2 aired earlier this summer on cable and hits Max today. [Max] SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 HAUNTED HARMONY MYSTERIES: MURDER IN G MAJOR: Mystery comedy-drama from Hallmark, starring Tamera Mowry-Housley as an American orchestra conductor who befriends the ghost of a renowned composer while teaching at an Irish boarding school. Marco Grazzini, Darragh O'Toole, Adam Fergus, and Risteard Cooper co-star. [Peacock] WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? 2022 British romantic comedy starring Lily James as a documentary filmmaker who begins questioning her own life choices while chronicling the arranged marriage of her childhood friend (Shazad Latif). Journalist Jemima Khan wrote the script; Shekhar Kapur ("Elizabeth: The Golden Age") directed. [Hulu] THE ALMOND AND THE SEAHORSE: 2022 independent drama feature from the UK, based on the 2008 stage play by Katie O'Reilly (who co-wrote the adaptation herself). Rebel Wilson and Celyn Jones star as a couple whose relationship is tested by a traumatic brain injury. Jones co-wrote the script and co-directed with Tom Stern. [Hulu] SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 RETREAT TO YOU: Romantic comedy-drama feature from Hallmark, starring Emilie Ullerup and Peter Mooney as former best friends who meet up again at a wilderness retreat, then get separated from the rest of their group while hiking. [Peacock]

4 Netflix released a teaser for the debut reality competition series "Squid Game: The Challenge." The first season arrives on November 22. More: 456 contestants from around the world compete in various challenges inspired by the smash-hit Korean thriller series; one winner will take home a $4.56 million cash prize. In the scripted "Squid Game" series, competitors are actually killed after losing a challenge; the game show version will push players to their mental and physical limits, forcing them to ask themselves "just how far they'll go to win." The UK production of the series proved controversial, as most contestants were not compensated for their participation, and many suffered physical injuries or required medical assistance.

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5 In an interview with "CBS Mornings," YouTube CEO Neal Mohan discussed the controversial decision to pull ads from Russell Brand's channel. YouTube suspended Brand's ability to earn revenue from his channel following a report in The Times in which multiple women accuse the actor and comedian of rape and sexual assault. More: Mohan cited YouTube's creator responsibility policy, which empowers the company to act against anyone whose behavior -- even off-platform -- "could be damaging to the broader creator ecosystem." He added that it's crucial to apply these kinds of rules fairly and equally, as opposed to "playing favorites" with particularly notable or famous personalities. Some have questioned YouTube's enforcement of the policy against Brand, who has not been legally charged with any crime, and who continues to deny the allegations. Paramount+ also removed the 2009 comedy special "Russell Brand in New York" this week, following the publication of The Times report.

6 Peacock canceled plans for a second season of the "Pitch Perfect" spinoff series "Bumper in Berlin." The streamer announced a Season 2 renewal for the musical comedy series in January but has backed off of those plans amid the dual Hollywood strikes. More: Amazon as well recently rescinded a number of series renewals, shutting down previously greenlit second seasons for "The Peripheral" and "A League of Their Own." The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes have delayed production on many TV seasons; many streamers have decided to simply cancel shows rather than release new episodes following lengthy gaps, and impacting schedules down the line. "Bumper in Berlin" Season 1 hit Peacock on November 2022 and got off to a strong start; at the time, it was the platform's most-watched comedy premiere ever. According to Deadline, despite the cancellation, NBCUniversal remains dedicated to the "Pitch Perfect" IP; both director Elizabeth Banks and "Bumper in Berlin" showrunner Megan Amram have ongoing deals with Universal Television.

7 QUICK HITS FinOps can be a game-changer for your organization. This guide shares expert tips on efficient cost management. Read now.* In response to a query on social media, Hulu's official account noted that "our streaming rights to WWE content are currently set to expire"; it's currently unknown where WWE VOD content that's currently streaming on Hulu might ultimately move. In honor of "National Binge Day" on September 25, gaming company Online Casinos will pay one lucky contest winner $2500 to spend a month watching Netflix and choose the platform's "most binge-worthy" original series. The BBC picked up all three seasons of the Hulu coming-of-age romantic comedy series "Love, Victor." Tubi will team with producer Dan Abrams on the docuseries "Behind the Crime," exploring the US justice system by looking at complex real-world cases; the first episode will center on the 2019 murder of rapper Nipsey Hussle. "Moving" director Park In-je spoke with Variety about the hit Korean sci-fi series' inspirations, and where he might take a (still unconfirmed) second season; the full first season is now streaming on both Hulu and Disney+ in the US. The short film "The After," starring David Oyelowo as a Londoner who's traumatized after witnessing a random public attack, comes to Netflix in the US on October 25; it's the filmmaking debut of celebrity photographer Misan Harriman. Hulu and RTÉ released a trailer for the debut dark comedy-drama "Obituary"; the Irish series stars Siobhán Cullen as an obituary writer who develops a taste for murder. "Line of Duty" vet Vicky McClure grabbed the lead role in the Paramount+ original drama series "Insomnia," based on Sarah Pinborough's novel; she'll star as a successful career woman who stops being able to sleep entirely on the eve of her 40th birthday. NBC announced "Fantasy League," a new spinoff of "America's Got Talent" in which judges will select a roster of fan-favorite performers who they will "mentor and guide" throughout the season; the new series is scheduled to debut next year. With the right process and tools, dev teams can ship gold every week. This guide breaks down a proven approach to product delivery.* *This is sponsored content

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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 Lon Harris

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