Charter customers moving to Hulu / Free sports on Max / Netflix is most canceled service / Paramount+ price hike

Plus today's calendar, "Tonight Show" toxic workplace allegations, "Goosebumps" to Hulu and Disney+, "Real Sports" to end, and more

Inside Streaming For September 07, 2023

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Good morning! Paramount Global chief Bob Bakish suggested this week that he thinks Paramount+ and comparable services can continue increasing prices for the time being. When Paramount+ with Showtime was introduced back in May, the cost of a premium subscription went up by $2, and didn't majorly impact either sign-up rates or churn. So the assumption is that streamers like Paramount+ haven't yet hit the maximum price point that would cause consumers to start abandoning a platform they like en masse. He might be right, but this seems like kind of a questionable long-term strategy to me. With so much competition out there, and consumers conceding that they don't even have enough time to watch the content they pay for, there definitely is a number that would cause them all to jump ship, even if it's $1 or $2 above where the prices are currently. Data confirms that, the more popular a streaming platform gets, the more turnover it inevitably begins to see from consumers.  Anyway, will be fascinating to see what happens here, as streamers continue to adjust and attempt to maximize profits from their new platforms. Lon p/lon-harris

1 According to Disney's internal figures, the company has seen a 60% jump in Hulu + Live TV subscriptions during its latest carriage dispute with Charter. 18 Disney cable networks and eight ABC stations went dark on Charter's Spectrum cable service last week, interrupting live sports broadcasts on ESPN and elsewhere. More: In an email explaining the carriage dispute, Disney encouraged Charter cable subscribers to explore other options for accessing TV content. The drive to bring in new Hulu subscribers comes just one month ahead of Comcast and Disney's negotiations over Hulu ownership; Comcast owns 1/3rd of the platform, while Disney controls 2/3rds. No other cord-cutting platforms responded to Deadline's requests for comment. A group of Charter customers has filed a class action lawsuit against the company in Florida, claiming they have been used as pawns in a "clear money grab."

2 According to Bloomberg, Max will begin offering free basketball, baseball, and hockey streams later on this year, in an attempt to attract new subscribers. After the free preview period ends, likely around February or March, Max will begin charging an additional fee for live sports content. More: It's likely that Max owners Warner Bros. Discovery will use the March Madness tournament as a way to promote the service. The company already controls broadcast and media rights for some NBA and Major League Baseball games; Bloomberg reports that they've been working behind-the-scenes to iron out new arrangements that include streaming. Currently, WBD has around 96 million subscribers to its various streaming services around the globe.

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3 DAILY CALENDAR THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS: Animated comedy series set in the "Star Trek" universe, following the adventures of low-ranking officers and support staff on board the Federation starship USS Cerritos. Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells, Eugene Cordero, Dawnn Lewis, and Jerry O'Connell co-star; "Rick and Morty" and "Solar Opposites" vet Mike McMahan created. It's back this week for a fourth season. [Paramount+] NFL SLIMETIME: Weekly sports series from Nickelodeon, featuring kids' perspectives on highlights and game footage from the previous week's NFL match-ups. Nate Burleson and "Young" Dylan Gilmer co-host. The show returns to both cable and Paramount+ this week for a third season. [Paramount+] VIRGIN RIVER: The romantic drama series, based on the novels by Robyn Carr, returns this week with the first half of its fifth season. Alexandra Breckenridge stars as midwife and nurse practitioner Melinda "Mel" Monroe, a resident of the titular small Northern California town. Martin Henderson, Colin Lawrence, and Jenny Cooper co-star. Netflix has renewed the show for a sixth season. [Netflix] TOP BOY: The British crime drama series returns this week for its fifth and final season, the third produced exclusively for Netflix. It centers on the residents of the fictional Summerhouse estate in the London borough of Hackney, with a particular focus on the relationship between drug dealers Dushane (Ashley Walters) and Sully (Kane Robinson). Executive producers include French filmmaker Yann Demange, Maverick Carter, and rapper Drake. [Netflix] KUNG FU PANDA: THE DRAGON KNIGHT: Animated series from DreamWorks, spun off from the "Kung Fu Panda" film franchise. The show finds legendary warrior Po (Jack Black) teaming with a no-nonsense English knight (Rita Ora) on a globe-trotting quest to locate a cache of ancient weapons. It's back for a third season. [Netflix] GAMERA REBIRTH: Anime series from Japan, based on the classic kaiju character, from Studio ENGI ("The Detective is Already Dead") and "Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters" vet Hiroyuki Seshita. In the summer of 1989, four Tokyo friends witness the re-emergence of the giant turtle monster, Gamera. [Netflix] DEAR CHILD (LIEBES KIND): Six-part thriller series from Germany, based on the novel by Romy Hausman. A mother and daughter escape after spending years being held in captivity, and their story sheds light on another mysterious disappearance from 13 years before. Julika Jenkins, Naila Schuberth, Justus von Dohnányi, and Kim Riedle co-star; Isabel Kleefeld and Julian Pörksen co-created. [Netflix] WHAT IF: Mandarin-language drama series from China starring Elaine Zhong as a young woman from a small town who faces a crucial life choice. The show follows both of her very different potential futures, based on the results of her decision. [Netflix] THE DEAD FILES: The Travel Channel reality series follows retired NYPD detective Steve DiSchiavi and psychic medium Amy Allan as they explore allegedly haunted locations and notorious crime scenes together. Episodes from the show's 15th season hit Max in the US today. [Max] DOES MURDER SLEEP? Debut true-crime series from Investigation Discovery, re-examining cases in which a victim was murdered while sleeping. The show premiered in August on cable and comes to Max in the US today. [Max] HALLOWEEN BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP: Food Network reality competition series in which bakers square off in themed challenges based around spooky holiday-appropriate treats. The winner receives a $25,000 prize. John Henson hosts. Max gets the first eight seasons today. [Max] FAMILY PORTRAIT: 2023 drama feature about two brothers whose close relationship is tested after they both fall for the same woman (Tiffany Snow). Honesty J. Edwards ("Judge Me Not") directs. [ALLBLK] ZOMBIE HOUSE FLIPPING: A&E reality series in which teams of house flippers from around the country buy abandoned, dilapidated, and foreclosed homes for cheap, then give them extensive, top-to-bottom makeovers. The third and fourth seasons aired in 2021 and 2022 and hit Hulu today. [Hulu] LA RAMS CHEERLEADERS: MAKING THE SQUAD: The reality series is produced by ABC7 Los Angeles, and follows the audition process for the Los Angeles Rams cheerleading squad. In 2023, over 300 hopefuls auditioned for just 35 spots. [Hulu].

4 A new survey from Vorhaus Advisors found that Netflix was the most frequently-canceled streaming service in the US. The survey included responses from more than 2,000 Americans over age 18. More: Respondents were asked if they had canceled a streaming service within the past three months. Netflix was the most common response, followed by Hulu, and then Amazon Prime Video. Vorhaus Advisors CEO Mike Vorhaus noted that, as the largest and most popular streaming service, Netflix would inevitably also see the most cancellations. Around 47% of those who cancel streaming services report doing so to save money.

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5 While speaking at a Goldman Sachs investor conference in San Francisco, Parmaount Global CEO Bob Bakish previewed a planned Paramount+ cost increase. Bakish suggested that the company will raise the price on its basic Paramount+ subscription within the next two years. More: In May, Paramount+ added a new, costlier tier featuring content from the Showtime cable network; a premium subscription went up from $9.99 to $11.99. According to Bakish, this jump did not lead to significant subscriber churn or majorly impact growth; he believes this demonstrates that the company has "pricing power in the marketplace" and "there's a lot of room to run there." Bakish assured investors that 2023 would be Paramount's peak year for streaming investment, and suggested Paramount+ could be profitable by the end of 2024.

6 16 former and current "Tonight Show" staffers make toxic workplace allegations against host Jimmy Fallon in a new Rolling Stone report. Many of the staffers cite Fallon's erratic and moody behavior and suggest that he and some of his producers are frequently intimidating and verbally abusive toward employees. More: Nine showrunners have worked on Fallon's "Tonight Show" in the last nine seasons; many staffers indicate that they often clash with Fallon or fail to control his unpredictable and anti-social behavior. Rumors have persisted about Fallon's potential alcoholism for years, but the "Tonight Show" host has denied these claims; in 2017, he told The New York Times that it would be impossible to do his job if he were drinking every night. The piece specifically includes an anecdote about Fallon snapping at a cue-card holder in front of guest Jerry Seinfeld, prompting the comedian to insist that Fallon apologize; Seinfeld disputes Rolling Stone's version of these events. Many staffers told Rolling Stone that they reported the behavior of Fallon and his producers to HR, but were ignored.

7 Disney's live-action series based on author R.L. Stine's "Goosebumps" book series premieres on both Disney+ and Hulu on October 13. The 10-part series is a co-production between Disney Branded Television and Sony. More: The first two episodes will also air on Disney's Freeform cable network on October 13. Both Disney+ and Hulu will place the series in specialized horror-themed hubs; Disney+ will feature "Hallowstream" content in October, as a compliment to Hulu's annual "Huluween" promotion. The "Goosebumps" series was co-created by Rob Letterman, who also directed the 2015 "Goosebumps" film starring Jack Black; he wrote the scripts along with "Neighbors" and "The Muppets" vet Nicholas Stoller. The story centers on a group of high-schoolers investigating a decades-old mystery, which leads them to unearthing dark secrets about their parents; Justin Long and Rachael Harris co-star.

8 QUICK HITS Launch your MVP with AWS. The Build Accelerator offers access to on-demand content, technical support, and $2K in AWS Activate credits. Apply today!* HBO announced the end of its longest-running program, the chat series "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," which will wrap up after its current 29th season; the series debuted in 1995 and has produced more than 300 episodes. Paramount+ posted a new teaser for the Western drama series "Lawmen: Bass Reeves," arriving on November 5; David Oyelowo stars as the real historical figure, the first Black US Marshal west of the Mississippi. NBA icon Allen Iverson stars in a new promotional campaign for Peacock, touting the streamer's line-up of live sports content. Apple greenlit its first original series from Germany, the darkly comic thriller "Where's Wanda?"; Axel Stein and Heike Makatsch co-star as desperate parents who take the law into their own hands while searching for their missing daughter. CW dropped the Australian comedy-drama series "Bump" from its line-up after airing just five episodes; the network will replace the series with repeats of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" Following a $100 million investment, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings is the new majority shareholder in the Utah ski resort Powder Mountain. ARM targets $60 billion IPO valuation, Instacart at $24b. Get access to the Top 25 pre-IPO deals like Stripe, OpenAI, Databricks and Anduril.* *This is sponsored content

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Knowledge Hub Term of the Day Cryptocurrency: A cryptocurrency is a decentralized virtual currency built using a blockchain. Cryptocurrency tokens can be traded or used to make purchases. Read More Question of the Week Do you share details about your salary with your coworkers? Join the conversation

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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 Eduardo Garcia

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