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| Hello again and thanks for opening Inside Streaming! More strike news today, as Warner Bros. Discovery has lowered its anticipated earnings by up to $500 million. That's about the same estimated price tag for meeting all of the demands that have been made by the major Hollywood unions. So the question becomes... why spend all that money just having a work stoppage when you could spend that same amount (or much less!) on RESOLVING the work stoppage and getting back to business as usual? Clearly, there are other variables to consider. It's tempting to conclude that, at its core, this conflict isn't just about the dollar amounts, but something deeper. Perhaps streamers not wanting to reveal their actual numbers, for fear of the world finding out how few people are watching their shows? The longer Hollywood continues holding out without any kind of real game plan or strategy, the more it's going to fuel these kinds of conspiracy theories. The strike just doesn't make straight-up financial sense anymore (if it ever did). Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | In a regulatory filing this week, Warner Bros. Discovery lowered its anticipated 2023 earnings forecast due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. The company had previously indicated that it expected to resolve the strikes by early September; the new filing declines to predict when the work stoppages might conclude. More: - WBD decreased its EBITDA (adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) to $10.5 billion to $11 billion, which is $300-$500 million lower than its prior estimates.
- The company also noted that it had exceeded its expectations for free cash flow, both due to strike-related factors and the strong performance of "Barbie" at the global box office.
- WBD CEO David Zaslav along with other studio and streaming executives is scheduled to speak later this week at a Goldman Sachs conference in San Francisco.
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| 2 | | According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, international football superstar Lionel Messi's arrival in the US led to a surge in subscriptions to Apple TV+. Apple's Major League Soccer (MLS) Season Pass received more than 110,000 new sign-ups in the US on July 21, the day of Messi's debut match with his new club, Inter Miami. More: - The day before Messi's debut, MLS Season Pass had around 6,000 new sign-ups.
- As part of a $2.5 billion deal signed last year, Apple has the exclusive rights to stream MLS games, and to the MLS Season Pass service.
- According to Antenna, July was Apple TV+'s strongest month for new sign-ups so far this year.
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| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 ONE SHOT: OVERTIME ELITE: Sports docuseries following coaches and athletes from the Overtime Elite basketball league, for players between the ages of 16 and 20. The series takes a personal look at the dedication and grueling training regiment it takes to have a real shot at an NBA career. All six episodes hit Prime Video in the US today. [Amazon] SHANE GILLIS: BEAUTIFUL DOGS: The comedian's first Netflix special was recorded earlier this year in Virginia and features material about his girlfriend's Navy SEAL ex, touring George Washington's house, and Australian goths. Gillis' 2021 special, "Live in Austin" garnered more than 13 million views on YouTube. [Netflix] MY BIG FAT FABULOUS LIFE: The TLC reality series centers on radio producer and body positivity activist Whitney Way Thore, who gained more than 200 pounds in one year after being diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome, and had to learn to love herself again and embrace her new body. Season 11 premieres this week on Max and cable. [Max] WELCOME TO PLATHVILLE: TLC reality series following the personal lives of the Plaths, a conservative family of 11 from southeastern Georgia who share a love of music and religion, but frequently disagree about one another's personal life choices. It's back this week for a fifth season. [Max] SEE IT LOUD: THE HISTORY OF BLACK TELEVISION: Five-part series from CNN and producers LeBron James and Maverick Carter, looking back at the history of Black culture on TV and the innovators and creatives who made it possible. The series features insight and analysis from Amanda Seales, Anika Noni Rose, Debbie Allen, Deon Cole, Desus & Mero, Gabrielle Union, Kevin Frazier, Laz Alonso, Lynn Whitfield, Mo'Nique, Tatyana Ali, Tiffany Polland, and many others. [Max] OSWALD ANIMATED SHORTS: Two classic animated shorts directed by Walt Disney, and featuring the character of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, come to Disney+ in the US today. Both "Trolley Troubles" and "All Wet" made their theatrical debuts in 1927. "Trolley Troubles" was the first-ever short to feature the character of Oswald, who was created by Disney along with legendary animator Ub Iwerks. [Disney+] | | | |
| 4 | | According to The Financial Times, some YouTube staffers are privately worried that Shorts could cannibalize the streamer's primary, long-form content. Long-form content has been YouTube's reliable chief product since its inception, and it brings in the majority of the platform's ad revenue. More: - While long-form content means multiple ads get displayed per video, YouTube is still experimenting with how to monetize quick Shorts clips.
- The popularity of the Shorts service means that a lot of reliable YouTubers have switched their content over, and upload, on average, fewer long videos.
- Though YouTube revenue has been climbing recently, overall the service has seen year-over-year decreases for the last three quarters.
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| 5 | | The holiday comedy-adventure film "Candy Cane Lane" makes its global debut December 1 on Amazon Prime Video. It's the first-ever holiday film starring Eddie Murphy. More: - Murphy stars as a family man who makes a deal with a magical elf (Jillian Bell) in order to win his neighborhood's annual Christmas home decoration contest; when the elf's spell brings all 12 Days of Christmas to life, it brings chaos instead of holdiay cheer.
- The film reteams Murphy with director Reginald Hudlin; the duo previously collaborated on the classic 1992 comedy "Boomerang."
- Tracee Ellis Ross, Nick Offerman, Robin Thede, and Chris Redd co-star.
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| 6 | | Marvel Studios and Disney posted another trailer for the new season of "Loki." The time-hopping fantasy drama returns for a second season on October 6. More: - Season 1 of "Loki" wrapped up over two years ago, and ended on a cliffhanger, with Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) accidentally breaking the multiversal timeline.
- Owen Wilson reprises his role as time bureaucrat Mobius, while Jonathan Majors returns as another variant of Kang, known as "Victor Timely."
- Recent Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan also joins the cast of "Loki" this season.
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| 7 | | The long-awaited animated sequel "Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget" hits Netflix internationally on December 15. The original film from British studio Aardman Animations was released way back in 2000. More: - In the new film, Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) and Rocky (Zachary Levi) have settled on a peaceful island along with their flock, and have had a little girl named Molly (Bella Ramsey); soon, however, the family faces a new threat.
- The stars are all newcomers to the "Chicken Run" franchise: Newton is taking over for previous lead Julia Swalaha, while Levi assumes the voice role of Rocky The Rooster from Mel Gibson.
- Imelda Staunton, Lynn Ferguson, Jane Horrocks, and Miranda Richardson reprise their voice roles from the first "Chicken Run."
- The sequel will make its world premiere next month at the London Film Festival.
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- Roku introduced a new home screen including more apps, along with a "Continue Watching" tab; the update has already started rolling out to users.
- Netflix dropped a trailer for its four-part docuseries profile of British pop singer Robbie Williams, which debuts later this year.
- The cast and creative team behind "Breaking Bad" -- including stars Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, and Jesse Plemons -- reunited on the picket line this week; Paul called attention to the fact that cast members have received no additional residual payments, despite the show's ongoing success on Netflix.
- "One Piece" director Marc Jobst -- a veteran of Netflix's "Daredevil" and "The Witcher" -- spoke with Inverse about breaking the long-time curse that seemed to hang over live-action anime adaptations, and balancing the manga's lightly comedic tone with its darker, more serious elements.
- "Invincible" creator and executive producer Robert Kirkman (on whose comic books the show is based) teased the animated superhero comedy-drama's second season in a chat with Polygon, including the addition of Optimus Prime actor Peter Cullen and "I Think You Should Leave" star Tim Robinson to the voice cast.
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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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