Apple TV+ price hike / TelevisaUnivision Q3 earnings / Paramount+ Premium rollout / Ted Lasso Barbie dolls

Plus today's calendar, "Old Dads" debuts at #1, HBO "Potter" stuntman doc, "Fargo" Season 5 trailer, and more

Inside Streaming For October 25, 2023

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Good morning and thanks for opening today's Inside Streaming brief. Some perplexing news from Apple this AM. In addition to an overhaul of the Apple TV app -- making it more of a centralized hub for all streaming content, rather than focusing on TV+ and movie purchase/rental options -- the company apparently plans to raise the prices on TV+ from $6.99 per month to $9.99. (You can also get a full year for just $99 if you sign up for an annual plan.) That's... kind of a lot. Apple makes a lot of good shows and films that I enthusiastically endorse, from "Servant" to "Slow Horses" to "Foundation" to "Severance" to Errol Morris' recent documentary release "The Pigeon Tunnel." But its library is far, far smaller than almost any comparable platform, with no real "back catalog" or licensed library of third-party shows to speak of. I'm a pretty dedicated TV+ aficionado, and even I rarely watch more than 1 or 2 shows on the platform at a time. But the real question is... why does Apple feel the need to squeeze more revenue out of TV+ to begin with? I think most of us assumed it was not really intended as a profit leader for the company, but was more like a loyalty program encouraging fans to keep upgrading their Apple hardware regularly. No matter how good the shows are, if the service is prohibitively expensive, people won't bother to sign up and discover them in the first place. Lon p/lon-harris

1 Apple announced a price increase for the TV+ streaming service; a standalone subscription will rise from $6.99 per month to $9.99, or $99 for a full year. Bundles including TV+ along with Apple Arcade and Apple News+ subscriptions will also go up in price. More: According to a report in Bloomberg, the company is also planning to revamp the core Apple TV app, intended to make it a centralized hub for all streaming content. Apparently, Apple will remove current apps for renting and purchasing VOD content, and will now package all of these options seamlessly alongside its own native content and other third-party subscription options. The new Apple TV app could launch as early as December, according to Bloomberg.

2 Spanish-language media conglomerate TelevisaUnivision saw a 5% increase in US revenue in Q3, hitting $806 million. US revenue primarily rose based on "record-setting demand for sports and tentpoles," according to the company. More: Globally, ad revenue spiked significantly, particularly in Mexico, where it climbed by 21%. Total Q3 revenue was up 11%, to $1.3 billion. Much of the growth was driven by the ViX streaming platform, available in both the US and Mexico; overall subscription and licensing revenue was up 18%. ViX now has around 40 million monthly active users; the company has been focusing on expanding its distribution, so the service is available on all major smart TVs and streaming devices.

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3 DAILY CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25 LIFE ON OUR PLANET: Debut 8-part nature docuseries, co-produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television and the "Our Planet" team, chronicling the complete history of life on Earth and its evolution. Morgan Freeman narrates. [Netflix] BURNING BETRAYAL (O LADO BOM DE SER TRAÍDA): Romantic thriller film from Brazil starring Giovanna Lancellotti as a betrayed woman who embarks on a daring new relationship with a judge (Leandro Lima) that's fraught with sexual tension. Deigo Freitas ("Beyond the Universe") directed. [Netflix] ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS (ABSOLUTNI DEBIUTANCI): Debut romantic drama series from Poland about two friends who visit the seaside to make a film, then find their relationship tested by a handsome stranger. Newcomers Kamila Tarabura and Nina Lewandowskia co-created; Martyna Byczkowska, Bartłomiej Deklewa, and Jan Sałasiński co-star. [Netflix] PRIMAL SURVIVOR: EXTREME AFRICAN SAFARI: Six-part limited series from National Geographic in which survival expert Hazen Audel navigates Africa's Great Rift Valley, searching Kenya's Chalbi desert for a tribal camel train. The series aired over the summer on cable and premieres today on both Disney+ and Hulu. [Hulu and Disney+] RUNNING WILD WITH BEAR GRYLLS: THE CHALLENGE: In the Nat Geo reality competition series, survivalist Bear Grylls teaches essential lessons and skills to a group of celebrity guests, then tests what they've learned in a series of high-stress situations. 7 Season 2 episodes come to Disney+ today. [Disney+] BIG CITY GREENS: The Disney Channel animated series centers on 10-year-old Cricket Green (Chris Houghton), who moves with his family to the Big City to live with his Gramma Alice (Artemis Pebdani). 5 fresh Season 4 episodes hit Disney+ today. [Disney+] BARGAIN MANSIONS: The HGTV/Magnolia series follows Kansas City restoration expert Tamara Day as she reimagines large, long-neglected homes from the inside out. Season 5 aired last year on cable and hits Max today. [Max] THE MURDER TAPES: The Investigation Discovery series looks back on homicide investigations via unfiltered footage from body cams, surveillance cameras, and interrogation rooms, alongside recollections from witnesses, family members, and investigators. Season 6 aired in 2022 and hits Max today. [Max] STRANGE EVIDENCE: On the Science Channel series, baffling or otherwise inexplicable footage is analyzed by a team of experts, who attempt to explain the events or discern what's truly happening. Season 7 aired on TV in 2022 and comes to Max today. [Max] MTV CRIBS: The iconic unscripted MTV series features celebrities giving tours of their own homes and living spaces. Season 19 debuted last year on cable and features guests Antonio Brown, Cesar Milan, Charo, Dennis Rodman, Dwight Howard, Heidi and Spencer Pratt, Iman Shumpert, Jacquees, Michael Strahan, Nicole Scherzinger, Whitney Cummings, and others. [Paramount+] RENO 911! IT'S A WONDERFUL HEIST: 2022 holiday special, produced for the Comedy Central network and parodying the classic film "It's a Wonderful Life," in which Lt. Dangle (Thomas Lennon) gets a rare opportunity to see what Reno would be like, had he never been born. Wendi McLendon-Covey, Niecy Nash, Kerri Kenney, Joe Lo Truglio, Ian Roberts, Carlos Alazraqui, Cedric Yarbrough, and Mary Birdsong co-star. [Paramount+] ISLE OF MTV: MALTA: The MTV special features footage from one of Europe's largest music festivals. 2023 performers included OneRepublic, Alesso, Tom Grennan, Mimi Webb, and Delta Goodrem. [Paramount+] STUDIO 666: 2022 horror comedy based on a story by Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, in which the band gathers to record a new album in a cursed mansion. Bandmates Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Rami Jaffee, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, and Pat Smear co-star; B.J. McDonnell ("Slayer: The Repentless Killogy") directed. [Amazon]

4 Paramount+ announced plans to roll out its Premium Tier subscriptions in a number of new countries, including Australia, Canada, Brazil, and Mexico. Those territories will get Paramount+ Premium on November 16; more international markets will follow next year. More: The Paramount+ ad-supported tier will start hitting overseas markets, starting with Australia and Canada, in 2024; for now, the plan is to continue offering mobile-only ad-supported access in Mexico and Brazil. Paramount+ introduced its Standard plan in 45 international markets last year; in August, the company reported 61 million total global subscribers to all of its streaming offerings. The Premium plan includes 4K UHD streams with Dolby Vision, and the ability to watch four programs concurrently rather than the Standard plan's two streams.

5 Mattel released a new collection of Barbie Signature dolls based on characters from the Apple streaming comedy series "Ted Lasso." So far, three dolls are available: Coach Lasso himself, along with team owner Rebecca Welton and PR consultant Keeley Jones. More: Designer Suim Noh said the goal was to highlight Ted's "sweet, kind, and perpetually joyful" personality in the 12" plastic figure. The dolls retail for $50 each. "Ted Lasso" wrapped up its story at the close of Season 3, and there are no concrete plans for additional episodes; still, producers have not definitively closed the door on future reboots or spinoffs.

6 Comedian Bill Burr's directorial debut, the comedy feature "Old Dads," was the #1 English-language film on Netflix last week, with around 13.3 million views. The true-crime doc "The Devil on Trial," looking back at a murder investigation involving allegations of demonic possession, debuted in the #2 spot, with 8 million views. More: Other films in the Top 10 included the indie thrillers "Fair Play" and "Reptile" -- both hits at fall film festivals -- and the Jennifer Lawrence sex comedy "No Hard Feelings." The top English-language TV series was Mike Flanagan's "Fall of the House of Usher," which grabbed 7.9 million views; the documentary profile "Beckham" dropped into the #2 spot. New entrants last week that performed strongly in their first few days on Netflix included Season 7 of the adult animated comedy series "Big Mouth" and the UK limited sci-fi drama "Bodies."

7 Sky and HBO Films announced the documentary "David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived," about a teen gymnast who was injured while working as Daniel Radcliffe's stunt double on a "Harry Potter" film set. Radcliffe is on board the project himself as an executive producer. More: An explosion on the set of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" sent Holmes plummeting to the ground, causing a spinal injury that left him paralyzed from the chest down. The film will look at Holmes' life and career both before and after the accident, and includes intimate interviews with him and his family, along with Radcliffe and other cast and crew members. The film will debut next month on Sky and HBO.

8 QUICK HITS Improve conversations with clear speech understanding and quick sound processing from Horizon hearing aids. Start your 45-day, no-risk trial today.* FX dropped a new trailer for Season 5 of the anthology crime drama series "Fargo," debuting on November 21; Jon Hamm, Juno Temple, and Jennifer Jason Leigh co-star in the new episodes. In a new cover story for Variety, "The Crown" creator Peter Morgan says he has an idea for a prequel series, but the project would require "a unique set of circumstances to come together." Hulu plans to premiere an English dub for the hit Korean YA superhero series "Moving" in December; the subtitled version debuted on August 9 and has become Disney's most-streamed Korean series around the globe. Amazon greenlit a sequel to the 2022 action superhero film "Samaritan"; Sylvester Stallone will reprise his lead role for the follow-up, with screenwriter Bragi F. Schut also returning. Netflix dropped a trailer for the holiday comedy "Best Christmas Ever," starring Heather Graham and Brandy Norwood as estranged college friends spending a surprise Christmas together with their families; it debuts globally on November 16. The CW picked up a second season of the UK sitcom "Everyone Else Burns," about a strictly religious family who believe the apocalypse is imminent; Season 1 debuts Thursday night at 9:30 pm on the network, with new episodes hitting the website and app on Fridays. Ben Whishaw and Sarah Lancashire are joining the cast of the Netflix spy series "Black Doves"; Keira Knightley stars in the series as a politician's wife who leads a secret double life as an undercover operative. "Chicago PD" regular Tracy Spiridakos will exit the series after its upcoming 11th season; Spiridakos joined the procedural in Season 4 as Detective Hailey Upton, and has appeared in 127 episodes. *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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