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| Thanks for bearing with us yesterday! Glad to be back with a bunch of new items to share. It's a busy day, with Netflix's Q3 earnings call to report, plus a lot of viewership data on recent streaming debuts, so I'll stop yammering and let you get to it! Enjoy today's issue and thanks for opening Inside Streaming. Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | In Netflix's third-quarter earnings review, co-CEO Ted Sarandos told investors that we're "heading toward a world where streaming data will be much more readily available." He predicted a future in which streaming view counts are as common as TV ratings, Billboard music reviews, and theatrical box office. More: - The streamer added around 9 million subscribers in Q3, besting expectations.
- Netflix also announced a $3 price increase on its Premium plan during the call, which jumps to $22.99 on Wednesday; the one-stream "basic" plan will also go up to $11.99/month.
- The streamer is also apparently planning "substantial changes" to its CEO and executive pay packages next year, after shareholders voted against the current pay structure in 2022 by a 3-to-1 margin.
- Sarandos told shareholders that negotiations with SAG-AFTRA stalled over a proposed "subscriber levy" that "broke our momentum"; SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland suggested that Sarandos' comments were "just spin."
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| 2 | | Following the close of its Apple TV+ deal, Skydance Animation signed a new exclusive multi-year agreement with Netflix. The company's full current animated feature slate will be released exclusively on Netflix. More: - The next Skydance Animation feature, the musical adventure "Spellbound," hits Netflix next year; it's about a princess who has to save her kingdom after a spell transforms her royal parents into monsters.
- Netflix and Skydance have partnered on multiple live-action projects in the past, including films "The Adam Project," "Heart of Stone," and "The Old Guard," and series "FUBAR," "Altered Carbon," and "Grace and Frankie."
- Skydance Animation launched in 2017; it's led by former Pixar chief John Lasseter.
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| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19 WOLF LIKE ME: The Australian dark comedy-drama series is back this week for a second season. Josh Gad stars as a widower and single father embarking on a new romance with an advice columnist, who it turns out is also a werewolf (Isla Fisher). Edgar Ramirez joins the cast for Season 2; Abe Forsythe ("Little Monsters") created. [Peacock] NEON: First-year musical comedy series about three friends who move to Miami to pursue their love of reggaeton music. Tyler Dean Flores, Emma Ferreira, and Jordan Mendoza co-star; Daddy Yankee executive produces and makes a guest appearance alongside several other noted reggaeton artists. [Netflix] BODIES: Sci-fi crime drama limited series from the UK, based on the graphic novel by Si Spencer. It's about detectives at four different points in time -- the 1890s, 1940s, 2010s, and 2050s -- who end up investigating the same murder in London's Whitechapel neighborhood. Stephen Graham, Amaka Okafor, Shira Haas, and Kyle Soller co-star; "Torchwood" vet Paul Tomalin created. [Netflix] CAPTAIN LASERHAWK: A BLOOD DRAGON REMIX: Adult animated sci-fi action series from video game studio Ubisoft and "Castlevania" vet Adi Shankar. The story is loosely based on the 2013 game "Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon," and features characters from various Ubisoft titles. Nathaniel Curtis stars as a fugitive supersoldier who's enlisted to lead teams of fellow convicts on covert missions. [Netflix] BEBEFINN: Animated musical preschooler series from "Baby Shark" studio Pinkfong, following the everyday adventures of three babies and their parents. Season 2 hits Netflix today. [Netflix] CRYPTO BOY: Dutch-language drama feature from The Netherlands about a young deliveryman (Shahine El-Hamus) who gets involved with a charismatic cryptocurrency entrepreneur, viewing the unpredictable business as his only way out of a life of poverty. Sabri Saad El-Hamus, Minne Koole, and Isabelle Kafando co-star; Shady El-Hamus ("Forever Rich") co-wrote and directed. [Netflix] CRASHING EID: Debut comedy-drama series from Saudi Arabia, created by filmmaker Nora Aboushousha ("Lucky You Are Mine"). Summer Shesha stars as a Saudi-British mom who returns home for Ramadan and discovers her family disapproves of her fiancé. [Netflix] SCAVENGERS REIGN: Debut animated sci-fi series for adults, inspired by the work of iconic French comic book artist Jean "Moebius" Giraud. Following the destruction of their interstellar cargo ship, a group of survivors must fend for themselves on an uncharted, hostile planet. Wunmi Mosaku, Alia Shawkat, Bob Stephenson, Sunita Mani, and Ted Travelstead co-star. [Max] PETER & THE WOLF: Animated short film, inspired by Sergei Prokofiev's famous composition and featuring music and narration by singer-songwriter Gavin Friday. The art style is based on illustrations by U2 frontman Bono. Friday and Bono conceived of the project as a benefit for the Irish Hospice Foundation. [Max] TEENAGE KISS: THE FUTURE IS DEAD (BESO ADOLESCENTE: EL FUTURO ESTÁ MUERTO): Debut fantasy drama series from Brazil, based on the comic book by Rafael Coutinho, and set in a dystopian future in which the Amazon Rainforest has become a monochromatic industrial park. The story centers on a group of young people who get inspired by the arrival of a newcomer to their community. [Max] CANDY CRUZ: Debut Spanish-language comedy series from Mexico, starring Cassandra Sanchez Navarro as an amateur chef who enters a high-stakes TV cooking competition. [Max] WICKED CITY: The fantasy-drama series centers on a coven of "urban witches" from Atlanta whose use of their powers attracts the attention of dangerous foes. Shaquita Smith, Chantal Maurice, Chanel Mack, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Malika Blessings, and Karon Joseph Riley co-star. Season 2 debuts today on AMC's ALLBLK service. [ALLBLK] GOD'S GRACE: THE SHEILA JOHNSON STORY: Biographical drama starring Demetria McKinney as activist Sheila Johnson, who retired from the Air Force after being diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer and became an advocate for Black women and men suffering from the disease. Michael Beach and Amber Reign Smith co-star; Charmin Lee ("Breakthrough") directed. [BET+] VANISHED: SEARCHING FOR MY SISTER: 2022 Lifetime original movie, starring Tatyana Ali as a woman whose twin sister disappears, sending her on a desperate search through her city's criminal underworld. Justin Bruening and Jasmine Guy co-star. [Hulu] | | | |
| 4 | | The CBS reality series "Survivor" and "Amazing Race" both expanded to 90-minute episodes this year, and have received a major viewership boost on streaming platforms. Streaming viewership of the first two episodes of "Survivor" Season 45 increased by 83% over Season 43's debut last year on the CBS website and app, along with Paramount+. More: - When including the CBS network, DVR, and VOD views, the overall "Survivor" audience is only up around 6% total this year.
- This indicates that more viewers are starting to watch the show exclusively via digital platforms over time.
- "The Amazing Race" Season 35 saw a 32% increase in streaming viewership vs. 2022, though the overall audience has also remained largely consistent.
- Across all platforms, "Survivor" was viewed by about 5 million people on Sunday's premiere night, compared to 2.6 million viewers on "Amazing Race"; including seven days of multiplatform viewing, those numbers jump to 6.8 million "Survivor" viewers and 4.6 million "Amazing Race" views.
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| 5 | | CBS aired the first two episodes of Paramount+'s "Frasier" reboot this week, and scored an average of 2.23 million viewers. The premiere aired at 9:15 pm on CBS, following a Tuesday episode of the reality series "Big Brother." More: - "Frasier" scored a 0.19 rating among the key 18-49 demo, though the second episode received a slight boost, coming in with a 0.21 rating.
- Only the first two "Fraiser" episodes will air on broadcast TV; the remainder of Season 1 streams exclusively on Paramount+.
- According to Paramount, "Frasier" is the platform's #1 comedy premiere in terms of reach; it's been their #1 ranking title in both the US and international markets since its debut.
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| 6 | | Comedians Chris Rock and Kevin Hart's "Only Headliners Allowed" comedy tour is the subject of an upcoming Netflix special. The documentary takes viewers behind-the-scenes of the duo's five-stop tour, with a focus on how the epic collaboration came together. More: - "Kevin Hart & Chris Rock: Headliners Only" hits Netflix on December 12.
- The film will also include profiles of Rock and Hart, chronicling their early lives and the history of their multi-decade friendship.
- The tour included a sold-out stop at Madison Square Garden.
- During a "Tonight Show" appearance last year, Hart referred to Rock as "the reason that I am where I am today" and the "G.O.A.T." (greatest of all time).
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| 7 | | A new study from data analytics firm HarrisX found that, of the eight major US streamers, only Max saw a decline in daily users from Q2 to Q3 of 2023. The Warner Bros. Discovery-owned platform did not have a new breakout series or new season debut over the last few months. More: - AT&T dropped Max from some of its legacy broadband plans in Q3, which likely contributed to the situation.
- In terms of fresh content, Q3 was largely unimpacted by the ongoing writers and actors strikes; the development and production gap caused by the strikes likely won't be felt by consumers until 2024.
- The entire streaming industry suffered from a lack of new hits over the summer; "Suits" on Netflix and Peacock, a decade-old basic cable show, was the most popular streaming series.
- Disappointing recent Max debuts included "The Idol," which ran for just five episodes before being canceled, and "Winning Time," which was cut from HBO's line-up after its second season.
- Max's library grew significantly over the summer, largely due to the addition of Discovery Networks cable shows and Discovery+ content.
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| 8 | | QUICK HITS - Don't settle for the sidelines. Participate in Sandhill Markets' auctions and bid on shares of pre-IPO giants like Stripe, Databricks, Anduril, and OpenAI.
- In a piece about ongoing NBA rights negotiations, The Wall Street Journal suggests that Apple may still make a bid; ESPN and TNT have until April 2024 to determine the scope of their own NBA content deals.
- Netflix announced the line-up for its annual multi-day "Geeked Week" showcase, launching on November 6 (aka "Stranger Things Day"); this year's event includes sneak peeks of "Scott Pilgrim Takes Off," "3 Body Problem," "Avatar: The Last Airbender," "Devil May Cry," "Rebel Moon," and "Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft."
- NBCUniversal reported that revenue for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris is already on pace to exceed 2020's Tokyo Games; the Paris Games will run from July 26 to August 11 of next year, with every event streaming live and on-demand on Peacock.
- Hulu dropped a trailer for "Faraway Downs," the period drama series adapted from Baz Luhrmann's 2008 film "Australia"; the six-part series, starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman, launches on November 26.
- The new "Goosebumps" live-action series scored 4.2 million total views in its first three days across both Hulu and Disney+; it's Disney Branded Television's biggest debut of 2023.
- Paramount plans to sunset the "Showtime Sports" brand later this year; Showtime Sports launched in 1986 and became best known for its boxing and mixed martial arts coverage.
- Netflix released new images from the live-action "Avatar: The Last Airbender" series, showcasing characters from the Fire Nation, including Dallas Liu as Prince Zuko, Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as General Iroh, Ken Leung as Commander Zhao, and Elizabeth Yu as Princess Azula.
- Spectrum owners Charter plan to move away from cable boxes, encouraging customers to access their pay-TV subscriptions via the Xumo streaming platform.
- The next season of the scripted biographical drama series "Genius" -- centering on the relationship between civil rights leaders Martin Luther King and Malcolm X -- premieres February 1 on Nat Geo; episodes will stream the following day on both Disney+ and Hulu.
- According to the CEO of Golden Globes owner Eldridge Industries, the annual award ceremony will soon transition into a streaming-exclusive event rather than airing on a broadcast network.
- In an interview with Collider, "The Office" co-creator Greg Daniels addressed rumors of a reboot series, suggesting any new installment would be more like a spinoff than a revival, and promising fans "when there's something to announce, I will definitely announce it."
- Roku is reorganizing its management team; Alison Levin was named the new head of global media revenue, while content chief David Eilenberg will now oversee Roku's Brand Studio division.
- BBC canceled the long-running daytime drama series "Doctors" after 23 years; the final episode will air in December 2024.
- Final day to invest in LiquidPiston is 10/24. Become a LiquidPiston investor before it's too late.*
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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 Lon Harris | |
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