| |
| Welcome back to the Inside Streaming daily brief, and thanks for reading. Conventional wisdom tells us that streamers are no longer focused on boosting subscriber numbers, but hyper-fixate on revenue instead. So it's unexpected to hear that Warner Bros. Discovery is massively discounting Max subscriptions for the next week, ahead of Black Friday in the US. A 70% price drop for six months is nothing to sneeze at, and if you've hesitated to take the plunge on the Max platform, now is definitely the time to jump in. One can only conclude that Max's numbers have dipped SO dramatically (they're down by around 1 million subs since the end of 2022), it has become something of an existential crisis for the platform. For the time being, they're going to put profitability aside and just focus on convincing as many Americans to sign up as possible to get those numbers up. Not great news for David Zaslav, perhaps, but terrific for consumers. Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | As part of a Black Friday offer in the US, an ad-supported Max subscription now costs just $2.99 per month. The deal is available through next Monday, November 27. More: - The offer is a 70% discount over the usual $9.99 monthly rate.
- Both new and returning Max subscribers will pay just $2.99 per month for the first six months of their plan before reverting to the regular $9.99/month cost.
- In their most recent earnings report, issued earlier this month, WB Discovery said that the company has hit around 95.1 million total subscribers, most of them via the Max service; the tally is down by around one million since the close of 2022.
|     | |
| 2 | | A new experimental YouTube feature called Dream Track allows users to create brief songs featuring AI-generated celebrity voices. Nine artists have agreed to allow Dream Track to clone their voices, including Charli XCX, Troye Sivan, T-Pain, Charlie Puth, and Sia. More: - Only about 100 US creators have been given access to the tool, which is currently available exclusively on the YouTube Shorts platform.
- The company released two sample clips containing synthetic Puth and T-Pain voices.
- Users can create the songs -- which can then be used as background music for YouTube Shorts clips -- with brief text prompts; for example, the Troye Sivan track was created based on the prompt "a ballad about how opposites attract, upbeat acoustic."
| | | |
| A message from our sponsor, Brevo. |  | | Boost sales and fuel long-term growth with a Black Friday campaign. As the year's most anticipated shopping day quickly approaches, brands are gearing up to captivate the hearts and wallets of eager customers. Don't miss your opportunity to take part in the action. Deliver a Black Friday campaign they won't forget and make it your best season yet. In this FREE eBook you will learn: - How to optimize your email for opens and clicks
- Easy ways that AI can boost revenue up to 41%
- Multichannel marketing tips to expand your reach
And More! Get the FREE eBook and optimize your impact this holiday season with an AI‑driven, multichannel marketing strategy. Get the eBook Now | |
|
| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20 INCREDIBLE ANIMAL JOURNEYS: Debut nature series from National Geographic about animal migration, following members of various species as they instinctively navigate paths around the globe. Jeremy Renner narrates. Episodes air Sunday nights on cable and hit both Hulu and Disney+ on Mondays. [Hulu and Disney+] THE LAST RIDER: 2023 documentary profile of American cyclist Greg LeMond, with a focus on how he overcame adversity and betrayal to win the 1989 Tour de France, the closest race in the event's history. Alex Holmes ("Stop at Nothing: The Lance Armstrong Story") directed. [Hulu] SPELLBOUND: YA fantasy drama series starring Hailey Romain as an American teen who moves to Paris to study ballet, only to discover she's been unknowingly suppressing her innate magical abilities. It's back for the second half of its first season. [Hulu] MY HERO ACADEMIA: The dubbed version of Part 2 of the anime series' sixth season hits Hulu in the US today. It's set in a world in which superpowers (known as "quirks") are commonplace, and centers on a young superhero who was born without special abilities. Season 6 covers the "Paranormal Liberation War" and "Dark Hero" arcs from the original manga series. [Hulu] HOLIDAY HOTLINE: Holiday rom-com from Hallmark, starring Emily Tennant as a staffer at an anonymous turkey-cooking hotline who unknowingly connects with the same single dad (Niall Matter) both over the phone and in real life. [Peacock] ICE AGE AMERICA: Documentary special, produced for cable's Science Channel, following British archaeologist Ciprian Ardlean and his team as they investigate how early humans traveled to the Americas at the close of the last Ice Age. [Max] | | | |
| 4 | | The first five seasons of the CBS comedy series "Young Sheldon" will stream on both Netflix and Max starting on November 24. "The Big Bang Theory" spinoff has been exclusive to Warner Bros. Discovery's Max platform. More: - The original "Big Bang Theory" series will remain a Max exclusive.
- The move is part of an overall shift at WB Discovery away from exclusive licensing deals; a number of HBO originals, including "Insecure," "Ballers," and "Band of Brothers," have also been licensed to Netflix.
- Netflix has previously streamed "Young Sheldon" in some international territories.
- CBS recently announced that "Young Sheldon" will end after its upcoming seventh season.
| | | |
| A message from our sponsor, Adobe. |  | | Thoughtful teamwork leads to a big impact — learn how on Adobe’s podcast. Without the backbone of strong team collaboration and creative leadership, the brands and businesses we see around us every day wouldn’t exist. Through refining their leadership practices, introducing new approaches to collaboration, and even implementing revolutionary AI efficiencies, organizations — from Fortune 500 companies to championship-winning sports teams — are honing their approach to teamwork. Season 2 of Adobe’s The Power of Teamwork podcast brought us new stories from the delicious and playful to disruptive and resilient: - We heard from LEGO's brand and design teams about their out-of-the-box thinking
- Ben and Jerry's flavor gurus and brand marketing unpacked the innovation that goes into every flavor
- Delta’s creative studio shared the importance of disrupting marketing norms and being leaders in the creative space
- And VMware brings us their approach to people-driven innovation
Each episode this season brings innovative, disruptive, and thoughtful business practices to life to help build a stronger team culture and efficiencies for business success. Don't miss out on the stories of how success starts with We. Subscribe Now | |
|
| 5 | | During a Q&A at the CME Group Tour Golf Championship in Naples, Florida, Nicole Kidman teased a potential third season for the HBO drama series "Big Little Lies." When asked about the show, Kidman said "We will be bringing you a third one, just FYI." More: - Kidman co-starred and co-produced the series along with Reese Witherspoon; Laura Dern, Zoë Kravitz, Shailene Woodley, and Meryl Streep co-star.
- "Big Little Lies" is based on a novel by author Liane Moriarty, whose work also inspired Kidman's series "Nine Perfect Strangers."
- A second season of "Nine Perfect Strangers" is currently in the works for Hulu.
| | | |
| 6 | | Amazon ordered a second "Bosch" spinoff based on the work of author Michael Connelly. The new series will center on LAPD Detective Renée Ballard, who is tasked with running a new division investigating cold cases. More: - Season 2 of the spinoff "Bosch: Legacy" recently wrapped up its run on the Freevee service; a third season has been ordered.
- Freevee is also working on another "Bosch" spinoff, focused on Jamie Hector's character, Det. Jerry Edgar.
- "Major Crimes" vets Michael Alaimo and Kendall Sherwood will serve as showrunners.
| | | |
| 7 | | Hulu renewed the Onyx Collective comedy-drama series "UnPrisoned" for a second season. Star and executive producer Kerry Washington also renewed her overall deal with production company ABC Signature, which developed the series. More: - Washington stars as a single mom who reunites with her estranged father (Delroy Lindo) after he's released from prison.
- Lindo is also an executive producer on the series.
- Washington's production company, Simpson Street, will continue developing TV projects for ABC Signature; previous collaborations include "Little Fires Everywhere" and "Reasonable Doubt."
| | | |
| 8 | | QUICK HITS - Raising capital? Fundingstack's DB of 200k investors is your secret weapon. Use code "Inside" for 30% off x 3 months. Start your trial here and get funded, faster.*
- The creator and stars of USA Network's legal drama "Suits" -- which has dominated the US streaming charts throughout the summer -- will reunite at the 2024 ATX TV Festival in Austin.
- Peacock is developing a true crime docuseries about alleged serial killer Rex Heuermann, which will follow members of his family as they prepare for his trial; some reports have suggested that family members will receive up to $1 million to participate in the series.
- Paramount+ ordered "The Road Trip," a new comedy-drama series based on a novel by British author Beth O'Leary; Emma Appleton stars as a woman who embarks on an awkward road trip to Spain along with her sister, her ex, her best friend, and a total stranger.
- PBS launched a free culinary-themed streaming channel, "PBS Food," that's now available via Amazon's Freevee, Plex, and The Roku Channel; the line-up features classic shows like "Mind of a Chef," "The French Chef with Julia Child," and "I'll Have What Phil's Having."
- PBS and BBC will team on a new "Wolf Hall" series, based on the final novel in author Hilary Mantel's trilogy; Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis will reprise their roles as Thomas Cromwell and King Henry VIII, respectively.
- "Silo" creator Graham Yost and director Morten Tyldum spoke with Variety about creating the show's expansive, 360-degree practical sets; the show has been renewed for a second season, which has been delayed by the Hollywood strikes.
- "Game of Thrones" vet Ciaran Hinds joined the cast of the five-part Australian limited series "The Narrow Road to the Deep North"; Jacob Elordi and Odessa Young have already been cast in the series, which is based on a novel by Richard Flanaghan that won the Booker Prize.
*This is sponsored content | | | |
| Upcoming Events | | NOV
25 | | AI in Financial Services with Saroop Bharwani | | | | | | | NOV
25 | | The Future of Fractional Work with David Berkowitz | | | | | | * This is a sponsored event | | | |
Term of the Day Dwell time: Dwell time measures the length of time that a user remains on a website before returning to a search engine results page (SERP). Question of the Week What perks would convince you to return to the office? Join the conversation |
 | 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 | |
| |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Comments
Post a Comment