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| Happy New Year! Thanks for opening the first Inside Streaming of 2024. Please note that a few films hit streaming platforms over the weekend that weren't featured on their respective release schedules or calendars, so I missed them last week and noted them in today's Calendar. (This includes the films "The Holdovers," now on Peacock, and "The Equalizer 3," now on Netflix. I enjoyed both films, for what it's worth.) I have no idea why this is still such a problem for these platforms, but it's particularly frustrating for me. Anyway, they're on there now, if you're interested. Have a great start to your new year and we'll see you back here tomorrow. Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | A report from Whip Media lists the 30 most-watched streaming original programs of 2023. The rankings are based on data from users of the TV Time app. More: - Disney+ holds the top two slots on the list, with the "Star Wars" spinoff "The Mandalorian" coming in at #1 and the Marvel Cinematic Universe series "Loki" at #2.
- Two more Disney+ shows -- "Secret Invasion" and "Ahsoka" -- were also in the Top 10.
- The Top 5 also includes Apple's "Ted Lasso" at #3, Netflix's "You" at #4, and Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building" in the final spot.
- Netflix's "The Night Agent" and "Ginny & Georgia" -- the streamer's Top 2 most-watched shows of 2023, according to its internal metrics -- appear on Whip's list in the #19 and #20 spots, respectively.
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| 2 | | The Wall Street Journal reports that Americans are cutting back on their entertainment expenses by unsubscribing from streaming services at an increasing rate. According to data from Antenna, about 1/4th of Americans who subscribe to major streaming services have cancelled at least three plans over the past two years. More: - Just two years ago, only 15% of streaming subscribers had cut that many services; WSJ suggests that the increase demonstrates consumers are more "fickle" now about their streaming plans.
- To remain competitive, a number of streamers are lowering the costs of their plans, often supplementing with advertising.
- Though churn is increasing, many consumers ultimately return to platforms that they've previously canceled; Antenna's numbers suggest that around 1 in 4 Americans who cancel a premium streaming subscription re-subscribe within 4 months, and that goes up to 1 in 2 Americans if you expand the time period to two years.
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| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR TUESDAY, JANUARY 2 THE HOLDOVERS: 2023 holiday comedy-drama, reuniting "Sideways" star Paul Giamatti and director Alexander Payne. In 1970, gruff boarding school professor Paul Hunham (Giamatti) gets stuck spending the Christmas break on campus, along with a few students and a cafeteria administrator (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) who just lost a son in Vietnam. The film is nominated for three Golden Globe Awards. [Peacock] THE EQUALIZER 3: This 2023 action thriller -- inspired by the '80s TV series -- directly follows 2018's "The Equalizer 2" and reunites star Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua. While recovering from a serious injury in a small Italian town, retired US Marine Robert McCall (Washington) finds himself in conflict with a high-ranking member of the Camorra. Dakota Fanning, Eugenio Mastrandrea, and David Denman co-star. [Netflix] 2023 ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY: A condensed version of the 2023 ceremony -- which was recorded in November of 2023 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and streamed live on Disney+ -- aired January 1 on ABC, and hits Hulu today. Inductees include Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine, and The Spinners. [Hulu] THE DEVIL IS A PART-TIMER: Anime series based on the light novels by Satoshi Wagahara and Oniku, about a version of Satan who lives in modern-day Tokyo and works at a McDonald's-inspired fast food joint. English dubs of the second half of the show's second season hit Hulu in the US today. [Hulu] MOONSHINERS: The Discovery Channel reality series is back this week for a 13th season on both Max and cable. It centers on various people in the Appalachian Mountains region who still make their own illegal liquor at home. [Max] JESSICA'S BIG LITTLE WORLD: Animated series for young kids, spun off from Cartoon Network's "Craig of the Creek." Craig's younger sister Jessica (Lucia Cunningham) takes on huge challenges in a world designed with bigger people in mind. A fresh batch of episodes from the show's first season aired last month on cable and hit Max today. [Max] | | | |
| 4 | | China's Baidu allowed its $3.6 billion bid to acquire the YY Live live-streaming platform to expire, three years after it was announced. The deal had been originally scheduled to close in 2021, but was delayed by regulators. More: - Baidu announced plays to acquire YY Live from Joyy in November of 2020, as part of an overall diversification plan.
- Joyy was among the early pioneers of livestreaming in China; it has around 1.61 million paying users globally, and hit revenue of $236 million in the first 9 months of 2023.
- According to Bloomberg, Chinese regulators have been clamping down on massive, multi-billion dollar deals, in an effort to limit the power of the private sector more generally.
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| 5 | | Apple renewed the British spy series "Slow Horses" for a fifth season. The show's third season just wrapped up on December 27. More: - The espionage comedy-drama stars Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb, who heads up an MI5 division composed of misfits and rejects; Kristin Scott Thomas, Jack Lowden, and Christopher Chung co-star.
- Oldman has been nominated for a Golden Globe this year for his performance in the series.
- The series is based on novels by author Mick Herron; Season 5 will be inspired by the fifth book in the series, "London Rules."
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| 6 | | Dave Chappelle's latest Netflix stand-up special, "The Dreamer," is once again proving controversial with audiences. Chappelle renews his commentary about the trans community in the new special, and also makes jokes about people with disabilities, including former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn. More: - Some portions of "The Dreamer" respond specifically to the backlash generated by Chappelle's previous special, 2021's "The Closer," which prompted criticism from GLAAD and a walkout by Netflix staffers.
- While introducing a segment of what he calls "handicapped jokes," Chappelle comments that they're not "as organized as the gays" and adds "I love punching down."
- Chappelle also discusses the infamous Will Smith "Oscar slap" incident during the new special, which is streaming now on Netflix.
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| 7 | | Comcast and Paramount Global reached a new carriage agreement just ahead of the new year, averting a content blackout for Comcast cable subscribers. The last deal between the two companies was reached in January 2022, when Paramount was still known as ViacomCBS. More: - Negotiations proceeded quietly behind-the-scenes, with no warnings to subscribers about the potential loss of Paramount networks.
- Paramount owns CBS, which airs widely-viewed content from the NFL, including February's Super Bowl.
- In addition to cable TV, the agreement also allows for continued support of Paramount channels by Comcast's internet streaming platforms.
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- The Los Angeles Times looked into the rising international profile of Japanese manga, and the sudden rush of original streaming content based on manga stories, including Netflix's breakout hits "One Piece" and "Yu Yu Hakusho."
- Hulu dropped a trailer for the upcoming reality series "Vanderpump Villa," a spinoff of the "Vanderpump Rules" centered on the staff of Lisa Vanderpump's French estate, Chateau Rosabelle.
- A new study from USC Annenberg's Inclusion Initiative refers to entertainment industry pledges on diversity -- and specifically to hire more women directors -- were largely "performative acts" and "not real steps towards fostering change."
- Netflix released a new trailer for the comic thriller "Lift," about a team plotting an elaborate mid-flight heist on board a passenger plane; Kevin Hart, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Úrsula Corberó co-star.
- A New Year's Eve blog post from "Game of Thrones" author George R.R. Martin sheds some light on HBO's latest spinoff plans; Martin reports that a proposed series about the exploits of the Sea Snake will now be animated, rather than shot in live-action.
- The Korean post-apocalyptic action film "Badland Hunters"-- starring Don Lee as a notorious killer in a future Seoul that has become a barren wasteland -- hits Netflix on January 26.
- Snoop Dogg joined NBC's primetime reporting team for the 2024 Paris Olympics; the rapper and personality will contribute his unique take on the events, along with exploring the city and meeting athletes, for both NBC and Peacock's coverage.
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 | 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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