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| Thanks for opening today's Inside Streaming brief! We appreciate it, as always. A UK streamer called ROXi Music, which features around 100 million music videos, is launching soon in the US. It's available for free, but you can also pay around $9 a month to get it without ads. It's backed by Simon Cowell and Sheryl Crow and other celebrities but I'm not sure if this thing's going to gain traction right away. Doesn't YouTube already do this pretty well? I don't feel like I often look up music videos online and can't find them anywhere. Perhaps I just have mainstream tastes, though? The name is also odd. Roxy Music was already a pretty notable English band from the 1970s. (I like their cover of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy.") You can't just TAKE their NAME, can you? Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | At CES in Las Vegas, Amazon introduced a new feature called Matter Casting, allowing mobile device users to wirelessly stream video content to their televisions. The feature works similarly to Apple's AirPlay and Google's Cast, and will operate on a variety of devices, including both iOS and Android phones. More: - While Apple and Goggle have had similar features for years, exclusivity has been a concern, as not all devices work with all televisions.
- Unlike both of those companies, Amazon doesn't produce its own smartphone.
- For now, Matter Casting works exclusively on the Amazon Prime Video app and Echo Show devices; support for Fire TV sets is coming within "months."
- Ultimately, Amazon hopes to make the feature compatible with a variety of streaming services and platforms, including Plex, Pluto TV, Starz, and Sling TV.
- No word yet on whether or not Amazon's system will work for Apple and Google services, but the three companies have collaborated in the past on the "Matter" standard for smart home appliances.
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| 2 | | The UK streaming service ROXi Music, which boasts around 100 million music videos, will launch in the US in the first quarter of 2024. The service is available at no cost with ads, or ad-free with an $8.99/month premium subscription. More: - ROXi Music will be available as a standalone app or through several smart and connected-TV platforms.
- In partnership with broadcaster Sinclair, ROXi also plays to launch what it calls "fully interactive broadcast TV channels" -- ROXi Music Channel, ROXi Music Karaoke Channel, and ROXi Music Games Channel -- which will allow viewers to pause, play, and skip content as it airs.
- ROXi was founded in London in 2014; celebrity investors include Simon Cowell, Kylie Minogue, Sheryl Crow, Robbie Williams, and Adam Clayton of U2.
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| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR TUESDAY, JANUARY 9 ECHO: Limited series from Marvel Studios, spun off from the prior MCU series "Hawkeye." Maya Lopez stars as deaf former gang leader Alaqua Cox, who returns to her hometown and reconnects with her Native American roots. Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Devery Jacobs, Vincent D'Onofrio, Charlie Cox, and Zahn McClarnon co-star; "Better Call Saul" vet Marion Dayre created. All five episodes of "Echo" debut on both Disney+ and Hulu on Tuesday. [Disney+ and Hulu] BEYOND UTOPIA: 2023 documentary feature profiling Korean human rights activist Pastor Seungeun Kim, with a specific focus on his "Caleb MIssion" project to rescue North Korean defectors. Madeleine Gavin ("City of Joy") directed. The film premiered at last year's Sundance, where it won the Audience Award for documentaries. [Hulu] SAFE HOME: Debut drama series from Australia, starring Aisha Dee as a former lawyer who takes a job as a social worker at a struggling center for domestic violence victims, where she quickly becomes embroiled in a conspiracy. Mabel Li, Thomas Cocquerel, Antonia Prebble, and Virginia Gay co-star. [Hulu] SYNDUALITY: NOIR: Debut anime series from Bandai Namco, released in tandem with a manga and an upcoming video game. In the post-apocalyptic world of 2242, a "drifter" who earns a living by gathering rare crystals discovers an ancient, powerful android with amnesia. [Hulu] PETE DAVIDSON: TURBO FONZARELLI: The "Saturday Night Live" veteran returns for his second Netflix stand-up special, following up on 2020's "Alive from New York." It features material on living in the woods, his childhood crush on Leonardo DiCaprio, and turning 30. [Netflix] THE PASSENGER: 2023 horror film from Blumhouse TV, originally produced for the MGM+ streaming service. Johnny Berchtold stars as a Louisiana fast food staffer who's forced to confront his own troubled past after a co-worker (Kyle Gallner) snaps and embarks on a bloody rampage. Carter Smith ("The Ruins") directed. [Prime Video] LANDSCAPE WITH INVISIBLE HAND: 2023 sci-fi film from writer/director Cory Finley ("Bad Education"), based on the 2017 novel by M. T. Anderson. After Earth is conquered by an alien race known as the Vuuv, two teens discover that they can earn money by broadcasting their dating life for the extraterrestrials' entertainment. Asante Blackk, Tiffany Haddish, William Jackson Harper, Kylie Rogers, Brooklynn MacKinzie, Josh Hamilton, and Michael Gandolfini co-star. [Prime Video] | | | |
| 4 | | Lucasfilm announced a theatrical film based on the Disney+ series "The Mandalorian," in which the bounty hunter (played by Pedro Pascal) and his ward, Grogu, embark on a new adventure. "Mandalorian" series creator Jon Favreau will direct the film, which goes into production later on this year. More: - As part of the announcement, Lucasfilm also confirmed development on "Ahsoka" Season 2.
- The new film will apparently be titled "The Mandalorian & Grogu"; it will be the first original "Star Wars" theatrical film since "The Rise of Skywalker" in 2019.
- Dave Filoni will executive produce "The Mandalorian" film while also spearheading work on new "Ahsoka."
- Several more "Star Wars" films are also in active development, including projects from filmmakers Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, James Mangold, and Filoni.
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| 5 | | Apple released a trailer for the 10-part sports docuseries "The Dynasty: New England Patriots." The series is based on the book by Jeff Benedict, and centers on the decades-long relationships between team owner Robert Kraft, coach Bill Belichick, and star quarterback Tom Brady. More: - Benedict's book was published in 2020; the author spent two years with the team while doing his research.
- The series will also cover the Patriots' 2021 season, after Brady's departure to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- The series includes never-before-seen archival footage along with fresh interviews with players, coaches, executives, and other insiders.
- Brian Grazer and Ron Howard executive produced the project for Imagine Documentaries; "Tiger" vet Matthew Hamachek directed.
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| 6 | | Kaitlyn Dever joined the cast of HBO's "The Last of Us" for its second season. She'll play Abby, a pivotal character in the second "Last of Us" video game. More: - Dever had previously been a popular pick among fans to play the lead "Last of Us" character Ellie, a role that ultimately went to Bella Ramsey.
- Season 2 of the post-apocalyptic drama enters production later this year; it's scheduled to debut on HBO and Max in 2025.
- Season 1 of "The Last of Us" was nominated for 24 Emmys, and has won 8 so far in Creative Arts categories, including for guest performances from Nick Offerman and Storm Reid.
- Dever recently received acclaim for her nearly dialogue-free starring role in Hulu's sci-fi horror film "No One Will Save You."
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| 7 | | Max dropped a trailer for Season 2 of the crime drama series "Tokyo Vice." The first two Season 2 episodes premiere on February 8. More: - The series is loosely based on the life of American journalist Jake Adelstein, and was inspired by his 2009 book of the same name, about covering the Tokyo Metropolitan Police and the yakuza for a major local newspaper.
- "Oslo" playwright J.T. Rogers created the series and writes the scripts.
- Ansel Elgort stars as Adelstein; the cast also includes Ken Watanabe, Rinko Kikuchi, Rachel Keller, Show Kasamatsu, and Ayumi Ito.
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- The Hollywood Reporter suggests that the ensemble drama series "Big Little Lies" could return to HBO and Max for a third season; stars and executive producers Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman have a Season 3 pitch that's currently being workshopped.
- Paramount+ dropped a new trailer for "Sexy Beast," a prequel series set before the events of the 2000 British gangster movie; it arrives on January 25.
- Amazon is developing an original Prime Video drama series based on the graphic novel series "Criminal"; original writer Ed Brubaker scripted the pilot and will co-showrun the series with author Jordan Harper.
- Paramount+ is moving forward with the crime drama series "Happy Face" from CBS Studios and "Your Honor" vet Jennifer Cacicio; the series is based on the true story of Melissa Moore, who discovered as a teen that her father was a prolific serial killer.
- On Peacock's reality dating series "Couple to Throuple," four previously monogamous couples -- and a line-up of willing singles -- experiment with polyamory while staying at a remote tropical resort; "Access Hollywood" regular Scott Evans and "sex expert" Shamyra Howard co-host the debut series, which lands on February 8.
- Netflix's documentary "The Greatest Night in Pop" looks back at the making of the 1985 charity single "We Are the World," and features new interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Smokey Robinson, Cyndi Lauper, Dionne Warwick, Huey Lewis, and others; it premieres on January 29.
- Actor and producer Tom Cruise signed a new "strategic partnership" to produce theatrical films for Warner Bros. Discovery; the deal is non-exclusive, and will allow Cruise to continue working with studios such as Universal and Paramount on other projects.
- Lawyers representing jailed Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak have continued their fight against the Netflix documentary profile "Man on the Run," currently available to stream worldwide; Razak's legal team has argued that the film could impact Razak's right to fair trials on remaining corruption and money laundering charges.
- In an interview with The Guardian, actor Willem Dafoe suggests that streaming negatively impacts the reception of "challenging movies," as they demand a greater level of focus and attention.
- US District Judge Jon Tigar dismissed a shareholder lawsuit against Netflix, which had argued that executives misled investors about the impact of account-sharing on new sign-ups; according to Judge Tigar, plaintiffs failed to demonstrate convincingly that Netflix executives purposefully lied about the issue.
- Israeli singer and actor Idan Amedi -- a regular on the action-thriller series "Fauda" -- was wounded in Gaza on Monday evening while participating in an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) operation.
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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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