Apple angers Partners / Canada's Stream+ bundle / "Reacher" hits 1.2B minutes viewed / TV productions way down in 2023

Plus the weekend calendar, "Terminal List" prequel details, "Schmigadoon" canceled, no YouTube app for Vision Pro, "Dead Reckoning" retitle, and more

Inside Streaming For January 19, 2024

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Thanks for opening today's Inside Streaming daily brief! We appreciate it. I'm sad to see Apple's "Schmigadoon" go but I'm not shocked. This series was clearly very costly to put together. It featured original music and songs, tons of stagecraft and choreography, and a huge cast of Broadway veterans and comedians. Apple's good at controlling costs but this show seemed like it was probably 10x as complex to put together as, say, "Love is Blind." Unless it was a legit nationwide phenomenon, it'd be hard to make a case for continuing to fund that experiment. Still, it was funny, and some of the songs were legitimate bops. (I still think about "Corn Pudding" pretty regularly.) It's a real loss. Lon p/lon-harris

1 Members of Apple's Video Partner Program -- including streaming services like Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Max, and Starz -- allege that the company's new commission structure violates a court order. Apple plans to apply a 27% commission on all transactions that take place on a developer's website, only slightly lower than the 30% commission it charges for in-app purchases on iOS devices. More: Following "Fortnite" maker Epic Games' landmark suit against Apple in 2021, the company is no longer permitted to stop developers from promoting external forms of payment, taking place outside the App Store and iOS ecosystem. In a court filing this week, Apple argues that the new guidelines comply with this requirement, allowing developers to include external links and calls to action for outside payments. Members of the Coalition for App Fairness -- which includes Spotify, Epic Games, and Match Group -- said that the new rule "undermines competition" and "defies the intention of the District Court's injunction."

2 The new Stream+ bundle from Canadian telecom Telus packages Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video subscriptions together. These are the top three most popular streaming platforms among Canadian consumers; currently, around 60% of Canadians subscribe individually to them as standalone services. More: Stream+ Basic subscriptions include ad-supported plans for all three services and cost CAN $20 (US $14.89) per month. Stream+ Premium packages feature ad-free Netflix and Disney+ for CAN $38 (US $28.20) per month. Telus' Prime Video subscriptions serve as full memberships to Amazon Prime, including the ecommerce giant's shipping deal.

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3 WEEKEND CALENDAR FRIDAY, JANUARY 19 LAW & ORDER FRANCHISE: NBC's three "Law & Order" series -- the original flagship show, "Special Victims Unit," and "Organized Crime" -- all returned on Thursday night for new seasons. New episodes hit Peacock on Fridays. This marks Season 23 of the revived "Law & Order," Season 25 of "SVU," and Season 4 of "Organized Crime." [Peacock] THE WOMAN IN THE WALL: Six-part mystery-drama series from the UK, originally produced for BBC One, and airing on Showtime in the US. Ruth Wilson stars as Lorna Brady, who suffers from trauma-induced sleepwalking and one day wakes to find a dead body in her home. Daryl McCormack, Simon Delaney, Philippa Dunne, and Dermot Crowley co-star; Joe Murtagh ("Gangs of London") created. The show is available for all Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers; new episodes air Sunday nights on TV. [Paramount+] HAZBIN HOTEL: Debut animated musical comedy series for adults from creator Vivienne Medrano ("Helluva Boss"), which started life as a YouTube pilot originally released in 2019. Erika Henningsen stars as Charlie Morningstar, the Princess of Hell who hopes to solve an overpopulation problem by rehabilitating sinners and redeeming the souls of the damned. The voice cast includes Stephanie Beatriz, Blake Roman, Amir Talai, Alex Brightman, Joel Perez, Kimiko Glenn, and Keith David. [Prime Video] THE OTHER ZOEY: 2023 direct-to-VOD romantic comedy feature, starring Josephine Langford as a brainy college student who becomes the unlikely subject of fascination for a star athlete (Drew Starkey) with amnesia. Archie Renaux, Mallori Johnson, Andie MacDowell, Patrick Fabian, and Heather Graham co-star. [Prime Video] LOL: LAST ONE LAUGHING IRELAND: In the global comedy franchise's latest spinoff, ten Irish comedians try to make one another laugh without so much as cracking a smile themselves. Competitors include Aisling Bea, Mick O'Hara, Amy Huberman, Deirdree O'Kane, Paul Tylak, and David McSavage; Graham Norton hosts. [Prime Video] DANCE LIFE: Debut reality series taking viewers behind the scenes at Australia's Brent Street, the Southern Hemisphere's most elite dance academy. The show follows students as they compete for lead roles in the school's year-end graduation performance. [Prime Video] ZORRO: Debut period action-adventure series from Spain, based on the classic pulp character created by writer Johnston McCulley. Miguel Bernardeau stars as Diego de la Vega, who returns to California in 1834 and assumes the mantle of the vigilante Zorro to avenge his father's murder. Renata Notni, Rodolfo Sancho, Dalia Xiuhcoatl, and Paco Tous co-star. [Prime Video] THE KITCHEN: 2024 sci-fi feature from the UK, about a defiant group of housing estate residents who refuse to give up their community in a dystopian near-future London. Kane Robinson, Jedaiah Bannerman, Hope Ikpoku Jr., and BackRoad Gee co-star. Actor Daniel Kaluuya co-wrote the screenplay and co-directed along with Kibwe Tavares; it's their feature debut as directors. [Netflix] LOVE ON THE SPECTRUM U.S. The reality series -- an American spinoff of an Australian original -- returns to Netflix today for a second season. It follows a group of adults with autism as they explore the world of dating and search for new love. The Season 2 cast includes a combination of returning stars and fresh faces. [Netflix] SIXTY MINUTES (60 MINUTEN): Action drama feature from Germany, starring Emilio Sakraya as an MMA fighter who ditches an important matchup to attend his daughter's birthday party, making powerful enemies in the process. Dennis Mojen and Marie Mouroum co-star; Oliver Kinele ("Bad Banks") co-wrote and directed. [Netflix] MY LONELINESS HAS WINGS (MI SOLEDAD TIENE ALAS): 2023 coming-of-age drama feature from Spain, starring Óscar Casas as a graffiti artist and sometime thief who's forced to flee Barcelona for Madrid after a robbery gone wrong. Candela González and Farid Bechera co-star; actor Mario Casas makes his directorial debut with the film. [Netflix] REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER: The late-night panel discussion and comedy series returns to HBO and Max this week for a 22nd season. Maher's first guests this weekend include Andrew Sullivan, Gavin Newsom, and Alex Wagner. [Max] WHO'S TALKING TO CHRIS WALLACE? The chat series features the former CNN anchor speaking with notable individuals from the worlds of politics, entertainment, media, and sports. It's back for a fifth season; guests include Jon Batiste, George Clooney, Suze Orman, Rosario Dawson, Adam Driver, and Charles Barkley. [Max] RELIGHTING CANDLES: THE TIM SULLIVAN STORY: Documentary profile of 83-year-old West Hollywood candle shop owner Tim Sullivan, who hires a team of unhoused or newly sober men and women each holiday season, to help him fill orders and support their rehabilitation. Zeberiah Newman and Michiel Thomas directed; Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone executive produced. [Hulu] DANGEROUS WATERS: 2023 direct-to-VOD thriller about a mother and daughter on a sailing vacation in the Caribbean whose boat is hijacked by a group of criminals. Odeya Rush, Eric Dane, Saffron Burrows, and Ray Liotta co-star. [Hulu] SATURDAY, JANUARY 20 CAPTIVATING THE KING: Debut period romantic drama series from Korea, starring Shin Se-kyung as a schemer with an elaborate plan to take revenge against a cruel king (Jo Jung-suk). But when her plan succeeds in getting her close to her target, she starts to view him differently. Lee Shin-young co-stars. [Netflix] SUNDAY, JANUARY 21 LOVE & TRANSLATION: Debut reality dating series from TLC in which three American men and 12 international women stay together in a tropical paradise and search for new partners. The twist: none of the women speak English, and no translators are allowed. [Max]

4 Prime Video's "Reacher" was viewed for around 1.2 billion minutes between December 18-24, despite a glitch in Nielsen's data for this week. Nielsen did not include any data on Amazon Prime Video viewership for December 20, due to a technical issue. More: Nielsen data for Prime Video between December 20 and January 16 will be delayed due to the glitch, impacting a number of upcoming reports. With "Reacher" views likely impacted by the glitch, "Young Sheldon" was the #1 most-viewed streaming show between Dec. 18 and 24, with 1.4 billion viewing minutes. In its premiere week, the first two episodes of Disney's "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" were viewed for 572 million minutes; that wasn't good enough for the overall chart, but the show ranked #4 among streaming originals. Nielsen reports that 33% of the "Percy Jackson" audience was in the all-important 18-34 demographic.

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5 New data from Ampere Analysis demonstrates the major impact that cost-cutting and the Hollywood strikes had on new TV productions last year. In total, the number of American scripted series dropped by 24% in 2023 from the previous year, down to 481. More: In both 2021 and 2022, US scripted shows leveled out at around 633 annually. This was likely the close of the "Peak TV" era, before media companies started controlling their spending on streaming originals. Though the strikes are over, due to the wait between greenlit projects and their actual debuts, the number of new releases potentially won't rise until 2025. In 2023, streaming platforms released 77 fewer new TV seasons than the year before.

6 Amazon's "Terminal List" prequel series will be titled "The Terminal List: Dark Wolf." Taylor Kitsch stars in and executive produces the series, which serves as an origin story for his character, Ben Edwards. More: Main "Terminal List" star and executive producer Chris Pratt will reprise his role as James Reece in "Dark Wolf." Amazon's "Terminal List" franchise is based on novels by author and former Navy SEAL Jack Carr, who co-created the new series along with the flagship show's creator/showrunner, David DiGilio. Production is scheduled to begin shortly. The series will follow Edwards' journey from the Navy SEALs to the CIA, as he witnesses first-hand "the darker side of warfare."

7 Apple canceled the musical comedy series "Schmigadoon" after two seasons. Co-creator Cinco Paul announced the show's conclusion on Instagram. More: According to Paul, Season 3 has already been written, along with 25 new songs. Though the series won't return to Apple, Paul's statement leaves open some possibility that "Schmigdaoon" could return on another network or streamer, or in some alternate form. Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong co-starred as a couple with relationship issues who get stranded in strange towns that operate according to the rules of Broadway musicals. Season 1 parodied '40s and '50s shows like "Oklahoma!" and "The Music Man," while Season 2 -- also known as "Schmicago" -- stranded the lovers in '60s and '70s productions.

8 QUICK HITS Enhance multichannel personalization efforts to build customer loyalty. Learn to master true personalization with the help of AI.* Apple's Vision Pro headset will launch without dedicated YouTube or Spotify apps; Netflix has also declined to produce an app for the new device, though users can still stream content through the web browser. The latest "Mission: Impossible" film, "Dead Reckoning," hits Paramount+ on January 25 in the US and Canada; the film was released as "Dead Reckoning: Part 1," but will drop "Part 1" from its title on streaming. Max's reboot of the cult animated comedy series "Clone High" returns for a second season on February 1; all 10 new episodes will premiere at once rather than rolling out on a weekly schedule. Disney+ picked up the Korean mystery-drama series "Light Shop," from "Moving" creator Kang Full, based on his popular online comics. According to TMZ, the adult children of Miami drug lord Griselda Blanco have filed suit against Netflix and star/producer Sofia Vergara over the new limited drama series "Griselda"; Blanco's son, Michael, claims that the Netflix series relied on his personal materials and anecdotes, for which he was never compensated. Netflix VP of Nonfiction Jenn Levy -- the company's top reality TV executive who helped to develop popular shows such as "Queer Eye" and "Is It Cake?" -- plans to exit the streamer at the end of this week. James Brolin, Lizzy Greene, and Eoin Macken joined the cast of Netflix's "Ransom Canyon"; the romantic Western drama series is based on the books by Jodi Thomas, and stars Minka Kelly and Josh Duhamel. *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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