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| Many years ago now, when Netflix was first developing its own line-up of original streaming shows, they offered me a job helping to curate the "tag" system, which helped their algorithm to recommend content by attaching keywords to each film and TV show in the system. (I didn't end up accepting the job, as it would've required moving from Los Angeles to Los Gatos, but that's neither here nor there.) Fascinatingly, this same system is employed today, and more than 30 full-time staffers are apparently dedicated to writing, curating, and organizing the tags now. This system, I believe, really does give Netflix a major leg up over competitors, who still rely on more old-fashioned methods of recommending fresh content and organizing their libraries. You're much more likely to get recommended something new you'll like on Netflix than most of its rivals. Hulu, in particular, seems to have NO IDEA what kinds of shows I'm going to watch, even though I've been a subscriber for years and have probably clicked on over 100 pieces of content at this point. Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | In a memo sent to CNN staffers on Wednesday, CEO Mark Thompson laid out his initial plan to grow the network's audience. Thompson has created a new CNN division dedicated to exploring "growth opportunities" and is also considering a variety of ways to monetize CNN productions, including through a subscription platform. More: - One of Thompson's key focuses is delivering news content on mobile devices; he said "I don't think anyone's yet cracked the code on how that translates... to a great news experience."
- At The New York Times, Thompson introduced a variety of subscription products, dedicated to specific topics like travel and health; it's considered likely he'll explore a similar scheme at CNN.
- CNN content currently lives on the Max platform, in a dedicated hub; the news network also had a short-lived streaming service of its own, CNN+.
- Thompson serves as both CEO and editor-in-chief of CNN.
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| 2 | | Google announced that it will cut around 100 jobs from the YouTube video platform. The tech company has shed around 1,000 jobs overall in the past week. More: - The staffers mainly come from YouTube's operations and creator management teams; all laid off employees have already been notified.
- In total, YouTube now employs around 7,000 staffers.
- Google's other cuts this month have included members of its core engineering team, staffers working on Google Assistant, and projects developing augmented reality devices.
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| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR THURSDAY, JANUARY 18 ONE CHICAGO: NBC's trio of Dick Wolf-produced Chicago-set procedural drama series -- "Chicago PD," "Chicago Med," and "Chicago Fire" -- returned on Wednesday night for new seasons. Fresh episodes come to Peacock on Thursdays. This is Season 12 for "Chicago Fire," Season 11 for "Chicago PD," and Season 9 for "Chicago Med." [Peacock] ON THE ROAM: Debut travel docuseries in which actor Jason Momoa meets up with a diverse group of inspiring individuals from across the US with unique occupations, hobbies, passions, and interests, including craftsmen, motorcycle builders, musicians, athletes, and more. [Max] SORT OF: The Canadian comedy-drama series from co-creators Bilal Baig and Fab Filippo returns this week for a third and final season. (The show was not canceled; Baig and Filippo closed out the story on their own terms.) Baig stars as Sabi Mehboob, a gender-fluid millennial who balances various personas and identities; in the new season, Sabi comes to terms with their father's recent death. [Max] WILD CARDS: This first-year procedural crime drama series is a co-production between CW and the Canadian network CBC. Giacomo Giannitti stars as Cole Ellis, a harbor patrol officer (also known as a "water cop") who partners with a recently captured con woman (Vanessa Morgan) to solve cases. Jason Priestley co-stars. New episodes air Wednesdays on TV and hit the CW app and website on Thursdays. [CW] FAMILY LAW: The Canadian legal drama series returns to CW in the US this week for a third season. Jewel Staite stars as lawyer and recovering alcoholic Abby Bianchi, who takes a new job working with her estranged father and half-siblings. Victor Garber, Zach Smadu, Genelle Williams, and Lauren Holly co-star. [CW] DOUBLE CROSS: The crime drama series centers on the exploits of vigilante "Wonder Twins" Erica (Ashley A. Williams) and Eric Cross (Jeff Logan), as they continue their quest to take down child trafficking operations. It's back this week for a fifth season. [ALLBLK] INVISIBLE BEAUTY: 2023 documentary profile of trailblazing model and activist Bethann Hardison, co-directed by Hardison herself along with Frédéric Tcheng. In addition to Hardison's own perspective, the film features interviews with Whoopi Goldberg, Zendaya, Naomi Campbell, Tracee Ellis Ross, and others. It premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival. [Hulu] HIDDEN MURDER ISLAND: 2023 thriller movie, produced for the Lifetime cable network and loosely inspired by actual events. Andrea Bogart stars as the survivor of a brutal attack during a camping trip who attempts to overcome her amnesia and gain perspective on her traumatic experience. Donny Boaz and Allie Forsberg co-star. [Hulu] RACHID BADOURI: LES FLEURS DU TAPIS: French-language stand-up special from the Québécois comedian, featuring material about meeting racist fans, social media misinformation, letting success go to his head, and more. [Netflix] | | | |
| 4 | | According to a report in Bloomberg, the Apple Vision Pro will launch without a dedicated Netflix app. The Netflix iPad app apparently won't be compatible with the Vision Pro. More: - Vision Pro users will be able to pull up Netflix in the device's browser, but won't have a dedicated app for viewing Netflix content.
- Many other rival streamers are releasing their own Vision Pro apps, including Disney+, Max, Amazon Prime Video, and Paramount+.
- Netflix does produce an app for Meta's Quest VR headset line, but it hasn't been updated in a while.
- When asked for comment, a Netflix spokesperson responded "members will be able to enjoy Netflix on the web browser... similar to how our members can enjoy Netflix on Macs."
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| 5 | | Amazon MGM Studios reached an agreement with the independent studio Wonder Project. The recently-formed company -- led in part by "Jesus Revolution" producer Jon Erwin -- releases films and TV shows "rooted in spirituality." More: - The first Amazon-Wonder collaboration will be the series "House of David," a retelling of the Biblical story of King David of Israel.
- Former Netflix and YouTube executive Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten runs Wonder Project alongside Erwin; "The Chosen" vet Dallas Jenkins is a shareholder and adviser.
- "The Chosen," an independently produced drama series chronicling the life of Jesus, currently streams on Prime Video, along with other platforms and its own dedicated app; Season 4 is set to debut in February.
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| 6 | | In its first five days, Season 2 of "The Traitors" had the most-watched debut for any reality series in Peacock history. Season 2's streaming audience improved on Season 1 by around 75%, according to NBCUniversal's internal metrics. More: - The first three new episodes of "The Traitors" hit Peacock on January 12.
- The series features a group of contestants staying together at a castle in the Scottish Highlands, and completing "missions" for a chance to collectively win up to $250,000; however, they must uncover traitors in their midst who are trying to steal the prize money for themselves.
- Season 1 featured a mix of reality stars from other franchises and newcomers; Season 2's cast is populated entirely with reality TV vets.
- Alan Cumming hosts the series; Season 1 star Kate Chastain returns for the upcoming January 25 episode.
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| 7 | | IndieWire reports that Netflix plans to drop its "Match" percentage data, showing users how closely aligned their interests are with particular shows and films. Match percentages first became visible to Netflix users in 2021. More: - Netflix plans to shift focus from the percentage scores to descriptive tags, which feature buzzwords relating to the show or film's topic and sensibility.
- Around 30 full-time Netflix staffers are tasked with writing and curating the tag system; it has around 3,000 tags in total.
- In the past, Netflix also used features such as a "Surprise Me" button and a rating system to help subscribers seek out fresh content.
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- Apple grabbed 14 BAFTA Film Award nominations, including nine for "Killers of the Flower Moon" and four for "Napoleon"; Netflix trailed slightly behind with 12 nods, including seven for "Maestro."
- In a preliminary statement filed with regulators, Disney "activist" investor Nelson Peltz laid out his vision for the company, which includes finding a successor to Bob Iger and boosting Disney+ and Hulu earnings, to bring them more in line with Netflix's margins.
- Max canceled co-creator Issa Rae's musical comedy series "Rap Sh!t" after two seasons.
- Apple dropped a full trailer for "The New Look," its period drama series about the French fashion industry in the aftermath of WWII; the series, starring Ben Mendelsohn as Christian Dior and Juliette Binoche as Coco Chanel, arrives on February 14.
- The Los Angeles Times published an "oral history" of the iconic HBO comedy series "Curb Your Enthusiasm," featuring recollections from creator and star Larry David, along with Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, JB Smoove, Richard Lewis, Ted Danson, and others.
- ABC News Studios teamed with film distributors Neon on the feature documentary "Brats," in which actor and filmmaker Andrew McCarthy reunites with members of the iconic '80s "Brat Pack," including Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Jon Cryer, and Emilio Estevez.
- Amy Schumer's comedy series "Life & Beth" returns to Hulu for a second season on February 16; stars Schumer and Michael Cera are joined by Season 2 guests Jennifer Coolidge, Beanie Feldstein, Margaret Cho, Jemima Kirke, and others.
- Sylvester Stallone's reality series "The Family Stallone" returns to Paramount+ for a second second on February 21 in the US and Canada.
- A new ad for Liquid Death canned water parodies beer commercials, and features characters from Zack Snyder's Netflix saga "Rebel Moon"; Snyder's son Eli directed the spot.
- Bravo announced a new "Vanderpump Rules" spinoff series, "The Valley," which premieres in the spring; the new show follows the lives of five couples as they give up their hard-partying lifestyle to raise kids, including Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright.
- Amazon acquired the French action-comedy feature "Le Jardinier," to star '80s martial arts icon Jean-Claude Van Damme; production starts early February in Belgium and France.
- On TikTok, former "Lizzie McGuire" reboot writer Jonathan Hurwitz shared some details from the never-aired series, including his theory on what mature material gave Disney cold feet.
- "Criminal Minds" regular Josh Stewart confirmed on social media that he won't return for Season 2 of the revival series, "Criminal Minds: Evolution."
- Netflix introduced the singles from Charlotte, North Carolina, who will participate in Season 6 of "Love is Blind"; the first six new episodes arrive on February 14.
- Tubi hired former Vimeo and HBO executive Courtney Sanchez as its chief strategy officer and executive VP of operations.
- Amazon cut Prime Video staffers in Africa and the Middle East; the streamer plans to continue operating in those territories but will refocus its business on European originals.
- Disney Channel ordered a sequel series following up on the sitcom "Wizards of Waverly Place"; original series regular David Henrie stars in the new take and executive produces, while his former co-star Selena Gomez will make guest appearances.
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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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