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| Good morning and thanks again for opening Inside Streaming! Sony's decision to not just sunset the Funimation streaming service, but also vaporize all of the digital purchases and redemptions fans had made on the platform over the years, is the latest reminder that you never really own streaming content. "Buying" access to digital copies of your favorite shows and films is not really a long-term guarantee of ownership. If the platform on which you made the purchase gets purchased or goes out of business, you very likely will no longer have access to that movie or show, even though you paid good money for it at some point in the past. I'm not saying you should definitely go back to buying physical media... but I will say that I never stopped. And I run a streaming newsletter! Enjoy today's issue! Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | Disney+ dropped 1.3 million subscribers in Q4 2023 following a significant price increase. The price hike did help the company cut streaming losses down to just $300 million for the quarter. More: - Disney+ now has 111.3 million global subscribers, excluding India's Disney+ Hotstar service, down from 112.6 million the previous quarter.
- The company projects that it will add another 5.5 to 6 million subscribers by the end of the current quarter, in March.
- Hulu saw a global increase in subscribership, from 43.9 million to 45.1 million; it has around 4.6 million subscribers to the Hulu + Live TV platform.
- Disney aims to reach streaming profitability by the close of 2024.
- The hotly-anticipated recorded version of Taylor Swift's blockbuster "Eras Tour" hits Disney+ on March 15; on an earnings call, CEO Bob Iger referred to Swift as a "creative genius" and "true cultural phenomenon."
- Disney+ also announced the renewal of the hit YA fantasy-adventure series "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" for a second season.
- A sequel to the animated film "Moana," originally produced as a series for Disney+, will be reworked into a theatrical movie release.
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| 2 | | Sony plans to shut down the Funimation anime streaming service on April 2. Remaining Funimation subscribers will be migrated over to Sony's Crunchyroll service, which for many will involve a significant price increase. More: - On X, some users have complained about the size of the price increase; one annual subscriber noted that their bill will go up from $54.95/year to $99.99/year.
- Crunchyroll will not honor digital copies of shows or films purchased or redeemed through Funimation, even though that platform had previously guaranteed users could keep their content "forever."
- Sony acquired Crunchyroll in 2021 and soon after announced plans to merge the service with Funimation; by now, almost all of Funimation's content has moved over to Crunchyroll.
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| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8 ABBOTT ELEMENTARY: The ABC comedy series, set among the staff of a Philadelphia elementary school, returns this week for a third season. Creator Quinta Brunson won an Emmy this year for her lead performance; Janelle James, Tyler James Williams, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, William Stanford Davis, and Sheryl Lee Ralph co-star. New episodes air Wednesdays on TV and hit Hulu on Thursdays. [Hulu] THE CONNERS: The ABC sitcom -- a spinoff of "Roseanne" following the lives of the Conner family of Lanford, Illinois -- returns this week for a sixth season. John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson, Emma Kenney, Ames McNamara, Jay R. Ferguson and Katey Sagal co-star. [Hulu] NOT DEAD YET: The ABC comedy series, based on the Alexandra Potter novel "Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up," is back for Season 2. Gina Rodriguez stars as a single, accident-prone obituary writer who gets help on her assignments from the undead spirits of her subjects. Hannah Simone, Lauren Ash, Rick Glassman, and Brad Garrett co-star. [Hulu] TRUE CRIME NYC: True-crime docuseries produced by New York's ABC7, examining some of the most notorious and "sinister" crimes in the city's history. All three episodes hit Hulu today. [Hulu] HALO: The action sci-fi series -- inspired by the iconic video game franchise -- returns for a second season, continuing the story of the Spartan super-soldiers and their battle against the alien threat known as The Covenant. Pablo Schreiber stars as Master Chief; Natascha McElhone, Jen Taylor, Charlie Murphy, and Danny Sapani co-star. [Paramount+] TOKYO VICE: The crime drama series from writer/creator J.T. Rogers is loosely inspired by the life and writings of American journalist Jake Adelstein, and recalls his time spent covering the Tokyo Metropolitan Police and the yakuza in the late '90s and early '00s. Ansel Elgort stars as Adelstein; Ken Watanabe, Rinko Kikuchi, Rachel Keller, and Show Kasamatsu co-star. It's back for a second season. [Max] THEY CALLED HIM MOSTLY HARMLESS: True-crime docuseries profiling Vance John Rodriguez, an enigmatic hiker sometimes known as "Mostly Harmless" whose body was discovered in a Florida nature preserve in 2018, and went unidentified for two years. Patricia E. Gillespie ("The Devil You Know") directs. [Max] COUPLE TO THROUPLE: Debut reality dating series in which couples travel to a tropical resort and explore polyamory along with a group of 14 singles. Scott Evans hosts, while sex and relationship expert Shamyra Howard is on-hand to provide advice. [Peacock] ONE DAY: Limited romantic comedy-drama series from the UK, based on the novel by David Nicholls, who collaborated on the series with creator Nicole Taylor ("Dracula"). Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall co-star as Emma and Dexter, who get to know one another over the course of a single night in 1988, then keep in touch for the next 20 years. [Netflix] | | | |
| 4 | | Plex introduced a new marketplace for renting VOD movies. The rental platform is currently only available for US customers. More: - Rentals cost $3.99 each.
- At launch, the Plex rental store features content from Warner Bros., Paramount, MGM, Lionsgate, and A24, including recent titles like "Barbie," "Wonka," "The Color Purple," "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning" and "PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie."
- Currently, there are about 1,000 titles available to rent on Plex, though the company says they plan to add many more.
- For now, the marketplace will only feature films and not TV shows, and won't offer movies for purchase.
- Plex raised $40 million in new capital in January, with the goal of reaching profitability by the end of this year or soon after.
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| 5 | | The popular Netflix sketch comedy series "I Think You Should Leave" announced a national stage tour. Creators Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin will be joined for the performances by a line-up of "surprise guests." More: - A limited supply of pre-sale tickets were released on Wednesday; all other tickets go on sale this Friday.
- Robinson and Kanin provided scant details about what fans can expect; Variety suggests the shows will likely combine live improv and pre-scripted sketches.
- The tour features stops at New York City's Beacon Theatre, Detroit's Fox Theatre, Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, and wraps up in May at Los Angeles' Greek Theatre.
- "I Think You Should Leave" debuted in 2019 and has run for three seasons so far; it recently won two Emmys, including one for Robinson's performance.
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| 6 | | Paramount+ dropped a trailer for the live-action "Sonic the Hedgehog" spinoff series "Knuckles." Idris Elba reprises his voice role as the curmudgeonly extraterrestrial echidna from "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" for the series. More: - The six-episode series hits Parmaount+ in North America on April 26, with some additional territories getting it the following day.
- The series is set after the events of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2," and helps set up the next film in the series, scheduled for theatrical release in December.
- Adam Pally also returns from the "Sonic" films as police officer Wade Whipple, whom Knuckles takes on as an apprentice; guest stars include Stockard Channing, Edi Patterson, Christopher Lloyd, and Cary Elwes.
- Jeff Fowler, who helmed both "Sonic" films, also directed the series pilot.
- Paramount plans to air a preview for "Knuckles" during this weekend's Super Bowl LVIII broadcast.
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| 7 | | A 30-second pro-Israel ad that streamed on Hulu has sparked controversy on social media. The ad parodies tourism videos, and suggests that Gaza would be an ideal vacation destination, were it not for the presence of Hamas. More: - Huffington Post suggests that some imagery in the ad -- depicting pristine beaches and luxury hotels along the Gaza coastline -- was likely created with AI.
- As of late January, an estimated 25,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza amid Israel's response to Hamas' October attack.
- Hulu did not respond to requests for comment on the ad.
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- Peacock renewed the hit reality competition "The Traitors" for a third season; Season 2 premiered on January 12, and the first season recently picked up an Emmy for its casting.
- Giancarlo Esposito will replace late actor Andre Braugher in the cast of Netflix's comic murder-mystery "The Residence"; actor and former US Senator Al Franken will also appear in the series, playing a fictional lawmaker.
- HBO released a trailer for the satirical dark comedy series "The Regime," starring Kate Winslet as the power-hungry authoritarian ruler of a fictional European country; the series debuts on March 3.
- James Marsden will star as the US President opposite Sterling K. Brown in the upcoming Hulu drama series from "This Is Us" vet Dan Fogelman; Julianne Nicholson and Sarah Shahi also joined the still-untitled series as regulars.
- Netflix grabbed the comedy feature "The Chaperone," from director/producers Will Speck and Josh Gordon and star Jason Bateman; the trio previously collaborated on the films "The Switch" and "Office Christmas Party."
- Dominic Cooper and Haley Bennett joined the cast of Apple's upcoming drama series "The Last Frontier"; Jason Clarke stars as a US Marshal in Alaska, protecting a small town after a prison transport plane crashes nearby, freeing dozens of violent inmates.
- Comedian Katt Williams' next stand-up special will stream live from Inglewood, California's YouTube Theater during the "Netflix Is a Joke" fest on May 5.
- Roku dropped a trailer for the comedy feature "First Time Female Director," from writer, director, producer, and star Chelsea Peretti ("Brooklyn Nine-Nine"); the film, starring Peretti as a novice who takes over a stage show after the original director is fired, hits Roku Channel on March 8.
- While promoting her new film "Madame Web" with L'Officiel, actor Dakota Johnson described the state of entertainment as "really f*cking bleak," and complained that the executives running streaming platforms "don't trust creative people or artists to know what's going to work."
- Amazon is developing a limited psychological thriller series, based on an original concept by "Fool Me Once" author Harlan Coben and Danny Brocklehurst; the series, currently titled "Lazarus," will star Sam Claflin as a man who becomes entangled in a series of cold cases after his father (Bill Nighy) commits suicide.
- Netflix announced development of a series chronicling the life and career of Spanish singer Julio Iglesias, who is participating in the project as a producer and consultant.
- Netflix unveiled a new slate of original Japanese content, including the action series "House of Ninjas," the latest film from director Michihito Fujii ("The Village"), and a live-action adaptation of the classic manga "City Hunter."
- BritBox will continue as the international home for the BAFTA Film Awards through 2025, and will also stream this year's BAFTA Television Awards for the first time.
- Prime Video Nordics picked up nine scripted originals that were originally produced for the struggling Viaplay service.
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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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