Amazon CEO on Prime Video ads / NewJeans YouTube defamation case / Costner talks "Yellowstone" / Major Roku update

Plus today's calendar, "Melrose Place" and "Heroes" reboots, Criterion 24/7, Hiddleston returns to "Night Manager," and more

Inside Streaming For April 11, 2024

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Thanks for opening today's Inside Streaming! I'm back in LA after a whirlwind four-night stay in Central Florida. I failed to see any alligators despite being repeatedly assured that it was, in fact, "mating season." Which was disappointing. BUT I did go to a Buc-ee's for the first time, which was quite an experience. For the uninitiated among you, Buc-ee's are roadside stops that basically combine the products and services of a convenience store with the scale and aesthetic of a department store. As I said to a friend last night, it's the Saks Fifth Avenue of 7-11s. A true junk food nirvana. The sort of place where you're looking at the entire wall of available jerky flavors, but then someone informs you that the BEST jerky is available over at the counter. (I tried some Peppered Turkey and Cherry Maple... both delicious.) Anyway, I know that has nothing to do with Streaming. I'm just still reeling from my Buc-ee's visit. Enjoy today's issue. Lon p/lon-harris

1 In his annual letter to shareholders, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy praised the addition of advertising to the Prime Video platform. Amazon's ad revenue saw a 24% boost in 2023 over 2022, with the growth bolstered by Prime Video, along with the Freevee and Twitch services. More: Jassy calculates that Prime Video ads reach around 200 million monthly viewers, including the main service's content and live NFL "Thursday Night Football" streams. In January, a forecast from Bank of America suggested that the addition of ads to Prime Video could account for up to $5 billion in new annual revenue for the company. The letter was released as part of a larger SEC filing, which also noted that Jassy's pay rose to $1.36 million in 2023 from just $1.3 million in 2022.

2 K-pop group NewJeans are pursuing a defamation case against a YouTube user. The group has asked a federal court in California to compel Google to release the identity of a YouTuber known only as "@Middle7." More: According to NewJeans' legal filing, @Middle7 has made negative comments about the group across dozens of videos, including "name-calling" and other "mocking behavior"; the videos have collectively received over 13 million views. The group's US lawyer Eugene Kim suggests that the videos continue to inflict "significant reputational damage." If the request is granted, NewJeans could pursue a legal case against @Middle7 in South Korea, where "defamation and insult" is a criminal offense. Google declined to comment on the case. The five-member girl group NewJeans are among the most popular K-pop acts of the moment in the US; their second album, "Get Up," hit #1 on the Billboard 200 last year.

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3 DAILY CALENDAR THURSDAY, APRIL 11 FALLOUT: Post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama series, based on the Bethesda Softworks video game franchise and created by "Westworld" vets Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan. It's set in an alternate reality in which an advanced mid-20th Century society was decimated by nuclear war. Over 200 years after the bombs dropped, young Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) leaves her underground bunker home to explore the savage and unforgiving Wasteland above. Aaron Moten, Walton Goggins, Dale Dickey, and Kyle MacLachlan co-star. [Prime Video] CHUCKY: The horror comedy series -- a spinoff of the "Child's Play" film franchise -- returns this week for the second half of its third season. Young friends Jake, Devon, and Lexy (Zackary Arthur, Björgvin Arnarson, and Alyvia Alyn Lind) continue trying to bring the possessed doll's murder spree to an end; Devon Sawa and Brad Dourif co-star. New episodes air Wednesday nights on USA and Syfy, then hit Peacock on Thursdays. [Peacock] THE BRICKLAYER: 2024 action-thriller from director Renny Harlin ("Cliffhanger"), based on the 2010 novel by author Paul Lindsay. Aaron Eckhart stars as a retired CIA operative who returns to the field to help the agnecy unravel an international conspiracy. Nina Dobrev, Tim Blake Nelson, Ilfenesh Hadera, and Clifton Collins Jr. co-star. [Netflix] HEARTBREAK HIGH: The Australian teen comedy-drama -- a reboot of a popular '90s series -- is back this week for a second season. It follows the lives of students and faculty at Sydney's racially and socially diverse Hartley High. Ayesha Madon, James Majoos, Chloé Hayden, Asher Yasbincek, Thomas Weatherall, and Will McDonald co-star. [Netflix] MEEKAH: The educational series for young kids is spun off from the popular YouTube franchise Blippi, and stars both Cahae Monya and Kaitlin Becker as his best pal, Meekah. Together, the two friends learn all about science and nature. Season 2 episodes debut on Netflix today. [Netflix] AS THE CROW FLIES (KUS UÇUSU): The Turkish drama series is back this week for a third season. Miray Daner stars as Asli, a passionate fan of a famed TV news anchor (Birce Akalay) who schemes her way into her idol's inner circle, then starts competing for her job. [Netflix] MIDSUMMER NIGHT (MIDTSOMMERNATT): Limited drama series from Sweden, starring Pernilla August and Dennis Storhøi as a long-time married couple who drop a major announcement on their friends and family during their annual midsummer celebration. Yngvild Støen Grotmol, Amalia Holm, and Dagny Backer Johnsen co-star; Per-Olav Sørensen ("The Playlist") created. [Netflix] TYLER PERRY'S BRUH: Perry writes and directs every episode of this comedy series, set in the same fictional universe as his sitcom "Sistas," about a group of former college friends who are now in their 30s. Barry Brewer, Mahdi Cocci, Phillip Mullings Jr., and Monti Washington co-star. It's back for a fourth season. [BET+] THE BROKENWOOD MYSTERIES: Mystery drama series from New Zealand, starring Neill Rea, Fern Sutherland, and Daniel Chalmers as police detectives solving macabre and unusual crimes in the small rural town of Brokenwood. Season 10 comes to Acorn TV in the US today. [Acorn TV] MASSACRE OF THE MORMONS (MASACRE DE LOS MORMONES): Four-part Spanish-language true-crime docuseries, produced specifically for Max, looking back at the 2019 murder of three women and six children in a Mormon community in Sonora, Mexico. [Max] COLD CASE FILES: THE RIFKIN MURDERS: Two-part true-crime docuseries produced for the A&E Network, following the New York State Police's cold case investigation into still-unidentified victims of serial killer Joel Rifkin. [Hulu] TEXT ME WHEN YOU GET HOME: True-crime docuseries, produced for the Lifetime network, exploring cases in which women were abducted or murdered while engaging in their ordinary day-to-day routine through phone and text message records, interviews, and re-enactments. Season 2 aired last year on cable and comes to Hulu today. [Hulu] TRAPPED IN THE FARMHOUSE: 2023 thriller, produced for the Lifetime network, starring Jenna Michno as a woman who seeks refuge from a storm in an isolated farmhouse, only to encounter an even more dangerous threat. Gabriel Pranter, Tryphena Wade, and Sydney Agudong co-star. [Hulu]

4 Actor Kevin Costner finally broke his public silence about his departure from Paramount Network's smash hit Western drama "Yellowstone." While speaking at CinemaCon about his new film "Horizon: An American Saga," Costner said he'd "like to be able" to produce more "Yellowstone," noting that the original plan was to continue through Season 7, but "we haven't been able to." More: The actor also commented that "they've got a lot of different shows going on," referring to the various "Yellowstone" spinoffs that have debuted on Paramount+. Costner backed out of the series halfway through Season 5 due to a combination of scheduling conflicts, creative differences with creator Taylor Sheridan, and pay disputes. "Yellowstone" is expected to return for its final episodes -- without Costner's lead character, John Dutton -- in November of this year.

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5 A significant update to Roku's smart TVs begins rolling out on Thursday. Upgrades include improved picture quality that automatically adjusts for things like backlighting, the addition of IMDb ratings to titles and trailers, navigation improvements, and a large collection of free digital artwork that displays on idle TV sets. More: The company also announced a new line of premium smart TVs called the "Pro Series," which include a mini-LED backlight, quad-core processors that use AI to automatically adjust picture settings, side-firing speakers, and 4K QLED panels. Pro Series sets are now available at Best Buy and Walmart stores, as well as Amazon; they range in price from $900 to $1,700. Roku also announced the Voice Remote Pro 2, which features backlit buttons, USB-C charging, and a "remote finder" on the TV that triggers a chime, to make the gadget easier to find between couch cushions. The "Roku City" environment will now feature iconic vehicles from film and TV, such as James Bond's Aston Martin.

6 Two classic TV series may return for new revivals. CBS Studios is developing a fresh take on "Melrose Place," while "Heroes" creator Tim Kring is pitching reboot of the NBC superhero drama "Heroes" to various potential collaborators. More: Three original "Melrose Place" cast members -- Heather Locklear, Laura Leighton, and Daphne Zuniga -- are already attached to the follow-up project, which CBS is currently shopping around to networks and streamers. The new "Melrose Place" comes from "Insatiable" vet Lauren Gussis, and opens with the original Melrose Place residents reuniting for a funeral, only to immediately rekindle old romances and rivalries. "Melrose Place" was created by Darren Star, and served as a spinoff from his prior series, "Beverly Hills 90210." Meanwhile, Kring is pitching a second "Heroes" revival, titled "Heroes: Eclipsed," which features a new group of superpowered individuals uniting to face a combination of new and old threats. "Heroes" previously returned in 2015 for the limited revival series "Heroes: Reborn."

7 The classic film and arthouse streamer Criterion Collection introduced a curated 24/7 streaming channel. "Criterion24/7" features an ad-free mix of films from the streamer's collection, exclusively for subscribers. More: A subscription to Criterion Channel costs $10.99 per month; annual subscriptions are also available for $99.99 per year.  40-year-old company Criterion is best known for their "Criterion Collection" of high-quality physical media releases of important selections from world cinema. The brand is also behind the viral YouTube series "Criterion Closet," in which celebrities pick out their favorite DVDs and Blu-Rays from the collection.

8 QUICK HITS Thinking about growing your business? We'll work as hard as it takes to make Ohio your competitive advantage.* Tom Hiddleston signed on for two additional seasons of the classic espionage drama series "The Night Manager," based on the novel by John le Carré; the show will stream on BBC in the UK and Prime Video in the US. The "Curb Your Enthusiasm" series finale hit 1.1 million viewers across both HBO and Max, according to Nielsen; that makes it the most-watched episode from the show's final season. Actors union SAG-AFTRA responded to allegations that Sylvester Stallone mocked background performers on the Atlanta set of Paramount+'s "Tulsa King," with a representative stating "there is no room on any set for disparaging comments" and noting, though the union's agreements don't apply to background actors, they remain available for "support with guidance if requested." Netflix released another trailer for Season 3 of "Bridgerton"; the eight-episode season has been split into two halves, with Part 1 arriving on May 16. Apple dropped a trailer for the sci-fi thriller series "Dark Matter," based on a novel by Blake Crouch, and starring Joel Edgerton as a physicist who gets "abducted into an alternate version of his life"; it lands on May 8. Comedian Tom Segura will write and star in a six-episode dark comedy series for Netflix, based on a self-produced pilot; the series, composed of brief vignettes, was inspired by stories he's related on stage. The Apple TV+ comedy-drama series "Land of Women" -- from star and exec producer Eva Longoria -- premieres on June 26; it's based on the Sandra Barneda novel "La tierra de las mujeres," and was produced in a mix of English and Spanish. On YouTube, the new trailer for the theatrical movie sequel "Joker: Folie à Deux" streams with a content warning, alerting viewers that it deals with "suicide or self-harm topics"; the musical drama co-stars Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga as Arthur Fleck (aka The Joker) and Harley Quinn. Apple's "Yo Gabba Gabba!" reboot -- titled "Yo Gabba GabbaLand!" -- debuts on August 9; original costumed characters Brobee, Foofa, Muno, Toodee, and Plex all return, alongside new 12-year-old human host Kammy Kam (aka Kamryn Smith). *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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