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| Hello again and thanks for opening today's Inside Streaming. I'm FASCINATED by TCL's decision to produce a scripted TV special using generative AI. Regardless of whatever you believe the promise of these apps and this technology could be one day, the plain objective fact is that it's not yet ready to actually produce polished, professional-looking media content. These attempts to make actual shows and films with AI in 2024 do more to highlight the technology's limitations than its future promise. But it's so important to note that "Next Stop Paris," this initial TCLtv+ Studios production, isn't really even "made by AI" in any straight-forward sense. It was scripted and performed exclusively by humans, and the production was overseen by human animators and VFX artists. TCL's PR team clearly wants "this was made by AI!" to be the messaging, cause it sounds intriguing, but really, bits and pieces of this were generated by AI and then assembled together into something coherent by people, because apps still don't understand storytelling on its most fundamental level. Just to be clear. Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | According to a report in The Information, Disney is mulling a plan to add curated streaming channels to its Disney+ service. The company hopes that 24/7 channels running pre-programmed content would lead to subscribers spending more overall time on the app. More: - For subscribers with ad-supported plans, the channels would also provide new opportunities for advertising slots.
- Disney already operates some free ad-supported streaming channels via the ABC.com app, including feeds dedicated to the soap opera "General Hospital" and the newsmagazine series "20/20."
- The Information suggests that Disney would likely start with its most recognizable and popular brands, debuting channels dedicated to Star Wars, Marvel, and Pixar; channels devoted to popular shows like "The Simpsons" and "DuckTales" would likely also follow.
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| 2 | | VOD streaming platform Fandango at Home, formerly known as Vudu, now features select films from Turner Classic Movies (TCM). A rotating selection of classic films will stream for free with ads through the end of May, while others are available for rental or purchase. More: - The collaboration commemorates the 15th anniversary of the TCM Classic Film Festival; this year's event runs from April 18-21.
- All 30 films included in the promotion have screened in the past at the festival.
- Titles include "Cool Hand Luke," "The Dirty Dozen," and "Rebel Without a Cause"; TCM draws all of its content from the Warner Bros, MGM, and RKO libraries.
- Fandango is owned by NBCUniversal; the company acquired Vudu from Walmart back in 2020.
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| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR TUESDAY, APRIL 16 AN AMERICAN BOMBING: THE ROAD TO APRIL 19th: Documentary feature from HBO looking back at the 1995 truck bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City which killed 168 people and injured 680, ranking it among the deadliest acts of domestic terrorism in US history. The film examines the incident itself, the hunt for those responsible, and the event's impact on American life, politics, and culture. Marc Levin ("Brick City") directs; Katie Couric executive produced. [Max] 90 DAY PILLOW TALK: THE SINGLE LIFE: The TLC "90 Day Fiancé" spinoff features franchise veterans viewing "The Single Life" clips from their homes and providing real-time commentary. Season 4 premieres this week on cable and Max. [Max] CTRL+ALT+DESIRE: True-crime docuseries examining the case of Grant Amato, who murdered his parents and brother after developing an unhealthy, obsessive relationship with a Bulgarian online cam model, and stealing over $200,000 to fund his addiction. Amato participated in the series via phone interviews from federal prison. [Paramount+] JIMMY CARR: NATURAL BORN KILLER: The British-Irish comedian continues his exploration of divisive third rail topics in his latest Netflix special, including material about gun control, veganism, religion, consent, and of course, cancel culture. [Netflix] | | | |
| 4 | | A restored print of the 1970 documentary "Let It Be," offering an intimate view of The Beatles as they record the titular album, comes to Disney+ on May 8. The same team that produced the "Get Back" docuseries, led by filmmaker Peter Jackson, supervised the restoration of "Let It Be" from an original 16mm negative, utilizing the same cutting-edge remastering technology. More: - "Let It Be" centers on the same recording sessions as "Get Back," but features different footage; it was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who frequently appears on screen in "Get Back."
- Lindsay-Hogg supported the restoration, and in a statement, said he was "knocked out by what Peter [Jackson] was able to do with 'Get Back.'"
- "Let It Be" has been difficult to track down in the years since its release, with no broadcasts and few public screenings in 50 years.
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| 5 | | Truth Social, the app co-owned by former President Donald Trump and his company, Trump Media, announced plans to launch a live streaming platform. The staggered launch will apparently proceed in three phases, with streaming content first hitting the Android and iOS apps, followed by other devices, and finally TV sets. More: - According to a press release from Trump Media, the content will focus on news, religious-themed shows, and programming aimed at kids and families.
- The app will also feature "content that has been cancelled, is at risk of cancellation, or is being suppressed on other platforms and services."
- CEO Devin Nunes said the company's goal is to provide "high-quality news and entertainment that face discrimination" on other platforms.
- Shares in Trump Media tumbled around 10% following the announcement.
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| 6 | | Apple announced "Down Cemetery Road," a new thriller series based on a novel by "Slow Horses" writer Mick Herron. Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson are set to co-star, while "Slow Horses" vet Morwenna Banks serves as lead writer and executive producer. More: - Wilson stars as a woman obsessively searching for a neighbor girl, who disappeared following a mysterious explosion in their quiet suburb; Thompson co-stars as the private investigator she brings on to assist.
- Apple has renewed the espionage drama "Slow Horses" through Season 5; three seasons have aired so far.
- Wilson recently appeared on Showtime's "The Woman in the Wall"; she'll next be seen in Amazon's limited series "A Very Royal Scandal," inspired by Prince Andrew's infamous "Newsnight" interview.
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| 7 | | Smart TV maker TCL announced an original special made with AI for its native, free streaming app, TCLtv+. The scripted romantic drama "Next Stop Paris" was produced by a collective of human animators, visual effects artists, writers, voice actors, and AI engineers; the visuals were generated with "AI animation technology." More: - The special will debut over the summer.
- TCL released a trailer that showcases both the promise and the limitations of the technology, which included the Stable Diffusion model along with other applications.
- According to a press release, this is the first of several planned AI experiments from TCLtv+ Studios.
- TCLtv+ launched last year on TCL sets, which all run Google TV's software.
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| 8 | | QUICK HITS - Hims provides access to a range of hair loss treatments suited for your routine. Unlimited access to medical providers and complete care through the app.
- Under a new limited-time deal, subscribers to unlimited Verizon plans get six months of The Disney Bundle -- combining Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ -- for free; following the six month introductory period, the bundle will cost just $10 per month.
- The comedy series "Hacks" returns to Max for a nine-episode third season on May 30; the new episodes catch back up with legendary comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and her writer/protégé Ava (Hannah Einbinder) after they've spent a year apart.
- Amazon ordered 20 episodes for the game show spinoff "Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?," to be hosted by Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
- The USA Network legal drama series "Suits" -- last year's most-streamed TV series -- makes its broadcast debut this fall on MyNetwork TV; this marks the first time a show has debuted on cable, moved over to a streaming service, and then returned for a run on broadcast TV.
- Netflix dropped a trailer for the animated musical comedy "Thelma the Unicorn," from "Unikitty" vet Lynn Wang and "Napoleon Dynamite" director Jared Hess; the film, based on a kids book by Aaron Blabey, premieres on May 17.
- ABC renewed the cop drama "The Rookie" for a seventh season; Nathan Fillion stars as John Nolan, a 40-something who becomes the oldest rookie in LAPD history.
- YouTube expanded its crackdown on ad blocking software to mobile devices.
- Season 2 of Mindy Kaling's divisive adult animated mystery-comedy series "Velma" comes to Max on April 25.
- "Hamilton" vet Phillipa Soo joined the cast of ABC's new Ryan Murphy procedural series "Dr. Odyssey"; Joshua Jackson and Don Johnson co-star.
- ABC News Studios is developing a documentary special about country star Lainey Wilson, coming to Hulu on May 29; the special is part of a series from producer Robin Roberts profiling "empowered women."
- Netflix unveiled a pair of new Spanish features, including a terrorism thriller produced by "Society of the Snow" veteran J.A. Bayona, "Un Fantasma en la Batalla."
- A phone number featured in Amazon's dystopian sci-fi series "Fallout" actually works; fans dialing 213-25-VAULT get a disturbing audio recording, but texting triggers an automated, slickly professional response.
- Pattern released a 30-page insights report for beauty brands selling on Amazon.*
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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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