| Thanks for opening today's Inside Streaming daily brief! I totally forgot Amazon was working on a "Blade Runner" sequel series altogether but today, we've got word that production is underway and Michelle Yeoh is going to star! So it's still happening! Silka Luisa, who created the Apple series "Shining Girls" -- which I liked but maybe didn't LOVE -- developed the new take, which follows up on Denis Villeneuve's film from 2017. As a big fan of the franchise, I'm just happy to get more blade running generally. Really looking forward to hearing more updates on this. Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | According to the company's latest earnings report, Disney's entertainment streaming division -- when considered separately from ESPN+ -- had its first-ever profitable quarter in Q1. Including ESPN+, and its costly licensing deals, Disney's streaming business still operated at a loss of around $65 million in the first three months of the year. More: - Overall for the quarter, Disney met Wall Street expectations, and bested predictions on adjusted earnings per share.
- Operating income for the entertainment streaming division -- which includes Disney+, Disney+ Hotstar, and Hulu -- turned a profit of $47 million, on revenue of $5.64 billion.
- Disney+ and Hulu -- excluding Hotstar and the Indian market -- hit 117.6 million total subscribers, gaining 6.3 million in Q1; that beat the company's own projections of 5.5-6 million new sign-ups.
- In a call with investors, CEO Bob Iger noted that the company will continue pumping the brakes on releasing new streaming content; Disney+ will now get just two fresh Marvel TV series per year.
- Iger also suggested Disney will get more aggressive about licensing its content out to other streaming platforms and distributors.
|     | |
| 2 | | Warner Bros. Discovery will launch the Max service in France on June 11. The company also signed new distribution deals with both Canal+ and Prime Video which will make the streamer more widely available to French consumers. More: - Current subscribers to most Canal+ streaming services will get access to Max for free, along with content from 10 Warner Bros. Discovery cable networks.
- Canal+ and WBD have an overall multi-year agreement which already brings Warner Bros. films to Canal's streaming platforms six months after their theatrical releases.
- Max will also be available in France via Amazon Prime Video Channels; three plans are available, priced at €5.99/month with ads, 9.99€/month without ads, and 14.99€/month with added sports content.
- In May, Max rolls out to 22 countries across Europe.
| | | |
| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR TUESDAY, MAY 7 EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2024: This year, Peacock's coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest will stream commentary-free for the first time. This year's event runs from today through May 11; streams start daily at 3 pm ET. [Peacock] KISS THE FUTURE: 2024 musical documentary about the 1992 siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War, and the way art, music, and culture fostered resilience in the city's residents. In particular, the film focuses on the moral support lent to the people of Sarajevo by U2 during the crisis, and culminates with the band's post-war performance in the city. Nenad Cicin-Sain directs. [Paramount+] BILLY & MOLLY: AN OTTER LOVE STORY: Documentary from National Geographic about the bond that formed on Scotland's remote Shetland islands between human writer Billy and Molly, a young female otter he rescued. Charlie Hamilton-James ("Nature") directs. The film debuted last night on cable and hits both Hulu and Disney+ today. [Hulu and Disney+] OUTDAUGHTERED: The TLC reality series stars Adam and Danielle Busby, the busy parents of quintuplets Ava Lane, Olivia Marie, Hazel Grace, Riley Paige, and Parker Kate. It's back for a 10th season this week. [Max] MECUM FULL THROTTLE: HOUSTON TX 2024: The program features highlights from this year's Mecum collector car auction -- featuring over 1,000 rare and classic vehicles -- which was held at the NRG Center in Houston, Texas, in April. [Max] SUPER RICH IN KOREA: Debut Korean reality series chronicling the glamorous lives of international influencers, supermodels, and billionaires who live and work in Seoul. The cast includes Hee-ra, Royal Anna, Teodoro, Noor, and David; Cho Saeho, BamBam, and Mimi co-host. [Netflix] | | | |
| 4 | | Tubi aims to mentor independent filmmakers through its new "Stubios" program. Aspiring and up-and-coming filmmakers are invited to submit their original concepts to "Stubios"; selected projects will receive feedback from streaming viewers along with one-on-one guidance from "Insecure" star and creator Issa Rae throughout the pre-production process. More: - Featured creators will have profiles on Tubi, which users will be invited to follow as they develop their projects.
- From there, Tubi fans can provide feedback and suggestions about potential screenplay tweaks, casting, trailers, promotional materials, and more.
- Tubi plans to compensate the filmmakers, though no dollar amounts were disclosed; the finished projects will stream on Tubi.
- Musical artist Lady London, who's developing a docuseries about the production of her debut album, is the first participant in Stubios.
| | | |
| 5 | | Amazon announced three new ad formats headed to Prime Video. The company will make its first-ever upfront presentation to advertisers next week. More: - The new ad formats emphasize "shoppability," making it easier for Amazon viewers to browse products and make purchases from the Prime Video app.
- The formats include a shoppable ad carousel, which users can browse via their remote during commercial breaks; interactive ads that run while programs are paused; and "brand trivia" games inviting viewers to earn Amazon credits via sharing more information about themselves and making purchases.
- While most streaming video services now offer interactive ads, none have yet introduced truly shoppable ad spots; for now, most ads rely on features like QR codes to direct viewers to third-party services where they can make purchases.
| | | |
| 6 | | Producers Tyler Perry and DeVon Franklin signed a new multi-year deal to develop faith-based films for Netflix. The films will be produced in conjunction with Tyler Perry Studios. More: - Netflix already has development deals in place with Tyler Perry Studios for both shows and films.
- Perry, best known for his "Madea" franchise, has produced a number of film projects for Netflix, including "A Jazzman's Blues," "Mea Culpa," and the upcoming WWII drama "Six Triple Eight."
- Franklin was a studio executive before starting his own production company; he's made a number of popular inspirational and faith-based films, including "Miracles from Heaven," "The Star," and last year's "Flamin' Hot."
- The first Netflix film from Perry and Franklin will be "R&B," a modern-day retelling of the Biblical story of Ruth and Boaz set within the Atlanta music scene.
| | | |
| 7 | | Michelle Yeoh signed on to star in Amazon's limited "Blade Runner" sequel series, "Blade Runner 2099." No details were revealed about Yeoh's role in the series. More: - Production recently started on the series in Prague; it was originally set to shoot in Belfast prior to pandemic-related delays.
- The original "Blade Runner" was released in 1982 and inspired by the Philip K. Dick novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"; it was followed by a film sequel, "Blade Runner 2049," in 2017, along with a collection of animated shorts and spinoffs.
- "Shining Girls" vet Silka Luisa executive produces and serves as showrunner.
- Last year, Yeoh became the first-ever Best Actress Oscar winner of Asian descent for the action comedy-drama "Everything Everywhere All At Once."
- She was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom this week.
| | | |
| 8 | | Tracy Morgan will star in a spinoff of CBS' sitcom "The Neighborhood" for Paramount+. The new comedy series, titled "Crutch," stars Morgan as Francois Crutchfield, a cousin of Cedric the Entertainer's "Neighborhood" character, Calvin Butler. More: - Morgan guest-starred in a 2022 episode of "The Neighbrohood" as a different character: Calvin's brother, Curtis.
- In the new show, Crutchfield (who goes by Crutch) is an opinionated Harlem widower whose adult children move back in with him.
- Morgan's "The Last OG" collaborator Owen Smith wrote the pilot script for "Crutch" and will showrun the series; Cedric the Entertainer is on board as an executive producer.
- Production will begin on the series later on this year.
| | | |
| 9 | | QUICK HITS - Comedian Jeff Ross suggests that, despite his protestations on-stage, Tom Brady was not actually offended or upset by jokes about massaging Patriots owner Robert Kraft at this weekend's Netflix Roast.
- The post-apocalyptic thriller series "Snowpiercer" returns for a fourth and final season on July 21; the show previously aired on the TNT cable network, but jumps to AMC and AMC+ for Season 4.
- A stage musical based on the Apple TV+ series "Schmigadoon!" premieres next year at the Kennedy Center in Washington; series co-creator Cinco Paul wrote the book, music, and lyrics for the adaptation.
- Netflix's "Wednesday" kicked off production on its second season, and announced the departure of three former series regulars: Percy Hynes White, Jamie McShane, and Naomi J. Ogawa.
- Netflix's comedy series "Unstable" -- starring real-life father and son Rob and John Owen Lowe -- returns for a second season on August 1.
- Season 3 of the reality series "Clarkson's Farm" looks poised to set a new Prime Video viewership record in the UK; episodes of "Clarkson's Farm" claimed the top four spots on Barb's most recent chart.
- Owen Harris will direct episodes of the "Game of Thrones" spinoff "Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" for HBO; Harris previously helmed the celebrated "San Junipero" episode of "Black Mirror."
- Netflix grabbed the US distribution rights for "Penelope," an independently-produced YA drama series from co-creators (and "Biosphere" collaborators) Mark Duplass and Mel Eslyn; the duo developed the series, starring Austin Abrams as a teen who flees civilization for a solitary life in the wilderness, during the pandemic.
- During its presentation at NewFronts, TV maker Samsung touted its TV Plus free streaming platform, which currently boasts 2,600 channels of content powered by "the largest TV data set in the world."
- Netflix released a brief clip on TikTok, featuring "One Piece" star Iñaki Godoy commemorating the birthday of his character, Monkey D. Luffy; clues in the teaser suggest that Season 2 will adapt the manga's "Arabasta" arc.
- In an interview with CBS News, "Blue Bloods" star Tom Selleck expressed dismay and confusion regarding the popular procedural drama's cancellation, noting "we're the third-highest scripted show in all of broadcast."
- Paramount grabbed streaming rights for "Let the Canary Sing," a documentary profile of '80s pop star Cyndi Lauper; the film, accompanied by a companion album from Sony Music, hits Paramount+ on June 4 in the US and Canada.
- The upcoming animated Disney+ Hotstar series "Baahubali: Crown of Blood" continues the story from the blockbuster Indian film franchise; S.S. Rajamouli, who directed the "Baahubali" films along with international smash hit "RRR," co-created and executive produced.
| | | |
| Upcoming Events | * This is a sponsored event | | | |
 | 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 | |
| |
| |
Comments
Post a Comment