| Thanks for opening today's Inside Streaming daily brief. On one level, it makes total sense for Swizz Beatz and Timbaland to bring their iconic rap/song battle series "Verzuz" to Elon Musk's X platform. Watching "Verzuz" is a social, interactive experience, as much a combat sport as a concert. You don't just want to watch the spectacle and hear the performances, you want to talk about what's happening and break down the competition with other fans in real-time. Half the fun of "Verzuz" was always the Twitter/X discourse happening while the stream itself was taking place. Still, the streaming video on X experience could still use some work. I tend to find X videos come in at lower quality, and they buffer and freeze a lot more frequently, than content on most other streamers, even social media platforms. X's interface, particularly on the web, is also not optimized for video viewing as opposed to perma-scrolling. It needs a dedicated player and lean-back experience that's focused on allowing you to comfortably watch a show and engage with just that audience, while tuning out the background noise that's inherent to being on X. I'm not sure the product is really there yet. But I'm certainly excited to see this all develop! Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | Variety explores the breakdown of the proposed Skydance-Paramount merger last week and why no deal could be reached. Shari Redstone and her company, National Amusements, walked away from the table just minutes before a key meeting that would have resolved some last-minute details. More: - By Variety's account, Skydance's team was caught entirely off-guard when informed that Paramount Global was canceling the deal.
- Redstone apparently had ongoing misgivings about the deal, which she shared with board member Charles Phillips, an influential voice in the negotiations process.
- Redstone also felt that a June 3 CNBC report, suggesting the deal was "imminent," felt premature, and caused her to reconsider the negotiations.
- National Amusements' push to hold a vote among all Paramount Global shareholders, in order to prevent a future lawsuit, was also a major sticking point in the negotiations; Redstone's singular control of Paramount Global shares is one of the elements that had first attracted Skydance's interest.
- Following the collapse of the deal, Paramount Global stock fell below $10, a first since the merger of Viacom and CBS in 2019.
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| 2 | | More than 150 executives and engineers are currently at work on Venu Sports ahead of its planned Fall 2024 debut. The streamer is a joint venture between Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Fox. More: - Many of the staffers currently working on Venu are employed by Fox Corp; some are expected to fully move over to the new company.
- Senior hires include former Apple and Hulu exec Tim Connolly as chief business officer, Disney/ABC vet Skarpi Hedinsson as CTO, and former FanDuel and Hulu staffer Brian Brokowski as CMO.
- Pete Distad is Venu's first CEO.
- The platform will bring together sports content from all three companies' broadcast and cable networks, including ABC, ESPN, Fox, Fox Sports, the Big Ten Network, TNT, and TBS.
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| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19 BLACK BARBIE: Documentary from filmmaker Lagueria Davis, tracing the history of the Black Barbie doll, first released by Mattel in 1980, and profiling the three women who made the concept a reality. (One of them, Beulah Mae Mitchell, is the filmmaker's aunt.) Shonda Rhimes and her frequent collaborator Betsy Beers executive produced. [Netflix] KLEKS ACADEMY (AKADEMIA PANA KLEKSA): Fantasy adventure from Poland for the whole family, starring Antonina Litwiniak as a teenage girl who attends a magical school in an alternate fairy tale reality and learns more about her family's history and darkest secrets. [Netflix] LOVE IS BLIND: BRAZIL: The reality dating series -- a spinoff of the US "Love is Blind" -- features couples getting to know one another, and occasionally even getting engaged, before meeting face-to-face. Season 4, subtitled "A New Chance," includes participants who are divorced, separated, or had a failed engagement. Camila Queiroz and Klebber Toledo co-host. [Netflix] INHERITANCE (SPADEK): 2024 comedy-drama feature from Poland, starring Jan Peszek as an eccentric inventor and game show host who dies and forces his potential beneficiaries to compete in a string of puzzles and challenges for a shot at his fortune. Maciej Stuhr, Joanna Trzepiecinska and Mateusz Król co-star; Sylwester Jakimow directs. [Netflix] CESAR MILLAN: BETTER HUMAN, BETTER DOG: The Nat Geo Wild reality series finds pet expert Millan traveling across America to help frustrated caretakers develop better relationships with their animal friends. Season 4 premiered earlier this year on cable and his Diseny's streamers today. [Hulu and Disney+] WICKED TUNA: The Nat Geo reality series features commercial tuna fishermen based in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and follows along as they compete to see who can bring in the most profitable hauls. Season 13 comes to Hulu and Disney+ today. [Hulu and Disney+] TO CATCH A SMUGGLER: The National Geographic reality series follows along as Homeland Security officials attempt to halt the flow of contraband through America's border crossings, airports, and other points of entry. 8 fresh Season 7 episodes hit Hulu and Disney+ today. [Hulu and Disney+] MEET SPIDEY AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS: Collection of animated shorts for young kids, produced for Disney Channel, featuring characters from "Spidey and His Amazing Friends." 5 new episodes come to Disney+ today. [Disney+] NICK CANNON PRESENTS: FUTURE SUPERSTARS: The VH1 reality series features Cannon mentoring young recording artists whose careers are on the verge of taking off, including Connor Finnerty, AJ Boogie, YM Collier, Cameron J. Wright, and Rahja Fuller. Season 1 aired last year on cable and hits Paramount+ today. [Paramount+] THE CHALLENGE: The MTV reality competition series features veterans of other reality shows facing off in strenuous physical activities for a shot at a $500,000 prize. TJ Lavin hosts. Season 39 aired last year on cable and comes to streaming today. [Paramount+] CRIMES GONE VIRAL: The Investigation Discovery clip series features footage of shocking incidents that went viral on social media. It's back for a fifth season. [Max] | | | |
| 4 | | The music battle franchise Verzuz struck a new distribution deal with Elon Musk's X platform (formerly Twitter). Verzuz -- which features musical artists in virtual, dueling performances of their classic hits -- was launched during the early days of the pandemic as a way of keeping music fans connected. More: - The series was co-created by legendary hip-hop producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland.
- After the show became a breakout hit, the Triller platform acquired Verzuz in 2021; following a string of legal disputes, Swizz and Timbaland re-acquired the brand in 2022.
- Swizz and Timbaland will retain full ownership and creative control of Verzuz under the new deal, while X will receive exclusive distribution rights; the platform plans to keep the streams free of charge.
- To date, Verzuz has produced over 40 episodes, which have generated more than 100 million live views and over 70 billion impressions; iconic matchups include Nelly vs. Ludacris, T-Pain vs. Lil Jon, Erykah Badu vs. Jill Scott, Alicia Keys vs. John Legend, and Brandy vs. Monica.
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| 5 | | Pluto TV expanded its partnership with Fremantle. Paramount's free ad-supported streamer will get 25 new channels featuring Fremantle content in 13 global markets, including the US. More: - Outside the US, the new channels are coming to Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, the UK, and Nordic countries.
- The deal will bring the classic sitcom "Three's Company" to Canada, marking the first time the show has streamed outside the US.
- Other popular shows that will now stream for free on Pluto include "Baywatch," "Supermarket Sweep," "Family Feud," "The Price is Right" (featuring both Bob Barker and Drew Carey as hosts), and "Project Runway."
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| 6 | | Former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs joined Warner Bros. Discovery as its new communications chief. Gibbs, a long-time adviser to Barack Obama who served as his press secretary from 2009-2011, will take over for Nathaniel Brown, who exited WBD in January. More: - Gibbs will work closely with WBD CEO David Zaslav on messaging; according to Variety, the search for Brown's replacement took so long because Zaslav wanted a "major name" to fill the role.
- Gibbs also advised former President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign.
- In 2019, Gibbs helped to negotiate the merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery that formed Warner Bros. Discovery.
- He's also worked as an executive for McDonald's, overseeing the fast food giant's global communications from 2015-2019.
- Gibbs hosts the podcast "Hacks on Tap" with David Axelrod and Mike Murphy.
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| 7 | | Classic crime drama series "Homicide: Life on the Street" will soon be available to stream, according to David Simon. The journalist and author, whose book "Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets" inspired the series, posted on X that NBCUniversal has cleared the musical rights ahead of the show's streaming debut. More: - As NBCUniversal controls the rights to the series, Peacock seems like the obvious streaming destination, but no official announcement has yet been made.
- Because the songs featured in "Homicide" were licensed decades ago, before streaming platforms existed, those deals had to be renegotiated before streaming agreements could move forward.
- "Homicide" aired on NBC for seven seasons, from 1993-1999; it centers on Baltimore Police Department detectives who work murder cases, and co-stars Daniel Baldwin, Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, Yaphet Kotto, and Ned Beatty.
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| 8 | | QUICK HITS - Hannah Minghella, a veteran of J.J. Abrams' production house Bad Robot, joined Netflix as its new Head of Feature Animation and Live-Action Family Film; Sharon Taylor will also join the company's Vancouver office, where she'll lead the feature animation production division.
- A report in the Sunday Times suggests that Netflix pushed creator and star Richard Gadd to brand his series "Baby Reindeer" as a "true story," despite Gadd's own misgivings; Deadline reports that this detail could become important in Fiona Harvey's lawsuit over the series.
- Sofia Carson ("Purple Hearts") and Corey Mylchreest ("Queen Charlotte") will co-star in Netflix's feature adaptation of the YA novel "My Oxford Year" by Julia Whelan; Carson stars as an American who meets a charming local (Mylchreest) while attending university in the UK.
- Peacock added the Love Nature Channel to its streaming line-up, which centers on science, natural history, and nature documentaries.
- Original "Everybody Hates Chris" stars Chris Rock, Terry Crews, and Tichinia Arnold will reprise their roles for Comedy Central's upcoming animated reboot.
- Hulu signed a first-look deal with documentary producer and podcaster Jennings Brown; he's a veteran of the podcasts "The Gateway: Teal Swan" and "Revelations," from Blumhouse.
- At an event in Jakarta this week, Netflix previewed its upcoming slate of films and shows from Southeast Asia, including "Abadi Nan Jaya," Indonesia's first zombie film from director Kimo Stamboel, and "The Shadow Strays," the latest from "The Night Comes For Us" helmer Timo Tjahjanto.
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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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