| Happy Monday and thanks for opening today's Inside Streaming. After more than a year of negotiating and squabbling over the value of Hulu, it's kind of shocking that Disney and Comcast aren't any closer together at this point. Even with the help of third party banks doing the calculations, the two companies' estimates of Hulu's value are more than $10 billion apart. Comcast -- which hopes to make a windfall by selling its 1/3rd Hulu stake to Disney -- says the streamer and its roughly 50 million US subscribers are worth $40 billion. Disney -- which would obviously benefit by cutting the price of Comcast's stake by as much as possible -- says it's more like $27.5 billion, which coincidenally is also the absolute minimum floor price the two companies established years ago when they were still Hulu's co-owners. If Comcast, Disney, and their banker friends can't come to an agreement soon on this, it will become a legal matter for the courts to decide. Which seems most likely, at this point, considering how far apart they remain. Lon
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| 1 | | According to CNBC, Paramount and Skydance have agreed to terms for an upcoming merger. The deal could apparently be announced within the next few days. More: - Skydance plans to acquire Paramount Global with backing from the private equity firms RedBird Capital and KKR.
- The deal still awaits approval from Paramount's controlling shareholder, National Amusements owner Shari Redstone; she controls around 77% of class A Paramount shares.
- Sony Pictures, backed by Apollo Global Management, has made a competing offer.
- According to CNBC's David Faber, Redstone will receive $2 billion for National Amusements' shares, while Skydance will buy out around 50% of Paramount's class B shares for $4.5 billion.
- Following the deal, Skydance and RedBird will collectively own two-thirds of Paramount, while current class B shareholders will retain around one-third of the company.
- Skydance and RedBird will also contribute $1.5 billion in cash to help reduce Paramount's outstanding debts.
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| 2 | | Disney's purchase of Comcast's remaining shares in Hulu has hit a snag. Serious disagreements remain about the value of the Hulu service, which could ultimately result in a court battle. More: - Disney owns two-thirds of Hulu, and is attempting to purchase the remaining one-third stake held by Comcast.
- Each side has hired banks to appraise Hulu's value; Comcast argues it's worth around $40 billion, while Disney values the streamer at $27.5 billion.
- Disney's estimate is the minimum guaranteed sale price that was originally locked in by the two companies many years ago.
- Hulu currently has around 50 million subscribers; Disney has integrated much of the service into its Disney+ platform
- Disney has already made an initial $8.61 billion payment for Hulu to Comcast; the negotiations are attempting to determine how much more, if any, is owed.
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| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR MONDAY, JUNE 3 GODZILLA MINUS ONE: 2023 Japanese period kaiju film from writer, director, and visual effects artist Takashi Yamazaki, chronicling a giant monster attack on Tokyo in the immediate post-WWII era. Ryunosuki Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, and Munetaka Aoka co-star. The film won Best Visual Effects at this year's Oscars. [Netflix] LITTLE BABY BUM: MUSIC TIME: Animated preschool series from "Cocomelon" studio Moonbug, filled with singalongs, interactive activities, and dance breaks for babies and toddlers. It's back for a second season. [Netflix] BATTLE ON THE BEACH: On the HGTV reality competition series, three teams renovate identical beachfront properties with the help of mentors Ty Pennington, Alison Victoria, and Taniya Nayak. Season 4 relocates to Oak Island, North Carolina, and debuts this weekend on Max and cable. [Max] DEADLY INFLUENCE: THE SOCIAL MEDIA MURDERS: Six-part true crime docuseries from Investigation Discovery about criminal cases that involve social media influencers, or online stalking and harassment. Talos Films, the studio behind ID's "House of Hammer," produced. [Max] UNEXPECTED: Reality series chronicling the experiences of teen couples, and their parents, as they deal with sudden, unexpected pregnancies and young parenthood. It's back for a sixth season. [Max] WORLD EATS: BREAD: Docuseries from National Geographic looking at the history and significance of bread and bread-making in various world cultures. Each episode takes a deep dive into a particular style of loaf and how it reflects its homeland's identity and traditions. New episodes air Sunday night on cable and Disney's streamers on Mondays. [Hulu and Disney+] THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF DUBAI: The Bravo reality series, part of its "Real Housewives" mega-franchise, centers on women living glamorous lives in the United Arab Emirates. The Season 2 cast includes Sara Al Madani, Chanel Ayan, Caroline Brooks, Lesa Milan, Caroline Stanbury, and Taleen Marie. [Peacock] I.S.S. 2024 sci-fi thriller in which an Earthbound military conflict causes tensions to rise among American and Russian astronauts serving on the International Space Station. Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, John Gallagher Jr., Masha Mashkova, Costa Ronin, and Pilou Asbæk co-star; Gabriela Cowperthwaite ("Megan Leavey") directs. [Paramount+] | | | |
| 4 | | The final season of the USA Network legal drama "Suits" finally comes to Netflix in the US on July 1. The full series has been streaming on Netflix globally since last summer; Season 9, however, has been unavailable in the US until now. More: - "Suits" gained a massive international following after being added to Netflix's library last year; it was the most-streamed show of 2023 in the US.
- The show's newfound popularity has led to a spinoff series, "Suits L.A.," which debuts next year on NBC.
- Season 9 finds the law firm of Zane Specter Litt Wheeler Williams in a time of uncertainty, after the departure of Robert Zane (Wendell Pierce); Gabriel Macht, Rick Hoffman, Sarah Rafferty, Katherine Heigl, Dulé Hill, and Amanda Schull co-star.
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| 5 | | Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson overtook the Bollywood-centric T-Series to become YouTube's most subscribed channel worldwide. On Sunday, Donaldson set a new single-day subscriber record, gaining 2 million followers and bringing his overall total to 268 million. More: - MrBeast's 266,707,995 subscribers were good enough to surpass T-Series, with 266,706,387, according to the SocialBlade analytics tracker.
- With MrBeast gaining new followers significantly faster than T-Series, it seems unlikely the Indian music channel will be able to keep pace.
- On X, Donaldson noted that he had "avenged Pewdiepie"; this was a reference to Felix Kjellberg, another top YouTuber who had a subscriber face-off against T-Series in 2019, before eventually conceding.
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| 6 | | An arbitrator has ruled in Netflix's favor in a legal dispute with filmmaker Carl Erik Rinsch. Netflix claims it spent $55 million on a science-fiction project from Rinsch, "Conquest," but no episodes were ever delivered. More: - Arbitrator Rita Miller, a former Los Angeles Superior Court judge, ruled that Rinsch made a number of extravagant purchases that were not necessary for producing the series, and had breached his contract with Netflix.
- In total, Miller ruled that Rinsch owes Netflix at least $14 million; she awarded the streamer $8.78 million specifically for production funds that Rinsch squandered.
- Miller also gave the streamer control over all outstanding "Conquest" footage, which has remained in the director's possession.
- Netflix claims it ceased funding "Conquest" only after discovering that Rinsch had spent production funds on five star hotels in California and Spain, a fleet of luxury cars, and high-end furniture; the arbitration was actually instigated by Rinsch, who claimed the purchases were props for the show.
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| 7 | | Amazon ordered an "American Gladiators" revival series for Prime Video. "Gladiators" co-creator Johnny C. Ferraro will executive produce through the original show's production company, Flor-Jon Films. More: - "Gladiators," a landmark in the "reality competition" genre, features amateur athletes taking on a regular line-up of gladiators in a range of physical challenges, along with an obstacle course.
- The new series will feature updates of many of the original show's classic games, including Gauntlet, Hang Tough, and The Eliminator.
- A rebooted verison of "Gladiators" has been airing on the BBC in the UK, and has been renewed for a second season.
- NBC also rebooted "Gladiators" in 2008; that version aired for two seasons.
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| 8 | | QUICK HITS - Josh Brolin has joined the cast of the next "Knives Out" sequel, "Wake Up Dead Man."
- A boxing match between Mike Tyson and influencer Jake Paul, which will stream live on Netflix, has been postponed after Tyson suffered an ulcer flare-up; the match was originally scheduled for July 20.
- The CW renewed the sports drama series "All American" for a seventh season, and also picked up the broadcast rights for "The Chosen" Season 4, which premiered on its own dedicated streaming service this week.
- Action thriller "Monkey Man" -- the directorial debut of co-writer and star Dev Patel -- hits Peacock on June 14, after premiering at SXSW and grossing $34 million in theaters.
- Netflix dropped a trailer for the second half of "Bridgerton" Season 3, arriving on June 13.
- Netflix's animated "Tomb Raider" adaptation -- "The Legend of Lara Croft" -- debuts on October 10; Hayley Atwell voices the famed British archaeologist in the series, which picks up after the most recent trilogy of "Tomb Raider" games.
- Global animated smash hit "Bluey" returns to Disney+ with some brief "Minisodes" -- shorts that range from 1-3 minutes in length -- on July 3.
- During a promotional panel ahead of Emmy nominations, Netflix confirmed that sci-fi drama "3 Body Problem" will run for three total seasons; the original announcement had been vague, and suggested only that the creative team would be able to complete the story from the original Liu Cixin novels.
- The animated family sci-fi series "WondLa" -- based on the books by Tony DiTerlizzi -- premieres on Apple TV+ on June 28; Jeanine Mason stars as a human teen living on a future Earth that's now home to various alien species.
- The landmark mystery drama "Lost" -- which originally aired on ABC from 2004 through 2010 -- comes to Netflix in its entirely on July 1; the show has already been available to stream on Hulu.
- According to People, Bravo canceled plans for "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" Season 14 reunion due to tensions among the cast members; the network is apparently developing new formats to conclude the season.
- The documentary "Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution" -- about the history of LGBTQ stand-up comedy and its wider influence on American culture -- hits Netflix on June 18.
- BBC acquired the broadcast and streaming rights for Peacock's limited series "Apples Never Fall," based on the Liane Moriarty novel; the series will air on BBC networks and stream on the BBC iPlayer in the UK later this year.
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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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