Tubi hits 1M avg. viewers / Amazon driving down ad rates / Netflix seeks NFL partner / "Bridgerton" hits #1 on Nielsen

Plus the weekend calendar, Disney introduces "advergames," Stewart on break w/ Apple, Obamas renew Netflix deal, and more

Inside Streaming For June 14, 2024

Hello again and thanks for opening today's Inside Streaming! I'm really excited to check out Dev Patel's "Monkey Man," which hits Peacock today. The movie was originally going to debut directly to streaming, before filmmaker Jordan Peele saw it, felt like it would perform well in theaters, and gave it a real-world release through his company, Monkeypaw. The film didn't really do that well at the box office, but I think this is one of those cases where a theatrical release nonetheless raised its profile significantly. While it might have been just another title that kind of slipped out largely unnoticed on streaming and then disappeared from view after just a week or two, now it might have more staying power JUST because people remember it from when it came out in theaters. Even if they didn't actually bother to go see it themselves. I suspect this will also happen with the "Mad Max" prequel "Furiosa." It disappointed in theaters, based on the hype around a "Fury Road" follow-up, but you know everyone will watch it once it hits Max.  Have a great weekend! Lon p/lon-harris

1 According to Nielsen, Fox's free ad-supported streamer Tubi had its most-watched month ever in May, with an average audience of 1 million viewers. That's a 46% increase over last year, and it puts Tubi ahead of several of the top subscription streaming platforms. More: According to Nielsen, average Tubi viewership in May beat out Disney+ (with 969,000 viewers), Peacock, Max, and Paramount+. Tubi also outperformed its fellow free ad-supported streamers, such as Roku Channel and Pluto. The only free-to-use streamer that outperformed Tubi in May was Google's YouTube. According to Fox, Tubi revenue grew 22% year-over-year in Q3.

2 The Wall Street Journal reports that, even as Netflix attempts to maximize its ad revenue, Amazon's offerings are driving rates down. According to WSJ, the introduction of ads to Prime Video earlier this year has had a dramatic industry-wide impact, due to the size of Amazon's subscriber base and content library. More: Both ad buyers and analysts told WSJ that Amazon's massive new ad buys are driving down prices across the board. The huge increase in supply has forced Netflix to drop prices; while the streamer was previously asking brands for $39-$45 per 1,000 viewers last summer, it's now seeking $29-$35. Netflix has also started offering some new, premium forms of advertising to remain competitive, such as sponsorship of live events or direct product integration into shows and films.

3 WEEKEND CALENDAR FRIDAY, JUNE 14 MONKEY MAN: This 2024 action thriller is the directorial debut of actor Dev Patel, who also co-wrote and stars. An impoverished underground Indian boxer (Patel) on a mission of revenge takes inspiration from the legend of Hanuman and declares war on his city's corrupt elite. Sharlto Copley, Pitobash, and Vipin Sharma co-star. [Peacock] ULTRAMAN: RISING: Animated sci-fi adventure film co-produced by Netflix and Japan's Tsuburaya Productions, based on the iconic "Ultraman" franchise. Baseball star Ken Sato (Christopher Sean) has his hands full moonlighting as the giant superhero Ultraman, even before he defeats a huge monster and reluctantly adopts her offspring. Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, and Keone Young co-star; Shannon Tindle ("Kubo and the Two Strings") co-wrote and directed. [Netflix] JOKO ANWAR'S NIGHTMARES AND DAYDREAMS: Sci-fi mystery series from Indonesia, featuring stories about everyday people having supernatural experiences at different points in history, which interconnect in surprising or unexpected ways. "Impetigore" and "Satan's Slaves" filmmaker Anwar created the series. [Netflix] THE GREATEST @HOME VIDEOS: FATHER'S DAY EDITION: The CBS clip show -- born during the COVID lockdown -- features submitted and amateur videos of bored people goofing off at home. It's back with a holiday special focused on wacky dads. Cedric the Entertainer hosts. [Paramount+] EXHUMA: 2024 supernatural horror film from Korea, about a shaman who agrees to help a wealthy and eccentric family move a tomb, with terrifying results. Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hae-jin, and Lee Do-hyun co-star; Jang Jae-hyun ("Svaha: The Sixth Finger") wrote and directed. [AMC+ / Shudder] SATURDAY, JUNE 15 WWE CLASH AT THE CASTLE: SCOTLAND: Pro wrestling pay-per-view event, streaming live from the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland, and bringing together comeptitors from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown divisions. Matches include Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre, Bayley vs. Piper Niven, and Sami Zayn vs. Chad Gable. [Peacock] PREMIER BOXING CHAMPIONS: Live boxing event, streaming from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT. In the two main events, Gervonta Davis defends his WBA Lightweight World Title against top contender Frank "The Ghost" Martin, while newcomer David "El Monstruo" Benavídez takes on former light heavyweight champ Oleksandr "The Nail" Gvozdyk. [Prime Video] I KISSED A BOY: The UK's first-ever gay reality dating show originally aired last year on BBC Three. 10 single guys are matched up, start their new relationship with a kiss, and then get to know one another better. Danii Minogue hosts. [Hulu] MISS NIGHT AND DAY: Debut romantic comedy series from South Korea, starring Lee Jung-eun as a woman in her 20s who magically transforms into a woman in her 50s (Lee Jung-eun) during the dayitme. Things get complicated when her older self gets a day job, working for a tough prosecutor (Choi Jin-hyuk). [Netflix] SUNDAY, JUNE 16 HOUSE OF THE DRAGON: The HBO fantasy drama series -- a spinoff of "Game of Thrones," based on the writings of George R.R. Martin -- returns this weekend for Season 2. It centers on a conflict within House Targaryen around 200 years before the events of the original series, when they still ruled the continent of Westeros. Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, and Eve Best co-star; Martin co-created with Ryan Condal, who serves as showrunner. [Max] AMERICAN MONSTER: True crime docuseries from Investigation Discovery examining cases in which terrifying, brutal criminals managed to hide in plain sight, posing as everyday law-abiding citizens. It's back this weekend for a 10th season. [Max] THE 77th ANNUAL TONY AWARDS: The award show honoring the best in Broadway theater airs live on CBS and streams on Paramount+ starting at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT from the David Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York. Ariana DeBose hosts for the third year in a row; featured musicals include "Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club," "Hell's Kitchen," "Illinoise," "Merrily We Roll Along," and "Water for Elephants." [Paramount+] HOTEL COCAINE: Limited crime thriller series from Canada, based on the true story of Roman Compte (Danny Pino). The Cuban expatriate managed Miami's Mutiny nightclub and hotel in the late 1970s and '80s, putting himself at the center of the city's burgeoning cocaine business. Yul Vazquez, Mark Feuerstein, Corina Bradley, and Michael Chiklis co-star; Chris Brancato ("Godfather of Harlem") created. [MGM+]

4 CNBC reports that Netflix is actively seeking a production partner for its Christmas Day NFL games. The streamer will present two live NFL games on Christmas this year, along with at least one matchup on Christmas Day 2025 and 2026. More: Though Netflix has presented original live sports specials in the past -- such as the "Netflix Cup" -- this will be its first attempt at a conventional network-style live sports broadcast. According to CNBC, Netflix has reached out to a number of traditional sports broadcasters about a potential team-up, including Disney's ESPN, Comcast's NBCUniversal, and Paramount's CBS Sports. The streamer has also locked in deals to become the new home of WWE's "Raw" live events.

5 The Season 3 premiere of Netflix's period romance "Bridgerton" topped the Nielsen charts in its first week online, from May 13-19. The series, based on novels by Julia Quinn, was viewed for a massive total of 2.76 billion minutes. More: The first half of Season 3 arrived on May 16, with four new episodes. Those four episodes collectively accounted for 1.93 billion minutes of viewership, or 70% of the total; even if no viewers had gone back and watched previous episodes, the show still would've been #1. Sony's frequently mocked superhero flop "Madame Web" premiered May 14 on Netflix, and was viewed for 1.16 billion minutes across the week; this works out to around 10 million complete streams of the film. The previous week's #1 title, Netflix's live roast of Tom Brady, declined by around 74% in its second full week online, with 439 million minutes viewed.

6 Disney introduced playable "advergames" to both Hulu and ESPN. Viewers interact with the ads, in the style of a video game, using their remotes. More: The first two games are "Quiz Show" and "Beat the Clock." "Quiz Show" challenges viewers to answer some trivial questions, while "Beat the Clock" asks them to hit golf balls into selected targets. "Beat the Clock" is sponsored by entertainment venue Topgolf; "Quiz Show" will be presented by various brands. For advertisers, the games provide feedback on viewer engagement with the ad content. Disney partnered with BrightLine on the technology behind the playable ads.

7 During an appearance on "The Town" podcast, Jon Stewart provided more insight into his departure from Apple TV+. Stewart hosted the humorous news commentary series "The Problem" for two seasons on Apple TV+ before parting ways with the tech giant. More: In February, Stewart told "CBS Mornings" that Apple had canceled "The Problem" due to concerns about the show's coverage of a few controversial topics in particular, such as the explosion of interest in AI technology and America's relationship with China. On an April episode of "The Daily Show," Stewart told his guest, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chair Lina Khan, that he'd wanted to have her on "The Problem," but was asked not to do the segment by Apple executives. On "The Town," Stewart clarified that Apple "didn't censor me, it wasn't free speech"; he now says he exited the deal after realizing that his aims did not align with those of the company's leadership.

8 QUICK HITS Barack and Michelle Obama's Higher Ground Productions extended its creative partnership with Netflix; projects that have emerged from the collaboration so far include the hit disaster film "Leave the World Behind," the documentary "American Symphony," and the biopic "Rustin." Netflix dropped a trailer for the behind-the-scenes NFL docuseries "Receiver"; the eight-part series follows players Amon-Ra St. Brown, Justin Jefferson, and Davante Adams, among others, and arrives on July 10. Sci-fi comedy "Sunny" -- starring Rashida Jones as a widow living in Japan who teams with a domestic helper robot (Joanna Sotomura) to investigate her husband's death -- hits Apple TV+ on July 10. Hulu released a teaser for the upcoming 12th season of "Futurama"; new episodes debut on July 29. Apple signed a first-look deal with "Loot" star Maya Rudolph and her newly-formed production company Banana Splits Projects; Rudolph and business partner Danielle Renfrew Behrens will develop new series and films for TV+. Netflix canceled the animated family comedy series "My Dad the Bounty Hunter" after two seasons. Jimmy Fallon renewed his deal with NBCUniversal and plans to continue hosting "The Tonight Show" through at least 2028. Netflix dropped a new trailer for "The Imaginary," the latest anime feature from Studio Ponoc and Ghibli vet Yoshiaki Nishimura, based on a 2014 novel by A.F. Harrold; the film, about a boy who embarks on a quest to save his imaginary friend from disappearing, arrives on July 5. MGM+ ordered a first season for "The Institute," a thriller series based on the 2019 Stephen King novel of the same name; Ben Barnes and Mary-Louise Parker will co-star in the series, which centers on a facility full of abducted children with unusual abilities. Tyler Perry's next streaming drama feature, "Divorce in the Black," hits Amazon Prime Video on July 11; Meagan Good stars as wife who discovers shocking secrets following her husband's abrupt departure. Adult Swim and Max renewed the animated DC Comics series "My Adventures with Superman" for a third season. The Starz crime drama series "Power Book IV: Force" will conclude with its upcoming third season; as announced in March, CEO Jeffrey Hirsch's latest strategy is to greenlight more shows while keeping them on the air for fewer seasons. Breakout Netflix anime series "Delicious in Dungeon," based on the manga by Ryoko Kui, will return for a second season, which is currently in production. Much of the cast and team behind HBO's "The Sopranos" reunited this week for a Tribeca screening of filmmaker Alex Gibney's new documentary about creator David Chase and the classic series.

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

Discover more on inside.com/streaming Thanks for reading today's issue of Inside Streaming. Explore Explore

Share Email Share on X Open in Browser Open in Browser Open in Browser

Did someone forward this email to you? Get your free subscription here. Interested in sponsoring this newsletter? Connect with our sales team here. You received this email because you are subscribed to Inside Streaming. Manage your subscription or unsubscribe here. 767 Bryant St. #203, San Francisco, CA 94107 Copyright © 2024 Inside.com