AMC+ ad tier / "One Piece" at #1 on Nielsen / "Yellowstone" gets CBS boost / "Survivor" and "Amazing Race" on Paramount+

Plus the weekend calendar, Bloys talks WGA deal at Code, "Perfect Couple" shoot interrupted, Netflix ships final DVD, "Obliterated" trailer, and more

Inside Streaming For September 29, 2023

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Happy Friday! In the early days of streaming, there was a real competitive, "zero-sum" approach to divvying up content. The idea was that, the more distribution channels available to a particular piece of content, the less valuable it became to any one particular platform. So if a movie opens theatrically, people are less likely to rent it on VOD. If a show is on Peacock, people are less likely to check it out on Max. If a series airs on cable, you'll lose out on ad revenue by also putting it on a streaming service. It turns out, the opposite may very well be true. The more visible you make a particular piece of content, and the easier you make it for audiences to find that content on a platform they're already accessing... the more likely they are to watch. So even though "Yellowstone" is already airing on Paramount Network and streaming on Peacock, it got a big boost from airing on CBS this week. Even though "Ballers" and "Insecure" have long been available on Max, more people went back to check them out - even on that platform - after they moved over to Netflix as well. And we've seen time and time again that a theatrical run helps to make a movie MORE popular once it lands on streaming platforms, not the other way around.  This opens up a lot of opportunities for the industry. Rather than worrying about building a platform full of EXCLUSIVE titles that you can't find anywhere else, media companies can afford to experiment and play around with various distribution and release strategies, in an attempt to maximize their potential audience across all platforms. Enjoy today's issue! We'll see you back here next week. Lon p/lon-harris

1 AMC+ has added a lower-cost ad-supported tier, available for just $4.99 per month. A standard ad-free AMC+ subscription costs $8.99/month. More: According to AMC, the service will run fewer than 5 minutes of commercials per hour. The company claims that "dozens of advertisers" have already signed on; the spots will include conventional ads along with shoppable ads, ad-break trivia, interactive ad units, and "inserted integrations." Both tiers feature the same programming, which includes AMC+ content as well as the libraries of niche streaming platforms Shudder, Sundance Now, and IFC Films Unlimited. Annual subscriptions are also available for $83.88.

2 According to Nielsen, Netflix's live-action "One Piece" series was viewed for around 1.31 billion minutes in its first week online, between August 28 and September 3. It was the most-viewed original streaming series that week, knocking another Netflix original -- "Who is Erin Carter?" -- down to #2. More: "One Piece" was watched for 21.85 million hours by US viewers alone, around 16% of the show's worldwide total. The basic cable legal drama "Suits" was viewed for 2.45 billion minutes this week on both Netflix and Peacock, and remained the most-streamed show for the 11th straight week. This ties "Suits" with "Ozark" for the all-time Nielsen record of most weeks in the #1 overall spot; "Ozark" achieved this feat over the course of several seasons, not consecutively. Season 2 of Amazon's epic fantasy "The Wheel of Time" premiered on September 1, and was viewed for 515 million minutes by the 3rd, which was good enough to hit the Streaming Originals Top 10 list.

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3 WEEKEND CALENDAR FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 GEN V: Debut dark comedy-drama superhero series, spun off from "The Boys" comic books and Prime Video adaptation. It follows a group of young aspiring superheroes as they attend the Godolkin University School of Crimefighting. Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, Lizzie Broadway, Maddie Phillips, Derek Luh, Asa Germann, and Shelley Conn co-star; "The Boys" vets Craig Rosenberg, Evan Goldberg, and Eric Kripke developed the spinoff. [Amazon] MEG 2: THE TRENCH: Sequel to the 2018 sci-fi action film "The Meg," set five years later, in which rescue diver and environmental activist Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) must confront a group of giant megalodons that have been disturbed by a corrupt mining operation. Wu Jing, Sophia Cai, Page Kennedy, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Skyler Samuels, and Cliff Curtis co-star; Ben Wheatley ("Free Fire") directs. [Max] WHO'S TALKING TO CHRIS WALLACE? The CNN chat series finds Wallace in conversation with key figures from the worlds of news, sports, entertainment, and culture. It returns this weekend for a fourth season as a Max exclusive. Upcoming guests include Oliver Stone, Jon Batiste, Al Michaels, and Suze Orman. [Max] FLORA AND SON: The latest musical drama from writer/director John Carney ("Sing Street," "Once") stars Eve Hewson as Flora, a single mom from Dublin who takes up the guitar as a way to connect to her angry, distant son Max (Orén Kinlan). Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Jack Reynor co-star. The film opened last week in select theaters. [Apple TV+] HELL'S KITCHEN: The culinary competition series features two teams of amateur chefs going head-to-head while preparing dinner service for a full restaurant, under the watchful and judgmental eye of host Gordon Ramsay. Season 22, subtitled "The American Dream," features teams divided up by gender. New episodes air Thursdays on Fox and hit Hulu the following day. [Hulu] LEGO MASTERS: The Fox game show features LEGO enthusiasts going head-to-head creating impressive and awe-inspiring designs for a shot at a $100,000 cash prize and the chance to have their concept turned into a real LEGO set. Season 4 debuted last night on Fox; new episodes come to Hulu on Fridays. Will Arnett hosts. [Hulu] HEIST 88: Original crime drama feature from Showtime starring Courtney B. Vance as a criminal mastermind in 1988 who's determined to pull one final score before going to prison, and recruits four young bank employees to help him steal $80 million. Vance executive produced the film along with his partner, Angela Bassett; Menhaj Huda ("The Flash," "Batwoman") directed. The film hits Paramount+ on Friday and airs Sunday night on Showtime. [Paramount+] DISNEY'S LAUNCHPAD: Disney's ongoing Launchpad Program funds and produces short films from members of traditionally underrepresented communities. The "Launchpad" anthology series returns this week for a second season, featuring six new shorts. [Disney+] MARVEL STUDIOS LEGENDS: Quick Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) refreshers help set the stage for the studio's latest films and TV shows. New episodes about the TVA and Variants arrive today, ahead of "Loki" Season 2. [Disney+] POWER RANGERS: COSMIC FURY: The 30th overall season of the kids action-fantasy series "Power Rangers" follows up on the "Dino Fury" arc, as the heroes pursue Lord Zedd through outer space. [Netflix] CHOONA: Debut Hindi-language crime comedy series from India, about a group of misfits who join forces to enact an elaborate revenge plot against a calculating and superstitious politician. Jimmy Shergill, Gyanendra Tripathi, Namit Das, Monika Panwar, and Vikram Kochhar co-star; Pushpendra Nath Misra ("Taj Mahal 1989") created. [Netflix] NOWHERE: Survival thriller film from Spain, starring Anna Castillo as a young pregnant woman who escapes her war-ravaged homeland by hiding in a shipping container, which is then lost at sea following a violent storm. "Money Heist" vet Albert Pintó directs. [Netflix] DO NOT DISTURB (AYZEK ILE BIR GECE): Turkish-language comedy-drama film from writer/director Cem Yilmaz ("The Life and Movies of Erşan Kuneri"). He also stars as an unemployed man who secures an unpredictable new job working the night shift at a mysterious hotel. [Netflix] NIGHTMARE (MARERITTET): 2023 horror film from Norway, starring Eili Harboe as a young woman who begins having terrifying night terrors after moving into a new apartment with her partner (Herman Tømmeraas). Kjersti Helen Rasmussen wrote and directed. [Shudder] SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 HOT DISH WITH FRANCO: Debut Food Network cooking show featuring chef and restauranteur Franco Noriega preparing dishes that speak to both his Peruvian and Italian roots, while sharing tips and tricks for working with various Latin American and European ingredients. Season 1 arrives this weekend on both Max and cable. [Max] RYDER CUP: NBC Sports' coverage of the golf tournament streams live on Peacock from Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Italy, starting at 3 am ET on Saturday morning. The action continues through Sunday afternoon. [Peacock] MYSTERY ISLAND: Romantic mystery feature from Hallmark, starring Elizabeth Henstridge as a stressed-out London psychiatrist who takes a much-needed vacation at a murder-mystery-themed resort. The situation takes a turn when the resort's reclusive founder is actually murdered. Charlie Weber, Luke McGibney, Kezia Burrows, and Francisco Labbe co-star. [Peacock] SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1 TOY STORY FUNDAY FOOTBALL: This alternate presentation of Sunday's NFL Week 4 match-up between the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars re-stages the live action in Andy's Room from the "Toy Story" films, replacing the human athletes, coaches, and spectators with animated characters in real-time. The actual game will stream live on ESPN+ from Wembley Stadium in the UK. The "Toy Story" version is available on both ESPN+ and Disney+. [Disney+ / ESPN+] SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: NBC's live coverage of Sunday's Week 4 match-up between the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets starts at 7 pm ET on Peacock. [Peacock] WORLD ROAD RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIPS: This year's World Athletics Road Running Championships will take place in Riga, Latvia, and features participants from more than 90 countries. Peacock's live coverage starts at 4:40 am on Sunday morning. [Peacock] WINNIE THE POOH: BLOOD AND HONEY: 2023 independent horror film, darkly reimagining A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard's Winnie the Pooh books. When an adult Christopher Robin (Nikolai Leon) returns to the Hundred Acre Wood, along with some vacationing college students, they're stalked and killed by a now-feral Pooh (Craig David Dowsett) and Piglet (Chris Cordell). Rhys Frake-Waterfield ("The Area 51 Incident") wrote and directed. [Peacock] DJANGO: English-language series produced in Europe for the Canal+ and Sky Atlantic services, loosely based on the classic 1966 spaghetti western film of the same title. Matthias Schoenaerts stars as Django, who arrives in the city of New Babylon searching for his long-missing daughter. Nicholas Pinnock, Lisa Vicari, and Noomi Rapace co-star. [Netflix] THE NIGHT LOGAN WOKE UP: Three-part French-Canadian limited drama series from filmmaker Xavier Dolan ("I Killed My Mother"), adapted from a stage play by Michel Marc Bouchard. The story centers on a family in Quebec who make a series of startling revelations following the death of their matriarch. Julie Le Breton, Anne Dorval, Patrick Hivon, and Jasmine Lemée co-star. [Netflix] CRAZY FUN PARK: First-year YA horror-comedy series from Australia, originally produced for ABC ME, in which two friends visit an abandoned amusement park that's home to the souls of dead teenagers. Henry Strand, Stacy Clausen, Hannah Ogawa, and Pedrea Jackson co-star; Nicholas Verso ("Boys in the Trees") created. [Hulu]

4 Viewership of the Western drama series "Yellowstone" spiked on Peacock following its debut on CBS primetime. 6.6 million viewers tuned in to CBS last week to watch the "Yellowstone" series premiere, including an estimated 3 million people who had never previously watched the show. More: At least some of those 3 million viewers appear to have moved over to streaming to continue their "Yellowstone" experience; viewership of "Yellowstone" jumped by 26% on Peacock between September 17 and September 27 compared to the previous week. Paramount Global moved "Yellowstone" over to CBS to fill in some strike-related openings in the fall schedule, but also to expose more viewers to the popular cable show; recent data indicates that 80% of loyal CBS viewers had never watched an episode, despite the show being a close fit for the TV network's primary demographic. Though Paramount owns both CBS and "Yellowstone," the show currently streams on NBCUniversal's Peacock due to a licensing deal that pre-dates the Paramount+ service. NBCU took out ads on CBS during the "Yellowstone" premiere encouraging viewers to check out more episodes on Peacock.

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5 Viewership of the CBS reality shows "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race" saw a major jump in popularity on the Paramount+ service. While viewership on CBS was relatively static from last season, on Paramount+, the "Survivor" premiere was up 42% over last year's entry, while views on the first episode of "Amazing Race" jumped by 36%. More: "Survivor" and "Amazing Race" were the two most-viewed shows on Paramount+ this week. "Survivor" was Sunday night's second most-watched show on linear TV in the US, behind only NBC's "America's Got Talent." Because "America's Got Talent" doesn't simulcast on Peacock across the entire nation (many markets only get new episodes the following day), it's likely "Survivor" had more views across both CBS and Paramount+ on Sunday night.

6 Speaking at Vox Media's Code Conference this week, HBO and Max content chief Casey Bloys suggested that the new WGA deal likely won't impact the way his company picks shows. While noting that some aspects of production will now be more costly, Bloys indicated he wouldn't decline to greenlight something due to the added costs, saying "A good show is a good show is a good show." More: Bloys was not part of the actual negotiations; he suggested that the deal took almost five months to work out because so many of the issues being discussed were "existential" for writers and creatives. Bloys suggested that, while some writers may prefer using AI tools for prompts or brainstorming, he doesn't think they'll ever be utilized to actually script programming. Discussing the decision to retitle the company's streaming service to just "Max," Bloys explained that it was about protecting the HBO brand, and avoid it being associated with unscripted Discovery content, such as "Dr. Pimple Popper."

7 According to Deadline, production on the Netflix limited series "The Perfect Couple" was interrupted in Nantucket this week by SAG-AFTRA picketers. The show apparently resumed shooting without its primary cast members on the Massachusetts island, grabbing B-roll and other background footage. More: SAG-AFTRA received a tip that the production was seeking to hire motorists to drive cars around; these would typically be jobs that go to background actors. Nicole Kidman stars in the series, and is an executive producer, though it's unclear if she was aware of the Nantucket shoot. Kidman was part of a group of celebrities who recently donated $1 million or more to the SAG-AFTRA emergency assistance program, designed to help out guild members in need during the strike. WGA picketers previously shut down a "Perfect Couple" shoot in Chatham, Massachusetts as well.

8 QUICK HITS No-code development is here to stay according to industry experts. Gartner predicts 80% of technology products will be built by those who are not IT professionals by 2024.* Netflix shipped out its final physical DVD on Friday; the very last disc dropped in the mail was the Coen Brothers' Western drama "True Grit." Netflix dropped a trailer for "Obliterated," a new action-comedy series from the creators of "Cobra Kai," arriving on November 30; it's about an elite special forces team who throw a wild party in Vegas after disarming a nuclear bomb, only to discover that they neutralized a fake and the real threat is still out there. The animated kids horror series "Fright Crewe" -- from DreamWorks and filmmaker Eli Roth -- comes to both Peacock and Hulu on October 2; the story centers on a team of young heroes who take on supernatural foes in present-day New Orleans. Former Disney+ UK executive Johanna Devereaux will move over to Apple TV+, joining the company's European scripted development team. NEXT WEEK in LA, redefine development at DockerCon! Use DCHALF for 50% off in-person registration, or participate online for free. Come learn with us!* *This is sponsored content

Upcoming Events OCT 16 Meet Our Fund 5, Building and Investing in AI San Mateo, California Save Your Seat * This is a sponsored event

Knowledge Hub Term of the Day Minimum viable product (MVP): A minimum viable product (MVP) is an early functioning model of a new product that can be presented to early adopters and investors. Read More Question of the Week Do you share details about your salary with your coworkers? Join the conversation

INSIDE STREAMING LEADERBOARD (ALL-TIME) 🥇 Jon Lusty (122) 🥈 Cesar Santamaria (63) 🥉 Ayhan Ergezen (60)

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

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