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| Thanks for opening today's Inside Streaming brief. With so many streaming platforms available and hot new shows and films debuting weekly, it's perhaps unsurprising that "churn rates" remain a major concern for big media companies. While Netflix and Amazon certainly benefit from their long legacy as the breakout streaming platforms, there's no such thing as true brand loyalty in this marketplace, at least not like there is in the Coke vs. Pepsi world. Without a steady pipeline of fresh Netflix and Prime Video shows, subscribers wouldn't even take that long to jump over to Max, Hulu, or even Paramount+. As well, with subscription rates climbing all the time, and other user-unfriendly moves like randomly removing popular content, running more ads, and shutting down password sharing becoming the norm, it seems inevitable that there was going to be a certain level of drop-off in 2023. Just part of the business. Lon
p/lon-harris | |
| 1 | | According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix hired producer Dan Lin to replace departing Head of Film Scott Stuber. Lin produced the "LEGO" movies and, most recently, Netflix's live-action "Avatar: The Last Airbender" adaptation. More: - Stuber announced in January that he will depart his post in March.
- According to THR, Netflix has been considering Lin for the role since first learning of Stuber's departure, along with former Disney executive Sean Bailey and producer Wyck Godfrey.
- Lin also produced the 2017 Netflix anime adaptation "Death Note" and the 2019 Oscar-nominated Netflix drama feature "The Two Popes."
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| 2 | | A new report from analytics firm Antenna indicates that US churn rates are on the rise, impacting the total subscriber counts of most major streamers. In the last four years, cancellation rates among US streamers have nearly tripled. More: - In 2023, US streamers gained around 164.7 million total subscriptions, but also had 140 million cancellations, for a net growth of just 24.2 million new sign-ups.
- The rate of new subscriptions in the US is also significantly slowing down, as most consumers now have a few services that they regularly use and prefer.
- Recent trends including password-sharing crackdowns, price increases, and the addition of advertising to platforms like Prime Video likely also contributed to a spike in cancellations.
- Some services -- including Disney+ and Hulu -- actually lost net subscribers over the course of 2023.
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| 3 | | DAILY CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28 SURVIVOR: The iconic reality competition series is back on CBS and Paramount+ this week for a 46th season, which was once again filmed in the Mamanuca Islands of Fiji. Jeff Probst hosts. [Paramount+] AIR DISASTERS: The informational series from Smithsonian Channel features harrowing true stories about notable mishaps in the world of air transportation, examining what went wrong from the control room to the crash site. Seasons 18 and 19 hit Paramount+ today. [Paramount+] IWÁJÚ: Debut series from Walt Disney Animation and African studio Kugali, set in a futuristic version of Lagos, Nigeria, and following the adventures of a wealthy young girl and her best friend, an expert in technology and gadgets. Simisola Gbadamosi, Dayo Okeniyi, Femi Branch, Siji Soetan, and Weruche Opia co-star. [Disney+] DINO RANCH: The animated Disney Jr. series follows the adventures of the Cassidy Family, who manage a prehistoric-themed ranch where dinosaurs roam free. Season 3 aired last year on cable and hits Disney+ today. [Disney+] AMERICAN CONSPIRACY: THE OCTOPUS MURDERS: Four-part true-crime docuseries in which researcher Christian Hansen investigates the death of freelance journalist Danny Casolaro. In 1991, while he was writing about a vast, far-reaching conspiracy called "The Octopus," Casolaro allegedly committed suicide in a West Virginia hotel; some who knew him suspect foul play. The Duplass Brothers ("Wild Wild Country") executive produced. [Netflix] CODE 8 PART II: Canadian sci-fi action film, following up on 2019's "Code 8," and set in a near-future in which a small percentage of the population develops superpowers, leading to government oppression. Cousins Robbie and Stephen Amell co-star as powerful former criminals who protect a teen (Sirena Gulamgaus) after she witnesses a police cover-up. [Netflix] THE MIRE: MILLENNIUM: The Polish period crime thriller series "The Mire" -- about journalists in the 1990s investigating murder cases that have baffled the police -- returns for a third season, with the new subtitle "Millennium." Magdalena Różczka, Łukasz Simlat, Andrzej Seweryn, and Dawid Ogrodnik all return for the new episodes. [Netflix] EVERYTHING IS FINE (TOUT VA BIEN): Debut comedy-drama series from France, about a dysfunctional Parisian family whose world is turned upside down when one of their children is diagnosed with a serious illness. Virginie Efira, Sara Giraudeau, Angèle Roméo, Aliocha Schneider, and Yannik Landrein co-star. [Hulu] | | | |
| 4 | | According to CNBC, negotiations around a potential acquisition of Paramount Global by Warner Bros. Discovery have concluded. Skydance Media is still apparently considering an offer, and is currently performing due diligence on the company's financials. More: - Paramount Global has hired its own financial advisors to consider all bids.
- Though Comcast is exploring a possible partnership with Paramount -- such as a merging of the Peacock and Paramount+ streaming services -- it's reportedly uninterested in acquiring the company's assets.
- Warner Bros. Discovery shares dropped by around 10% on Friday after a disappointing earnings report; the stock has tumbled by nearly half over the past year.
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| 5 | | Eugene Levy joined the cast of Hulu's mystery-comedy "Only Murders in the Building" ahead of its fourth season. Molly Shannon and Eva Longoria have already signed on for Season 4; Season 3 guest star Meryl Streep also plans to return. More: - Season 4 cuts between New York and Los Angeles, as the show's central trio -- Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) -- investigate the murder of professional stunt double Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch).
- Levy previously co-starred with Short on the classic sketch comedy series "SCTV"; Levy, Short, and Martin all appear together in the "Father of the Bride" movies.
- Levy won two Emmys for his role on the Canadian sitcom "Schitt's Creek," which he co-created with son Dan Levy.
- According to Disney's internal figures, "Only Murders" is Hulu's most-watched original comedy series.
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| 6 | | Netflix will make its Broadway debut with the stage show "Patriots," from "The Crown" creator Peter Morgan. Netflix previously produced a stage adaptation of "Stranger Things," titled "The First Shadow," which premiered on London's West End. More: - "Patriots" is set in 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and centers on real-life Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, who was instrumental in bringing Vladimir Putin to power but later became one of his primary critics.
- Michael Stuhlbarg will star as Berezovsky; Will Keen and Luke Thallon co-star as Putin and another Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich.
- The play will enter previews on April 1 ahead of its formal opening night, on April 22; it was previously staged in London.
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| 7 | | Netflix reports that its live-action "Avatar: The Last Airbender" series received 21.2 million views in its first weekend. According to the streamer, the show hit its Top 10 list in 92 countries. More: - Globally, the most-watched Netflix title of the week was not "Avatar," but the Swedish disaster film "The Abyss."
- The eight-episode action fantasy series outperformed another recent Netflix anime live-action adaptation, "One Piece," in its debut weekend.
- Though no plans for a second season have yet been confirmed, Deadline reports that the "Avatar" creative team is ready to go, and already have plans for integrating fan feedback and improving the way live actors interact with the extensive visual effects in future installments.
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| 8 | | Fox-owned free ad-supported streamer Tubi will launch into more international markets this year. Ahead of the expansion, the streamer has debuted a new logo and a "sonic brand ID," similar to Netflix's iconic "Tudum" sound. More: - The new logo and sound clip will debut this week on Tubi's apps and website.
- Tubi will expand to the UK this summer, along with a few other to-be-announced European markets.
- The new branding was designed in collaboration with London agency DixonBaxi.
- The T features a circle inspired by the "Tubi rabbit hole," introduced in the streamer's 2023 Super Bowl ad.
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- Interior designer Jeremiah Brent will replace departing "Fab Five" member Bobby Berk on Season 9 of Netflix's "Queer Eye."
- An animated "Bob the Builder" reboot from producer Jennifer Lopez and star Anthony Ramos has kicked off a bidding war among studios and streamers, with both Netflix and Amazon taking a strong interest in the project.
- A trailer for Season 4 of Paramount+'s reality competition "The Challenge All-Stars" revealed a number of returning competitors, including Cara Maria Sorbello, Rachel Robinson, Adam Larson, Averey Tressler, and Brandon Nelson; the new episodes debut on April 10.
- Jesse Williams will executive produce and star in the English-language action-comedy series "Costiera" for Prime Video Italy; he plays an Italian-American ex-Marine serving as a "fixer" for a luxury hotel on the Amalfi Coast.
- Paramount+ ordered a first season for the UK thriller series "Curfew," set in a society in which all men, by law, must remain in their homes between 7 pm and 7 am.
- Marlon Wayans' fourth stand-up comedy special, "Good Grief," debuts this summer on Prime Video.
- "The Blacklist" vet Mozhan Navabi joined the cast of Netflix's limited thriller series "Zero Day"; Robert De Niro stars, in his first major TV role, as the head of a commission investigating a global cyberattack.
- Visa and Mastercard have come to a historic $5 billion settlement, marking a pivotal moment for small business owners. If your business accepts Visa/MC, Claim your share today.*
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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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