CNN+ reveals price and launch details
50 CENT beefing with STARZ / TIKTOK launching live sketch comedy show / NETFLIX doing Pam Anderson docu
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on THURSDAY March 3, 2022.
Where if you wanna feel old, they’re turning infamous LA music club THE VIPER ROOM location into a 12-story condo building. 🏢
Although - the new building will also have a music venue… and as we all know there’s nothing more badass than a music club in the retail space of a residential luxury condo building.
ALSO: The MTV MOVIE & TV AWARDS will take place Sunday, June 5 in Santa Monica. 🎬
PLUS: Even AMAZON doesn’t know how to successfully run a book store in 2022 😢 - they’re shutting down their 20+ AMAZON BOOKS stores, and will focus all retail efforts on their convenience and grocery locations.
AND: YE is really getting into sorry-looking or… just scary ex territory, posting an animated video for a new single featuring YE kidnapping Pete Davidson in a pillowcase, burying him, planting seeds in his head that grow flowers which he cuts and puts into a truck. YE recently sent a pickup truck full of roses to Kim’s house on Valentine’s Day. Don’t worry though, he ended the video post with “JK he’s fine”.
📽 THE SILVER SCREEN
IN OTHER WORDS
“STARZ 😵🍆Sucks, my deal is up over here I’m out. They Renewed High town and FORCE is the highest rated show they have it sitting in limbo. If I told you how much dumb shit I deal with over here. 🤦♂️”
- 50 CENT on his Insta yesterday, posting about the likelihood of renewing his STARZ production deal, where he produces… I think uh at least half of their originals lineup at this point? 🤷♂️
Deal expires this year, though STARZ would of course keep all the shows.
📺 THE TV SET
AMAZON doing docu (mostly) on VERZUZ called “Gifted & Black”
VERZUZ co-founders SWIZZ BEATS & TIMBALAND producing along with Lena Waithe.
Will look at the traditions of Black music, told in the context of building the VERZUZ music performance brand during the pandemic and racial reckoning around the murder of George Floyd. /Deadline
APPLE TV+ renews “The Afterparty” for another season
Tiffany Haddish will return, but with a new case and cast of characters. /THR
Biden SOTU speech gets 38 Million viewers across all linear networks
Naturally FOX NEWS had the biggest audience (🤔). Lower than Trump’s first SOTU speech (45 Million) in 2017 but… take your 2017 TV ratings comps fwiw. No streaming numbers reported. /THR
ALSO IN TV
NETFLIX picks up Pamela Anderson docu. Pam is actively participating and providing footage, no release date set. /Variety
FX’s “Snowfall” has its highest season premiere yet, 4.3 Million viewers across platforms for the Season 5 debut on Tues. ❄️ /Deadline
FOX gives “Next Level Chef” a 2nd season. 🔪 /Variety
“Jennifer Hudson” syndicated TV show has been picked up to air in 60% of the country (so far) on FOX and HEARST TV stations this Fall. /B&C
ROKU sets Evan Rachel Wood to play MADONNA in “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” pic starring Daniel Radcliffe. And yes I’m putting Movie news in the TV section since well, this was it.
IN THE HOLLYWOOD EXECUTIVE SUITE
NBCU Head of Comms Curt King departing the company after 25 years. Will leave at the end of March, sounds like he’s just looking for a change but gonna take some time off first. /Deadline
HBO VP of Media Relations Kelly Carville departing after 21 years to be VP of PR for TEXAS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL. /THR
ANONYMOUS CONTENT promotes 5 Lit & Talent managers to Partner: Alex Goldstone, Carolyn Govers, Kim Hodgert, Duncan Millership, and Heather Nunn. /Deadline
💻 THE MEDIA BIZ
CNN+ will cost $6 a month
It’ll launch in the last week of March, although for a news service… you’d think they’d just report the exact date at this point.
But if you sign up in the first 4 weeks post-launch, you’ll get it for $3 a month for life (as long as you don’t cancel. Or uh, die). You can also pay $60 a year and get $12 off. The $6 a month price is the same as FOX NEWS’s propoganda streaming service FOX NATION.
CNN+ will not have an app of its own, but rather will exist within the CNN app… kinda like how ESPN+ works. And I hate how ESPN+ works. 🤬
It’ll also be offered in a TBD bundle with HBOMAX, and eventually offer a lower-cost, ad-supported tier.
CNN has reportedly spent $120 Million not incl marketing costs to build / launch CNN+, but when you reportedly bring in $1 Billion in profits annually… eh what’s a hundred mil? Which I believe is also the phrase Chris Cuomo’s lawyer keeps trying out. 👨💼 /LA Times
PARAMOUNT+ had the highest streaming service Ad-load per hour in 2021 by far…
Then again if you’ve ever watched a VIACOM linear cable network, this can’t be too surprising. Actual Ad-time per hour wasn’t calculated, just the volume of Ads:
PAR+: 23.8 per hour
HULU: 12
DISCO+: 12
HBOMAX: 9.3
PEACOCK: 8.7
TIKTOK launching its first weekly, live comedy sketch show, “Stapleview”
Backed by former BROADWAY VIDEO exec (and Brad Grey’s son) Sam Grey, will be weekly 40-60 minute shows and also be distributed off-platform afterward (tbd). /Deadline
ALSO IN MEDIA
NETFLIX buys mobile video game developer NEXT GAMES for $72 Million. They did the “Stranger Things: Puzzle Games” for NETFLIX. /THR
FACEBOOK is shutting down CAMPUS after less than 2 years, which was an area they created on the site to cater to college students. Just too many lines coming to mind on this one… so go with your own here. 🤐 /The Verge
🏦 STOCK NOTES:
PARAMOUNT +9% ($35.24), Wall Street does love a good $3 for 3 months streaming bargain.
AMC NETWORKS +5% ($43.44)
IMAX +5% ($20.49)
ALTICE -5% ($11.10)
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👩💻 NEW TO WATCH:
HULU “The Dropout” - STREAM HERE
PARAMOUNT+ “Star Trek: Picard” - STREAM HERE
PEACOCK “Joe vs. Carole” - STREAM HERE
NETFLIX “The Weekend Away” movie with Leighton Meester - STREAM HERE
HBOMAX “Our Flag Means Death” - STREAM HERE
APPLE TV+ “The Problem with Jon Stewart” returns to weekly shows - STREAM HERE
🎥 TRAILER HOUSE
SONY PICTURES “Bullet Train” trailer. Ok this looks as fun as I hoped it would… and gotta love a trailer set to a Japanese version of “Stayin Alive”. Assassin / thief Brad Pitt finds himself on a train with other assassin / thieves… all after the same briefcase. Kudos SONY Marketing! (And trailer agency) 👏 In theaters July 15
HULU “The Girl from Plainville” limited series trailer - This is pretty dark but good… about the infamous texting suicide case in TX, starring Elle Fanning. Premieres Tue Mar 29
APPLE TV+ “Slow Horses” series trailer - About a division of MI-5 where disgraced agents go to never be heard from again… until they come across a hostage case that could turn the division around. Premieres Fri Apr 1
AMAZON PRIME “The Outlaws” Series trailer. Co-created by and co-starring Steven Merchant, about a group doing a project for their gov’t mandated community service who find a big ol bag o’ 💰. Premieres Fri April 1
NETFLIX “Human Resources” series trailer. R-rated animated comedy from the “Big Mouth” folks. Premieres Fri March 18
AMAZON “Master” movie trailer - SUNDANCE collegiate horror-thriller with Regina Hall. In select theaters and streaming on Fri March 18
🎧 PLAYING ME OFF
TOVE LO “How Long” - Some cool pop synth to start off a new month.
If you need some new tunes:
Email me anytime - just Reply to this email, or connect here on LINKED IN.
-SEAN MCNULTY
@theseanmac on TWITTER
@TheWakeupNews on INSTAGRAM