Mornin! This is Sean McNulty and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on FRIDAY January 7, 2021.

Where in honor of THE WEEKND dropping his latest album today (SPOTIFY link here), let’s have our Friday Morning Coffee while watching some golf. From his bathtub. In one of his 6 bathrooms.

His LA apartment can be yours for for a paltry $22.5 Million! This entire-floor Westwood unit also apparently has its own name - “Mogul”. But thinking THE WEEKND has a clause to take that name with ‘em in the sale contract… so you’ll have to think of an alt. Just please don’t call it your Weeknd house.

picture: Carsten Schertzer for The Luxury Level

ALSO: James Corden joins the list of covid-paused production this week along with:

A couple of “NCIS” shows, “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Chicago Fire”, “Star Trek: Picard” and I think one or two I’m forgetting
The “Scream” premiere was canceled next week
And the “Cyrano” UK release was also pushed from Jan 14 to Feb 25

AND: If you wanna watch whatever the heck the GOLDEN GLOBES are gonna be on Sunday… First - really? Second you’re outta luck, definitely no livestream happening. So you can follow along on TWITTER if ya like.

📽 THE SILVER TV

JUST 4 THINGS

SNL is gonna give it a go next Saturday Jan 15, with Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”, “Hamilton”) and RODDY RICH… and a “live studio audience”.
- SNL said they’ll also have shows on Jan 22 and 29, talent TBD. /Variety
APPLE TV+ gets Audrey Hepburn biopic starring Rooney Mara, directed by Luca Guadagnino. (PUCK broke this story but - they don’t have links on their website so the link is to DEADLINE’s… additional reporting instead)
Alison Roman is getting a food series on CNN+. Will debut later in the year TBD. /Deadline
A24 & NEW REGENCY doing Steve McQueen (“12 Years a Slave”) directed docu “Occupied City” about Amsterdam during WWII Nazi occupation. A24 will handle in the US, NEW REGENCY will sell internationally. /Deadline

IN THE HOLLYWOOD EXECUTIVE SUITE

IFC FILMS sets a new head of acquisitions - Scott Shooman is coming over from ENDEAVOR CONTENT as SVP. /Deadline
AMBLIN names SONY & DISNEY veteran Lauren Abrahams as EVP of Production. /Deadline

💻 THE MEDIA BIZ

NY TIMES pays $550 Million for subscription sports journalism brand THE ATHLETIC

THE ATHLETIC has about 1.2 Million subscribers.

The TIMES has a stated goal of getting to 10 Million subscribers across products by 2025.

They currently have 8.3 Million (including print subs) so… that 10 Mil goal just got a lot easier.

But - THE ATHLETIC is still unprofitable, employing 600 people, with no plans to become profitable for a while (they’ve been looking to sell to someone for the past year).

THE ATHLETIC will remain a “stand alone product” (runs $72 a year), different from the existing SPORTS group at the NY TIMES. For now.

But it will likely be bundled in offers to TIMES subscribers to grow the business, especially as it’s a news genre THE NY TIMES has traditionally not had a strong presence in.

Plus ya gotta think it’ll get great increased exposure in TIMES newsletters and podcasts, and the TIMES ad sales and events dept will add some $$ opportunities. /The Information (with a Deadline summation here)

TIKTOK makes deal to put curated TOK’s on TV screens in 19,000 restaurants, gyms, and doctors offices

Sets partnership with ATMOSPHERE, a company who runs the ad-supported network with screens playing a curated loop of content in places like TACO BELL and TEXAS ROADHOUSE locations, gym chains, etc.

ATMOSPHERE will choose which TOK’s are featured… though guessing the people creating said TOK’s will not be paid. #CreatorEconomy

Further proof that TIKTOK has created not just a social media platform, but a proprietary, instantly recognizable video format… that makes all imitators (REELS, SHORTS) still look like poor-man’s versions of TIKTOK, unlike previous Social Media innovations (SNAPS, CLUBHOUSE etc) that have not been nearly as successful at keeping differentiated/a unique brand. Ok SNAPS maybe, but they haven’t succeeded in finding a way to live and thrive off-platform like TIKTOK.

ALSO IN MEDIA

CLUBHOUSE adds function so anyone can listen to a room via desktop, no CLUBHOUSE account required. /Clubhouse
60% of Streaming service subscribers are unhappy with the experience using the products in new ACCENTURE study. Most cite the frustration that it takes them too long to find something they wanna watch. /TV Tech
- I’m personally trying out ESPN+ this month and you can add me to that list. Got a Very Long way to go ESPN+.
TWITTER is testing out a “reaction video tweet” function, whereby when you hit Retweet, you can record a video or add a photo go along with that Tweet instead of just typing a comment. /XDA-Developers (via WSJ’s CMO Today newsletter)
FACEBOOK throws in the towel on trying to create a new proprietary Operating System for their VR & AR products (OCULUS, etc), an effort that involved hundreds of employees over the past several years. /The Information
APPLE’s Tim Cook made $98 Million last year… so don’t even make the reach gesture if you’re hangin out at the Sizzler together.
- However only $3 Million was in actual salary if that makes you feel better. It did not for me. /THR
PENSKE MEDIA CORP (owner of DEADLINE, VARIETY, ROLLING STONE, etc) buys AMERICAN PAVILLION, the hospitality & media center for the CANNES FILM FEST. PMC plans to expand it to other fests (they recently bought half of SXSW) as part of their business plan to expand revenue in the Events space. /Variety

🏦 STOCK NOTES:

NY TIMES +5% on THE ATHLETIC news

👩‍💻 THE FSS FEED:

(new Stuff to Watch this weekend, Friday - Saturday - Sunday)

FRIDAY

IN THEATERS:

UNIVERSAL “The 355” - Only in Theaters

STREAMING:

MOVIES

AMAZON PRIME “The Tender Bar” - Stream or Add to Your List here

SERIES

HBOMAX “Search Party” - Season 5 (final season), all 10 episodes drop today. Stream or Add to Your List here

TV:

VH1 “RuPaul’s Drag Race” - New season premieres at 8p

SATURDAY

ABC & ESPN - NFL Doubleheader End of the Season games:
- CHIEFS at BRONCOS at 430p
- COWBOYS at EAGLES at 815p

SUNDAY

New “60 Minutes” at 7p on CBS
NBC Sunday Night Football finale - CHARGERS at RAIDERS at 8p
HBO “Euphoria” - Season 2 premieres at 9p
HBO “The Righteous Gemstones” - Season 2, two-episodes at 10p
FOX “Call Me Kat” - Season 2 premiere 8p
FOX “Pivoting” - Sitcom series premiere 830p

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🎥 TRAILER HOUSE

NETFLIX “Ozark” Season 4 pt1 trailer - Episodes drop in 2 weeks on Fri Jan 21.

APPLE TV+ “Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock” series trailer - Premieres Fri Jan 21

🎧 PLAYING ME OFF

Brand new MAREN MORRIS - “Circles Around This Town”

Listen here on SPOTIFY and If you need new tunes:

THE WAKEUP Spotify playlist

D’OH!

Correction from yesterday’s PEACOCK item - the OLYMPICS start on Feb 4, the SUPERBOWL is Feb 13 (although OLYMPICS will also air after the game).

But going out with a Rest in Peace for director Peter Bogdanovich, who died at the age of 82 of natural causes yesterday.

Email me anytime - just reply to this email, or connect here on LINKED IN.

-SEAN MCNULTY

@theseanmac on TWITTER

@TheWakeupNews on INSTAGRAM

The Wakeup

SNL returning as more shows shut down