Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LinkedIn here if ya like), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on TUESDAY, May 14, 2024.
Where I was starting to get a little concerned that Hollywood had run out of reboots reimaginings from the vaults, given our great progress so far this year 💪.
But don’t worry America! PEACOCK has ya covered, announcing a new reality show with Paris & Nicole (if you have to ask for last names, you’re just too young). So that’s where the summer 🦚 price hike money is really going.
PLUS: The 1987 film Outrageous Fortune is also getting a remake reimagining, which I’m sure anyone under 45 — okay fine, 55, is like 🤷♂️:
SEARCHLIGHT is the one mining the TOUCHSTONE library here (who wants to explain DISNEY’s TOUCHSTONE era to the kids?), with Theater Camp director Molly Gordon helming the pic — which is going with an entirely different title called Small Parts (it centers on two actors), and Gordon is co-writing with Allie Levitan.
As with whatever PEACOCK is doing with The Office, can someone please explain this new trend of announcing new projects based on existing IP — and then using none of that actual IP in the project?
BTW: Any Office fans hoping for some shoehorn of a Michael Scott cameo — Steve Carell put that fire out real fast at the IF premiere last night, telling THR:
“I will be watching but I will not be showing up. It’s just a new thing and there’s really no reason for my character [Michael Scott] to show up in something like that.”
OH: The great rebundling continues: COMCAST CEO Brian Roberts announced StreamSaver this morning, packaging Peacock, Netflix and Apple TV+ “at a vastly reduced price to anything available today” — for Comcast broadband and cable customers only. No pricing or timing yet, but great name!
THEN: The NFL will kick-off the season on Thursday, Sept. 5 on NBC with the RAVENS at the CHIEFS, and Tom Brady’s first game in the booth at FOX the following Sunday will be BROWNS vs. COWBOYS (rest of the schedule comes out tonight).
BTW: FACEBOOK referral traffic to news sites has fallen another 50% in the past 12 months according to CHARTBEAT. Funny, I didn’t know referral traffic could go into negative numbers.
RELATED: BUZZFEED revenue was -18% YoY in Q1, with advertising -22%, an an adjusted loss of $11M on . . . $45M of total revenue. Q2 revenue is projected to be at least -21% vs. a year ago. The stock is roughly -12% in pre-market trading today.
AND: Meet THE GATES FOUNDATION, as Melinda French Gates is leaving the fka BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION, and as per her 2021 separation agreement with Bill, will get an additional $12.5B to further her current philanthropy work around women and families, as part of her PIVOTAL VENTURES.
ALSO: Donald Glover / Childish Gambino is going out on tour this summer starting in August (tix on sale here tomorrow). His new album, Atavista, dropped yesterday (link here).
OH: Happy LION day to you all! LIONSGATE’s new stand-alone stock begins trading on the NASDAQ today.
AS EXPECTED: ROKU picked up the early-day Sunday MLB games that PEACOCK let go. Games will start streaming this Sunday (RED SOX vs. CARDINALS) for free on THE ROKU CHANNEL. No 💰 given for the deal, which was described as “multi-year” and gives ROKU global streaming rights.
HMM: MTV has bagged the MTV Movie & TV Awards this year, but says it will return in a, yes, “reimagined” format in 2025. The show first launched in 1992 . . . for any other GenX’ers wanting an age check to start their day. #YerWelcome
OH GREAT: Dumb Money’s sequel chances just went up a bit yesterday. Somewhere Adam Aron is working overtime on his calculator to figure out exactly when to sell more shares. To uh, pay off some company debt of course.
AND YES: The same stock geniuses that inadvertently pushed up AMC NETWORKS stock last time as a byproduct . . . seem to have done the same yesterday, putting that stock +15%.
AHA: NIELSEN is releasing new cross-platform viewership data for media companies, in addition to its monthly Gauge chart, which just looks at streaming.
Think the studios may reference this in their Upfronts ad conversations? 🧐
THANK YOU: To PARAMOUNT for the invite to check out the heartfelt NYC premiere of IF last night. And I really hope that guy I saw on the subway on the ride home was imaginary.
AND: An Office of the CEO sighting! Look at that, 3 CEO’s . . . and they’re all at the movies 🙄 — guess my theory that they’d be taking shifts isn’t holding water. Always nice to show support together at the company shindigs 👍.