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☆ As Hollywood gets back to work, new rules bring new pain points
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The WGA won higher pay and residuals for its writers, provisions for minimum staff in television writers' rooms, and more, calling the agreement "exceptional." Advertisement"The conglomerates have the leverage," one TV agent put it. This model could lead to a show getting picked up, but it tended to use fewer writers than regular writers' rooms and pay them less. A third agent said some showrunners are grumbling that while mini-room writers' pay increased post-strike, studios kept the showrunners' pay the same. Marshall, an "Elsbeth" writer and WGA West board member, has been in three writers' rooms since the WGA contract took effect.

Persons: —, ProdPro, There's, I've, Zoe Marshall, Marshall, We're, Christian Simonds, Reed Smith, Simonds, Rolling Stone, Jonathan Handel, Puck, Handel Organizations: Service, SAG, WGA, Business, Netflix, Warners, Paramount, Otis College of Art, Hollywood, WGA West, Google, Rolling, Entertainment

☆ Free TV Streaming Is Surging, and It's a Problem for Hollywood
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-29 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

The basic problem: It's unclear how these free services could support new, Hollywood-style programming even if they wanted to. Now, with YouTube making the jump to TV screens and "free, ad-supported TV" (FAST) services having a moment, where does that leave Hollywood? Tech and legacy media will battle over free TV in the coming monthsLooking ahead, the major players already ahead in free TV will likely continue to gain share. Free streaming may seem like a way for Hollywood to claw back viewers. If not, it's hard to say what winning in the battle for free TV will actually get them.

Persons: Prognosticators, YouTuber Jamie Clement, Tubi's, Sarah Lee, Evan Shapiro, There's, Jenn Vaux, it's, Max, Peacock, Roku, It's, Tubi, Adam Lewinson, WBD, Laura Florence, Horowitz Organizations: Netflix, Business, YouTube, Hollywood, Disney, Hulu, Warner, Comcast, FX Networks, Parks Associates, Nielsen, Media, Fox, ABC News, NFL, FAST, Horowitz Research, Hub Entertainment Research, Tech, Fire TV, Paramount, Pluto, SVP, Global, Fremantle, JPMorgan, CNBC Locations: Hollywood, Fremantle

☆ Hollywood has a big problem with how people are watching TV these days
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-29 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

In today's big story, viewers are opting for free TV, and that's throwing a massive wrench in Hollywood's plans . AdvertisementBut first, what's on (free) TV? The big storyChanging channelsGetty Images; iStock; Natalie Ammari/BIIf the best things in life truly are free, Hollywood is about to learn a brutal lesson. But what's really caught people's attention over the past year has been "free, ad-supported TV" or FAST services. Figuring out how to make money from free TV is a big enough problem.

Persons: —, Natalie Ammari, upend, Insider's Lucia Moses, what's, Andy Kiersz, Fox's Tubi, Gen Z, that's, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, cofounders, John Overdeck, David Siegel, Carter Lyons, Scott Hoffman, Warren Buffett's, Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett, Noah Berger, Chelsea Jia Feng, Jensen Huang, Alyssa Powell, Banks, Sam Altman's, Kamala Harris, Tim Walz's, Dana Bash, Dan DeFrancesco, Hallam Bullock, Milan Sehmbi, Amanda Yen Organizations: Service, Business, Tech, Hollywood, Nielsen, Netflix, Paramount, Pluto, Comcast, Warner Bros . Discovery, YouTube, Getty, Big Tech, Chelsea, Menlo Ventures, CNN Locations: Berkshire, A16z, New York, London

☆ WBD's streaming chief JB Perrette reveals the plan to get Max growing
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Discovery's Max was supposed to become a Netflix killer when it rolled out a year ago. It combined HBO Max's prestige originals with Discovery+'s reality TV fare to capture viewers as they migrate away from WBD's bedrock traditional TV business. Related storiesGiven its low penetration, it's possible that Max can add tens of millions of subscribers, he said. WBD execs hope the crackdown will encourage people to subscribe to the three-in-one bundle of Max, Disney+, and its sister app, Hulu. While the overlap between Netflix and Disney+ is high, about half of Disney+ subscribers don't subscribe to Max, and vice versa, so each has a chance to significantly increase its audience.

Persons: —, Discovery's Max, WBD, Max, hasn't, JB Perrette, Perrette, We're Organizations: Service, Warner, Netflix, HBO, Disney, Hulu, Business, Nielsen, Vodafone, Amazon, Paris Olympics, Cartoon Network Locations: WBD, Orange

☆ Amazon is poised to boost its revenue by billions with the flip of a switch
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewAmazon is about to shake up the TV ad marketplace as it prepares to show ads to Prime Video viewers starting Monday. The e-commerce giant's entrance into the streaming ad wars is its latest move to grow its $38 billion ads business. Discovery, as well as YouTube, with its big connected TV ad business. An Amazon spokesperson said the company has had a "strong response from agencies" wanting their clients to be first on Prime Video. AdvertisementAnd the launch comes as most TV ad dollars have already been spoken for.

Persons: —, Morgan Stanley, it's, execs, Jon Morgenstern, Nielsen, We've, Greg Peters, Dave Campanelli Organizations: Service, Business, Comcast, Warner Bros, Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Intelligence, Amazon Prime, New, Research, Prime, Amazon Channels, streaming's, Horizon, CTV

☆ Hollywood is bracing for a 'land grab' for production studios and a scramble to restart films and TV shows once the strikes end
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Some Hollywood studios have long-term leases in place at soundstages and can control what they film and when, but most producers book stages for specific productions. And until the strikes are resolved, it's difficult to plan ahead, so most productions are waiting to move forward. But several high-level studio execs, studio investors, and producers told Insider the gears are starting to turn, with some productions beginning scenario planning. Of course, no one's expecting spending on new entertainment to be what it once was once the strikes end. Some projects were ready to start production, with sets already built, or were in mid-production on a TV series.

Persons: that's, Elsa Ramo, Ramo, Hal Rosenbluth, he's, Atlanta's, Steve Greenberg, Christian Simonds, Reed Smith, they'll, Rosenbluth, it's, They're, Alison Brower Organizations: Hollywood, Guild of America, Alliance, Television Producers, SAG, Kaufman Astoria Studios, New York's, Netflix, Warner Bros, Wall Locations: soundstages, Hollywood, New

☆ Higher valuation leaves 'less margin of error' for this streaming stock, Loop Capital says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A higher valuation has raised the stakes for Roku and pushed Loop Capital to the sidelines. Analyst Alan Gould downgraded the streaming stock to hold from buy while keeping his price target at $85. Ultimately, he said the stock is trading at a valuation that leaves less of a cushion. Roku shares slipped 1.5% before the bell Thursday after climbing almost 3% in Wednesday's session. ROKU YTD mountain Roku shares this year — CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report

Persons: Alan Gould, Gould, Roku, Dan Jedda, CNBC's Michael Bloom Locations: Wednesday's

☆ Even with price hikes for Netflix and Disney+, streaming is still a cheap deal and way better than cable TV
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But streaming TV is still a good deal. I wrote in May about why a wave of price hikes for ad-free streaming services was on the horizon. AdvertisementAdvertisementWhat's really coming to an end right now is not the end of cheap streaming but the end of cheap ad-free streaming. That's why cable TV mostly has ads (with some add-on exceptions like HBO and other premium cable channels). "Streamflation" is a drag, but I'm not pining for the cable bundle — and I doubt other cord-cutters are either.

Persons: I'd, It's, Ted Lasso Organizations: Disney, Netflix, Financial Times, Nielsen, Hulu, Free, Paramount, Apple

☆ Disney has a math problem as it strives to compete with Netflix, Wall Street analysts warn. Here's why Bob Iger is destined to make a $9 billion bet on Hulu anyway.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Disney CEO Bob Iger must decide whether to acquire all of Hulu and fold it into Disney+. By buying all of Hulu, Disney could integrate its content into Disney+, which would make the flagship Disney streamer a formidable challenger to Netflix. "You look at the Disney+ bundle with Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, and it's a pretty powerful combination," Nispel told Insider. Currently, the ad versions of Hulu and Disney+ each cost $8 per month while ad-free Hulu and Disney+ cost $15 and $11, respectively. The consensus among analysts about Disney's Hulu dilemma was neatly summarized by Barton Crockett of Rosenblatt Securities, whose price target implies 26% upside for Disney.

Persons: Bob Iger, Iger, that's, Joe Bonner, Brandon Nispel, Nispel, Disney's, Wells, Steven Cahall, Cahall, Hulu, Michael Morris, He's, Morris, Disney, Will Iger, Barton Crockett, Crockett Organizations: Disney, Hulu, Comcast, Netflix, Wall, Argus Research, KeyBanc, ESPN, TAM, Rosenblatt Securities Locations: Hulu

☆ How Bravo's 'Vanderpump Rules' and #Scandoval have boosted NBCUniversal's Peacock as streamers increasingly lean into reality TV
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Peacock seized on the recent runaway success of "Vanderpump Rules" to reach new audiences. It also shows the potential for Peacock's reality-TV shows compared to those on other top streamers. The surge shows how Peacock — whose Instagram bio still reads: "Why are you reading this bio instead of watching Vanderpump Rules rn?" Thanks in part to its Bravo catalog, Peacock is in one of the best positions to capitalize on its unscripted TV pile. Recent Parrot Analytics data first published by TVREV shows Peacock had the second-largest US share of demand for unscripted TV programming during Q1, and ample supply.

Persons: Peacock, Jax Taylor, Brittany Cartwright, Lisa Vanderpump, Ariana Madix, Tom Sandoval, Raquel Leviss, we've, I've, TVREV, HBO Max, Scandoval Organizations: West Hollywood, Housewives, Beverly, Bravo, Housewives of, Warner Bros, Discovery, HBO, Netflix, Hulu Locations: West, Beverly Hills, Jersey

☆ Data shows how Bravo's 'Vanderpump Rules' and #Scandoval have boosted NBCUniversal's Peacock as streamers increasingly lean into reality TV
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Peacock seized on the recent runaway success of "Vanderpump Rules" to reach new audiences. Data shows how the streamer's marketing and programming efforts to capitalize on the show's high-profile drama have played out. It also shows the potential for Peacock's reality-TV shows compared to those on other top streamers. The surge shows how Peacock — whose Instagram bio still reads: "Why are you reading this bio instead of watching Vanderpump Rules rn?" Recent Parrot Analytics data first published by TVREV shows Peacock had the second-largest US share of demand for unscripted TV programming during Q1, and ample supply.

☆ We identified the 112 top executives at Warner Bros. Discovery under CEO David Zaslav as the year-old company takes aim at Netflix and Disney
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Lucia Moses | Taylor Tyson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Warner Bros. One year after Discovery acquired WarnerMedia, WBD CEO David Zaslav faces economic headwinds and an ad slump. Insider mapped out the 112 most powerful people under Zaslav leading WBD film and TV studios, HBO, CNN, and more. One year after the merger that created Warner Bros. While Kathleen Finch has joined the mix with her portfolio of Discovery channels, top TV execs from the WarnerMedia regime — HBO's Casey Bloys and Warner Bros. TV studios chief Channing Dungey — are still in place.

More than 11,000 film and television writers, who say their compensation doesn't match the revenue generated in the streaming era, are on strike for the first time since 2007-08. Most immediately, this will have a significant impact on late-night shows, where writers are tasked with crafting timely and topical jokes. That's because many shows and films have already wrapped production and will enter the marketplace unaffected by the strike. Instead, they feel they've been shortchanged on compensation as studios, networks and streaming platforms write a new rulebook in real time. Unlike the 2007 strike, writers currently have social media on their side and are rallying on platforms like Twitter, Instagram and TikTok to get their message out.

☆ How Warner Bros. Discovery plans to take on Disney and Netflix with new streamer Max, according to WBD's top marketing exec
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

"HBO had its limits," Patrizio Spagnoletto, Warner Bros. WBD research showed that to attract new subscribers, the HBO brand was too nichePatrizio "Pato" Spagnoletto is Warner Bros. DiscoveryIn dropping "HBO" from the name, WBD is acknowledging HBO Max has a potent but narrow appeal that could turn off a broader audience. The Max logo has the same vibe as the HBO Max logo, however, and incorporates a few elements of HBO's logo. "Right now, we have very limited capabilities" in that regard, he said of the current HBO Max app.

☆ We mapped out the 113 most powerful people at Warner Bros. Discovery after a blockbuster merger and a tumultuous year of layoffs and cuts under CEO David Zaslav
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Lucia Moses | Taylor Tyson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav is focused on rebuilding but faces economic headwinds and an advertising slump. Insider mapped out the 112 most powerful people under Zaslav leading WBD film and TV studios, HBO, CNN, and more. One year after the merger that created Warner Bros. While Kathleen Finch has joined the mix with her portfolio of Discovery channels, top TV execs from the WarnerMedia regime — HBO's Casey Bloys and Warner Bros. TV studios chief Channing Dungey — are still in place.

☆ Top Warner Bros. Discovery marketing exec reveals the launch strategy for mega-streamer Max, the challenges ahead, and why HBO was dropped from the name: 'HBO had its limits'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Spagnoletto, who goes by Pato, was referring to the market research WBD conducted before settling on the name Max — dropping the HBO from its existing service, HBO Max — for the company's long-awaited mega-streamer that will combine content from HBO Max and Discovery+. WBD research showed that to attract new subscribers, the HBO brand was too nichePatrizio "Pato" Spagnoletto Warner Bros. DiscoveryIn dropping "HBO" from the name, WBD is acknowledging HBO Max has a potent but narrow appeal that could turn off a broader audience. The Max logo has the same vibe as the HBO Max logo, however, and incorporates a few elements of HBO's logo. "Right now, we have very limited capabilities" in that regard, he said of the current HBO Max app.

☆ Warner Bros Discovery reveals pricing, promotion, and content details of its new streamer, Max, as it aims to take on Netflix and fire up Wall Street
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Called Max, the app will feature content from HBO Max and Discovery+. Discovery announced the details of its new streaming app on Wednesday, after much anticipation from Hollywood and Madison Avenue. The prices will stay the same for HBO Max subscribers, who will begin to be automatically ported over to the new service. Presenting the entire WBD content catalog on the combined streamer without diluting HBO's prestige factor was another challenge. HBO Max has greater recognition with younger consumers, according to a new Samba TV/HarrisX poll, which could help grow awareness for Discovery+.

Warner Bros. Discovery on Wednesday unveiled its new blended streaming service of HBO Max and Discovery+, called "Max." Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Discovery had more than 96 million global streaming subscribers, from either HBO Max, HBO or Discovery+, at the end of the fourth quarter.

"This reorganization will result in a more cost-effective, coordinated approach to our operations," Iger told analysts on a conference call. Disney earlier reported its first quarterly decrease in subscriptions for its Disney+ streaming media unit, which lost more than $1 billion. Iger also repositioned the company to capitalize on the streaming revolution, acquiring 21st Century Fox's film and television assets in 2019 and launching the Disney+ streaming service that fall. Now, Iger will seek to put Disney's streaming business on a path to growth and profitability. It reorganized its business in 2018 to accelerate the growth of its streaming business, and again in 2020, to further spur streaming's growth.

Iger said he would reorganize the company into three segments: an entertainment unit that encompasses film, television and streaming; a sports-focused ESPN unit; and Disney parks, experiences and products. "This reorganization will result in a more cost-effective, coordinated approach to our operations," Iger told analysts on a conference call. Disney earlier reported its first quarterly decrease in subscriptions for its Disney+ streaming media unit which lost more than $1 billion. Now, Iger will seek to put Disney's streaming business on a path to growth and profitability. It reorganized its business in 2018 to accelerate the growth of its streaming business, and again in 2020, to further spur streaming's growth.

☆ Disney and other Hollywood giants spent billions chasing Netflix. But their strategy appears to have a major flaw.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Media companies are trying to get to streaming profitability but their underlying businesses are in worse shape than previously thought. The remedy is to cut content spending, which throws the whole business model out the window. After cheering on Hollywood players for massively spending on streaming content, Wall Street is looking less impressed. Bottom line is, the media business isn't as good as it used to be." But another warning sign for these companies is that in streaming, content may not be as valuable as once thought.

☆ Streaming's 'third wave' of streaming will happen in coming months, says Heather Moosnick
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailStreaming's 'third wave' of streaming will happen in coming months, says Heather MoosnickHeather Moosnick, former Hulu and YouTube executive, joins ‘Squawk on the Street’ to discuss Netflix's earnings and subscriber expectations.

The Mexican grupera (a form of regional music) band Los Bukis become the first Latin music band to sell out two shows at the 70,000-seat SoFi Stadium. The magnitude of generational diversity could be seen when the Grammy award-winning Mexican band Los Tigres del Norte were on stage. Hernán Hernández and Jorge Hernández of the band Los Tigres del Norte perform Saturday. Scott Dudelson / Getty Images"Before, we really were invisible,” said Leila Cobo, a renowned Latin music expert and Billboard’s vice president of Latin content. "Now I think the kids go to see their parents’ music and Bad Bunny."

☆ We're fed up after Disney's terrible quarter and streaming losses. It's time for some big changes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Operating income fell 91% to $83 million mostly due to higher than expected losses from the Direct-to-Consumer business. In better news, Disney ended Q4 with 164.2 million Disney+ subscribers, up 12.1 million from the prior quarter and well above estimates of about 160.45 million. Bundling has a negative effect on ARPUs, and Disney said Tuesday evening that bundled and multiproduct offerings now make up over 40% of domestic Disney+ subscribers. In terms of subscribers, Disney sees core Disney+ subscribers slightly increasing in its first quarter, though Disney+ Hotstar is expected to lose subs due to the absence of the Indian Premier League Cricket rights. After checking consensus estimates, this is a terrible miss compared to expectations of sales growing by 11% and operating income increasing by 17%.

☆ Livestreaming's explosion has shaken up the creator economy. Here are 12 innovative startups changing how influencers use live video, from commerce to sports.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Tanya Chen | Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

By 2023, Insider Intelligence forecasts there will be 163.4 million viewers of live video in the US alone – a substantial leap over the 126.7 million viewers it estimated in 2019. Beyond de facto streaming platforms like Twitch, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, a bevy of startups are seeking to capitalize on this proliferating viewership. As Twitch did for gaming, other players are seeking to create live programming hubs for different interest niches. Moment hosts live podcast recordings from the likes of Tiny Meat Gang, while Philadelphia-based Switchboard Live helps users post their streams on multiple platforms simultaneously. Insider looked at the space to determine the most innovating livestreaming startups today.

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