Morning Consult Entertainment: Sports-Focused Streaming Platform FuboTV Rebrands as Fubo
 

Entertainment

Essential entertainment industry news & intel to start your day.
March 22, 2023
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Today’s Top News

  • FuboTV Inc. announced the rebrand of its sports-focused streaming platform from FuboTV to Fubo via a new ad campaign from actor Ryan Reynolds’ advertising agency and Fubo investor, Maximum Effort, which stars former NBA player Kevin Garnett and includes the tagline, “If Sports Fans Built a Streaming Service.” Fubo, whose competitors include Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube TV and the Walt Disney Co.’s Hulu + Live TV, reported approximately 1.4 million North American subscribers at the end of 2022, a 29% year-over-year increase. (Variety)
  • After announcing 7,000 job cuts in February, Disney is planning to implement the first round of layoffs next week, along with a second, bigger wave at the end of April, while a third round could be possible, sources said. The cuts are reportedly expected to be spread across the company’s three main departments: Entertainment, ESPN and Parks, Experiences and Products. (Deadline)
  • The overall representation of LGBTQ characters on TV decreased from last year, from 637 characters to 596, though more than half of those characters were people of color, an increase in racial diversity, according to a new report from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. The report, which counted 141 LGBTQ characters on broadcast, 139 on cable and 356 on streaming services, praised the inclusivity of shows such as “The Last of Us,” “Stranger Things” and “The Umbrella Academy.” (The Hollywood Reporter)
 

Chart Review

Global Recorded Music Industry Revenues 1999 – 2022

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry

 
 

What Else You Need to Know

General
 

Redbox Parent Chicken Soup For The Soul Tightens Belt As Movie Revenue Starts To Return; Exec Bonuses Deferred, Some Distribution Deals Renegotiated, But No Layoffs Planned

Dade Hayes, Deadline

As crucial movie rental revenue finally starts to return, Redbox and Crackle parent Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is taking steps to tighten its corporate belt.

 

Hollywood Powers Ontario to Record $3.15B Production Spend

Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter

Major studios and streamers dropped $1.94 billion locally on mostly TV series like Prime Video’s “The Boys” and “Star Trek: Discovery” for Paramount+, up from $1.91 billion spent across the province in 2021.

 

Biden honors Springsteen, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Mindy Kaling

Steve Holland, Reuters

U.S. President Joe Biden made an observation when conferring the National Medal of Arts on rocker Bruce Springsteen on Tuesday: “Bruce, some people are just born to run, man.”

 

Gwyneth Paltrow’s trial over Utah ski collision begins

Sam Metz, The Associated Press

Gwyneth Paltrow’s lawyer called the story of a retired optometrist who is suing her over a 2016 ski collision “utter B.S.” on Tuesday during the trial’s opening day in Utah.

 

Amanda Bynes Placed on Psychiatric Hold, Found Naked and Roaming Streets

TMZ

Amanda Bynes has been placed on a psychiatric hold after she was found roaming the streets naked and alone … TMZ has learned.

 

Lawyers reveal whether Prince Harry’s drug use will affect US visa status

Eileen Reslen, Page Six

“Truth-teller” Prince Harry may find himself in hot water — and lose his rights to live in the US — for being too honest about his past drug use, a legal expert tells Page Six exclusively.

 

Danny DeVito Will Return to Broadway With Daughter Lucy in Theresa Rebeck’s ‘I Need That’

Talaura Harms, Playbill

Roundabout Theatre Company has announced initial plans for the 2023-24 season, including four world premieres in their Broadway and Off-Broadway venues.

 

‘Phantom of the Opera’ Hits Highest Grossing Week In 35 Years

Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter

Broadway also saw performances by the Jonas Brothers as part of a five-night residency.

 

J.K. Rowling Podcast Finally Lets a Trans Person Push Back

Laura Bradley, The Daily Beast

It took six episodes for host Megan Phelps-Roper to meaningfully feature a trans person whose perspective did not support Rowling’s.

 

Paul Newman’s camp for sick kids rises from the ashes

Pat Eaton-Robb, The Associated Press

Two years after a fire devastated Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang camp for seriously ill children, a rebuilt camp center is opening.

 

SlamBall, which combines basketball and football with trampolines, snags big investors

Lillian Rizzo, CNBC

A star-studded lineup of investors in and around sports are jumping into the sport, which is a mashup of football, basketball and trampolines that was buzzy for a short time in the early 2000s.

 
Film
 

Netflix Bets Big on ‘The Electric State’ as It Seeks to Build Franchises

Sarah Krouse and Robbie Whelan, The Wall Street Journal

Netflix Inc. is spending big on a coming science-fiction movie from the filmmaking team behind “Avengers: Endgame,” underscoring the company’s willingness to invest heavily in projects it thinks can be turned into major franchises.

 

Cameron Diaz comeback movie grinds to a halt as Jamie Foxx ‘calls police after he’s targeted in elaborate $40,000 scam while filming’

James Vituscka, The Daily Mail

Cameron Diaz’s comeback film has reportedly come to a halt after a plot to steal £33,000 from co-star Jamie Foxx in a scam emerged. Bosses of big budget Netflix movie “Back In Action” are said to have paused the production as they carried out an investigation which led to a member of staff getting fired.

 

‘Winnie the Pooh’ slasher film pulled from Hong Kong cinemas

Kanis Leung, The Associated Press

Public screenings of a slasher film that features Winnie the Pooh were scrapped abruptly in Hong Kong on Tuesday, sparking discussions over increasing censorship in the city.

 

‘The Whale’ Beats ‘Cocaine Bear’ on VOD

Tom Brueggemann, IndieWire

This week in home viewing, the whale topped a bear. “Cocaine Bear” ($19.99) came out on PVOD after its third weekend — standard timing for Universal.

 

Zachary Levi addresses disappointing ‘Shazam 2’ box office, says marketing is the ‘biggest issue’

Devan Coogan, Entertainment Weekly

The “Fury of the Gods” actor also weighed in on online toxicity, acknowledging that some Zack Snyder fans root for other DC projects to fail.

 

Anne Hathaway, Michaela Coel to Star in David Lowery’s Pop Epic ‘Mother Mary’ for A24

Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter

The project brings Lowery back into the A24 fold after the filmmaker’s “The Green Knight” and “A Ghost Story.”

 

Rashida Jones Joins Kate McKinnon in Andrew Stanton Sci-Fi Drama ‘In the Blink of Eye’

Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter

Colby Day wrote the script that was on the 2017 Black List.

 
Television
 

BAFTA TV Awards: ‘This is Going to Hurt,’ ‘The Responder’ Lead Pack of Nominees

Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter

“Bad Sisters,” “Slow Horses,” “The Crown” and “The English” are also among the frontrunners, while Gary Oldman, Daniel Radcliffe and Cillian Murphy have landed their first ever BAFTA TV nominations.

 

Netflix Top 10: Korean Drama ‘The Glory’ Becomes Streamer’s Seventh Most Popular Non-English Series

BreAnna Bell, Variety

Korean drama “The Glory” sits atop Netflix’s global top 10 list of titles for the second week with the release of part 2.

 

Netflix’s ‘Gears of War’ Movie Taps ‘Dune’ and ‘Doctor Strange’ Writer Jon Spaihts

Angelique Jackson, Variety

Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the popular video game “Gears of War” moves one step closer as Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Jon Spaihts has boarded the project.

 

HGTV Orders ‘Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge’ Series as Part of Cross-Network Summer Promo for Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ Movie

Jennifer Maas, Variety

Premiering this summer, the Ashley Graham-hosted four-episode event is launching ahead of the July 21 release of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie as part of a giant cross-network promotion across Warner Bros. Discovery linear channels to support the much-anticipated Warner Bros. Pictures film.

 

James Patterson Sets First-Look Deal at Skydance TV

Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter

The author will adapt “Women’s Murder Club,” “Michael Bennett” and numerous other works for the studio.

 

Eddie Redmayne to Lead ‘Day of the Jackal’ TV Adaptation for Sky, Peacock

Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter

Redmayne will play the famed assassin and also executive produce the series, a modernized take on Frederick Forsyth’s novel and 1973 film.

 

Diarra Kilpatrick Strikes Overall Deal With BET, Lands Straight-To-Series Order For Dark Comedy At BET+

Rosy Cordero, Deadline

Actress, writer and producer Diarra Kilpatrick has signed an overall deal with BET for its BET Studios division. As part of the deal, BET+ ordered eight episodes of the straight-to-series project “Diarra from Detroit.”

 

Matthew Macfadyen Has Mixed Feelings About the End of ‘Succession’

Sarah Lyall, The New York Times

“It’s sort of awful and heartbreaking, but at the same time, there’s a slight relief,” said the actor, whose unbearably awkward Tom has gone from punching bag to power player.

 
Technology and New Media
 

GameStop jumps after swinging to profit, ignites rally in meme stocks

Reuters

Meme stock GameStop Corp. jumped nearly 40% in premarket trading on Wednesday after the video game retailer posted its first profitable quarter in two years, igniting a surge in other stocks popular among retail traders.

 

TikTok CEO appeals to U.S. users ahead of House testimony

Lauren Feiner, CNBC

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew appealed directly to the app’s users ahead of what’s expected to be a heated grilling in the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee this week, in a video posted to the platform Tuesday.

 

Roblox launches its first generative AI game creation tools

Sean Buckley, Engadget 

The Code Assist and Material Generator betas hope to make game creation less tedious.

 

Publishers tout generative AI opportunities to save and make money amid rough media market

Sara Guaglione, Digiday

Generative artificial intelligence technology will be an area of focus for some media companies this year as they work to cut costs and find new revenue opportunities amid a tough media market, according to fourth quarter earnings calls held by BuzzFeed Inc., Dotdash Meredith, Gannett and The Arena Group.

 
Music
 

Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ Returns to No. 1 on Hot 100, Rema & Selena Gomez’s ‘Calm Down’ Hits Top 10

Gary Trust, Billboard

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” rebounds for a seventh week atop the Billboard Hot 100.

 

Taylor Swift Makes Good on Promise to 13-Year-Old Burn Survivor With Tour Tickets

Hannah Dailey, Billboard

Isabella McCune has been waiting to see the star live since 2018, when a severe accident prevented her from attending the Reputation Tour.

 

Post Malone Settles ‘Circles’ Copyright Suit in Last-Minute Deal

Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter

The trial was set to feature witnesses playing instruments on the stand before it was settled as a jury was being selected.

 

Bad Bunny’s ex-girlfriend files lawsuit seeking $40M

Dánica Coto, The Associated Press

Bad Bunny’s ex–girlfriend is suing the superstar for at least $40 million over a well-known voice recording she provided the singer before he became famous.

 

K-Pop Star Apologizes for Sporting QAnon and Nazi Shirts

Madeline Roth, The Daily Beast

Chaeyoung, a member of the South Korean girl group TWICE, says she “didn’t recognize the meaning of the tilted swastika” on her shirt.

 

Beyoncé tickets in the U.S. are so expensive that some fans are flying to Europe instead

Daysia Tolentino and Kaetlyn Liddy, NBC News

With ticket prices surging at some North American tour locations, fans have decided their money is better spent on a trip and a show.

 
Morning Consult