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As you may know already, for the past two years I have organized the Global TV Awards, which picks the best non-English speaking TV that were released in the U.S. over the previous year.
The previous award winners can be found at globaltvawards.com, but for year three I am launching a reworked newsletter-centric version of the web site. That will include a newsletter, which will go out a few times over the course of the nominating and voting process.
You can sign up for that newsletter here, although you won’t be receiving much until mid-December. Last year, more than 90,000 people voted for their favorites and I am hoping to shatter that record for year three.”
I am also looking for sponsors or streamers willing to offer special offers to subscribers of that newsletter. If that sounds like something that might work for your company, reach out at [email protected]
What Do You With A Streaming Service That You Can’t Convince Subscribers To Give Up?
David Ellison and other Skydance executives gave a round of presentations to investors and the press this week following the merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery. And one topic that came up repeatedly was that the new company’s two major streaming services would be combined into one, still unnamed consumer streaming service at some point in the future.
But there was no mention of Discovery+, the streaming service that refuses to die.
When Discovery Communications took over Warner Media, one of new CEO David Zaslav’s top priorities was to get rid of Discovery+, a streamer devoted entirely to unscripted programming. He cut the streamer’s original content budget, slashed the number of licensed titles, added many of the newer shows to what was then called Max, and offered current Discovery+ subscribers the chance to move over to Max for a discounted rate.
And it didn’t work. We know that because Zaslav admitted as much in several interviews. But because Warner Bros. Discovery never broke out individual subscriber numbers for Discovery+, we have no idea how many subscribers refused to leave.
And now new owner Skydance is planning to consolidate Paramount+ and HBO Max. In part because there is almost no catalog overlap between the two services. According to new data from Reelgood, the two services share six titles in the US, out of 3,955 on HBO Max and 1,937 on Paramount+'s Premium tier, with each series counted once.
The content overlap story between HBO Max and Discovery+ is much different.
Of 1,220 Discovery+ titles in the US, 711 (58%) also appear on HBO Max.
Of the 509 Discovery+ titles not on HBO Max, 15 are on Pluto TV, Skydance's free service.
That leaves 494 titles found only on Discovery+, and 459 of them are TV shows, mostly reality and documentary series. In the US, that is what Discovery+ adds to the group on its own.
So rolling Discovery+ into whatever this service will be called is possible. But the net result will either be moving more unscripted programming onto HBO Max from Discovery+. Or just eliminating that 42% of Discovery+ programming that isn’t currently on HBO Max.
Shutting down Discovery+ would lose Skydance some paid subscribers. But since the Discovery+ subscriber numbers aren’t public, the company could take advantage of the expected chaos following the combination of Paramount+ and HBO Max to mask whatever subscriber churn and revenue hit that results from the decision.
It’s also worth remembering that all of these talks end up being very U.S.-centric. But Discovery+ is available in six other countries right now: Austria, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Each country’s version of Discovery+ looks different due to licensing and viewing demands.
In the instance of the UK, Reelgood data shows that country’s content overlap is very different than the one in the U.S.:
The UK starts from a different place.
HBO Max launched in the UK and Ireland on March 26, and as of October 5 only 100 of 901 Discovery+ UK titles (11%) were also on HBO Max. HBO Max and Paramount+ share one UK title, the 2022 film Fall.
So what does the future hold for Discovery+? No one at Skydance is willing to speculate. But my hunch is that it goes away.
Although if it were me, I would combine the SVOD Discovery+ with Pluto TV, providing a budget hybrid service targeting budget conscious viewers.
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Yes, that Arnold Schwarzenegger.
He has a newsletter on beehiiv. So do Codie Sanchez, Jay Shetty, David Begnaud, Colin & Samir, and Joanna Stern.
They could publish just about anywhere. They chose beehiiv to build a direct connection with the people who want to hear from them most. And you can do the same, whether you’re world-famous or just at the start of your plan for world domination.
Tweet Of The Day
Odds & Sods
The vikings drama Bloodaxe will premiere Wednesday, January 20th, 2027 on Prime Video. It has already been picked up for a second season. Which likely means both seasons are being produced at the same time. Here is a first look at the trailer, and here is the offical logline of the series: "Bloodaxe opens in 927 AD, as the ailing King Harald Fairhair of Norway must name a successor. Erik Bloodaxe, the most famous warrior of the Viking world, is the ruthless heir sworn to the pagan ways, and his claim is challenged on every side. His greatest rival is his younger brother Haakon, raised in Christian Wessex under the ambitious King Athelstan and poised to return home backed by an English fleet. As the loyalties of his remaining brothers and the Jarls waver, Erik leans on the counsel and diplomatic skill of his wife Gunnhild, while in Denmark her father King Gorm plots to exploit Norway's instability. Faith and fate collide as the men who would crown Haakon demand he renounce his God to take the throne. Brother falls at the hand of brother, the old ways crumble, and the season builds toward an apocalyptic siege that threatens to engulf Erik's stronghold."
Season two of Blade Runner: 2099 premieres Wednesday, November 25th on Prime Video. Here is a first look at the trailer.
Season two of City Of God: The Fight Rages On premieres Sunday, November 8th on HBO. Here is a first look at the trailer. And here is the official logline: “Filmed in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, the six-episode season follows a new chapter in the story of the City of God community. Following the death of drug lord Curió, a violent struggle for control of the territory erupts. Amid the struggle for power, newly elected councilwoman Berenice (Roberta Rodrigues) takes on political corruption and the growing influence of the militia, while Jerusa (Andréia Horta), a lawyer haunted by her past, seeks revenge against those responsible for destroying her family. Meanwhile, Leka (Luellem de Castro) turns to culture, funk music, and dance parties to inspire unity, resistance, and hope among the local residents.”
Apple is expected to introduce some new home devices - including a new TV streaming box - during a presentation on October 13th.
Season three of Percy Jackson and The Olympians will premiere Friday, November 20th on Disney+.
Derek Waters's Funny or Die web series turned Comedy Central show Drunk History returned as a short-form web series last month. In the most recent episode, Patton Oswalt takes viewers through the ball of twine civil war between Minnesota and Kansas.
Season two of Common Side Effects premieres Sunday, January 24th, 2027 on Adult Swim.
Paramount+ has renewed Avatar: Seven Havens for a third and fourth season. The season two finale premieres on Friday, October 30th.
This is a great story from a woman who was 10 years old when the Beatles played Candlestick Park and who ended up getting backstage to meet the band thanks to her neighbor Joan Baez.
Here are 8000+ memes and images from the 2010s, archived by mcknighterson.
The romantic comedy Prodigies premieres Wednesday, February 10th, 2027. Here is the official logline: “Prodigies follows Didi (Edebiri) and Ren (Sharpe), two former child prodigies now in their 30s, as they re-examine the relationship they have been in since they were nine. From London to Tokyo by way of Virginia, this unconventional take on a romantic comedy explores ideas of potential, ambition and the universal complexities of long-term relationships. As they begin to question whether their very ordinary existence is living up to the extraordinary promise of their childhood, they find themselves in a new and terrifying kind of chaos.”
Chart Of The Day
This info from Kagan and Michael Beach’s State Of The Screens newsletter provides a fascinating look at subscriber overlap among the various major SVODs.
ICYMI: Just Posted On TooMuchTV And Forbes
Here is a rundown of other stories recently posted on TooMuchTV.com and Forbes:
A community that has already been told it is economically obsolete discovers that nature hasn’t finished with it yet in the new Josh Hartnett Netflix series Below.
John Cena takes Matchbox: The Movie for a joyless ride.
Welcome to Avatar: Seven Havens, where the world has been pulverized, civilization has retreated behind protective walls, and the very idea of an Avatar inspires the sort of public terror usually reserved for plague ships and unasked-for baked goods from an elderly neighbor.
In Ben Affleck’s Animals, the beast is loose. But the thriller is still in a meeting.
What’s Coming Tonight And Tomorrow
TSUNDAY, OCTOBER 11TH:
Ace Of The Diamond (Crunchyroll)
Dragon Ball Super: Beerus (Crunchyroll/Hulu) - (trailer)
Full Clearing Another World Under A Goddess With Zero Believers Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
Her Only Way Out (Lifetime)
The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story (HBO)
The Real Housewives Of Potomac Season Premiere (Bravo)
Treasure Island (MGM+)
MONDAY, OCTOBER 12TH:
Below Deck Season Premiere (Bravo)
Clown Panic (Hulu)
Contraband: Seized At The Border Season Premiere (Discovery)
Free Leonard Peltier (Netflix)
Instadocs: AI Gone Wild (Netflix)
This Is Not A Murder Mystery Series Premiere (Acorn TV)