FIRST LOOK
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Following Netflix’s lead, Disney said it will stop reporting subscriber numbers with its quarterly reports. “We believe quarterly updates on the number of paid subscribers and ARPU have become less meaningful to evaluating the performance of our businesses, and we will no longer report these metrics starting with the first quarter of fiscal 2026 for Disney+ and Hulu and the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 for ESPN+,” said Disney CEO Bob Iger and CFO Hugh Johnston in earnings commentary with the fiscal third quarter figures. It’s not as if Disney has anything to hide, streaming-wise – the company beat Wall Street expectations, with Disney+ and Hulu swinging to a profit of $346 million amid continued subscriber growth, versus a year-ago loss of $19 million. Netflix stopped reporting subscriber numbers on a quarterly basis in the first quarter of this year.
(Source: Cynopsis)
In more Disney news, Hulu will be integrated into Disney+, with the launch of a unified streaming app experience coming next year that pairs Disney’s family-friendly content with Hulu’s more general fare. Hulu will also become the international tile on Disney+, replacing Star, this fall. The announcement comes almost two months after Disney completed its purchase of Comcast’s stake in Hulu. “We are announcing a major step forward in strengthening our streaming offering by fully integrating Hulu into Disney+,” stated Iger and Johnston. “This will create an impressive package of entertainment, pairing the highest-caliber brands and franchises, great general entertainment, family programming, news and industry-leading live sports content in a single app.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Filming has commenced in London on the second season of the Sky Original dark comedy thriller “Sweetpea.” New cast members include Tamsin Greig (“Riot Women”) and Rish Shah (“Overcompensating”).
(Source: Cynopsis)
Seoul-based Aanaxion Studio (upcoming film “Protector”) is expanding into the global kids and family space with the launch of Konfetti Studios, a subsidiary led by veteran animation and franchise executive Norman Grossfeld (“Yu-Gi-Oh!,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, “Pokémon”). The goal: developing next-generation brands by leveraging Grossfeld’s expertise with the surging worldwide demand for K-content.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Season four of Fox celebrity social experiment “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” kicks off Thursday, September 25 at 9p. This season’s recruits facing demanding training exercises includes Kody Brown, Brittany Cartwright, Randall Cobb, Eric Decker, Jessie James Decker, Andrew East, Shawn Johnson East, Mark Estes, Gia Giudice, Teresa Giudice, Chanel Iman, Brianna LaPaglia, Johnny Manziel, Eva Marcille, Ravi V. Patel, Christie Pearce Rampone, Jussie Smollett and Nick Young.
(Source: Cynopsis)
“Ghost Adventures: House Calls,” following responses to “urgent paranormal cases,” returns Wednesday, August 20 at 10p on Discovery Channel.
(Source: Cynopsis)
HISTORY docuseries “Mountain Men” returns for season 14 on Wednesday, September 3 at 8p.
(Source: Cynopsis)
ESPN will launch its new streaming service, called simply ESPN, on Thursday, August 21, with a price tag of $29.99. An expanded deal with the NFL enables fans to bundle ESPN’s DTC service with NFL+ Premium. The new streamer will have robust NFL content – ESPN acquired the NFL Network and other media assets from the NFL in exchange for a 10% equity stake.
(Source: Cynopsis)
On Disney’s earnings call, CEO Bob Iger said the company has “had some discussions with other companies” about more potential sports bundles. “As a devoted sports fan, I often have to work to try to find what platform sports are on,” said Iger. “If we can help consumers in that regard, we’re certainly going to try.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
IMG has extended its agreement to broadcast the Premier League to the inflight and cruise markets on Sport 24, for the next three seasons. Under the deal, Sport 24 will continue to broadcast 270+ matches live on its channels to passengers globally each season.
(Source: Cynopsis)
Nancy Lieberman Charities has teamed up with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica, BEVEL & P&G, and basketball league the BIG3, to present a new Dream Court to the Santa Monica community. The outdoor basketball court will provide a safe place for youth to play basketball, build positive relationships, and much more. “You don’t have to be an expert to know what kind of impact a space like this has on children,” said BIG3 CEO Ice Cube. “Having a safe, fun, professional-grade space to play makes kids feel valued and empowered.”
(Source: Cynopsis)
Skydance Media CEO David Ellison announced executives who will serve under the company’s leadership team after Skydance’s merger with Paramount Global: Don Granger, President, Motion Picture Group; Kevin MacLellan, President, International and Global Content Distribution; Rebecca Mall, President, Cross Company Initiatives, Franchise, and Corporate Marketing; Matt Thunell, President, Paramount Television Studios; Kevin Creighton, EVP, Corporate Finance & Investor Relations; Tony Driscoll, EVP, Head of Corporate Strategy & Development; Efrain Miron, EVP, Head of Content Strategy & Licensing, DTC; Jose Turkienicz, EVP, Head of Global Operations; Laura Watson, EVP, Corporate and Executive Communications; and Jane Wiseman, EVP, Head of Originals, DTC.
(Source: Cynopsis)
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