NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell said execs at the company and parent Comcast are “more confident” than they were a year or two ago that investments in streaming service Peacock will soon yield profits. How soon remains a bit unclear, however. “We’ve been clear from the start that we’re going to see a return on that investment — I think we feel better about that now based on where we are,” Shell said during Comcast’s fourth-quarter earnings call. The company said Peacock had passed 20 million subscribers by the end of 2022, more than double its size at the start of the year. It added 5 million subscribers in the quarter thanks to Spanish-language World Cup coverage as well as original programming, other live sports and the addition of first-window movie titles and NBC and Bravo series that used to go to Hulu. Over the rest of the year, CEO Brian Roberts said, “subscriber cadence will follow content launches, which will fall more heavily in the second half of 2023” than … [Read more...] about NBCUniversal And Comcast Execs “More Confident” Than They Were A Year Ago In Peacock Profit Outlook, Jeff Shell Says
This year ugadi name 2022
Peabody Awards: The Complete List Of 2022 Winners
UPDATED with final winners: The Oscar-winning documentary Summer of Soul , Bo Burnham’s Emmy-winning musical comedy special Inside , Barry Jenkins’ The Underground Railroad and Raoul Peck’s Exterminate All the Brutes are among the final list of winners of 2022 Peabody Awards . The Peabodys, in their 82nd year, honor the year’s most powerful content across the fields of entertainment, documentary, news, podcast/radio, arts, children’s and youth, and public service programming. The organization based at the Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia wrapped up a a weeklong rollout of all 30 winners Thursday. This year’s awards were presented by the likes of Melissa McCarthy, Morgan Freeman, John Legend, Kevin Bacon, H.E.R., Ethan Hawke, Jon Stewart, Hasan Minhaj, Riz Ahmed, LeVar Burton, Jenny Slate, Malcolm Gladwell and Adam Scott. Newsman Dan Rather and Fresh Air ‘s Terry Gross have already won this year’s Career Achievement Award and … [Read more...] about Peabody Awards: The Complete List Of 2022 Winners
‘Stranger Things’ Rules 2022 Streaming Charts, Nielsen Says; Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ & ‘Ozark’ Big Winners Too
The results are in, and Netflix undoubtedly dominated the Nielsen U.S. streaming charts for 2022, led by originals including Stranger Things , Wednesday and Ozark — as well as acquisitions like Cocomelon and NCIS. The streamer took home 11 of the top 15 spots on the overall streaming program list, and 13 spots among the streaming originals. Stranger Things came in at No. 1 on both lists with 52B minutes viewed across all 34 episodes of the series. Ozark came in at No. 2 on the streaming originals chart and No. 4 overall with 31.3B viewing minutes. Wednesday ‘s 18.6B minutes viewed put the series in third place among the streaming originals and 12th place overall — an impressive feat considering the new series only has eight episodes. Many of the series on the list have dozens or even hundreds of episodes. Cobra Kai, Bridgerton, Virgin River, Dahmer, Love Is Blind, Inventing Anna, and The Crown rounded out the Top 10 for the streaming … [Read more...] about ‘Stranger Things’ Rules 2022 Streaming Charts, Nielsen Says; Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ & ‘Ozark’ Big Winners Too
Unscripted TV Exec Kevin Fortson To Retire After 30 Years With Warner Bros.
Kevin Fortson, the Executive Vice President of Production & Administration for Warner Bros . Unscripted Television, will retire this summer after three decades with the studio. “For the past 30 years, Kevin has been an indelible part of Warner Bros,” said Mike Darnell , President, Warner Bros. Unscripted Television. “His name has literally become synonymous with the company and the lot itself. Personally, I will miss him for his counsel, his friendship and his endless string of dad jokes. He truly is one in a million … although he would probably try to cut that budget down! He is as important to the studio as any movie or television show ever produced here, and if I had the power to do it, there would be a stage with his name on it, right next to Friends and The Big Bang Theory. He is known as the unofficial Mayor of the lot, and his constituents will miss him dearly… and no one will ever be re-elected to that position.” Fortson has been leading all aspects of … [Read more...] about Unscripted TV Exec Kevin Fortson To Retire After 30 Years With Warner Bros.
Middle-Aged Tech Guy Says He Pays $2 Mil Per Year to Keep 18-Year-Old Body
Benjamin Button's got nothing on this guy ... a software developer well into his 40s claims he's aging backwards, but the catch is it costs him 7 figures annually to do it!!! 45-year-old Bryan Johnson says his bio-hack is costing him $2 million per year -- and with a team of 30 doctors, he maintains a strict regimen which apparently gives him the heart of a 37-year-old, the skin of a 28-year-old and the fitness of an 18-year-old. Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. He says his daily routine includes waking at 5 AM, and taking 2 dozen supplements, following a vegan diet with a high-intensity exercise routine ... and he goes to bed at the same time every night. Blueprint Bryan says his doctors closely monitor his vital signs and he does a ton of monthly tests ... including blood tests, ultrasounds, MRIs and colonoscopies. He also tracks things like his body fat and weight each day... while sleeping with a machine that … [Read more...] about Middle-Aged Tech Guy Says He Pays $2 Mil Per Year to Keep 18-Year-Old Body
Peabody Awards Moving To Los Angeles For First Time In 80 Years
The Peabody Awards will be held for the first time in Southern California, the Peabody organization said today. The ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Thursday, June 18, 2020. The awards honor stories from broadcasting, digital media, entertainment, the documentary world and news programming. “As the country struggles to find its footing in challenging times, the power of media narratives becomes paramount. Peabody provides a much-needed role as curator of the best stories that should be watched and heard, especially as the media landscape continues to evolve and becomes even more crowded with content and distribution platforms,” said Jeffrey Jones, executive director of Peabody. “Moving the ceremony to Los Angeles reflects the evolution of Peabody’s commitment to celebrating the meaningful and significant narratives about pressing social issues, right in the world’s capital of content creation.” The Peabody program is based at … [Read more...] about Peabody Awards Moving To Los Angeles For First Time In 80 Years
‘Sherwood’ Writer James Graham: Streamers Are “Perplexed” By UK Government Threat To BBC & Channel 4
Streamers such as Netflix, Prime Video and Paramount+ are “perplexed” by government threats to the UK’s Public Service Broadcasters (PSB), according to Sherwood scribe James Graham . Graham, one of Britain’s foremost TV and theater writers, flagged the example of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who broke through the theater system to create the BBC ’s Fleabag before being snapped up by Amazon in a ‘Golden Handcuffs’ deal. He was reflecting on the BBC’s funding struggles due to the government’s freezing of the licence fee for two years, along with threats to Channel 4’s position as a public broadcaster, although this was recently reversed. “We’ve got the best of both worlds [in the UK],” said Graham, in conversation with Banijay UK Chair Patrick Holland at today’s Freeview Outside the Box 2023 event. “Streamers benefit from PSB development. The likes of Amazon would be utterly perplexed by the threat to that pipeline.” Graham said his hit BBC One drama Sherwood set … [Read more...] about ‘Sherwood’ Writer James Graham: Streamers Are “Perplexed” By UK Government Threat To BBC & Channel 4
Pathé & Logical Pictures Team On Slate Financing Deal As French Studio Targets Big Budget Local & European Tentpoles
French studio Pathé and film and TV financier and producer Logical Pictures have announced a three-year co-production and co-financing deal. The operation involving Logical Content Ventures, a new fund operated by Logical Pictures, will see Pathé open up the financing of its films to private investors for the first time in its history. Under the deal with Pathé, Logical Content Ventures will contribute to the financing of all films produced and acquired by Pathé between 2022 and 2024. The aim is to co-finance and co-produce more than 20 pictures together with the first projects being released as soon as Spring 2023. The first films included in the agreement are Dany Boon’s Life for Real (Pathé – 26DB Productions), Just Philippot’s environmental thriller Acid (Pathé – Bonne Pioche), starring Canet and Laetitia Dosch, and Kirill Serebrennikov’s English feature debut Limonov: the Ballad of Eddie (Pathé – Chapter 2 – Wildside – Fremantle) starring Ben Whishaw. … [Read more...] about Pathé & Logical Pictures Team On Slate Financing Deal As French Studio Targets Big Budget Local & European Tentpoles
Berlin’s EFM Boss Reveals Size Of U.S. & Asia Contingents, Talks Growing Importance Of TV
The Berlinale ’s European Film Market was the last major physical market to take place in 2020 as the world began shutting down because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The virus would force the event online in 2021 and 2022. The EFM’s traditional home of the Gropius Bau looked strangely empty last February, playing host to an exhibition by South African artist Zanele Muholi, as the event unfolded online alongside a scaled-down physical festival. Its vast atrium and halls are set to be packed with hundreds of stands and thousands of professionals once again this year for EFM’s 2023 edition, running February 16-22. Both the Gropius Bau and the market’s other key exhibition space of the Marriott Hotel are already fully booked. “The good news for us is that we are completely at the same level in terms of accreditations as we were at this time of the year in 2020. This means that we are forecast to reach the same amount of market participants,” EFM director Dennis Ruh . As … [Read more...] about Berlin’s EFM Boss Reveals Size Of U.S. & Asia Contingents, Talks Growing Importance Of TV
Peacock Clears 20M Subscribers, Helping Comcast Nip Wall Street Q4 Estimates
Streaming service Peacock closed 2022 with more than 20 million paid subscribers, helping Comcast slip past Wall Street estimates during a challenging fourth quarter in the media business. Total revenue came in at $30.55 billion in the period, less than 1% ahead of the prior-year quarter but just above analysts’ consensus. Earnings per share of 70 cents fell short of estimates, but exceeded them on a non-GAAP basis. Along with Peacock, a strong return for theme parks helped NBCUniversal post solid numbers on the top line, with revenue up 6% to $9.9 billion. Advertising revenue increased 4%, which the company credited to Spanish-language coverage of the World Cup by Telemundo and rising Peacock ad revenue. The profit story was less encouraging, with adjusted EBITDA falling 36% to $817 Theatrical revenue at the film studio soared 47% over the prior year, with Ticket to Paradise , Puss , Violent Night and Halloween Ends closing the year on a high note. … [Read more...] about Peacock Clears 20M Subscribers, Helping Comcast Nip Wall Street Q4 Estimates