Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Monday, June 12th, 2023

Jay Penske figures out how to make the Golden Globes even more sketchy.

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Monday, June 12th, 2023.

PROGRAMMING NOTE
My plan was to post a piece on CNN earlier today. I am running a bit behind as the result of my family's graduation/grad party extravaganza over the weekend. The piece will be up tomorrow and I'll link to it in Tuesday's edition. It will also include some really insightful comments I received as the result of Friday's newsletter.

JAY PENSKE FIGURES OUT HOW TO MAKE THE GOLDEN GLOBES EVEN MORE SKETCHY
As many people in Hollywood will remind you, this is an industry built on relationships. What that really means is that the most successful executives in Hollywood have figured out a way to mix greed, convenience and power into a near-continuous money train. And to his credit, no one in the industry has been doing that more efficiently over the past decade than Penske Media Corporation's Jay Penske.

Penske Media Corporation (PMC) received a $200 million investment from the Saudi Research and Media Group in 2018 and since then it has used the money to continue rolling up a growing near-monopoly in the Hollywood journalism and entertainment events sectors. The company now owns or has a controlling interest in Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Deadline, TV Line, Rolling Stone and a host of other trade and entertainment publications as well as several live events such as SXSW and the ATX Television Festival.

PMC partnered with Eldridge Industries in a join venture to operate the various Penske publications and in January the partnership acquired Dick Clark Productions. And today DCP announced it has acquired all the Golden Globe' assets, rights and properties from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, turning the Hollywood awards show into a commercial enterprise.

This description of how the deal came together provides a textbook example of how Hollywood insider deals are made:

Today’s transaction completes a process that was kicked off last July, when the HFPA approved Eldridge Industries’ proposal to create a private entity to manage its Golden Globes assets, with a separate nonprofit to preserve its charitable and philanthropic programs.

The restructure was proposed by Boehly, the Eldridge chairman and CEO who was named interim CEO of the HFPA in fall 2021 amid the organization’s restructuring after backlash over its practices and lack of diversity. Eldridge along with PMC in a joint venture own dick clark productions, which produces the Golden Globes.

To recap, Boehly is named interim CEO of HFPA, then arranges for the organization to be acquired by the company that produces HFPA’s flagship annual event. A production company which just happens to be owned by the same interim CEO's joint venture. And the main purpose of said organization is to provide an excuse for studios to drop huge amounts of money in "For Your Consideration" ads. Which run almost exclusively in the Hollywood trade publications. Outlets which are increasingly also owned by the same joint venture.

Yep, definitely nothing to see here....

NOT SURPRISINGLY, THE NY TIMES DISCOVERS THE FUTURE OF INDEPENDENT MEDIA LIVING IN LOWER MANHATTAN
The history of incestuous behavior in New York City journalism is only slightly shorter than that of some European Royal families. Journalists in NYC have a unfailing obsession with each other and a tendency to overlook anything happening outside of the East Coast media centers. That trend is especially dominant in the New York Times Style section, which I am pretty sure originated the phrase "style over substance." 

Given that history, I shouldn't be surprised that I find the recent NY Times Style piece entitled "They're Here To Save Indie Media" so infuriating. But given that I am a) an indie media entrepreneur, and b) nowhere near casually young and attractive enough to rate a Style piece, it's difficult not to read the feature and not feel my blood pressure rise to steam-shooting-out-of-my-ears-like-in-a-cartoon levels.

Byline is a new online publication that was spawned from "Drunken Canal," a print-only publication that the Times describes this way:

Ms. Guterman and a friend, Claire Banse, started the paper mid-lockdown. During its nearly two-year run, the unmarked box near Seward Park was frequently restocked to meet demand for what became a sort of downtown vade mecum. Cheeky and cryptic, it ran headlines like “Basic Things to Try This Fall (Based on Your Level of Depression)” and “New York Men You Will Ghost — as Chocolates.”

“Not being online was important at that time,” Ms. Guterman said, contemplating a charcuterie board. “We wanted to make something you could touch at a time when you weren’t supposed to touch anything.” She paused for prosciutto. “The fact that it was offline was a product of its time, as opposed to, like, a philosophy of living.”

Shoot me now.

But since "Drunken Canal" was based in a hipster-dense environment and is helmed by two camera-friendly twentysomethings, the Times piece has decided their just-launched web site could be the future of independent online media. Because hey, look at all these media types who are signing on to help advise this budding media empire:

Ms. Guterman and Ms. O’Sullivan have assembled an advisory board that includes: Ben Dietz, a former longtime executive at Vice Media; Taj Alavi, the head of marketing at Spotify; and Trevor McFedries, creator of the robot pop star Lil Miquela. Madeline Montoya, an art director at Bloomberg Businessweek, is working as Byline’s creative director.

However, buried deep into the piece is the important nugget of the story. This "future of independent media" isn't exactly making money:

On a hot May afternoon, the co-founders were talking corporate sponsorship over white wine, Diet Coke and mixed nuts at the Chelsea hotel. For now, contributors to Byline will be unpaid, but Ms. Guterman and Ms. O’Sullivan said they had been in talks with possible sponsors including the furniture company Knoll, the astrology app Co-Star and the kink-friendly dating app Feeld.

Wearing an emerald maxi dress and nude Gucci slides, Ms. Guterman clapped her hands. “We had a come-to-Jesus moment,” she said. “We got rid of banner ads. I don’t want to go on this gorgeous website and see banner ads.”

“Eww,” said Ms. O’Sullivan, who was wearing a big blazer and wide legged jeans.

The Drunken Canal didn’t make money. It did, however, get the nutrition shake company Soylent to pay for a trip to Art Basel in Miami.

Did I mention you should shoot me now?

AMAZON ALREADY HAS AN AD-SUPPORTED STREAMING SERVICE THAT ISN'T NAME 'FREEVEE'
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Amazon is considering launching an ad-supported tier for Prime Video and the piece was speculative enough that I didn't mention it at the time.

But I was reminded today that Amazon already runs a free, ad-supported streaming service. Although I suspect you have never heard of it.

Amazon miniTV is a free, ad-supported video streaming service within the Amazon Shopping app that is only available in India. miniTV is available on Android or iOS phones and on the Amazon website via mobile or desktop web browsers. Amazon customers don't need a separate application to access miniTV content.

The content is not the same mix that customers would find on Prime Video. The company describes the service as "professionally created and curated content that includes Web series, Tech, Beauty, Food, Fashion and more by leading digital content creators in India."

But Amazon is expanding that mix of content to include some original series, most recently announcing miniTV will be the home for the new Hindi rom-com Highway Love, which was produced by BBC Studios India.

Just another reminder that the streaming world looks very different outside of the U.S.

ODDS AND SODS
* Although I haven't been able to get a confirmation, the web site thestreamr is reporting that Tyler Perry is acquiring BET Media Group, which controls BET & VH1.

* The HBO Original drama series Winning Time: The Rise Of The Lakers Dynasty returns for its seven-episode second season on Sunday, August 6th.

* Four Seasons fans get the ultimate 44-CD box set tribute to the band

* Stars of the male Las Vegas revue stage show Australia’s Thunder from Down Under will launch their home renovation business in HGTV’s newest series, Flip the Strip, premiering Monday, July 10th.

* The four-part documentary series The Real Wild West features the stories of the black and Hispanic cowboys, female homesteaders, immigrants, and tribal leaders who have been the untold part of America's settling of the West. The series premieres June 29th on Curiosity Stream. 

* Season two of Almost Paradise will premiere Monday, July 17th on Amazon's Freevee.

* 76th annual Tony Awards: The complete winners list

WHAT'S NEW FOR TUESDAY:
* Amy Schumer: Emergency Contact (Netflix)
* Father Brown Season Premiere (BritBox)
* Love And Hip Hop: Atlanta Season Premiere (MTV)
* Why the Heck Did I Buy This House? Season Premiere (HGTV)

Click Here to see the list of all of the upcoming premiere dates for the next few months.

SEE YOU TUESDAY!

If you have any feedback, send it along to Rick@AllYourScreens.com and follow me on Twitter @aysrick.