Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Thursday, July 8th, 2021

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Thursday, July 8th, 2021. I'm writing this from the Twin Cities suburbs, where AllYourScreens HQ is powered by chicken soup and iced tea.

Because I am a lucky man, I managed to catch some vague viral infection that can only be treated with lots of rest. While I am not resting as much as I should be, I am pacing myself right now. So today and tomorrow's newsletters might be a bit less...expansive than normal.

UNIVERSAL CUTS AMAZON AND IMDB INTO ITS NEW PAY-ONE WINDOW
When Universal Filmed Entertainment Group (UFEG) announced earlier this week that it was shifting its Pay-One distribution deal from HBO Max to NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service, the deal included an unusual gap in the middle of the window that gave Universal the ability to license the films to what it referred to as "another streamer or network." I had some spirited conversations about this with other reporters and my feeling was that this only made sense if Universal was planning on making another big deal with the Pay-One content. And today, UFEG announced an expansive deal with Amazon and IMDb TV, which gives the companies part of that Pay-One window as well as access to a wide range of films from the Universal library:

Under this agreement, Prime Video will have an exclusive pay-one window for UFEG’s slate of live-action films in the U.S. starting with the 2022 release slate and will also receive rights to a package of UFEG’s library movies. IMDb TV gets exclusive network-window rights for films from UFEG’s 2020-2021 theatrical slate and rights to a package of animated titles.

Starting in 2022, UFEG’s new live action films will first become available on Peacock after their theatrical releases, before landing exclusively on Prime Video four months later with titles to include the highly anticipated Jurassic World: Dominion, The 355, and Ambulance.

Prime Video will also gain SVOD rights to UFEG’s theatrical slate of animated movies through a subsequent window, including highly anticipated 2022 theatrical titles such as Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru and DreamWorks Animation’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and The Bad Guys. Several iconic titles including the Jurassic Park franchise, Bourne franchise, Love Actually, Get Out, and the Fast & Furious franchise will also become available to Prime members.

I haven't seen any reporting discussing why Universal went with Amazon instead one of its other streaming rivals. From a strategic point, Amazon is less of a direct competitor to Peacock than Netflix or HBO Max. And given the budgetary and cultural constraints currently in place at Viacom/CBS, it's unlikely they would be interested, even if it was offered to them.

A larger point is that this is another indication that Amazon is focusing a lot of resources on the movie side of its streaming business. Which makes a lot of sense. For all of the effort it has put into the original TV side of streaming, Amazon has struggled to get traction and I don't get the sense that its PR efforts have been effective overall. In some ways, movies are a much more predictable product and this Universal Pay-One window allows Amazon to piggyback on the promotional efforts of Universal and Peacock. Yes, they are getting the second bite of the apple on the new titles, but they are also ones the audience is already familiar with and likely to watch.

NETFLIX AND THE ART OF THE BIG DEAL
Every media analyst and reporter in Hollywood has his or her opinion about whether the big-money deals Netflix signed with Ryan Murphy, Kenya Barris and Shonda Rhimes made financial sense. And so far, it's fair to say it's been a mixed bag for Netflix.

Barris recently negotiated an exit from his Netflix deal, publicly complaining that the streamer was too conservative and had "turned into CBS." But Netflix insiders told me that much of the problem in that relationship was that Barris spent more time negotiating other deals than focusing on his Netflix projects. One bone of contention was apparently a lucrative podcast deal Barris negotiated with Spotify, which Netflix blocked. In the end, the Barris deal only netted two shows: Astronomy Club-The Sketch Show and BlackAF. Obviously, there's no way to know how many viewers watched the shows, but the perception seems to be that they were generally unsuccessful.

Ryan Murphy's track record at Netflix has been mixed. He's produced a number of projects, but none of his scripted shows turned into the big, viral hit I suspect Netflix was hoping for when they partnered with him. On the other hand, unlike Barris, Murphy has cranked out programming, including The Politician, Ratched, Hollywood and Halston. He also has two upcoming miniseries that are in production: Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and A Chorus Line. 

Only Netflix can say whether the Ryan Murphy deal has been financially successful. From the outside, it appears to be a wash and for deals like this, that is not the worst thing. 

But then there is the output deal with Shonda Rhimes. Her first project was Bridgerton, which she produced but didn't create or write. It has been a massive global hit and even better for Rhimes, she was a very public advocate for the show. More seasons of the show are coming and people I've spoken to inside Netflix are very enthusiastic about her upcoming miniseries Inventing Anna. By all reports, Rhimes is focused on building her empire her way and she appears to see Netflix as the perfect vessel for her creative ambitions.

So given all of that, it's not a huge surprise to see that Shonda Rhimes has now signed a larger, expanded deal with Netflix that now covers movies and video games:

The new pact with Rhimes (Bridgerton, Grey’s Anatomy) and her company, Shondaland, will encompass such things as feature films, virtual reality content and gaming in addition to the numerous series Shondaland is already making for Netflix. The current deal includes a branding and merchandising deal for Shondaland Media content, while the expanded pact will also include live events and experiences, which have been a growing part of the showrunner-turned-mogul‘s business.

While it took Rhimes time to get accustomed to the streaming platform and its unique culture, which was admittedly a bumpy process, she debuted her first scripted series, Bridgerton, this past December and it very quickly became one of Netflix’s most-watched shows ever. In short order, the streamer, which is eager to build a franchise library, renewed the series for multiple seasons and announced it would launch a spinoff, focused on the character Queen Charlotte. Looking ahead, Rhimes will roll out the limited series Inventing Anna, centered on the con artist Anna Sorokin, which is the first project Rhimes has created, written and run since Scandal hit years ago. (Also worth noting: her first creation, long-running ABC series Grey’s Anatomy, is consistently among the most watched acquired titles on Netflix.)

One of the elements of this deal to watch is the gaming component. Netflix has been quietly building out an expansion into gaming in some way, although it's not clear how that will play out. I've spoken to a number of people inside and outside the company who tell me Netflix is "interested" in gaming. But no one seems to have any firm details on the plans.

A BIT OF SELF-PROMOTION
Today I had an op-ed published in the local news site The Minnesota Reformer which is supportive of the new Hollywood production credit that will provide up to $5 million in production rebates per year to television and movie productions that take place in Minnesota:

In the hierarchy of statewide fiscal priorities, a rebate for movie and television production feels like something that deserves to be pretty low on the list.

It’s easy to argue there are better things to spend our tax dollars on than what sounds like a giveaway to rich Hollywood producers and actors.

But as someone who writes about the television industry on a daily basis, the truth is while celebrities are the face of the entertainment industry, most of the people working in it are just regular folks: camera operators, electricians, part-time actors and tradespeople of all descriptions.

And simply put, the more production that comes to Minnesota, the more jobs will be created as a result.

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