Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Friday, July 15th, 2022

Today's newsletter is all about the money...

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Friday 15th, 2022.

NETFLIX DECIDES PRE-MARKETING AN ORIGINAL MOVIE IS A GOOD IDEA
Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw has a great piece about Netflix's decision to pour money into the pre-release marketing of the Ryan Gosling movie The Grey Man, which premieres exclusively on the service July 22nd:

The campaign is a test for the world’s most-popular paid video service, which hasn’t historically prioritized marketing titles before their release. Executives at Netflix and creators of shows have been pushing the company’s leadership to increase the marketing budgets for its movies and TV shows. Major movie studios spend tens of millions of dollars on marketing campaigns ahead of big releases to drive ticket sales on opening weekend. TV networks do the same so a show can grab a large audience upon its debut.

Netflix spent more than $2.5 billion last year on marketing, but it has never invested as much per title as its peers in Hollywood. It saves money by not spending so much on marketing up front, which would cost billions of dollars more, given that it releases hundreds of titles a year. The company has relied on its algorithm to serve the right show to the right viewer, and then spends money to amplify a project that’s already popular.

This will all seem very familiar to regular readers of this newsletter, which is why I always recommend that studios, showrunners and creators budget time and money into doing their own press in addition to whatever their streamer has planned. Because while Netflix rightfully receives most of the attention for their hands-off approach to marketing and PR, all of the major streamers have their own similar issues. 

For example, the second season of Blood & Treasure premieres Sunday on Paramount+ and there has almost no press about the show. There was an interview and some exclusive photos in TV Line, but I haven't seen much else about it in the press. And I'm not convinced that one interview in a high-profile trade publication does anything more than make everyone at Paramount+ feel good about their efforts.

ESPN+ TO RAISE ITS PRICE 43% NEXT MONTH
Disney announced on Friday that it is raising the subscription price of the streamer ESPN+ next month from $6.99 to $9.99. The biggest contributor to the price increase is the rising costs of sports rights and the addition of additional games and leagues to the service.

For now, the price of the so-called "Disney Bundle" will remain at $13.99 a month. Which makes it an even better bargain, given that subscribers can get basic Hulu and Disney+ for a combined $4 extra per month.

NOT EVERY PART OF WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY IS CUTTING CORNERS
Two of David Zaslav's close associates at Warner Bros. Discovery have signed new deals, giving them both an annual pay raise as well as the potential for a bigger performance bonus:

Warner Bros. Discovery renewed contracts for two of its most senior executives, Gunnar Wiedenfels, its chief financial officer, and Bruce Campbell, its chief revenue and strategy officer, ensuring that two of CEO David Zaslav’s key lieutenants will be around for the next few years of the company’s early steps as the newly combined aggregate of the former WarnerMedia and Discovery Communications.

The company said it had extended Wiedenfels’ term through July 10, 2026, and Campbell’s contract through July 8, 2025. Campbell’s annual salary was raised to $2.5 million per year, compared with previous compensation of $1.8 million per year, while Wiedenfels’ compensation was raised to $2 million a year, compared with $1.7 million per year. Campbell’s target annual bonus was increased from 150% of his base salary to 200% of his base salary. Campbell’s target annual bonus was increased from 150% of his base salary to 200% of his base salary.

Campbell's maximum compensation has now risen from $4.5 million (with annual bonus) to $7.5 million, which is a real vote of confidence. Or slap in the face, if you are one of the many Warner Bros  Discovery executives who have lost their jobs in recent weeks.

A STREAMING SERVICE FOR ITALIAN FILM LOVERS LAUNCHES IN NORTH AMERICA
MovieItaly, a streaming service aimed at Italian film lovers, has launched in North America:

The subscription video-on-demand channel from Italy’s Minerva Pictures is dedicated to Italian cinema and will cost $7.99 a month, $19.99 quarterly and $67.99 for the year. “It’s a price that’s affordable for a large part of our audience. It’s not too big, it’s too little,” Minerva Pictures CEO Gianluca Curti told The Hollywood Reporter.

MovieItaly will also launch with 250 classic and contemporary films with English subtitles, and a monthly refresh of 15 new titles. The streaming platform was launching initially in the U.S. and Canada as both countries have sizable Italian communities and cinema lovers eager to embrace Italian titles, Rome-based Curti during a launch in Toronto.

THR notes that there is already a lot of competition in this streaming space:

MovieItaly enters an increasingly crowded streaming landscape for movies as digital is increasingly the present and the future for indie film, thanks to the pandemic. Rival classic and contemporary movie streaming services also looking to be a Netflix complement include The Criterion Channel at $10.99 monthly, IFC Films Limited at $5.99 a month, Magnolia Selects at $4.99 and the genre film service Shudder for $5.99 per month.

Honestly, I would see MovieItaly's closest competitors as streamers such as Cinessance (which focuses on French film history) and the international art film streamer Film Movement.

ODDS AND SODS
* HBO Max has canceled Close Enough after three seasons.

* Prime Video revealed the title of the college-based spinoff of the hit series The Boys. Set at America’s only college exclusively for young-adult superheroes (run by Vought International), Gen V is an irreverent, R-rated series that explores the lives of hormonal, competitive Supes as they put their physical, sexual, and moral boundaries to the test, competing for the best contracts in the best cities.

* The long-running CBS reality show Big Brother had a very big surprise exit Thursday night and Linda Martindale broke her one-recap-a-week vow for the show and explained how it all went down.

TWEET OF THE DAY 
Maybe giving up the daytime talk show wasn't the greatest idea....

WHAT'S NEW FOR FRIDAY
Here's a quick rundown of all the new stuff premiering today on TV and streaming:

Alba (Netflix)
CMT Country Sessions (CMT)
Country Queen (Netflix)
Don't Make Me Go (Prime Video)
Farzar Series Premiere (Netflix)
Forever Summer: Hamptons Series Premiere (Prime Video)
James May: Our Man In Italy Series Premiere (Prime Video)
Love Accidentally (Freevee)
Love Goals (Jaadugar) (Netflix)
Mom, Don't Do That! (Netflix)
Persuasion (Netflix)
Remarriage & Desires (Netflix)
The Rehearsal Series Premiere (HBO Max)
The Wrong Murder (LMN)
Z3 (Disney+)

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

SEE YOU MONDAY!

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