Disney And Warner Bros. Discovery To Rollout Bundled Disney+ And Max Streamer

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The companies are aiming to launch the bundle this summer. The exact launch date and the price point have not yet been announced, but plans call for both ad-free and ad-supported versions to be available.

The move creates the first cross-company partnership for any of the top-tier services to come to market as the race to catch up with Netflix began in earnest about five years ago. It follows years of speculation and public musings by top executives about when bundling across the industry might reduce friction and begin to make streaming more cost-efficient for programmers and consumers alike. Pay-TV operators long served as third-party bundlers in the cable age, but while distribution deals with the likes of Roku and Amazon are key to any streaming service gaining traction, it’s mostly every-app-for-itself in the streaming era.

Churn, the industry term for the number of canceled subscriptions in a given period, has been a nagging problem for media companies. For decades, they had grown accustomed to the far more stable patterns of pay-TV, which was built on a foundation of long-term contracts and physical equipment. In the realm of direct-to-consumer internet businesses, a tap of an app can vaporize revenue, one of the many reasons why companies have been looking more closely at bundling, especially with cord-cutting ravaging their pay-TV network holdings.

Viewers, meanwhile, complain of a dizzying landscape of apps and titles filling their screens, making the simple act of finding something to watch a grueling process. The “endless scroll” of Netflix and later imitators has amplified Bruce Springsteen’s fabled lament about “57 channels and nothin’ on.”

Within companies, synergistic bundling has been commonplace for several years, with Disney in the vanguard with its successful troika of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+. Many players are taking the next step and more fully consolidating services. Max last year rebranded from HBO Max and added Discovery+ programming. Disney has been steadily bringing its flanker services into closer alignment with flagship Disney+, adding a Hulu tile to Disney+ earlier this year and planning an ESPN one later this year.

In yet another sign of the times, Paramount+ and Showtime’s streaming service fully merged in 2023. Paramount Global’s recent travails and efforts to finalize a potential merger have also been accompanied by speculation that Paramount+ would be ripe for the kind of bundle announced by Disney and WBD. Comcast and Paramount had held talks about a Peacock-P+ combo, but those discussions reportedly faltered due to disputes over control.

Disney, despite rolling up all of Hulu in a buyout of Comcast’s one-third stake in recent months, has shown increased interest in joint ventures. It recently teamed with Fox Corp. and WBD on a sports-focused streaming bundle. That still-unnamed service, nicknamed “Spulu,” is due to launch this fall.

Brands to be showcased in the new Disney-WBD bundle include ABC, CNN, DC, Discovery, Disney, Food Network, FX, HBO, HGTV, Hulu, Marvel, Pixar, Searchlight and Warner Bros. The new offering will be available for purchase on any of the three streaming platforms’ websites.

“On the heels of the very successful launch of Hulu on Disney+, this new bundle with Max will offer subscribers even more choice and value,” said Joe Earley, President, Direct to Consumer, Disney Entertainment. “This incredible new partnership puts subscribers first, giving them access to blockbuster films, originals, and three massive libraries featuring the very best brands and entertainment in streaming today.”

“This new offering delivers for consumers the greatest collection of entertainment for the best value in streaming, and will help drive incremental subscribers and much stronger retention,” said JB Perrette, CEO and President, Global Streaming and Games, Warner Bros. Discovery. “Offering this unprecedented entertainment value for fans across all the complimentary genres these three services offer, presents a powerful new roadmap for the future of the industry.”

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BabyTV Is Adding Four New Original Shows To Its 2024 Lineup

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Disney-owned BabyTV, which runs 24/7 commercial-free programming for babies and toddlers, is adding four new original series to its 2024 lineup.

First up on June 3 is Bug ‘N’ Play (30 x five minutes), a 2D-animated series about three bug friends (pictured) who learn to problem-solve while playing with forgotten toys in their yard.

Launching on August 5 is a 30 x five-minute show called Travelers, featuring a mix of live action and animation. In each episode, human hosts Perry and Harley demonstrate how life’s challenges can be overcome with humor and determination.

This will be followed on October 7 by My Robot & I (20 x five minutes), a CG-animated series showcasing the positive relationship between a curious girl and her new robotic companion.

And finally, Olly (30 x five minutes) is due out on November 4, with CG-animated episodes about a playful monkey who learns valuable lessons and problem-solving skills through fun role-play situations with his friends.

All four shows will launch globally on BabyTV’s linear channel first, and then roll out a month later on the BabyTV app. Streaming dates on Disney+ are TBD for now.

The BabyTV linear channel is available in more than 80 countries worldwide, and content on the app is dubbed into 18 languages, including English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese Brazil, Russian, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Dutch and Norwegian.

Press Release: Disney Jr's Ariel Premieres This June Across Africa

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Disney Branded Television announced the premiere date for the highly anticipated animated musical series “Disney Jr.’s Ariel.” Inspired by “The Little Mermaid,” the series will debut on SATURDAY, 29 JUNE, on Disney Junior at 8:30 a.m. CAT on DStv, Channel 309. Additionally, new recurring cast members were announced, including Yvette Nicole Brown, Melissa Villaseñor and Ron Funches.

To help build excitement for “Disney Jr.’s Ariel,” it was also announced that a new series of shorts titled “Disney Jr.’s Ariel: Mermaid Tales” will be featured across Disney Jr. beginning Monday, 24 June. Each two-minute short will highlight a different aspect of Ariel’s life in Atlantica.

Set in the Caribbean-inspired fairytale kingdom of Atlantica, the series follows young mermaid princess Ariel (Mykal-Michelle Harris) as she embarks on underwater adventures with her family and friends, including King Triton (Taye Diggs), Ursula (Amber Riley), Flounder (Gracen Newton) and mer-friends Fernie (Cruz Flateau) and Lucia (Elizabeth Phoenix Caro).

Each episode highlights themes of self-expression, curiosity and resourcefulness and celebrates the multicultural elements of the Caribbean through food, fashion, language and folklore. Dr. Patricia Saunders, professor of English and hemispheric Caribbean studies and director of graduate studies at the University of Miami, serves as cultural consultant on the series.

In addition to Brown as Aquatica, Villaseñor as Navi, and Funches as Delfino, the series recurring cast includes Kevin Michael Richardson as Sebastian, Parvesh Cheena as Ravi, Danni Washington as Tantie Chantale, Alanna Ubach as Cristina Cuttles, and Dana Heath and Jessica Mikayla as Ariel’s twin sisters Ayanna and Alanna, respectively.

Music plays an integral role in the series, with original songs inspired by the diverse genres of Caribbean music. The acclaimed songwriting teams are comprised of Anthony M. Jones (Tone), Sofia Quinn, Olivia Waithe, Chantry Johnson, Michelle Zarlenga and Rosemarie Tan. EmmyⓇ Award winner Christopher Willis serves as composer. Sean Skeete, dean of the Professional Performance division at Berklee College of Music, is the Caribbean music consultant.

“Disney Jr.’s Ariel” is executive produced by Lynne Southerland and is produced by Wild Canary in association with Disney Jr.

Skydance’s Proposed Deal With Paramount Global Appears To Be Falling Apart

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After months of M&A talks, Paramount Global and controlling shareholder Shari Redstone might be going it alone after all — for now.

Insiders tell that the expectation at the company is that neither of the two offers in play — Skydance Media-RedBird Capital Partners and Sony Pictures Entertainment-Apollo Global Management — will come to fruition. And Redstone is said to have reluctantly concluded that a deal with David Ellison’s Skydance, a longtime partner of Paramount Pictures, will not be possible.

As of Friday morning, the special committee established by Paramount Global’s board to evaluate M&A proposals had not notified Skydance one way or the other about its best and final offer, which would involve Skydance acquiring Redstone’s National Amusements Inc. and merging Skydance and Paramount Global, per a source familiar with the talks. The exclusive negotiating window between Skydance and the Paramount Global board’s special committee established to review M&A offers is set to expire at midnight Friday.

Meanwhile, the Paramount board’s special committee will review the joint Sony-Apollo offer, floating a $26 billion all-cash buyout premium, after the May 3 expiration of the Skydance negotiating window. But that may be so the board fulfills its fiduciary duty to consider all credible M&A proposals. Insiders expect the proposal to ultimately be a deal-breaker, given anticipated regulatory hurdles required to complete such a transaction.

Moreover, Redstone — who has final say-so over what deal to accept — is known to be loath to sell her family’s media company to a private-equity-backed buyer. Those familiar with Redstone’s thinking say she remains open to any deal that’s in the best interests of shareholders and that she supports the Paramount special committee’s review of the Sony-Apollo overture. That said, the Sony-Apollo offer appears more attractive to Paramount Global’s Class B (nonvoting) shareholders than the Skydance deal. If the Sony-Apollo offer is deemed unworkable, the most likely outcome is that Paramount Global will not proceed on either front given the threat of investor legal action were the company to move forward with Skydance.

Reps for Paramount Global, Skydance and National Amusements have declined to comment, as has a spokesman for the Paramount board’s special committee reviewing M&A offers. Reps for Apollo and Sony have not responded to requests for comment.

The situation remains fluid, and no definitive decisions have been made about Paramount or Redstone’s next moves.

But if the M&A talks are abandoned, Paramount Global would indeed be run for the foreseeable future by the three-headed “Office of the CEO” — CBS’s George Cheeks, Paramount Pictures’ Brian Robbins and Chris McCarthy, head of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks — after Bob Bakish was shown the door. The trio have told employees they’re prepping a “long-term plan” for Paramount Global. As part of cutting the company’s debt load, insiders speculate that strategic plan might include selling BET Media Group (which media mogul Byron Allen has expressed interest in acquiring) and the famed 62-acre Paramount Pictures Studio lot on Melrose Avenue in L.A. The go-forward strategy might also see the company try to combine the Paramount+ streaming service with NBCUniversal’s Peacock in some way.

At this point, Paramount Global is preparing “to go it alone,” LightShed Partners analysts Rich Greenfield, Brandon Ross and Mark Kelley speculated in a blog post Friday. “While Skydance could come back later in 2024 or next year, we sense National Amusements sees too many legal headaches with proceeding, given the special committee’s view of the proposed transaction.”

Regarding the Sony-Apollo bid, the LightShed analysts noted, “National Amusements does not want to see a breakup of the company and can stop any transaction they do not desire.” They suggested that regulatory approval of such a deal, given restrictions on studio and TV station consolidation and foreign ownership, would take at least 12 months “and potentially far longer if the administration turns over in November.”

Skydance Media Exclusive Talks With Paramount Global Conclude As Apollo And Sony Make Bid To Acquire The Company

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Skydance Media is prepared to walk away from its offer for Paramount Global unless it receives a firm commitment from controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, following the latest offer from Apollo Global Management and Sony Pictures, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The exclusivity window for discussions between David Ellison's Skydance, backed by private equity firms RedBird Capital and KKR, and Paramount ends Friday and won't be extended, people familiar with the matter mentioned Paramount shares rose following the report.

The consortium has been waiting for word from Paramount's special committee on whether the panel will recommend its bid to acquire the company to Redstone. Now, with Apollo and Sony formally expressing interest in acquiring the company for about $26 billion, the Skydance group is looking for Redstone to reaffirm her commitment to the deal.

The Skydance consortium is not keen to hang around to be a stalking horse offer for Apollo and Sony, one of the people said. Still, depending on what Redstone says, Ellison may be willing to work with her, a second person said.

Spokespeople for Skydance, Redstone's National Amusements and Paramount's special committee declined to comment on Friday.

Apollo and Sony made their latest offer Thursday, CNBC previously reported. The special committee is currently considering the bid, the people said.

As part of Skydance's latest deal on the table, Redstone may take less than $2 billion for her controlling stake in Paramount, which is lower than Skydance's initial offer. The consortium is contributing additional capital to pay common, Class B shareholders at a nearly 30% premium to the undisturbed trading price of about $11 per share. In total, Redstone and Skydance would contribute $3 billion, with the vast majority going to Class B shareholders, according to people familiar with the matter.

Skydance's valuation as part of the deal remains around $5 billion, the people said. It's unclear if the Apollo-Sony offer gives Redstone the same premium.

Previously, Redstone rejected an offer by Apollo in favor of exclusive talks with Skydance. Redstone has preferred a deal that would keep Paramount together, as Skydance's offer would. A private equity firm is likely to break up the company.

Development Alert: Danilo Carrera And Isabella Castillo Will Be Protagonists Of Telemundo's Upcoming Telenovela Thirst For Vengeance (Sed De Venganza)

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Telemundo Studios announced its next original production, Sed de Venganza, which will begin filming at the state-of-the-art Telemundo Center studios in Miami this summer. This new drama follows the life of Fernanda Ríos, a beautiful and resourceful woman determined to escape the terrible abuse she experienced in her childhood. 

Thirst for Vengeance is a series written by Eric Vonn, directed by Camilo Vega and Miguel Varoni, under the executive production of Ximena Cantuarias and Rafael Uriostegui. Danilo Carrera (Dangerous Liaisons) and Isabella Castillo (The Lord of the Skies, Malverde: The Patron Saint) will lead an all-star cast for this fascinating story of revenge, love and deception. 

Sed de Venganza marks the first leading role for both actors in a Telemundo series. 

Ronald Day, President of Entertainment and Chief Content Officer of Telemundo, said they are focused on creating high-quality Spanish-language content made by Hispanics, for Hispanics. "The stellar cast, led by talented actors Danilo and Isabella, along with our exceptional teams behind the cameras, will undoubtedly bring this series to life in true Telemundo style." 

Thirst for Vengeance, an unforgettable new drama, follows the life of Fernanda Ríos (played by Castillo), a beautiful and resourceful woman determined to escape the terrible abuse she experienced in her childhood. However, her plans go awry when deception and blackmail lead her into the dark world of Eugenio Beltrán. A spiteful and cruel businessman who has sworn revenge on the Del Pino family, it is Fernanda who must execute Eugenio's nefarious plans. To complicate things even more, Fernanda finds love with Francisco (played by Carrera), a young man whose life she destroyed in the past and who, when she confirms that she is the culprit of everything, will dedicate herself to satisfying her infinite " Thirst for revenge. 

Jeepers: ‘Scooby-Doo’ Live-Action Series From Berlanti Productions Lands At Netflix With Major Commitment

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The one-hour drama project is said to be nearing a deal at the streamer with a script-to-series commitment. Exact plot details are being kept under wraps aside from the fact it will be based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon. Warner Bros. Television will produce, with the studio having recently launched the “Dead Boys Detectives” series at Netflix.

Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg serve as writers and will also executive produce along with André Nemec and Jeff Pinkner under their Midnight Radio banner. Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and Leigh London Redman will executive produce via Berlanti productions (the company is currently under an overall deal at WBTV). Jonathan Gabay of Berlanti Productions and Adrienne Erickson will co-executive produce.

Reps for both Netflix and WBTV declined to comment.

Should the project go forward, it would not be the first live-action Scooby-Doo project to make it to the screen. Most famously, “Scooby-Doo” was released in 2002 and starred Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, and Linda Cardellini, with Neil Fanning voicing Scooby. The film was a box office success, generating over $250 million worldwide. A sequel with the same cast, “Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed,” came out in 2004 and grossed over $180 million. There was also the live-action TV film “Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins” and its sequel that were released in 2009 and 2010.

There have also been a wide range of Scooby-Doo animated projects over the years, beginning with the original cartoon series in the late 1960s. Various incarnations have followed over the years, spanning multiple animated series and films. Most recently, the animated film ““Scoob! Holiday Haunt” was meant to be released on Max but was scrapped in a cost-cutting move. Currently, Max airs the animated series “Velma,” with Mindy Kaling voicing the bespectacled member of the Mystery Inc. gang.

Canal+ Owner Vivendi Is Still Exploring A Stock Split, Publishes First Quarter Revenue

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Canal+ owner Vivendi is still exploring a stock split, as it today posted first quarter revenues up significantly.

France-based Vivendi posted Q1 revenues of €4.28B (R86 billion), up 5.4% on 2023’s numbers when using constant currencies and and the businesses the firm owns today. No earnings were revealed in the unaudited numbers.

Within those numbers, Canal+ saw revenues grow 4.3% year-on-year to €1.5B (R30 billion, +3.5% at constant currency and perimeter). International revenues were up 5.8% thanks to subscriber growth, particularly in Africa, where Canal+ has been buying up shares in MultiChoice and looks set to take over the South African giant. Mainland France TV operations revenue was up over 5%.

However, Studiocanal saw revenues decline compared with 2023, when the likes of Alibi.com 2 and John Wick 2 had significant domestic and international launches.

Other notable performances saw social video platform Dailymotion increase revenues by 24.8%, with the ‘New Initiatives’ division it is housed in posting €42M in revenues overall.

This financials come amid a period of corporate soul-searching at Vivendi, and following the takeover of publisher Lagadère in November last year.

The Paris-based company believes its stock price has been “substantially” reduced due to the consolidated nature of its media operations following the listing of Universal Music Group and wants to split its business.

Having already outlined a plan to explore dividing pay-TV and content giant Canal+, ad firm Havas and publisher Lagadère, Vivendi said a feasibility study into a stock split had been going since December 2023. The company says all three units are individually performing well — with each posting year-on-year revenue growth today — and have been hindered in their ability to invest by the “high conglomerate discount” on its shares.

The current plan is for Canal+, Havas and a publishing and distribution division would all list as independent entities on the stock market. Vivendi would also remain publicly listed “maintaining its role of supporting the transformation and expansion of its subsidiaries and continuing to actively manage its investments.”

Should the Vivendi board approve the split, employee representatives at each new entity would be engaged before necessary regulatory, bonder holder and other lender approvals is sought. A final vote would then take place at the AGM in April 2025 to ratify the moves.

Yannick Bolloré, Chairman of Vivendi’s Supervisory Board, and Arnaud de Puyfontaine, Chairman of Vivendi’s Management Board, said in a statement: “Today we are publishing a particularly sharp increase in revenues for a first quarter. This reflects the strength of our three core businesses and the Group’s ability to transform and grow.

“The organic growth of 5.4% compared to the first quarter of 2023 was notably driven by the significant contribution of Lagardère, validating the relevance of the transaction with this group last November and our confidence in the potential of its activities. Canal+ Group and Havas also delivered solid performances, with increases in reported revenues of 4.3% and 6.2%, respectively, over the same period.”