🎬 Biggest Reality Show in History

👋 Good morning and happy new year! Just when you thought movie theater snack promotions couldn't get wilder than viral popcorn buckets, Cinemark says "hold my popcorn." The chain is inviting moviegoers to bring literally ANY container to fill with buttery goodness for just $5 on National Popcorn Day (Jan. 19). That's right—your vintage suitcase, or even that oversized flower vase from Aunt Linda could become your personal popcorn vessel. Up to 400oz, if you're feeling ambitious.

Welcome to the first 2025 issue of the Dailies! Whether you're a seasoned subscriber or joining us for the first time, we're thrilled to have you here. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we'll deliver the most important industry scoops directly to your inbox.

🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• Biggest Reality Show in TV History

• Netflix’s Christmas Gambit Pays Off

• Sophomore Seasons Slim Down

• Last Looks: 👀 Bite-sized scoops on developing stories/projects

• Video Village: The latest trailers

• Release Radar: What to watch this weekend

• Martini Shot 🍸

But first, it’s Friday, so let’s take a look at what people were watching this week… 👀

TOP STREAMED
📊 What U.S. audiences were watching this week…

WIDESHOT
🎬 Mr. Beast, Netflix, and slimmer TV seasons…

👑📺 ‘Beast Games’ has become the biggest reality show in TV history. MrBeast's $100M+ Amazon show, which premiered Dec. 19 on Prime Video, has already topped charts in 82 countries. The reality competition, featuring 1,000 contestants vying for a $5M prize, broke 40 Guinness World Records and was filmed in a custom-built $14M "city" in Toronto. But what's turning heads in Hollywood isn't just the scale—it’s that Amazon handed MrBeast (aka Jimmy Donaldson) something unheard of: total creative control. For a 26-year-old YouTuber to get this kind of power—even one who commands 340M subscribers and a $700M yearly empire—marks a dramatic shift in how platforms approach content deals. While Donaldson admits to losing "tens of millions" on production, Amazon is betting big on the show to attract advertisers to Prime Video, leveraging MrBeast's massive following. Critics might be split (17% on Rotten Tomatoes, though audiences give it 69%), but the industry's watching closely. Looking ahead, we might see more of this new blueprint: betting big on digital creators instead of old-school production houses, completely flipping the script on how streaming deals get done.

🎮📺 Netflix's NFL Christmas gambit paid off big. The platform's first major football broadcast delivered monster numbers (24.1M and 24.3M viewers per game) while proving they can handle large-scale live events after previous technical stumbles. By pairing traditional football coverage with a Beyoncé halftime show that boosted viewership to 27M during her performance, Netflix flexed its ability to transform sports broadcasts into cultural events that resonate across its entire 190-country footprint. The reported $150M investment for the two-game Christmas package reveals a calculated game plan: instead of diving into costly full-season rights, Netflix is strategically picking marquee events (NFL Christmas, celebrity boxing) while making long-term investments in growing sports properties (its newly acquired FIFA Women's World Cup rights, WWE). With nearly a third of Netflix's global concurrent viewers tuning in during Christmas Day peaks, the streaming giant demonstrated it can deliver both massive audiences and technical reliability—crucial credentials as streaming platforms battle for future sports rights.

📺✂️ TV's sophomore seasons got skinnier in 2024, with episode counts shrinking across every major platform. Take Netflix’s heavy-hitters ‘The Diplomat’ and ‘The Recruit’—both were trimmed down to just 6 episodes (from 8 in S1). Meanwhile, HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon’ and AppleTV+’s ‘Bad Sisters’ dropped from 10 to 8. While some showrunners cite creative calls (like ‘The Diplomat's’ team), industry insiders say these cuts are largely coming from the C-suite amid a broader belt-tightening wave. What's driving the diet? A perfect storm of shrinking content budgets, lingering production bottlenecks from 2023's strikes, and the hefty time demands of global dubbing operations. As we roll into 2025, industry watchers expect this compression trend to pick up steam, potentially reshaping development pipelines. The recently released ‘Squid Game’ S2, with its slimmed-down 7-episode order (down from 9), will likely serve as a crucial litmus test for execs sweating over whether less volume translates to less engagement.

INTERMISSION: A MESSAGE FROM THE DAILIES
🤔 Hey, quick question…

Ever had someone ask "What's your show about?" and watch their eyes glaze over as you explain it? Yeah, we've all been there.

Here's the thing: Having a killer TV show idea is only half the battle. Getting others to see your vision? That's where most creators stumble.

But what if you could walk into any room and nail your pitch every single time?

That's exactly what Chris Amick teaches in our 7-week TV pitch mastery program. (And yes, he's the guy who's sold shows to Netflix and Max, so he knows his stuff.)

Here's what makes this different:

• 💡 Guided Steps: Clear weekly milestones

• 🎯 Expert Insights: Learn from a pro who’s sold to Netflix and Max.

• 🤝 Creative Network: Connect, grow, and gain fresh insights.

Don’t just take our word for it—here’s what past students have to say:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Chris’s class transformed my pitch—it’s a game-changer!” — Hannah K.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I finally feel confident walking into any room to sell my idea.” — Jeremiah S.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This course saved me years of trial and error.” — Saundra H.

⏳ Spots are filling up fast, and registration closes soon—don’t miss out!

LAST LOOKS
Development 🗒️

• Jason Momoa is set to play Lobo in ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.’ (more)

• Josh Duhamel, Dylan Sprouse, and Til Schweiger are set to lead the action thriller ‘The Neglected.’ (more)

• Andrew Garfield, Michelle Yeoh, Demi Moore, and Dwayne Johnson are set to lead the star-studded lineup of presenters for the 2025 Golden Globes. (more)

• ‘In the Know’ is canceled by Peacock. (more)

Business 🤝

• Li Haslett Chen will step down from Warner Bros. Discovery’s Board of Directors on Jan. 31, 2025. (more)

• Robert De Niro’s $1B Wildflower Studios, the world’s first vertical soundstage, is now open and fully operational in Queens. (more)

Other News 🚨

• ‘Squid Game’ S2 shattered Netflix records with 68M views in its debut week, becoming the most-watched premiere week in platform history. (more)

• ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest’ drew 18M viewers, peaking at 21.5M at midnight. (more)

• The 2024 U.S. box office closed at $8.7B, with Disney leading the market. (more)

RELEASE RADAR
🍿 What to watch this weekend?

🏆 AWARDS SEASON

• Golden Globe Awards: Hosted by Nikki Glaser, the 82nd Golden Globes air live this Sunday, Jan. 5th at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS and stream on Paramount+ with Showtime.

📺 STREAMING

• Lockerbie: A Search for Truth: (Peacock) Five-part historical drama starring Colin Firth.

• The Rig: (Prime Video) S2 of the supernatural thriller series set on a Scottish oil rig, starring Martin Compston and Iain Glen.

• Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl: (Netflix) Animated comedy from Aardman featuring the beloved duo facing off against an old nemesis.

• Missing You: (Netflix) Crime thriller series based on Harlan Coben's novel, starring Rosalind Eleazar.

• Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever: (Netflix) Documentary from Tiger King producer Chris Smith following tech millionaire Bryan Johnson's extreme $2M/year quest to reverse human aging.

VIDEO VILLAGE
📺 Latest trailers

MARTINI SHOT
🍸 Latest viral moments