🎬 We'll Do It Live

👋 Good morning! Looks like John Mayer is trading his guitar strings for Hollywood property deeds. Mayer, alongside filmmaker McG, is in final talks to purchase the iconic Jim Henson Company lot, originally built by Charlie Chaplin in 1919. From Chaplin classics to Muppets magic to Mayer’s own ‘Sob Rock’ sessions, the lot has hosted legends across film, TV, and music, preserving decades of creativity and innovation.

Welcome aboard the Dailies. As you sip your morning brew, we’ll get you caught up with the fast-paced world of Hollywood—no need to chase down a newsstand, we’ve got everything you need right here.

🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• Netflix Continues Push into Live

• Chris Wallace Departs CNN

• Apple TV+ and Prime Video Test Paths to Profit

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

• Video Village: The latest trailers

• Martini Shot 🍸

CLOSEUP
📺 Turns out Netflix misses live TV…

The company that killed "appointment TV" is now... bringing it back? Netflix, which trained us all to binge-watch when we want, is suddenly betting big on live events. But this isn't your standard network television revival—it's Netflix building a hybrid that combines streaming convenience with the urgency of live TV.

Their journey into live programming is methodical. They started small, testing their tech with "low profile" events like tennis matches, golf competitions, and even a hot dog eating contest. During David Chang's live cooking show, they intentionally shut down West Coast servers to stress-test their system. Smart move—especially after the ‘Love is Blind’ reunion's infamous tech meltdown.

Now they're scaling up fast:

• ‘Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson’ boxing match this Friday, expected to be their most-watched live event yet

• Two NFL Christmas Day games, with planned halftime concert performances

• ‘WWE Raw,’ their biggest commitment yet—three hours of live wrestling every week starting in 2025

Think about it: As viewers ditch cable TV in droves (24M cord-cutters since 2020), Netflix has figured out how to tap into two things they left behind. First, the "everyone watching together" moment—that buzz you can only get from live events. Second, the massive advertising dollars these must-watch moments command. With Netflix's ad viewers nearly doubling to 70M since May, adding live events (where everyone sees ads, regardless of subscription) is like printing money.

Looking ahead... This may be an effective solution to one of streaming's biggest problems: keeping subscribers from canceling and making more money per user. Live events create buzz, draw ads, and give people reasons to keep their Netflix subscription active. When everyone's talking about the NFL game on Netflix this Christmas, many won't want to be left out.

What's next? Expect other streamers to join the race for live content. Amazon already has ‘Thursday Night Football,’ Apple has Major League Soccer, but Netflix is swinging for everything: sports, entertainment, comedy, you name it.

WIDESHOT
🎬 Wallace goes digital and streamers chart paths…

👋🎤 Cable news is losing another heavyweight as Chris Wallace ditches his seven-figure CNN gig for the wild west of streaming. The 77-year old broadcasting veteran, whose career spans 55 years across NBC, ABC, Fox News, and CNN, is betting big on digital platforms as “where the action seems to be.” His post-election exit is particularly telling—while podcasters and digital creators shaped campaign narratives, traditional networks struggled to maintain relevance. His own network, CNN, is reportedly prepping for "hundreds" of layoffs after seeing election night ratings nosedive from 13.3M viewers in 2016 to just 5.1M today. Stars like Jake Tapper and Wolf Blitzer have been denied raises while top earners Anderson Cooper and Erin Burnett face uncertain futures. Wallace says he’s planning to maintain his signature balanced approach, baking on his impressive interview roster (including “presidents, princes, kings and one saint”) to draw eyeballs. Bottom line: When a TV legend jumps ship for streaming, it's another sign that traditional media's grip on the spotlight is seriously slipping.

📺💰 Welcome to streaming's great experiment. While Netflix dominates through sheer scale, Apple TV+ and Prime Video are testing whether you'll pay more or watch ads to keep your favorite shows alive. Apple went for the wallet with a hefty 43% price hike (to $9.99) in late 2023, while Amazon gambled on an ad-supported pivot this past January—watch commercials or shell out $2.99 to skip them. The money talks: Apple's revenue surged 33% and Amazon's climbed 19.2%, but at what cost? Prime Video briefly scared off half a million subscribers with its ad bombshell before winning them back and then some. Meanwhile, Apple's price shock still has subscriber exits running higher than normal. For Hollywood, these experiments are like a crystal ball—viewers will pay up for must-watch content (think 'Ted Lasso' or 'The Boys'), but platforms face a tricky choice: risk losing price-sensitive subscribers or dilute the viewing experience with ads. As production costs soar and the streaming pie gets sliced thinner, expect more platforms to test these waters as well.

INTERMISSION: A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR
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LAST LOOKS
Development 🗒️

• Lupita Nyong’o joins the cast of Christopher Nolan’s next, yet-untitled film. (more)

• Angela Bassett will reprise her role in ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,’ set for release in May 2025. (more)

• Drew Starkey joins the cast of A24’s action-thriller ‘Onslaught,’ directed by Adam Wingard, alongside Adria Arjona and Dan Stevens. (more)

• Blake Shelton and Taylor Sheridan team up for ‘The Road,’ a CBS singing competition with artists competing as tour-opening acts. (more)

• Gal Gadot will star as a lawyer racing to save her son in the London-set thriller ‘The Runner,’ directed by Kevin Macdonald for Amazon MGM Studios. (more)

• Hiro Murai will make his feature film debut directing ‘Bushido,’ a samurai action film set in feudal Japan, produced by A24. (more)

• Lena Dunham is set to write a film adaptation of Michael Lewis’s book ‘Going Infinite,’ about Sam Bankman-Fried’s rise and fall, for Apple and A24. (more)

• Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way is producing a Rod Serling documentary that explores ‘The Twilight Zone’ creator’s life. (more)

• Jeremy Piven, William Moseley, Tim McInnerny, and Pixie Lott will star in the psychological thriller ‘Past Life.’ (more)

• Russell Crowe returns to battle the Roman Empire in ‘The Last Druid,’ an action film that has secured major pre-sales worldwide, including with Amazon in key territories. (more)

• Netflix is developing an English-language remake of the South Korean gangster film ‘A Bittersweet Life,’ with Kevin McMullin set to write the adaptation. (more)

• Benedict Cumberbatch, Rosamund Pike, and Anthony Hopkins will star in Guy Ritchie’s ‘Wife & Dog.’ (more)

• Brandon Sklenar will star in Tony Tost’s ‘The Olympian,’ portraying olympic rower Brad Alan Lewis. (more)

• Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk will write and likely direct a reimagining of the 1999 horror comedy ‘Idle Hands’ for Sony, with Jason Reitman producing. (more)

Business 🤝

• Disney has expanded its CEO search to include external candidates. (more)

• Amazon is shutting down its Freevee streaming service, consolidating its ad-supported content under Prime Video. (more)

• Paramount shareholder Mario Gabelli has requested the FCC pause its review of Paramount’s $8B Skydance merger to investigate potential fiduciary and securities violations affecting minority shareholders. (more)

• The CW is undergoing significant layoffs, with scripted PR and programming teams heavily impacted, as Nexstar shifts focus from high-end scripted content to sports and unscripted shows to drive profitability. (more)

• Endeavor is selling OpenBet and IMG Arena in a $450M management buyout backed by Ari Emanuel and OpenBet CEO Jordan Levin. (more)

Other News 🚨

• MSNBC’s viewership dropped by 51% after Trump’s election victory, while Fox News saw a 34% increase. (more)

• The Louisiana House has voted to eliminate the state’s $150M film tax credit as part of a broader plan to reduce income taxes. (more)

• Intimacy coordinators voted unanimously to organize with SAG-AFTRA, aiming to negotiate their first contract with the AMPTP. (more)

• Stay ahead of the game with Boardroom, the newsletter that delivers the biggest stories in sports and entertainment. (subscribe with 1 click)*

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VIDEO VILLAGE
📺 Latest trailers

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MARTINI SHOT
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