LEAD STORY
Disney Grows To 221 Million Global Streaming Subscribers
Disney has bucked the trend when it comes to its streaming subscriber count. It gained more subscribers during the second quarter of 2022, going against the tide of subscriber loss or stagnation its fellow competitors experienced during the same period.
The media conglomerate said that it added 16.5 million global streaming subscribers to stand now at 221 million. This means that Disney, cumulatively now, has passed Netflix when it comes to global subscribers count.
From an individual performance perspective, though, Netflix still rules, but Disney’s streaming services, in particular Disney Plus, are growing rapidly.
Disney Plus added 14.4 million global subscribers putting it at 152.1 million subscribers. This is a 31% increase when compared to a year ago. Much of this growth came from its international markets, as domestically, it just added 100,000 subscribers.
It needs to add just about 68 million subscribers to tie Netflix’s subscriber count.
Hulu, meanwhile, added 600,000 subscribers domestically to stand at 46.2 million subscribers. This is an 8% increase from a year ago. Its SVOD (subscriber video on demand) side had 42.2 million subscribers, up from 41.4 million in the previous quarter. Hulu Plus with Live TV dropped by 100,000 subscribers to stand at 4 million subscribers.
ESPN Plus rose to 22.8 million subscribers gaining 500,000 subscribers when compared to the previous quarter. This was a 53% increase when compared to a year ago.
The good news ended there as the House of Mickey reported an operating loss of $1.1 billion for its streaming services in the fiscal third quarter.
As a result of this, Disney announced a new pricing structure for its streaming products, which includes the soon-to-be-launched ad-tier version of Disney Plus.
Disney Plus without ads will, from December 8, cost $10.99, a $3 increase, while the ad version of Disney Plus will cost $7.99, which is the current price of the ad-free version of Disney Plus.
Hulu without ads went up by $2 to $14.99 beginning October 10, while the ad version of Hulu went up by $1 to $7.99.
ESPN Plus will cost $9.99 beginning August 23, a price increase that was announced earlier.
The Disney Bundle, which consists of Disney Plus, Hulu with no Ads, and ESPN Plus, will remain the same at $19.99. Disney is introducing two new bundle options to entice more people to switch to the bundled option instead of the individual option.
The first is Disney Plus and Hulu with ads for $9.99, and the second one features the ad version for all three services at $12.99.
The cost of attracting and keeping subscribers has become even more expensive, and Disney recognizes this. As the streaming market moves to a maturity phase, the days of streaming being a far more cost-effective option may soon be behind us.
(Broadcasting+Cable, Axios, Decider, CNBC, CNN Business)
RECAP
Shannon Bream named Fox News Sunday anchor
On September 11, Fox News Sunday will be moderated permanently by Shannon Bream. Bream, who was most recently the anchor of Fox News @ Night, becomes the first woman to anchor the program in its 26-year history. She succeeds Chris Wallace, who left the network to go work for CNN’s short-lived streaming service CNN Plus (More on Wallace in the Quick Recap section below). Bream will continue her role as Fox News’ chief legal correspondent. As for Fox News @ Night, the network says the show will feature a rotation of journalists who will guest anchor until a permanent replacement has been named. (Los Angeles Times)
Jeffery Toobin Leaves CNN
CNN’s chief legal analyst Jeffery Toobin announced that he would be departing the network after 20 years of providing on-air analysis of significant legal issues. Toobin said he would not return to the network when his current vacation ends. He thanked Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, and Don Lemon, saying he was happy to have worked with them on his final day. Toobin had a relatively smooth tenure at CNN up until the fall of 2020 when during a Zoom call with his fellow The New Yorker staffers, he unknowingly exposed himself. He was let go by the magazine outlet soon after, but CNN suspended him for eight months. When he returned to the network, he apologized on-air for his actions saying that he was a “flawed human being who makes mistakes.” (The Hollywood Reporter)
MSNBC Cancels Zerlina Maxwell And Ayman Mohyeldin’s Peacock Shows
The streaming business is rough, and achieving success can be challenging. MSNBC is finding this out as it has had to cancel two shows that lived on its streaming hub, The Choice, available on Peacock. Shows by Zerlina Maxwell and Ayman Mohyeldin were canceled as the network takes a hard look at how its streaming shows are performing. The network has revised its streaming strategy, saying that the streaming hub should be where its best-known opinion programs can live, in addition to being a place for specials hosted by its marquee talent. All of this would be available on Peacock’s premium tier. Maxwell’s show’s last day will be on September 15, and the network would like for her to remain with them as an analyst. Meanwhile, Mohyeldin’s linear show will no longer air on Peacock, but he will keep his weekend duties and be a fill-in anchor for MSNBC’s weekday primetime shows. (Variety)
QUICK RECAP
Bill Miller, a stage manager at ABC News, passes away. (Good Morning America/Twitter)
Former Fox News anchor Uma Pemmaraju passes away. (TVNewser)
Alexis Nunes signs a multiyear contract with ESPN. (ESPN Press Room)
Marianna Spring has been promoted to BBC News’ disinformation and social media correspondent. (Mairanna Spring/Twitter)
Michael Smith joins Amazon’s Thursday Night Football as a news analyst. (USA Today)
Rhiannon Ally was named co-anchor of ABC News’ World News Now and America This Morning. (TVNewser)
Molly McGrath signs a multiyear extension with ESPN. (ESPN PR/Twitter)
Allie Sandza was named executive producer of Washington D.C. streaming coverage for CBS News. (TVNewser)
Fantasy and sports betting analyst Liz Loza signs a multiyear contract with ESPN. (ESPN Press Room)
ABC News promotes senior foreign correspondent Ian Pannell to chief foreign correspondent. (TVNewser)
Notre Dame football games on NBC Sports are to be called by Jac Collinsworth and former NFL coach Jason Garrett. (New York Post)
A deep dive on the Fox News-Dominion lawsuit and its ramifications. (New York Times)
Netflix drops to fourth in customer satisfaction. (MediaPost)
The success of Pluto TV and other free TV streaming service should no longer be overlooked. (Bloomberg)
Media mogul Byron Allen changes the name of Black News Channel to theGrio. (CNN Business)
CNN, NBC News, and other news outlets filed a motion to unseal Trump's search warrant. (Matt Stiles/Twitter)
NBC News and MSNBC receive four National Edward R. Murrow Awards. (MSNBC PR/Twitter)
CBS News receive six National Edward R. Murrow Awards. (Paramount Press Express)
NBC News, MSNBC’s Richard Engel, and PBS’ Judy Woodruff receive RTDNA awards. (TVNewser)
NBC News Digital receives Joseph D. Ryle Award for Excellence from the National Press Club. (NBC News PR/Twitter)
Fox News airs a doctored image of Judge Reinhart. (The Daily Beast)
The 2022 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup is to be streamed for free on FIFA Plus. (The Streamable)
Tubi expands into Latin America later this month. (The Streamable)
NBC News’ Savanna Guthrie oversleeps and gets to the Today Show right before it starts. (The Wrap)
Chris Wallace’s new show will air on Sunday at 7 pm ET on CNN. (TVNewser)
HBO Max still hasn’t recovered from its exit from Amazon Channels. (Next TV)
Weather Channel uses Amobee for data-driven ads. (Broadcasting+Cable)
Netflix is still the envy of many in Hollywood. (Reuters)
Fox Sports sees a very healthy demand for next year’s Super Bowl. (Adweek)
ESPN announces its College Football broadcasting crews. (ESPN Press Room)
Tubi sees a 34% increase in active monthly users. (The Streamable)
The Hill launches a streaming channel on Plex. (Broadcasting+Cable)
NBC News is splitting Studio 3B into two studios. (NewscastStudio)
HBO Max’s ad-supported tier success should be the template for the other streaming services. (The Streamable)
Walmart is looking into bundling streaming services to Walmart Plus. (The New York Times)
An NFL Black Friday game is a real possibility on Amazon’s Prime Video. (Sports Media Watch)
Hulu has the most annoying ads, while HBO Max gets it right. (The Streamable)
The implications of ESPN getting out of bidding for Big Ten media rights. (Sports Illustrated)
ESPN renews its deal with Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana. (Awful Announcing)
70% of Netflix subscribers are unlikely to switch to the upcoming ad version. (The Streamable)
Fox Sports announces its NFL fall broadcasting lineup. (Awful Announcing)
Despite the rumors, a lot of pain is coming soon to HBO Max/Warner Bros. Discovery. (Vulture)
Netflix is transforming into a media company. (CNN Business)
Thanks for reading the Coverage Notes Newsletter.
Subscribe & share. Let us know what you think here - love it or hate it; we'll learn to deal with it and make it better.
A MarkHenry Media LLC publication - Issue #97 - 2022