Netflix Will Face Hurdles in Courting Advertisers, But Biz Abuzz About Streamer’s New Model

Netflix has opened an office in Italy and unveiled a huge slate of scripted and unscripted series and films from many of the country’s biggest producers, with Co-CEO Reed Hastings detailing the streamer’s roots in the nation.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentNetflix on Friday officially opened its Italian base in Rome, in a classy neoclassical building near the iconic Via Veneto, and announced a substantial slate of originals that stand as testament to what co-CEO Reed Hastings called the streaming giant’s “growing business in Italy.”“The breadth and variety of our Italian slate perfectly represents our ambitions,” said Hastings, who took the stage at the presentation’s conclusion. Hastings took the opportunity to note how pleased he is that Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Hand of God,” which Netflix produced, scooped top honors at Italy’s David di Donatello Awards, the country’s top film prizes, earlier this week.Netflix’s new Italian slate is headlined by a high-end English-language series adaptation of “The Leopard,” the classic Sicily-set novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa.

Matt Blank, interim CEO of AMC Networks, said the company has “no plans” for ad-supported tiers of its family of targeted streaming services including Shudder, Acorn TV and AMC+.

the Hollywood Reporter. “This run ties Chappelle with Monty Python for the most headlined shows by any comedian at the Hollywood Bowl, reaching 70k fans of diverse backgrounds during the first Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival, and he refuses to allow last night’s incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment.” The statement added: “As unfortunate and unsettling as the incident was, Chappelle went on with the show.

Zack Sharf Netflix has issued a statement after Dave Chappelle was attacked on stage while performing a comedy set during the streaming giant’s Netflix Is a Joke festival in Los Angeles. The performance was taking place at the Hollywood Bowl.

A Netflix shareholder has sued the streamer for violating securities law after slowing subscriber growth led to a sharp decline in the company’s stock price.

Space Force has been cancelled by Netflix after two seasons.The streaming platform announced that the Steve Carell-led comedy series, which he co-created with The Office showrunner Greg Daniels, will not be returning for a third run of episodes.This comes just two and a half months after the release of the second season, which has received middling to negative reviews from critics.A parody of ex-president Donald Trump’s genuine desire to establish a Space Force as the sixth branch of the US military, Space Force centres on the everyday failings and absurd antics of General Mark R. Naird (Carell) and his team as they launch various space-related operations.Alongside Carell, the show starred John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Tawny Newsome, Jimmy O.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAfter launching Peacock with a pledge to minimize commercial interruption, NBCUniversal seems to have hit upon a new idea that will let ads and content exist on screen at the same time.The company on Monday unveiled a new ad format for its streaming-video hub Peacock that will surround a show with a “frame” sponsored by an advertiser. The graphic overlay may even contain interactive elements that let Peacock subscribers shop for the product or service being advertised.“The majority of Peacock customers are opting for our ad-supported experience, and we remain focused on collaborating with our brand partners to develop innovative, personalized ad experiences that continue to enhance the customer experience,” said John Jelley, Peacock’s senior vice president of product and user experience, in a statement.

David Zaslav and Endeavor’s Ari Emanuel scored nine-figure compensation packages, a Day-Glo illustration of the lengths that board rooms go to reward the men (and it is exclusively men) at the top. Those gaudy figures came largely in the form of stock options, which means the take-home pay could shrink if the market takes a nosedive, but both men are still among the most richly remunerated in this or any industry.

It’s been almost half a year since Netflix’s big flex. At the beginning of this year, the streamer unveiled its big 2022 teaser video, highlighting many of their upcoming films.

As studios meet in Las Vegas to present footage of there upcoming slates to exhibitors,  Netflix is showcasing there own slate of future feature films as it has unveiled its upcoming summer slate of original movies. Some of the films receiving new release dates include the Vampire thriller Day Shift starring Jamie Foxx, which is set to bow on August 12, the Kevin Hart-Mark Wahlberg comedy Me Time, bowing on Aug. 26 and the Dakota Johnson drama Persuasion, bowing July 15.  The streamer also confirmed dates of some highly-anticipated films that had previously been announced like the Adam Sandler sports pic Hustle, which bows on June 8, the Chris Hemsworth-Miles Teller Thriller Spiderhead, which bows on June 17 and most recently the The Russo Brothers next film The Gray Man, starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, which will premiere on July 22.

Wilson Chapman editorNetflix has set release dates for nearly 40 moves debuting between May and Labor Day Weekend. The streamer unveiled a first look at the Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg-starrer “Me Time,” which follows a stay-at-home dad (Hart) who finds himself with some “me time” for the first time in years.

Netflix subscribers in the UK share passwords between friends and family, according to research.As reported by research firm Digital i (via the Guardian), it’s estimated at least 27 per cent of Netflix’s 14.9million subscribers in the UK, over four million accounts, share their accounts with other households. It’s believed the real figure, however, could be higher.Ali Vahdati, Digital i chief executive, said: “Our estimates came from analysing account activity, and we corroborated this with various other sources.

Ed Meza @edmezavarIn his more than three decades at Constantin Film, Martin Moszkowicz has overseen the production of hundreds of films, including such box office successes as “Downfall,” “The Baader Meinhof Complex,” the hugely popular “Fack Ju Go­ehte” films and the hit “Resident Evil” franchise.This year’s CinemaCon is honoring Constantin’s longtime CEO for his work and continuing success at the global box office.Speaking to Variety, Moszkowicz looks back at his career and discusses Constantin’s current challenges, its diverse lineup, new productions and expanding film and television activities.Moszkowicz has headed Germany’s most successful production and distribution group since 2014. While Germany remains its main market, Constantin has had a global outlook since its beginnings, and it was due in part to Moszkowicz’s international experience that he landed his first job at the company.

EXCLUSIVE: Burgeoning British podcast studio Novel is making a big U.S. play, hiring senior execs from The Daily and Today in Focus, striking a partnership with UTA and opening up conversations over TV and film adaptations.

If you're still watching Netflix on your ex's roommate's account, that access may not last much longer: Netflix is considering cracking down on password sharing, according to a report from the Associated Press. The streaming platform may also add a new, lower-cost subscription tier supported by ads, similar to its rival Hulu's.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterThe finale of CNN+’s “Land of the Giants: Titans of Tech,” titled “The Netflix Effect,” launches Thursday, perfect timing for an entertainment industry that is both reeling amid Netflix’s shocking Q1 subscriber miss, poor second-quarter outlook and the wait to see if CNN+ can find its groove as quickly as it might need to in order to survive.Based on the “Land of the Giants” podcast from Vox Media’s Recode, the CNN+ docuseries explores the complicated histories of Meta (a.k.a. Facebook), Apple, Amazon, Google and now Netflix.