Small Screen: DirectTV Raises Prices Amidst Disney Dispute, Emil Wakim Joins ‘SNL’ Cast
Emil Wakim - NBC
Broadcast: NBC's Saturday Night Live has added Emil Wakim to the cast, along with Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline. At the same time, Chloe Troast, who joined in Season 49, has confirmed her departure from the show. In the same vein, Devon Walker, Marcello Hernández, and Michael Longfellow have been promoted to the main cast. Wakim, a Lebanese American comedian, has performed on The Tonight Show and was recognized at the 2022 Just for Laughs Comedy Festival.
Yerin Ha - Tim P. Whitby / Stringer
Streaming: Peacock's new untitled mockumentary series has added Melvin Gregg (Snowfall) and Ramona Young (Never Have I Ever) to the cast. Gregg and Young join fellow cast members Chelsea Frei (The Cleaning Lady), Domhnall Gleeson (Alice and Jack), and Sabrina Impacciatore (7 Women and a Murder). The series follows the same documentary crew that focused on the famous Dunder Mifflin Paper Company to a struggling Midwestern newspaper. The series is co-created by Greg Daniels, who developed the U.S. version of The Office, along with Michael Koman, Ricky Gervais, and Stephen Merchant.
Paramount+'s comedy series Crutch has added Adrianna Mitchell (Snowfall) to the cast. Mitchell will play Jamilah, the free-spirited daughter of Crutch (Tracy Morgan) who has had to leave suburbia. Crutch is a Harlem shop owner taking in his son (Jermaine Fowler) and daughter. Production will begin in September 2024 in New York.
Netflix has announced Yerin Ha (Halo) will be cast as Sophie Baek in Bridgerton's fourth season. Sophie is the love interest for Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), and in Julia Quinn’s novel An Offer From a Gentleman, she is described as the illegitimate daughter of an earl who is raised by a mean stepmother. Originally named Sophie Beckett in the books, the producers changed her character's last name to reflect Ha's Korean heritage.
Xavier Mills (The Wood) has joined the cast of Hulu's comedy series Chad Powers. Mills joins as a recurring cast member alongside Clayne Crawford (Lethal Weapon), Colton Ryan (Dear Evan Hansen), Toby Huss (Copshop), along with main cast Glen Powell (Hit Man), Frankie A. Rodriguez (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series), and Steve Zahn (The White Lotus), to name a few. The show follows Russ Holliday (Powell), a college quarterback who reinvents himself as “Chad Powers” to join a Southern football team. The series is based on an Eli Manning sketch from ESPN+ and was co-created by Powell and Michael Waldron.
Steve Chung
Industry: Starting October 6th, 2024, DirecTV will raise prices for its satellite and streaming TV services with increases from $2 to $10 per month depending on the package. The price hikes come as the company is in a contract dispute with Disney. This disagreement led to the removal of ESPN, ABC, and other Disney-owned channels from its lineup. In response to the blackout, DirecTV is offering customers a one-time $20 credit, and an additional $30 credit for those who sign up for alternative streaming services like Sling or Fubo. DirecTV attributes rising fees from TV networks as the reason for the adjustment.
UK broadcasting executives have faced criticism from Pact CEO John McVay for their handling of the mid-budget programming market's decline. McVay labeled their approach as "callous" and "cloth-eared," noting how major broadcasters like the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4 appeared indifferent to the impact on smaller production companies. McVay highlighted the struggles of Pact's members, many of whom are being pushed out of the market.
“We hear from buyers that they only want massive factories or top-end award-winning shows and if I was young and heard that I might not be encouraged to enter the industry,” said McVay. “So there are a number of things here that are intersectional and we want to talk about it more.”
Lightbox is working with UK’s Sky History on producing scripted drama series Gunpowder Siege. The series will star Chuku Modu (Game of Thrones) as Robert Catesby and will explore the true story behind the 1605 Gunpowder Plot. The series will focus on Catesby and fellow plotters Thomas Wintour (Luke Hobson) and Thomas Percy (Luke Roberts) as they raise an army following Guy Fawkes’ capture. The series is written by Noel McCann, narrated by Charlotte Pyke, and produced by Jonathan Chinn, Simon Chinn, and Vanessa Tovell.
Charter Communications has renewed its deal with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) nearly a year ahead of schedule, giving Spectrum TV Select customers access to the ad-supported versions of Max and Discovery+ at no additional cost. The long-term agreement extends Spectrum’s carriage of WBD’s linear networks like CNN, HGTV, and TNT. It also designates Max as a preferred partner for Charter in marketing and selling streaming bundles to broadband customers.
“This strategic relationship with WBD further evolves the linear and broadband video distribution model and supports Spectrum’s efforts to provide flexible packages, whether through hybrid linear-[direct-to-consumer] full video relationships, smaller video packages with DTC add-ons, or a suite of a-la-carte or bundled DTC options for broadband customers,” said Charter CEO Chris Winfrey.
Disney+ has launched a limited-time promotion for Disney+ Basic, offering the ad-supported service for $1.99 a month for new and returning subscribers. Disney recently reported its streaming division turned profitable for the first time, although Disney+ and Hulu remain in the red. Additionally, Disney+ subscribers will gain access to perks like merchandise discounts, free Marvel Digital Comics, and cruise sweepstakes. The promotion is available September 27th and will last for three months. Subscribers will save $18 ahead of Disney's plan to increase their streaming service prices, including the Basic package to $9.99.
DirecTV's chief marketing officer, Vince Torres, announced that the company is losing customers due to its ongoing dispute with Disney. This disagreement led to the blackout of channels like ABC and ESPN after their carriage agreement expired. In response, DirecTV offered $30 credits to affected subscribers, though Torres admitted this hasn't fully eased frustrations. He emphasized that DirecTV is focusing on long-term flexibility by advocating for “skinny bundles,” allowing customers to pay only for the channels they want, reflecting changes in TV consumption habits. Torres also accused Disney of anticompetitive behavior, citing a legal complaint with the FCC, and criticized Disney’s temporary offer to restore ABC during the Presidential debate as a PR move.
In the middle of strikes and uncertainty in the industry, Hollywood's leading in-house attorneys drove deals and production efforts forward. Some of the notable attorneys include Francisco Arias, Steve Chung, Janell Coles-English, Chi Kephart, Lori Landew, Stephanie Kyoko McKinnon, UnJu Paik, Lee Goldberg, David Perez, and Savalle Sims. Arias is the general counsel at Fifth Season and is securing a $255 million investment from Toho. Chung, chief counsel at Walt Disney Television, leads legal teams for Disney's broadcast and streaming operations. Coles-English is the Executive VP of Sony Pictures Television and has negotiated big deals with high-profile producers. Kephart is the Head of Business Affairs and General Counsel for A. Smith & Co./Tinopolis USA and has closed huge show deals for Top Chef and Hell's Kitchen, to name a few. Landew works for the General Counsel of Audible and closed the Harry Potter deal with Pottermore, and other deals with Sirius XM, Mercedes Benz, and Air Canada. McKinnon is in the General Counsel of Skydance and leads the Skydance negotiations with Paramount. Paik and Goldberg both work for Wondery as Head of Global Business Affairs and Head of Legal, respectively. The two settled podcast deals for New Heights and Armchair Expert for Amazon. Perez is the head of business affairs for non-scripted TV with WME and is leading their artificial intelligence partnerships with Vermillio and Loti. Sims is the Chief legal officer of Warner Bros. Discovery and leads the efforts to roll out Max globally in 2024.
