Disney+ Sheds 4 Million Subscribers in Second Straight Quarterly Drop, Streaming Losses Narrow by 26%

Selome Hailu As it moves through its third (and rumored final) season, the popular Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” has achieved its highest weekly viewership as measured by Nielsen’s weekly streaming rankings. The comedy was watched for 795 million minutes from April 24 to April 30, landing in the No. 6 position overall. It should be noted that this series high comes in comparison to previous weeks of Season 3 alone, as Apple TV+ viewership was not measured on Nielsen’s charts until this year. However, it remains a triumphant week for the streamer, which also has the Ana de Armas and Chris Evans-led film “Ghosted” on Nielsen’s movies chart for the second week in a row, this time at No. 8 with 181 million minutes watched.

BreAnna Bell “The Mother” continues to lead all of Netflix titles for the second consecutive week with 92 million hours viewed during the May 15-21 viewing window. Thus, pushing the show to hit more than 90 million views. Netflix calculates total views by dividing the total hours watched, (178.1 million hours) by total runtime (1.96 hours). Spinoffs reigned supreme on the English-Language TV chart. Taking the no. 1 spot on the list is “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story,” which managed an additional 82.39 million hours viewed. In its third week among the popular titles chart, Shonda Rhimes’ Georgian era tale also appeared in the Top 10 in 89 countries. Coming just beneath is the “To All the Boys” sequel series, “XO, Kitty” which opened to 72.08 million hours viewed following its May 18 debut. Starring Anna Cathcart (Kitty Song Covey) and Minyeong Choi (Dae), the YA rom-com had over 14 total views and appeared in the Top 10 in 90 countries.

Thania Garcia Bad Bunny enters his EDM era with the release of a new Jersey Club-inspired single titled “Where She Goes,” a cross-pollination of hip-hop, dembow and house beats with a star-studded music video to match. Dominic Fike, Frank Ocean and Lil Uzi Vert make subtle appearances (blink and you’ll miss them) in the desert-themed music video along with Brazillian soccer player Ronaldinho. The track reunites the Puerto Rican reggaeton singer with his long-time collaborators, and Variety Hitmakers, producer Mag and his engineer La Paciencia. Directed by STILLZ and produced by WeOwnTheCity, the track’s video was filmed on the sands of the California desert and starts with Bunny standing stoic over a mountaintop.

Six months after the landmark debut of its ad-supported subscription tier, Netflix said the plan has hit 5 million monthly active users globally.

Salma Hayek just made things a little steamier on social media!

Finally, a little bit of clarity from Marvel Studios when it comes to their lineup of 2023 shows on Disney+. After a heap of back-and-forth rumblings, it’s been officially announced that following Marvel’s event limited series “Secret Invasion” debuting on the streaming service on June 21, “Loki” and “Echo” are now confirmed for the fall.

TelevisaUnivision has sealed a deal with CBS and the NFL to carry Spanish-language broadcasts of Super Bowl LVIII next February.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief iQiyi, the Chinese video streamer that began a turnaround last year, reported further growth in profits in the first quarter of 2023. It said that daily subscription numbers had grown by 17 million in the past three months. Total revenues were RMB8.3 billion ($1.2 billion), increasing 15% year over year, the company said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday that covered the January to March period. Net income attributable to iQIYI was RMB618 million ($90.0 million), compared to net income attributable to iQIYI of RMB169 million in the same period in 2022. The average daily number of subscribing members, excluding trial memberships, for the quarter was 128.1 million, compared to 100.8 million for the same period in 2022 and 110.9 million for the fourth quarter in 2022. Subscription revenue per user was little changed at RMB14.35 ($2.07).

J. Kim Murphy Bob Chapek, the former Disney CEO who was abruptly ousted from the company last November, is among a group of executives facing a lawsuit claiming violations of securities law for allegedly providing misleading statements and omissions about Disney+ and its subscriber growth. The case, filed by Local 272 Labor Management Pension Fund on May 12 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, also names former Disney executive Kareem Daniel and current CFO Christine McCarthy, as well as the Walt Disney Co. itself, as defendants. The document states that the case seeks a lead plaintiff and judicial determination for a class action suit representing Disney shareholders from Dec. 10, 2020 to Nov. 8, 2022.

To paraphrase Neil Young, Bob Chapek is gone from Disney but not forgotten.

Fox Entertainment will have its new CEO, Rob Wade, making his debut at the network’s upfront presentation today. In a sign of continuity, he will unveil the Fox content slate for the 2023-2024 television season but not a schedule. The network first broke with tradition by not presenting a fall grid at the upfront last year; Fox announced fall schedule and premiere dates June 6.

“certain content” from its streaming platforms as a cost-cutting effort, and said it would be producing “lower volumes of content.”Disney stock fell $8.94, or 8.8%, to $92.20, with nearly three times the number of shares traded in the first hour as in a typical full-day session. It saw by far the largest decline of the 30 stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average amid a broad market slump that saw the index fall 1.1%.Disney stock hit an annual low $84.07 in December, and ended Wednesday’s session up 13.7% since the start of the year.After the markets closed Wednesday, the House of Mouse reported net income of $1.27 billion and adjusted earnings per share of 93 cents, topping Wall Street’s expectations for 89 cents per share.

Naman Ramachandran U.K. broadcasting giant ITV’s revenues dipped in the first quarter of 2023, but streamer ITVX has seen a growth uptick, according to figures released on Thursday. The financial and operating performance for the three months to March 31 was “as expected,” ITV said, with total external revenue down 7% at £776 million ($979 million), compared to £834 million ($1.05 billion) over the same period in 2022. Revenue at production unit ITV Studios was flat at £457 million (2022: £458 million). Deliveries in the U.K. and internationally included “Nolly” for ITVX, “Django for Sky,” Big Beasts for AppleTV+ and “Queer Eye” for Netflix.

The Walt Disney Co. reduced losses in its streaming business by 26% (about $200 million) in its fiscal second quarter as the company’s overall results matched Wall Street expectations.

were expecting Disney to report earnings of $0.88 per share on revenue of $21.7 billion. Disney shares closed Wednesday at $101.13 per share, down 1% today and 13.7% YTD.

Fox Corp. said it swung to a $50 million loss last quarter from a $290 million profit the year before mostly due to the cost of a legal settlement with Dominion Voting Services.

took a $403.8 million write-off related to content costs, contributing to a large loss in the quarter.“AMC Networks has always been known for great content that breaks through in popular culture, receives critical acclaim and engages fans. In an environment of shifting consumption, we are committed to making our content available across the entire distribution ecosystem,” Dolan said in a statement.

While all eyes have been on King Charles this weekend after he was officially crowned King at Westminster Abbey, the young royals have stolen the show on several occasions. From Prince Louis and Prince George’s adorable brotherly moment on the Buckingham Palace balcony to Princess Charlotte’s failed curtsy, the Wales children have given royal watchers plenty of heartwarming moments. And now, Princess Charlotte, eight, has been spotted in an all too relatable situation while out with her parents and siblings as part of The Big Help Out.

Calyn Thompson, the morning anchor at NBC affiliate WHO 13 in Des Moines, Iowa, revealed to viewers she is battling breast cancer, a diagnosis she received after covering a story about staying up on regular mammograms.Thompson, overwhelmed with emotions, made the announcement Wednesday morning on “Today in Iowa” and said she was diagnosed with the disease last November.“Six months ago, I did an interview during breast cancer awareness month reminding you to stay up to date on your mammograms, little did I know that interview would foreshadow the beginning of my own journey,” Thompson said with her colleagues, co-anchor Justin Surrency and meteorologist Megan Salois, by her side.As tears streaming down her face, the 28-year-old told viewers if something feels off or not right to get screened. She said she was glad to get the chemotherapy behind her and expressed things are looking good.“My medical team is confident it is treatable and curable, and I am completely confident in my medical team,” Thompson said.

Giant theater chain AMC Entertainment saw sales blow past Wall Street forecasts for the March quarter, rising 20% to $954 million.