NEW YORK -- There were many reasons to think NBC made a savvy business deal in 2014 when it locked up the American media rights to the Olympics through 2032 for $7.75 billion.As the Beijing winter games come to a close, it's harder to see them now.These Olympics were a disaster for the network: a buzz-free, hermetically-sealed event in an authoritarian country a half-day's time zone away, where the enduring images will be the emotional meltdown of Russian teen-agers after a drug-tainted figure skating competition and a bereft Mikaela Shiffrin, sitting on a ski slope wondering what went wrong.Many American athletes underperformed, and arguably the most successful — freestyle skier Eileen Gu — competed for China.Viewers stayed away in alarming numbers, and NBC has to wonder whether it was extraordinarily bad luck or if the brand of a once-unifying event for tens of millions of people is permanently tainted.“Given the investment, they've got to be disappointed right now,” said Andrew Billings, director of the sports communications program at the University of Alabama.Network executives say there are no plans to try and adjust or escape from its rights deal. Several experts say that would be unlikely, given how live sports are increasing in value and represent one of the few ways advertisers can gather large audiences to sell automobiles or beer.
Half of HBO Max Subs Who Signed Up After ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Release Were Gone in 6 Months
31.01.2022 - 19:53 / thewrap.com
getting subscribers that is tricky for several of the top streaming services like HBO Max, Disney+ and Apple TV+. It’s keeping those subs.According to new data from measurement company Antenna, about half the people who signed up for HBO Max in the days following its “Wonder Woman 1984” release were gone within six months. (31% of them were gone within one month.) The same six-months-later loss is true for Disney+ and its “Hamilton” release, as well as Apple TV+ and its Tom Hanks World War II movie, “Greyhound.”While that trend sure makes for some wild swings in daily sign-ups and cancellations, keeping half of the subscribers from a huge surge is still a good thing for a streaming service.
Two steps forward and one step back makes for some tremendous longterm progress.The ebb and flow is not totally unique to movies or movie-like events such as “Hamilton” — but the trend is usually tied to one *thing.* Within four months of last summer’s Tokyo Olympics, roughly half of the U.S. subscribers who signed up for Peacock were gone. The Comcast/NBCUniversal streaming service carried all of Tokyo’s events, while NBC’s broadcast channel had select high-profile events.
Though the Olympics run for a few weeks, the one-off concept still applies there.Antenna compiles daily subscriber sign-ups by aggregating data originating from third-party apps that helps users manage their emails and/or monthly budgets. The apps can detect a sign-up or cancellation via transactions or the actual emails about one’s streaming-subscription status. The company has a sample size of five million U.S.
users. It uses that base to estimate behavior more broadly. (Antenna does not track subscribers coming and going from Amazon Prime, as that service’s main
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Simone Biles supports Winter Olympics star Mikaela Shiffrin after heartbreaking message to fans
Simone Biles has shared her support for Winter Olympics star Mikaela Shiffrin after she posted a heartbreaking message to fans.MORE: Simone Biles is engaged! See the heartwarming proposal and stunning ringMikaela took to social media to share a powerful message about the online hate and trolling she has received as she struggled through the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Mikeala was one of Team USA's big hopefuls but she failed to finish the women's combined event, and lost control during the opening few seconds of her run in the giant slalom; Mikeala was defending her 2018 gold medal.WATCH: Simone Biles falls off mat during Tokyo 2020 qualifying roundsShe fell and skied out, ending her 30-race streak, and ended up being disqualified from the event."I know this all too well.
Great Britain stripped of Olympic silver medal after sprinter broke anti-doping rules
Team GB has been stripped of its silver medal from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after a sprinter was found to have violated anti-doping rules.
Winter Flower Reimagined with Japanese composer Ryota Nozaki
Clams Casino has shared details of a new project made in collaboration with Japanese pianist and producer Ryota Nozaki. The duo, Nozaki is also known as Jazztronik, will release Winter Flower Reimagined on March 11.
Sha’Carri Richardson Calls Out Hypocrisy After Skater Kamila Valieva Ruled Eligible For Olympics
Sha’Carri Richardson, the American track and field star who was banned from the Tokyo Olympics last year for marijuana use, has an issue with Russian Olympic Committee figure skater Kamila Valieva‘s participation in the Beijing Olympics. 15-year-old Kamila tested positive for a banned substance in the midst of the 2022 Winter Olympics, but on Feb. 14, she was granted approval to continue competing by the Court of Arbitration for Sports. The CAS said Kimila’s age is the main reason they decided to lift the ban on the teenager, according to Sport’s Illustrated.
Genre Cinema Reanimates Post-COVID Theatrical Distribution
Jamie Lang After a banner 2021 for high-end genre films, industry vets are hopeful that the fantastic can resurrect the corpse of pre-COVID theatrical distribution.As bolts of lightning reanimated the body of Frankenstein’s monster, Julia Ducournau’s “Titane,” which turned heads when it took the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and Sundance Grand Jury prize-winner “Nanny,” a supernatural tale from director Nikyatu Jusu, have revitalized the festival scene.While “Nanny” may have been the jewel in the genre crown at Sundance, the influence that genre cinema held over 2022’s first major festival was wide-ranging and undeniable. Chloe Okuno’s psychological thriller “Watcher” impressed — segueing into several sales deals — as did Hanna Bergholm’s psycho-horror feature “Hatching,” sold by Wild Bunch and Charades-sold Spanish standout “Piggy,” the follow-up to Carlota Pereda’s 2019 Spanish Academy Award-winner “Cerdita.” Among genre titles at Berlin this year are Dario Argento’s serial killer thriller “Dark Glasses” in the Berlinale Special section, while Bertrand Bonello’s subconscious voyage “Coma” and Peter Strickland’s gory “Flux Gourmet” (pictured above) feature in Encounters.
IMDB TV Renews ‘Almost Paradise’ for Season 2; HBO Max Unveils Premiere Date for ‘Tokyo Vice’ (TV News Roundup)
IMDb TV has announced that it has picked up a second season of “Almost Paradise,” the American-Filipino crime drama series starring Christian Kane.Originally a WGN America show, “Almost Paradise” stars Kane as Alex Walker, a U.S. DEA agent who is betrayed by his partner and forced into an early retirement. Walker relocates to the Philippines, where he runs a gift shop in a resort hotel, and slowly gets pulled into the criminal underworld of the island.
HBO Max Announces Premiere Date for 'Tokyo Vice' Series Starring Ansel Elgort & Ken Watanabe!
HBO Max has announced the premiere date for the upcoming series Tokyo Vice and a first look photo was also revealed!
‘Tokyo Vice’: HBO Max’s Ken Watanabe-Ansel Elgort Drama Gets Premiere Date
Tokyo Vice, after pausing production in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will finally land at HBO Max this spring. The series, which stars Ken Watanabe and Ansel Elgort hails from creator and writer J.T. Rogers.
Channel 4 Sets Disabled Presenting Team for Beijing Winter Paralympics – Global Bulletin
Naman Ramachandran U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 has revealed a disabled presenting team for the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, who will present on the ground in China.
NBC Releases Initial Beijing Olympics Viewership Data; Most-Streamed Winter Olympics Day Ever
With the first full day of games tucked away, NBC posted some early numbers from the Beijing Winter Olympics and the glass seems to be half full.
TV Ratings: Beijing Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony Draws 16 Million Viewers, Down 43% From 2018 Games
Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterNBC Sports says 16 million viewers tuned in to watch the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday, an all-time low for Olympic ceremonies on linear television.That’s around 43% down compared to the 28.3 million viewers that watched the PyeongChang Winter Olympics opening ceremony in February 2018.Friday’s torch-lighting in Beijing aired live on NBC and the streaming service Peacock beginning at 6:30 a.m. ET yesterday morning and was replayed again in primetime.
Dutch Journalist Interrupted In Winter Olympics Live Shot, Dragged Off-Camera By Chinese Authorities
Chinese authorities interrupted a Dutch journalist’s live report on the Winter Olympics Friday, dragging him off-camera and creating confusion as to why his broadcast was halted.
Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie share disappointment over 2022 Winter Olympics news
Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie will not be making their way to China for the 2022 Winter Olympics due to COVID protocols, and the pair have now shared how "bummed" they are with the news.MORE: Savannah Guthrie shares throwback baby bump photo during touching on-air tributeThe Today Show anchors are usually among the many NBC stars who travel for the games, but this year the pandemic and ongoing fears of a resurgence have forced NBC to alter plans. Hoda and Savannah also both recently suffered from the virus, and fear that they may test positive again while in China.WATCH: Hoda and Savannah share how to watch the Winter Olympic GamesSpeaking to People magazine, Hoda shared her disappointment that the team won't get to "bond" and "have a great time as a team." "So that part I'm missing, because I love that part.
'It was really hard': Mario Cantone on filming the day after Willie Garson died
Sarah Jessica Parker and Mario Cantone returned to the 'And Just Like That. . .
Japanese game maker Nintendo's profits hurt by chips crunch
TOKYO -- Nintendo’s profit for the nine months through December slipped 2.5%, as shortages of computer chips hurt production, the Japanese video game maker behind the Super Mario and Pokemon franchises said Thursday.Kyoto-based Nintendo Co. recorded a 367 billion yen ($3.2 billion) profit for the period, down from 377 billion yen the previous year.
Mario Cantone Recalls Emotional Return to 'And Just Like That' Set After Willie Garson's Death (Exclusive)
Mario Cantone is reflecting on his time filming and saying goodbye to the late Willie Garson. Cantone's Anthony Marentino and Garson's Stanford Blatch had quite the journey in the couple of episodes they were together before Garson devastating death. The actor opened up about being on set the day after Garson died, and filming his divorce scene with Sarah Jessica Parker.«It was very sad, and it was filmed before Willie passed.