Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for the Season 1 finale of “Gen V, titled “Guardians of Godolkin,” now streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video. You’ve had a week since the “Gen V” Season 1 finale to theorize about where Marie (Jaz Sinclair), Andre (Chance Perdomo), Jordan (Derek Luh/London Thor) and Emma (Lizze Broadway) are at the end of “The Boys” spinoff’s cliffhanger episode. So, do you have a plausible explanation for the medical facility with no doors that the four supes are stuck in? It’s OK, we don’t either, and just like “Gen V” showrunner Michele Fazekas, star Luh is no help to us by keeping his lips sealed — even though he’s finally allowed to talk about the Amazon series after the SAG-AFTRA strike ended — and refusing to be the spoiler-ific Tom Holland of the Vought Cinematic Universe.
‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ Trailer: Watch Real-Life Contestants Fake Die and Battle for $4.56 Million in Red Light, Green Light
23.10.2023 - 15:23 / variety.com
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer You’d think that volunteering to go on a reality TV series based on a show about a deadly competition would mean you were prepared to at least fake die — but based on the new trailer for “Squid Game: The Challenge,” that thought didn’t occur to every contestant. In the new promo for the unscripted show, which debuts Nov.
22 on Netflix and will roll out new episodes through Dec. 6, 456 people are competing for the $4.56 million prize being offered, just like it was in the first season of the streamer’s Korean-language hit “Squid Game.” Of course, in this game, people’s lives aren’t actually on the line — but they still get fake “shot” during a game of “Squid Game’s” most iconic activity, Red Light, Green Light, and go tumbling to their “death” off a bridge in a later challenge.
And being fake-killed is still shocking, as the first one to take an air bullet to the chest goes “Oh, shit!” when they realize what’s happened. The game becomes even more realistic later in the trailer, when remaining contestants are asked to vote to “eliminate” two of their own.
Per Netflix’s logline for the competition, “456 real players will enter the competition show in pursuit of a life-changing reward of USD $4.56 million. As they compete through a series of games inspired by the original show – plus surprising new additions – their strategies, alliances, and character will be put to the test while competitors are eliminated around them.” The competition series has been mired in controversy after contestants required medical assistance during the shoot, which took place in the U.K.
during a surprise cold snap. Variety reported at the time that a number of contestants — who were not paid for their
.
Disney+ Tops 150 Million Subscribers, Streaming Loss Narrows to $387 Million
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Disney+ topped 150 million streaming subscriptions by the end of its fiscal fourth quarter of the year, up from 146.7 million in the previous quarter. On Wednesday, Disney reported Core Disney+ subscriptions are at 112.6 million subs, as of the quarter ended Sept. 30, and the India-based Disney+ Hotstar is at 37.6 million.
Nebula CEO Says Indie Streamer Isn’t Trying to Become a YouTube Competitor — It’s Aiming for a Netflix Competitor With A24 Vibes
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Nebula, which launched in 2019, describes itself as a creator-focused, creator-built, creator-first premium streaming service — akin to a Netflix or Hulu, but with the ethos of Patreon. The four-year-old indie streaming service, which is backed by creator-owned management company Standard and a minority stake held by Curiosity Stream, costs $5 a month or $50 a year and currently totals 650,000 subscribers and passed 100,000 daily active users in October.
‘The Boys’ Season 4 First Look Teases a Rough Election Day for Butcher and Victory for Homelander
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer “The Boys” Season 4 will pick up where “Gen V” Season 1 left off, just ahead of an in-universe presidential election. And from the looks of the first promo images released by Amazon for the new episodes of “The Boys,” the Vought supes led by Homelander (Antony Starr) are going to have a good Election Day, and Billy Bucher (Karl Urban) and The Boys are going to be left crushed by defeat.
Warner Bros. Discovery Chief David Zaslav ‘Hopeful’ for SAG-AFTRA Strike Resolution ‘Soon’ Amid Studios Adjusted ‘Last, Best and Final’ Offer
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav opened the company’s quarterly earnings presentation with remarks on the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, remaining “hopeful” that the work stoppage will end “soon” following the Hollywood studios’ move to adjust AI language in its “last, best and final offer” to the actors union. “We are hopeful we will reach a resolution to the SAG-AFTRA strike soon,” Zaslav said during WBD’s third-quarter earnings call Wednesday.
Nexstar Q3 Earnings: TV Ad Sales Down 23%, The CW Network Losses Narrow
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Nexstar reported its third-quarter 2023 earnings Wednesday, revealing TV ad revenue was down overall 23% for the July-September quarter. Meanwhile, the CW network made quarter-over-quarter progress on its path to profitability by narrowing its losses to $60 million. For the CW, which was formally acquired by Nexstar in October 2022 from Paramount Global and Warner Bros.
Jon Stewart, Prince Harry, Bruce Springsteen, Rita Wilson, Bob Woodruff and More Celebs Honor Vets at New York Comedy Festival’s Stand Up for Heroes
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Jon Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, Rita Wilson and more stars performed as a tribute to U.S. veterans and their families at the New York Comedy Festival and Bob Woodruff Foundation’s Stand Up for Heroes event Monday. Held at David Geffen Hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the night included performances from musicians and comics, including Stewart, Springsteen, Wilson, Josh Groban, John Mellencamp, Tracy Morgan, The War and Treaty, Jimmy Carr, Ronny Chieng and Shane Gillis.
Studio Lambert Bosses Talk “Breaking The Conventions Of Reality TV” On ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’, Casting New Seasons Of ‘The Traitors’ & Hopes For A First Returning Drama Series
Studio Lambert has introduced the world to Gogglebox, Race Across the World and The Circle but the indie has faced its greatest test in Netflix‘s Squid Game: The Challenge, and the road has been a bit of a bumpy one.
‘Gen V’ Showrunner Breaks Down Massive Godolkin Battle and Cliffhanger Fate for Marie and Team
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for Episode 8 of “Gen V,” the Season 1 finale (“Guardians of Godolkin”), now streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video. Marie (Jaz Sinclair) survived her first semester at supe college Godolkin University — barely — but it doesn’t look like she’s going into a second one any time soon. As the Season 1 finale of “The Boys” spinoff “Gen V” concludes, Marie and her friends stuck inside some kind of hospital room with no doors and no clue how they got there. For now, “Gen V” co-showrunner Michele Fazekas is mum on what comes next.
‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 to Premiere in Summer 2024, First Trailer Screens for Press
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer “House of the Dragon” Season 2 will premiere next summer on HBO, network chief Casey Bloys announced during a press event Thursday. At the media presentation, the first trailer for the second season screened exclusively for members of the media, who are not allowed to report details about the contents of the footage. Bloys previously told Variety that HBO was targeting a Summer 2024 premiere for the second season.
HBO Boss Casey Bloys Apologizes for Using Fake Twitter Accounts to Troll TV Critics: ‘Dumb Idea’
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer HBO and Max CEO and chairman Casey Bloys apologized to TV critics Thursday for using fake Twitter accounts to respond to negative reviews on HBO series, following a Wednesday report that revealed Bloys’ past behavior. “For those of you who know me, you know that I am a programming executive very, very passionate about the shows that we decide to do. And the people who do them and the people who work on them,” Bloys said Thursday morning at the start of a presentation at HBO’s New York headquarters, an event to promote HBO and Max’s upcoming slate of programming, which has been planned since Oct.
Disney Dreamlight Valley Showcase Reveals: New Characters Jack Skellington and Tiana, What Comes in Paid Expansion ‘A Rift in Time,’ and an Apple Arcade Edition
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Disney Dreamlight Valley held its first-ever showcase presentation Wednesday ahead of the Gameloft game’s move out of its year-long “early access” phase into a global launch, unveiling plans for the life-simulation through late 2024 in two roadmaps: one for paid expansion content and one for free upgrades included with the cost of the base game. The streamed event came on the heels of last week’s reveal that Disney had scrapped plans to make the game free-to-play once it left its beta testing and instead set pricing tiers and an additional cost for the game’s first expansion, “A Rift in Time.” A number of updates about the future of Disney Dreamlight Valley were given, including the game’s upcoming launch on Apple’s subscription gaming platform Apple Arcade.
‘Bobby’s Triple Threat’ Renewed for Season 3 at Food Network (EXCLUSIVE)
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer “Bobby’s Triple Threat” has been renewed for a third season at Food Network. Hosted by Bobby Flay and featuring his three culinary “titans” — Tiffany Derry, Michael Voltaggio and Brooke Williamson — the show sees the trio go up against a new guest chef and mystery judge each episode, with each titan being responsible for one of three courses in the successive cooking competition with a $25,000 weekly prize. “Bobby’s Triple Threat” Season 2 debuted Aug.
‘Fourth Wing’ TV Show in the Works at Amazon, Rights Secured for Rebecca Yarros’ Sequel ‘Iron Flame’
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer A “Fourth Wing” TV show based on Rebecca Yarros’ best-selling fantasy book series is in the works at Amazon MGM Studios. Amazon and Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society, which has an overall deal with the studio, have acquired the rights to not only “Fourth Wing,” but its follow-up “Iron Flame,” which will be released Nov.
‘Gen V’ Boss Breaks Down Episode 7’s Explosive Deaths, Major Connections to ‘The Boys’ Ahead of Next Week’s Finale
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for Episode 7 of “Gen V,” titled “Sick” now streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video. One week until the Season 1 finale of “Gen V” and Amazon’s college spinoff of “The Boys” has revealed just how tight the ties that bind it to its parent series are. In Episode 7, “Sick,” there are callbacks to storylines planted at the beginning of “The Boys,” and vital information relayed from characters on one show to another.
Ashlee Simpson to Star in ‘The Recipe Files,’ Anchoring QVC and HSN Streamers’ Holiday Originals Slate Packed With Product Tie-Ins (EXCLUSIVE)
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Retail-focused sister streamers QVC+ and HSN+ are marking their second year of original holiday programming with a new TV movie starring Ashlee Simpson. Titled “The Recipe Files,” the holiday baking mystery — filled with cameos from QVC hosts and plenty of plugs for tie-in products and partner brands — is directed by Lindsay Hartley (“Passions,” “Days of Our Lives”) and will launch on QVC+ Nov.
‘Jet Lag: The Game’ Season 8 Set at Nebula With ‘Challenge Accepted’ Star Michelle Khare as Guest Contestant (EXCLUSIVE)
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer “Jet Lag: The Game” is refueled for Season 8 and bringing “Challenge Accepted” host Michelle Khare along for the ride. Streamy winner Khare has joined “Jet Lag” as the guest contestant on the new season of the hit web travel game show, which will be returning to the U.S. for its eighth season after several installments shot abroad in Europe, Japan and New Zealand, playing alongside usual competitors: Sam Denby, Adam Chase and Ben Doyle (the winner of Season 7).
Watch the full trailer for Netflix’s ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’
Netflix has released a new trailer for reality series Squid Game: The Challenge – check it out above.Based on Hwang Dong-hyuk’s Korean survival drama, the reality show sees 456 contestants from around the world compete in various challenges inspired by the series for a $4.56million cash prize.A synopsis reads: “As they compete through a series of games inspired by the original show – plus surprising new additions – their strategies, alliances, and character will be put to the test while competitors are eliminated around them.”As shown in the trailer, the show’s anmatronic doll returns for Red Light, Green Light, while the elevated glass bridge and honeycomb games from the series are also represented.It also shows some of the dynamics between contestants, as one remarks: “You can’t trust anybody in here.”The 10-episode season debuts on November 22, with new episodes premiering weekly through to December 6. The series is produced by Studio Lambert and The Garden.The streaming service announced a second season of Squid Game was in development in June last year.
Spider-Man 2 Becomes PlayStation Studio’s Fastest-Selling Game With 2.5 Million Copies in 24 Hours
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 sold more than 2.5 million copies in its first 24 hours of availability, making it PlayStation Studios’ fastest-selling game ever. That stat includes pre-order sales of individual units, as well as units bundled with PlayStation 5.
‘Squid Game: The Challenge’: Netflix Unveils Official Trailer For Reality Series Inspired By Hit Korean Drama – Update
UPDATED, 8 AM: “Attention all players. It is now time for the next game.” So begins the new trailer for Squid Game: The Challenge, dropped today by Netflix ahead of the reality series’ November 22 premiere. It’s an extended look at the competition series inspired by the hit Korean dystopian drama series, with some of the contestants showing surprise when they are “fake shot”, “Oh s**t” says one of the contestants when she takes an air bullet to the chest. There’s also surprise when contestants are told they need to eliminate two of their own. Check out the new trailer above.