Vox Media Studios Execs on Netflix-Focused ‘Land of the Giants’ Finale, Plans for CNN+ Docuseries’ Linear Rollout

ad-supported tier as soon as the end of 2022, according to a note to employees obtained by the New York Times.That’s also when Netflix plans to begin cracking down on password sharing, the newspaper reported Tuesday. Both the crackdown on password sharing as well as the ad-supported tier were ideas that the streamer had already floated in response to the Q1 loss of 200,000 subscribers that the company reported last month.

Netflix is intensifying its surprisingly sudden embrace of advertising, signaling to employees that it may roll out a cheaper, ad-supported tier of its streaming service by the end of 2022.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorNetflix may dive into the ad-supported VOD space as soon as the fourth quarter of 2022 — sooner than it originally signaled.Last month, as Netflix reported an unexpected drop in streaming subscribers in Q1 and forecast a 2 million sub loss for the second quarter, the company announced plans to roll out a lower-cost version of its streaming service with ads. Co-CEO Reed Hastings told investors at the time that Netflix would “figure out” the AVOD strategy “over the next year or two.”The company has evidently accelerated that timeline: Netflix informed employees of a Q4 target date for the ad-supported tier in a recent memo, the New York Times reported, citing two anonymous sources.

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+.

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.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterNetflix has ordered a docuseries from Shawn Levy, Vox Media Studios and The Verge about how technology will affect the basic aspects of our lives in the future, Variety has learned exclusively.Titled “The Future Of…,” the show asks: “What if we could look into the future to see how every aspect of our daily lives — from raising pets and house plants to what we eat and how we date — will be impacted by technology?” Per Netflix, “We can, and should, expect more from the future than the dystopia promised in current science fiction. ‘The Future Of…’ will reveal surprising and personal predictions about the rest of our lives — and the lives of generations to come.”The series will be released globally in two batches, with the first six episodes premiering Tuesday, June 21, and the remaining six episodes on Tuesday, June 28.

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.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterNetflix’s reboot of the “Iron Chef” franchise is bringing former “Iron Chef America” host Alton Brown and Mark Dacascos, who played the iconic role of “The Chairman” on the competition, back into Kitchen Stadium for another round.The streaming service’s “Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend” will see Brown return to host along with “Top Chef” winner Kristen Kish, and Dacascos reprise the part of The Chairman.Here is the official description for the “reimagining” of “Iron Chef,” which will launch on June 15: The legendary Iron Chef series is reborn with a supersized approach to the ground-breaking culinary competition that started it all. It’s been called the toughest culinary challenge a chef will ever experience.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterSteve Carell’s “Space Force” has been canceled after two seasons at Netflix.The second season of the comedy, which re-teamed Carell and “The Office” creator Greg Daniels, debuted on Feb. 18.

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.

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.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterLimited series “Anatomy of a Scandal” has ended “Bridgerton” Season 2’s reign as the No. 1 English-language TV series on Netflix, according to the streaming service’s newly release Top 10 rankings.For the week of April 18-April 24, “Anatomy of a Scandal” was viewed for 75.6 million hours in its second week of availability, while “Bridgerton” racked up 46 million and landed in the No.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterNetflix’s “Bridgerton” was viewed for more than 2.5 billion minutes during the week of its Season 2 debut, according to Nielsen’s newly released streaming Top 10 rankings.The Chris Van Dusen-created period romance was easily the No. 1 program on streaming for the week of March 21-27 on Nielsen’s charts, even though only its first season was available for the majority of that week, as Season 2 premiered on March 25.

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 WriterIrony Point is a production company that might not yet be known widely by name, but its projects, Netflix’s critically acclaimed “I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson”; Paramount Plus’ revival of “Inside Amy Schumer” and Schumer’s recently renewed Hulu dramedy “Life & Beth”; Michael Che’s Lorne Michaels-produced HBO Max show “That Damn Michael Che,” and Marvel’s new scripted “Squirrel Girl” podcast, certainly are.The banner, which is currently one year into a three-year deal at Netflix, is headed up by co-presidents Alex Bach and Daniel Powell. And their rapidly ramping up company is one that studios and talent are going to regret not having gotten into business with earlier five years from now.

Zack Sharf Elon Musk weighed in on Netflix’s subscriber loss in the first quarter of 2022 by claiming “the woke mind virus” is making the streaming platform “unwatchable.” Netflix announced April 19 that it had lost 200,000 subscribers, marking the first time in 10 years the streamer has reported a loss in subscribers. Following the news, Netflix’s stock crashed to a four-year low.While Musk did not detail why Netflix shows are contributing to “the woke mind virus” that’s killing the streaming giant, he did agree with one follower who claimed that the “woke mind virus is the biggest threat to the civilization.” Musk replied, “Yes.”Another follower wrote to Musk, “It’s not just Netflix.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorNetflix shares plummeted to their lowest point since December 2018 as investors reacted to the streamer’s first subscriber loss in more than a decade — bringing years of booming growth to a screeching halt.The stock was below $254 per share in premarket trading Wednesday, down 27% from the previous closing price and sinking to a more than three-year low. That came after Netflix posted a Q1 loss of 200,000 subscribers and projected that it will lose another 2 million subs in Q2, prompting several analyst downgrades.