#82 – The Acolyte, Disney’s TV Trouble, and Paramount Goes for Broke

In a shocking twist of events the Paramount Death Watch is back! We’ll discuss Shari Redstone’s last-minute decision to kill the Skydance deal and what comes next for the beleaguered home of CBS. Will a new buyer swoop in? Will Warner chief David Zaslav make a move? And what’s all this talk from Paramount’s three-headed CEO about a possible joint venture with another streamer? Will Paramount+ and Peacock team up for a new Hulu (a Nulu, if you will)?? Then we’re dusting off our Jedi robes and heading to Disney+ to discuss the intriguing new Star Wars prequel The Acolyte. There’s a lot to love, but also the same frustrations that plague most of Disney’s streaming strategy. Can they make these 8-episode “seasons” work? Or are they pulling from the wrong playbook? But wait, there’s more! The 2024 Box Office is back, baby! We’ll break down the big weekends from Pixar and the Bad Boys. Warner Bros. Discovery is serving up some tennis, but can it fill the Charles Barkley sized hold in sports fans’ hearts? Peacock has a new deal just in time for the Olympics, but can NBC convince you to stick around after? And Max is raising prices… to the max! ——— 📺 Review: The Acolyte 🧭 Where to Watch: Disney+ 🗓️ Release Schedule: Weekly on Tuesday Nights (3 out of 8 Episodes Available Now) ✅ Renewal Status: TBA 🤩 Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae 🎬 Created By: Leslye Headland 🫣 Spoiler Warning: 🚨 Spoilers for the First 3 Episodes: Starting at 30:55 👍 Spoiler-Light Discussion of Disney’s TV Strategy: Starting at 47:18 ——— 🔗 Links: Box Office: ‘Inside Out 2’ Delivers Historic $155M U.S. Opening and $295M Globally in Huge Pixar Comeback – Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter Sony Puts Summer Back On Track As Will Smith & Martin Lawrence’s ‘Bad Boys: Ride Or Die’ Clocks $56M Opening – Sunday AM Update – Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline Warner Bros Discovery Snares U.S. Rights to French Open – Brian Steinberg, Variety Charles Barkley Says He Will Retire From Warner's NBA Coverage – Brian Steinberg, Variety No Deal: Shari Redstone Nixes Skydance Offer for Paramount Global – Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter Why Is Shari Redstone so Upset? – Kim Masters, Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter It’s the End of Paramount+ As We Know It (and That’s Fine) – Josef Adalian, Vulture Streaming Bundles Lower Consumer Intent To Churn By 16%, New Study Finds – Dade Hayes, Deadline You can grab a year of Peacock Premium for just $20 ahead of its impending price hike – Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge 'St. Denis Medical' Gets Season 1 Extension to 18 Episodes on NBC – Selome Hailu, Variety Max Hikes Prices For Ad-Free Plans Effective Immediately – Denise Petski, Deadline The Acolyte took Star Wars back in time by taking things away – Andrew Webster, The Verge The Acolyte Ratings: 4.8 Million Viewers, Biggest Disney Show of 2024 – Selome Hailu, Variety ——— Subscribe and share at streamageddon.com