In the midst of restructuring and cost reduction processes, platforms streaming They seem to have decided, more than ever, to trust popular brands, franchises that are already known or in development.. It is his response to the uncertainty about the recession of the US economy; Also, even not owning brands like Star Wars and Marvel is a way to seek loyalty, despite Disney+ curbing its first subscriber loss (2.4 million) in the last three months of 2022; Something to try to fix with ‘Toy Story’, ‘Frozen’ and ‘Zootropolis’ sequels.
For a while, ‘flow’ was believed to be a paradise of plurality: a new horizon whose breadth will allow extraordinary voices to be heard and the rise of creators, even generals, who are struggling to consolidate themselves in cable channels. But, recent news has begun to paint a more limited landscape.
The ‘Billions’ and ‘Dexter’ Universes
at the end of January, bob lookThe executive director of Paramount conglomerate has announced that the Showtime cable network and premium mode of the Paramount+ platform will be renamed Paramount+ With Showtime, a merger that will definitely mean layoffs and have already caused victims in terms of content. Showtime has started streaming interesting but not very big series like ‘Kidding’ or ‘Becoming a God in Florida’ on its platform. AND She chose not to publish an adaptation of Lisa Taddeo’s famous book on female sexuality, ‘Three Women’., with Shailene Woodley as the lead character; The rival chain that finally made it known will be Starz.
After turning neo-western ‘Yellowstone’ into a successful franchise, Chris McCarthyThe Paramount executive, who has overseen Showtime since last year, is now a plans to turn other well-known brands into long-lasting franchises. already announced The four “spin-offs” of the financial drama “Billions”: I’m not kidding, we’ll have “Millions” (about 30 aspiring moguls in Manhattan) and “Trillions” (fictionalized stories of the world’s richest people), plus Miami and London-based variations; second, it seems unnecessary in a world where ‘Industry’ exists.
On the other hand, the more or less surprising success of the late (in principle) limited series ‘Dexter: New Blood’ and a more satisfying ending (in principle) to the adventures of the murderous coroner led to two new projects, A preview movie about the character named (of course) Dexter: Origins and one second “Dexter: New Blood” focused more on his son, Harrison. It’s all being driven by the best-received Clyde Phillips, the ‘showrunner’ of the original series between seasons one and four.
Movistar Plus+ is currently the Spanish platform where Showtime titles can be viewed, but that will partially change with the imminent arrival of SkyShowtime, a streaming service featuring material from Sky Studios and Showtime, as well as Paramount+, Peacock, Universal. or DreamWorks. According to Movistar sources, “customers will be able to continue to enjoy the Showtime series currently available on the platform and any new seasons coming from them.” [por ejemplo, la segunda de ‘Yellowjackets’, desde el 24 de marzo]However, the upcoming new Showtime series is expected to arrive via SkyShowtime.
All ‘by-products’ everywhere
It’s rare to find a platform that doesn’t look for brands that will expand and curl over time.. In addition to the universe around “Yellowstone” (or rather, Taylor Sheridan, its creator, who never sleeps and gave them “Mayor of Kingstown” and “Tulsa King”), Paramount+ has everything ‘Star Trek’ After reaching an agreement with Amazon Prime Video to jointly own “Picard” and “Lower Decks”.
After the good audience results of ‘Lord of the Rings’, Amazon will bet on ‘Tomb Raider’ and ‘The final list’ universes‘ is the first of these with a series to be written by the author. Phoebe Waller Bridge (“Fleabag”), according to “The Hollywood Reporter” sources. It will also be on Prime Video, where the first series of the ‘John Wick’ saga can be watched internationally (excluding the United States, Middle East and Israel): “Continent”It’s about the famous assassins hotel where you can’t kill anyone.
On the other hand, in Netflix (which has just changed its account sharing policy) will not allow this phenomenon “Stranger Things” ends with season five in 2024: first “spin-off” in code “anime” announced in December. In the same year ‘La casa de papel’ (‘Berlin’scheduled for December) and ‘Los Bridgertons’ (“Queen Charlotte”, no release date). Also, Netflix movies in the UK (dangerous according to British tabloids) The “real” version of “The Squid Game”.
Don’t get carried away yet, there are still more variations on familiar themes: AMC+ It will be the place to watch future series ‘Walking Dead’ like dead city (i.e. Maggie and Negan in New York), ‘Daryl Dixon’ (mentioned in France) and one per headline about Rick and Michonne. The same “streaming” service hosts Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe, based on two novel series “Interview with the Vampire” and “The Witches of Mayfair” and eventually became linked.
The most optimistic creators and cultural critics think of this franchise maze as a hedge that will truly make it possible to invest in risk. The most realistic are embarrassed to see how Writers in their own world have to be content with using franchises as Trojan horses for their best ideas.. Uncertain times for imagination.