Showbiz Sandbox

Showbiz Sandbox


Showbiz Sandbox 518: The Cord Cutting Epidemic Is Growing

November 17, 2020

This year, consumers have continued to migrate from pay television providers to over-the-top services at an increasing rate. In the United States alone, the number of cable and satellite subscribers has dropped 25% to 73 million in just five years. Many industry watchers are expecting that number to bottom out at 50 million by 2025.
Yet people are watching more television than ever; they’re just doing it on services such as Roku, HBO Max and Hulu. Last week Disney reported that their new streaming service has attracted 73 million subscribers. Their original target was 60 million by 2024. They reached that number their first nine months.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including how Spotify is investing more in podcasting, Ticketmaster makes a plan to safely hold concerts again, and the Super Bowl has booked its halftime show.

Blumhouse Body Swap Horror Comedy ‘Freaky’ Takes In $3.7M, On Par With Other No. 1 Pics During Fall Pandemic
https://deadline.com/2020/11/freaky-weekend-box-office-opening-blumhouse-universal-coronavirus-covid-19-1234615828/
International box office: ‘Demon Slayer’ enters Japan all-time top five; ‘Freaky’ top in Australia
https://www.screendaily.com/news/international-box-office-demon-slayer-enters-japan-all-time-top-five-freaky-top-in-australia/5154974.article
STXfilms’ “Songbird” To Sing as a Home Premiere Release Beginning December 11
https://celluloidjunkie.com/wire/stxfilms-songbird-to-sing-as-a-home-premiere-release-beginning-december-11/
Iconic Tower Records Returns As Website Selling Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs
https://deadline.com/2020/11/tower-records-returns-as-online-project-selling-vinyl-cassettes-cds-1234615682/
Broadway Shows May Not Report Grosses Upon Return
https://broadwaynews.com/2020/11/11/broadway-shows-may-not-report-grosses-upon-return/
Disneyland Expected to Stay Closed Until At Least Dec. 31
https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/disneyland-closed-california-disney-chapek-1234830550/
Spotify to Buy Podcast Ad Platform Megaphone for $235m
https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/spotify-to-buy-podcast-ad-platform-megaphone-for-235m-bringing-its-total-podcast-acquisition-spend-to-over-800m-in-the-past-2-years/
How Ticketmaster Plans to Check Your Vaccine Status for Concerts: Exclusive
https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/touring/9481166/ticketmaster-vaccine-check-concerts-plan/
New PlayStation and Xbox Arrive During a Pandemic Gold Rush