Madelyn (00:05)
Hello and welcome to the unscripted files. This is the Monday mini sode with industry news expert Emily Wilson giving us news on this Monday, right after the holiday, July sixth. Hey Emily, how you doing?
Emily Wilson (00:18)
Good, how are you?
Madelyn (00:20)
Good, got a lot of news. A lot of news. Yes, I did. Of course, everyone's texting me. Did you see the Wonka trailer? It has been a huge project, we know has been in the works with Netflix and Eureka Productions for quite a while now. And it was certainly very big. A ton of world building. I really would expect nothing less. Some surprises in store. I saw an interesting comment that was like,
Emily Wilson (00:22)
Always have you seen the Wonka trailer?
Madelyn (00:47)
Squid games for family viewing, which I thought was very funny.
Emily Wilson (00:50)
I love that.
I will be interested to see how it plays out because there's so much host-led content out there right now. It will be interesting to see how the AI Gene Wilder that a lot of people are complaining about will play into that, whether that's just a trailer thing, whether that's actually part of the show, how much will be narrative-driven by the contestants themselves, what type of challenges we're going to see in this world.
Madelyn (00:51)
Yeah.
Emily Wilson (01:16)
I hate to do the risk assessment alongside the set budget for that show, but it looks pretty incredible.
Madelyn (01:23)
Yeah.
Yeah, it really does. Yeah, it looks like essentially you compete to get a golden ticket, and once you're inside, you are going to face a number of different challenges where you've got to adapt, strategize, and withstand the unknown to make it through. really a high stakes social experiment. ⁓ so interesting, Eureka is known for doing amazing, wonderful things at huge scale.
So it's gonna be interesting to see how this is executed. another competition series coming to Netflix is based on a beloved kid's show. Tell me about what's what's happening with Gabby's dollhouse.
Emily Wilson (01:55)
Yeah, so there's going to be a Gabby Dollhouse competition series in which young bakers will be bubbling in whimsical baking and crafting challenges.
Leila Lockhart-Craner will be hosting the series as her character Gabby. I'll be interested to see how close this is to other similar competition shows we've seen in this baking space. I think I've seen the Harry Potter themed one before. So it looks like it's the more family-friendly version. I don't know what your thoughts are.
Madelyn (02:25)
Yeah, kids programming is almost twenty five percent of Netflix's viewing in twenty twenty five, according to the Hollywood reporter. So I think they're doubling down on this particular age group. And, you know, imagine if Miss Rachel hosted a cooking show or a crafting show. I mean, I think that's the direction we're going where we're just gonna take these beloved characters, put them in a little bit of a competition. And I think parents just wanna know that they can put their kids in front of screens and have something safe and wholesome. and so I think that
will continue to see more of Netflix's library be eaten up by kids and preschool age content for sure.
Emily Wilson (03:00)
educational as well. mean kids will want to bake from watching this. yeah, it's exciting.
Madelyn (03:07)
let's see, what else is going on in this space? finally, I I feel like this is a long time coming. We've got a dating app that is now producing a flagship dating show, but not for the TV screen, for the phone screen.
So, Double Date Island is Tinder's reality show where pairs of best friends are selected from all around the world as participants and brought together to go on double dates, meet other international pairs, and experience a sun-drenched getaway. So this is a natural sort of spin-off from Tinder's app feature where you can set up double dates with like other pairs. so listen, I
I love nothing more than to see a brand come alongside and produce something that makes sense. Like I said, I'm shocked that we don't have larger dating shows with big dating app brands behind them. But you know, the fact that they're producing this all vertical, I think is really interesting and an interesting choice, and doing it, you know, for TikTok specifically. i I'm curious to see how this is gonna play out and perform.
Emily Wilson (04:02)
I mean, there's Calshed Studios behind it who are known for doing The Sidemen Inside which moved from YouTube to Netflix. So interested to see how they partner with ITV but I also love the feature that you mentioned that is organic to the app and bringing it into the entertainment space, that idea of double dating. And I guess if people are used to swiping on their phones, it made sense to have this as a vertical show.
Madelyn (04:29)
Yeah, hundred percent. it was unveiled at Can Lions, which you and I have talked about a lot, and it seems to be all anyone has been talking about for the past two weeks, for better or for worse. It looks like everyone who was anyone was at Can Lion on a panel or at a brand activation. And, you know, I don't know about you, but my FYP was nothing but, you know, buzzwords, right? Creator, show, repeatable hook, ownable format,
So I don't know. Maybe you and I should should head over there next year. I feel like we don't go an episode without major industry news merger acquisition. This time a spin-off. Comcast is spinning off NBC Universal after buying it 15 years ago now in 2011, thinking that if it
Emily Wilson (04:57)
Maybe.
Yes.
Madelyn (05:15)
was the the pipes and the the media, it would all work out, but alas I think I think they made the wrong bet. Tell me more about what this actually means.
Emily Wilson (05:26)
Yeah, so they're planning the next year separating NBC Universal and also the European media arm, Sky, which is fascinating considering a lot of the Sky and ITV takeover talks that there has been over in the UK. But it looks like Comcast will be focusing mainly on their broadband distribution business and the new content company will still house the Universal movie studios, the theme parks, Peacock and...
NBC, Telemundo, Bravo. But yeah, away from the broadband side.
Madelyn (06:02)
Yeah, so they're just going back and separating everything again, right?
It's really wild to see for sure. and and I mean, interestingly, will this position NBCU as a target for an acquisition?
So who knows what the next two years in this landscape is gonna hold. speaking of which we do have an update. We always have an update on the Paramount Warner Brothers acquisition. Looks like there might be a hold up across the pond. Why don't you tell me more about w what you guys are doing to slow down this deal?
Emily Wilson (06:33)
So we spoke about the Supreme Court getting involved, I think, on one of our last episodes. And now it looks like the UK government are trying to intervene. It's coming from Lisa Nandy, who is Britain's Culture Minister. But we are also going through a transition of leader at the moment through Kirstama moving to Andy Burnham. So it will be interesting how this goes. The EU regulators are also assessing the deal.
OSCOM, which is a massive regulator here. So we're going to see what happens.
Madelyn (07:06)
Yes, we are. And and we all just stand by and hang on. okay I think that about does it for our news, but you know what, in honor of Wonka, I wanna know before we go, what is your favorite type of candy?
Emily Wilson (07:21)
goodness. I'm obsessed with this chocolate at the moment. It has rum in it and banana chips and I'm eating it way too much.
Madelyn (07:30)
my gosh, that sounds so good. What's it called?
Emily Wilson (07:33)
It's called fatso, actually.
Madelyn (07:34)
It's called f no way. That would never fly here. That's so funny. my gosh, that's so good.
Emily Wilson (07:37)
And...
Madelyn (07:43)
I really love, I tried some Australian treats. I really love cherry ripes. Do you know what I'm talking about? Yes, I really love those. So those have been on my mind lately. and I've been munching way too many of them.
Emily Wilson (07:48)
my god, Yes! Yeah.
Madelyn (07:57)
Yeah, well maybe Britain will give ⁓ will give Paramount the golden ticket so they can proceed with their deal. How about that? Yes, yes we will. All right, Emily, well thank you so much for joining me. As always, you can go follow Emily, you should follow Emily.
Emily Wilson (08:04)
We're going to find out soon, I'm sure.
Madelyn (08:13)
Wilson on LinkedIn where she posts industry news updates every single Friday. Or she can deliver them right to your inbox via her substack. Unscripted TV News. Thanks, Emily.
Emily Wilson (08:24)
Thank you.
Hello and welcome to the unscripted files. This is the Monday mini sode with industry news expert Emily Wilson giving us news on this Monday, right after the holiday, July sixth. Hey Emily, how you doing?
Emily Wilson (00:18)
Good, how are you?
Madelyn (00:20)
Good, got a lot of news. A lot of news. Yes, I did. Of course, everyone's texting me. Did you see the Wonka trailer? It has been a huge project, we know has been in the works with Netflix and Eureka Productions for quite a while now. And it was certainly very big. A ton of world building. I really would expect nothing less. Some surprises in store. I saw an interesting comment that was like,
Emily Wilson (00:22)
Always have you seen the Wonka trailer?
Madelyn (00:47)
Squid games for family viewing, which I thought was very funny.
Emily Wilson (00:50)
I love that.
I will be interested to see how it plays out because there's so much host-led content out there right now. It will be interesting to see how the AI Gene Wilder that a lot of people are complaining about will play into that, whether that's just a trailer thing, whether that's actually part of the show, how much will be narrative-driven by the contestants themselves, what type of challenges we're going to see in this world.
Madelyn (00:51)
Yeah.
Emily Wilson (01:16)
I hate to do the risk assessment alongside the set budget for that show, but it looks pretty incredible.
Madelyn (01:23)
Yeah.
Yeah, it really does. Yeah, it looks like essentially you compete to get a golden ticket, and once you're inside, you are going to face a number of different challenges where you've got to adapt, strategize, and withstand the unknown to make it through. really a high stakes social experiment. ⁓ so interesting, Eureka is known for doing amazing, wonderful things at huge scale.
So it's gonna be interesting to see how this is executed. another competition series coming to Netflix is based on a beloved kid's show. Tell me about what's what's happening with Gabby's dollhouse.
Emily Wilson (01:55)
Yeah, so there's going to be a Gabby Dollhouse competition series in which young bakers will be bubbling in whimsical baking and crafting challenges.
Leila Lockhart-Craner will be hosting the series as her character Gabby. I'll be interested to see how close this is to other similar competition shows we've seen in this baking space. I think I've seen the Harry Potter themed one before. So it looks like it's the more family-friendly version. I don't know what your thoughts are.
Madelyn (02:25)
Yeah, kids programming is almost twenty five percent of Netflix's viewing in twenty twenty five, according to the Hollywood reporter. So I think they're doubling down on this particular age group. And, you know, imagine if Miss Rachel hosted a cooking show or a crafting show. I mean, I think that's the direction we're going where we're just gonna take these beloved characters, put them in a little bit of a competition. And I think parents just wanna know that they can put their kids in front of screens and have something safe and wholesome. and so I think that
will continue to see more of Netflix's library be eaten up by kids and preschool age content for sure.
Emily Wilson (03:00)
educational as well. mean kids will want to bake from watching this. yeah, it's exciting.
Madelyn (03:07)
let's see, what else is going on in this space? finally, I I feel like this is a long time coming. We've got a dating app that is now producing a flagship dating show, but not for the TV screen, for the phone screen.
So, Double Date Island is Tinder's reality show where pairs of best friends are selected from all around the world as participants and brought together to go on double dates, meet other international pairs, and experience a sun-drenched getaway. So this is a natural sort of spin-off from Tinder's app feature where you can set up double dates with like other pairs. so listen, I
I love nothing more than to see a brand come alongside and produce something that makes sense. Like I said, I'm shocked that we don't have larger dating shows with big dating app brands behind them. But you know, the fact that they're producing this all vertical, I think is really interesting and an interesting choice, and doing it, you know, for TikTok specifically. i I'm curious to see how this is gonna play out and perform.
Emily Wilson (04:02)
I mean, there's Calshed Studios behind it who are known for doing The Sidemen Inside which moved from YouTube to Netflix. So interested to see how they partner with ITV but I also love the feature that you mentioned that is organic to the app and bringing it into the entertainment space, that idea of double dating. And I guess if people are used to swiping on their phones, it made sense to have this as a vertical show.
Madelyn (04:29)
Yeah, hundred percent. it was unveiled at Can Lions, which you and I have talked about a lot, and it seems to be all anyone has been talking about for the past two weeks, for better or for worse. It looks like everyone who was anyone was at Can Lion on a panel or at a brand activation. And, you know, I don't know about you, but my FYP was nothing but, you know, buzzwords, right? Creator, show, repeatable hook, ownable format,
So I don't know. Maybe you and I should should head over there next year. I feel like we don't go an episode without major industry news merger acquisition. This time a spin-off. Comcast is spinning off NBC Universal after buying it 15 years ago now in 2011, thinking that if it
Emily Wilson (04:57)
Maybe.
Yes.
Madelyn (05:15)
was the the pipes and the the media, it would all work out, but alas I think I think they made the wrong bet. Tell me more about what this actually means.
Emily Wilson (05:26)
Yeah, so they're planning the next year separating NBC Universal and also the European media arm, Sky, which is fascinating considering a lot of the Sky and ITV takeover talks that there has been over in the UK. But it looks like Comcast will be focusing mainly on their broadband distribution business and the new content company will still house the Universal movie studios, the theme parks, Peacock and...
NBC, Telemundo, Bravo. But yeah, away from the broadband side.
Madelyn (06:02)
Yeah, so they're just going back and separating everything again, right?
It's really wild to see for sure. and and I mean, interestingly, will this position NBCU as a target for an acquisition?
So who knows what the next two years in this landscape is gonna hold. speaking of which we do have an update. We always have an update on the Paramount Warner Brothers acquisition. Looks like there might be a hold up across the pond. Why don't you tell me more about w what you guys are doing to slow down this deal?
Emily Wilson (06:33)
So we spoke about the Supreme Court getting involved, I think, on one of our last episodes. And now it looks like the UK government are trying to intervene. It's coming from Lisa Nandy, who is Britain's Culture Minister. But we are also going through a transition of leader at the moment through Kirstama moving to Andy Burnham. So it will be interesting how this goes. The EU regulators are also assessing the deal.
OSCOM, which is a massive regulator here. So we're going to see what happens.
Madelyn (07:06)
Yes, we are. And and we all just stand by and hang on. okay I think that about does it for our news, but you know what, in honor of Wonka, I wanna know before we go, what is your favorite type of candy?
Emily Wilson (07:21)
goodness. I'm obsessed with this chocolate at the moment. It has rum in it and banana chips and I'm eating it way too much.
Madelyn (07:30)
my gosh, that sounds so good. What's it called?
Emily Wilson (07:33)
It's called fatso, actually.
Madelyn (07:34)
It's called f no way. That would never fly here. That's so funny. my gosh, that's so good.
Emily Wilson (07:37)
And...
Madelyn (07:43)
I really love, I tried some Australian treats. I really love cherry ripes. Do you know what I'm talking about? Yes, I really love those. So those have been on my mind lately. and I've been munching way too many of them.
Emily Wilson (07:48)
my god, Yes! Yeah.
Madelyn (07:57)
Yeah, well maybe Britain will give ⁓ will give Paramount the golden ticket so they can proceed with their deal. How about that? Yes, yes we will. All right, Emily, well thank you so much for joining me. As always, you can go follow Emily, you should follow Emily.
Emily Wilson (08:04)
We're going to find out soon, I'm sure.
Madelyn (08:13)
Wilson on LinkedIn where she posts industry news updates every single Friday. Or she can deliver them right to your inbox via her substack. Unscripted TV News. Thanks, Emily.
Emily Wilson (08:24)
Thank you.
