Disney's lauded Marvel Entertainment unit, which is coming off its worst ever domestic box-office debut performance, with The Marvels premiering to just $46.1 million in November, is facing yet another theatrical bomb, probably even more severe.

Box-office tracking suggests that the Madame Web, which was produced by Sony's Columbia Pictures unit and Marvel Entertainment, and being released Wednesday by Columbia, is on pace to draw receipts in the low $20 million range over the six-day Presidents Day weekend frame.

It's pacing at less than half the opening for The Marvels, which was produced by Marvel Entertainment's Marvel Studios division, and distributed by Disney.  

Madame Web, which stars Fifty Shades of Grey's Dakota Johnson was made for less than $100 million, according to movie news site Slash Film, so we're not looking at an "Infinity War"-level financial apocalypse for Marvel or distributor Sony Pictures Entertainment. 

But what this latest underperformance says about the superhero movie genre -- and the broader long-form vide0 storytelling format -- isn't good. 

Coming off crippling Hollywood guild strikes, the theatrical pipeline is exceptionally dry. With little to see in theaters, save for maybe the latest Jason Statham mid-budget ass-kicker (Miramax's The Beekeeper) or Paramount's musical remake of Mean Girls, January's domestic receipts were about half of what they were in the last pre-pandemic January, 2019. 

Even accounting for the effects of inflation on movie ticket prices, annual box office revenue still isn't close to 2019 levels, either. 

Superhero films -- specifically those produced by Marvel Entertainment, which Disney purchased in 2009 for $4 billion -- have largely driven the global movie business the past decade. 

Consider (again, based on Box Office Mojo data) that four of the top 10 biggest domestic box office grossers of all time are Marvel-produced superhero movies. 

Among entertainment brands, Marvel is unsurpassed, generating over $17.2 billion in box office revenue over 75 releases. 

In the past two years, however, the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) hit factory has slowed down. 

Morbius, another Sony-Marvel collaboration starring Jared Leto as a scientist who inadvertently transforms himself into a vampire, opened to a very pedestrian $39 million domestically in April 2022 on its way to a floundering $167.5 million worldwide haul.

Meanwhile, generating only $206 million worldwide, Disney-distributed The Marvels didn't even recover the cost of its production and global release.

Other superhero brands have suffered poor box-office results recently, too. Notably, Warner Bros. Discovery's DC unit saw The Flash last year draw a very disappointing $271.3 million globally, with pre-release expectations of at least double that. 

That was just after another DC Comics-spawned title, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, grossed just $134 million globally. 

Just like the "Peak TV" pundits who started their navel-gazing about the sustainability of the TV production bubble nearly a decade before it finally bursts, some of us "box office pundits" started wondering over a decade ago if the superhero movie craze had run its course. (See this 2011 interview transcript with NPR's Steve Chiotakes, during which I call "over" on the genre about 12 years too soon. Can't win 'em all!)

So why are we, an awkward amalgamation of trade publications, focused on an oddly incongruent, seemingly free-associated range of topics including cable network technology, advanced advertising and Television Critics Association mishegoss, concerned with movie box office?

Well, I'll tell you why: if theatrical distribution collapses, where are the movies we stream and broadcast going to come from?

A slowdown for what had been the most fruitful vein of the movie business comes at a precarious time for the motion picture format. The company with the most free cash in the video business, Netflix, just declared that that theatrical movie distribution is "just not our business," just days after parting ways with its top movie production chief, Scott Stuber. 

As Netflix's latest Global Top 10 weekly program performance rankings reveal, Netflix is back to acquiring theatrically distributed content from other companies. For the week ending Feb. 11, four of the top 10 most watched English-language films on Netflix were "Despicable Me" franchise titles acquired from Universal Pictures, while Fox's 18-year-old Meryl Streep film The Devil Wears Prada ranked No. 9. 

Not to go too deep in the woods on this topic (what, too late?), but even Hollywood's biggest movie stars are beginning to joke about a future ... without movies. 

Just cut to the 1:31 mark in the "extended cut" version of Ben Affleck's hilarious Dunkin Donuts Super Bowl commercial, during which he explains to a young choreographer, who recognizes him only as "Jennifer Lopez's husband," that he does some "acting, writing and directing of movies, which were a kind of long-form entertainment that was popular in the 20th Century..."

Not only does Citi analyst Jason Bazinet believe Disney will sell its stake in Hulu to Comcast, and not the other way around, he also speculates that Disney might use the negotiation to claim the distribution rights to two Marvel characters controlled by Comcast's NBCUniversal division, Hulk and Namor. 

“Following [Disney's] fiscal 1Q23 results, we believe the company is less interested in a mass market DTC offering. This raises the possibility that Disney may sell its Hulu stake,” Bazinet wrote in a note to investors Thursday morning. 

Also read: What's Going to Happen to Hulu, a Major SVOD with 48 Million Customers? Who Knows?

Selling its 67% stake in Hulu would provide a great opportunity for Disney to consolidate the ol' MCU.

“While Disney owns all Marvel IP, Universal has distribution rights to Hulk and Namor,” the analyst added. “As such, if Disney makes a Hulk or Namor film, Comcast can distribute the film on Peacock. If Hulu is sold, Disney may use this as an opportunity to secure these distribution rights.”

Also read: Buy? Sell? Analyst Suggests Disney, Comcast Go 50-50 On Hulu

Disney consolidated Fox and Warner's ownership in the Hulu joint venture in 2019. And as part of that negotiation process, Comcast -- relegating to a non-controlling shareholder with a 33% ownership stake -- gained the right, starting in 2024, to demand that Disney buy it out at a minimum Hulu valuation of $27.5 billion. 

That would mean that Disney, which is trying to reduce the more than $4 billion in direct-to-consumer losses it experienced in 2022, would have to come up with at least $9 billion and change. 

For his part, Bazinet places Hulu's valuation at between $19.8 billion and $27.5 billion. 

Hulu added 800,000 paid users from October through December, ending 2022 with 48 million subscribers, nearly double what it had at the time Comcast forged its forced-sale agreement with Disney in 2019. 

Meanwhile, Hulu revenue reached $10.7 billion last year -- again, more than double what was four years ago. 

Newly re-installed Disney CEO Bob Iger, when asked what his company might do with Hulu during Disney's fiscal Q1 call in early February remarked, "Everything's on the table right now. I'm not going to say we're a buyer or a seller.”

And for his part, Iger's Comcast counterpart, chief executive Brian Roberts, said in September that Comcast would be interested in buying Hulu. 

MGM Plus and Amazon Prime Video have ordered what they call a “suite” of live-action television series based on the Sony Pictures universe of Marvel characters. The first series to be produced under the multi-series agreement is Silk: Spider Society, from Sony Pictures Television. The series will debut domestically on MGM Plus’s linear channel and globally on Prime Video. 

Epix, the commercial-free subscription service acquired by Amazon when it bought MGM, is becoming MGM Plus. 

Angela Kang, showrunner on The Walking Dead, will be showrunner on Silk. She developed the series with Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Amy Pascal, who will be executive producers. 

“Amy Pascal, Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and Sony’s recent live-action and animated reimagining of the Spider-Man franchise has represented some of the most dynamic superhero storytelling in film,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios. “Together with Angela Kang’s creative vision, we couldn’t be more pleased to bring Silk: Spider Society to our MGM Plus and Prime Video customers.”

Based on characters created by Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos, Silk: Spider Society is inspired by Marvel comics and follows Cindy Moon, a Korean-American woman bitten by the same spider that bit Peter Parker, as she escapes imprisonment and searches for her missing family on her way to becoming the superhero known as Silk.

“We can’t wait to bring the adventures of Cindy Moon to life, thanks to the creative dream team of Chris and Phil, Angela and Amy, along with our partners at Marvel and Amazon,” said Katherine Pope, president of Sony Pictures Television Studios.  “We know this exciting series with new and never-before-seen characters and storylines will wow audiences watching first on linear MGM Plus and then around the world on Prime Video.”

The Walking Dead lasted for 11 seasons. Kang took over as showrunner in season nine.  

“I’m beyond thrilled to be joining the Amazon Studios family for this next chapter of my career. I look forward to working with the executive team on diverse, character-forward, watercooler shows for a global audience and am so excited to dive in to my first challenge — bringing Korean-American superhero Silk to life on-screen,” said Kang, who is Korean-American. ■ 

Scarlett Johansson, star of Marvel's Black Widow, has sued Disney over its decision to release the movie earlier this month simultaneously in theaters and as a premium $30 extra on Disney Plus, claiming the distribution strategy breached her contract with the studio and cost her around $50 million. 

"Ms. Johansson agreed that her compensation for starring in the latest motion picture addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (“MCU”), Black Widow, would be based largely on 'box office' receipts generated by the Picture," said the suit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court. 

"To maximize these receipts, and thereby protect her financial interests, Ms. Johansson extracted a promise from Marvel that the release of the Picture would be a 'theatrical release.' As Ms. Johansson, Disney, Marvel, and most everyone else in Hollywood knows, a 'theatrical release' is a release that is exclusive to movie theaters," the suit added.

John Berlinski, an attorney at Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP who represents Johansson, told Wall Street Journal, “This will surely not be the last case where Hollywood talent stands up to Disney and makes it clear that, whatever the company may pretend, it has a legal obligation to honor its contracts.” 

Black Widow opened earlier in July to the best first-weekend domestic box office performance, $80 million in ticket sales, since Disney's last Star Wars featured debuted in December 2019. The film also generated $78 million in international box office. And in a first, Disney released streaming revenue, noting that the film--sold as a $30 extra "Premiere Access" title on subscription service Disney Plus--generated $60 million in first-weekend streaming revenue. 

Since then, two narratives have emerged. LightShed Partners TMT gadfly Richard Greenfield described the day-and-date release as a "watershed moment" for movie studios, in which they realized that they can release movies on their own direct-to-consumer platforms and not have to share revenue with theater chains. 

Meanwhile, exhibitor lobbying org the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) labeled the Black Widow release a flop, noting the film's huge second-weekend drop-off at the box office, and the fact that while Disney doesn't share Premiere Access revenue with theater owners, it does eat into entire sections of the distribution chain, such as PVOD rental/sale. NATO also noted the huge amount of illicit Black Widow to renting by digital pirates.

It’s not exactly what in the Before Times came every weekend: a detailed breakdown of box office grosses for movies released into theaters. Or the Nielsen Overnights that arrived every morning. Nonetheless, mad props go to Disney for including its online revenues in a news release on first-week box office for hit Marvel movie Black Widow. 

The news set off an earthquake across Hollywood, signifying one more step away from the in-theater business. With any luck, the mere fact of its release also may lead to another already-overdue change: improved transparency about the business side of streaming.   

The female-led superhero movie snagged $80 million in North American box office gross, and another $78 million overseas. That set a pandemic-era record for theatrical releases, a record that actually stretches back to the end of 2019 and the last “Star Wars” movie. 

But weirdly, that wasn’t the biggest earth shaker contained in the release The Mouse House put out Sunday. That honor went to the news that Black Widow also snared “over $60 million” from Disney Plus subscribers willing to pay another $30 for “Premier Access” to the movie at home on the same day it hit theaters. 

That means at least 2 million households, a little less than 2% of Disney Plus’ entire subscriber base, thought it was a good idea to skip theaters completely and watch Black Widow at home on opening weekend. 

Because the streaming companies release so little information about viewership, we have no idea if this is a big win or not. But it sure feels like one, and Disney executives treated it that way. 

“Black Widow’s strong performance this weekend affirms our flexible distribution strategy of making franchise films available in theaters for a true cinematic experience and, as COVID concerns continue globally, providing choice to consumers who prefer to watch at home on Disney Plus,” said Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution Chairman Kareem Daniel. 

Implicit in that comment is the belief that most people would have gone to theaters but for COVID concerns. It artfully ignores the potentially large percentage of people who would rather  watch even a big, loud, fast movie like Black Widow on their fancy home-entertainment system, especially if they have multiple children and the prospect of shelling out big money for tickets and concessions. 

LightShed Partners analyst Rich Greenfield, who frequently tweaks hidebound Hollywood for its slow embrace of streaming video, said the numbers suggest one thing: dump your theater stocks. 

The math is getting ugly for theaters, Greenfield pointed out. Disney gets to keep something like 80% of the $60 million it sold online, plus any new Disney Plus subscribers who signed up so they could watch, plus the much greater value of having a direct relationship with customers who really like Black Widow in particular and Marvel in general. We’ll call that net revenue $48 million, plus the considerable value of an ongoing customer relationship. 

Compare that with a theatrical release. 

Over a few weeks, Disney accrues around half the box office (and probably less overseas). It has no idea who watched, nor any way to connect with them directly to market a sequel, any other Marvel film or TV show, or any of the zillion merchandise offers, Disneyland rides, serialized graphic novels and other spin-offs it will stuff into the market. 

That $158 million in worldwide gross skinnies down to something like $79 million, and there it stops. That difference is indeed enough to get Mickey squeaking at a higher register. 

“So this is a big signal that direct-to-home movies that, you know, don't have to be seen in theaters are here to stay,” Greenfield said.

That’s only going to be more the case as the pandemic continues to fester. Just this week, Los Angeles County officials said they will again require everyone to wear masks in public indoor spaces, following a surge in infections in Hollywood’s backyard. Not incidentally, Los Angeles County is also one of the movie business’ biggest markets.

But let’s not lose sight of the real change here: almost-live updates on streaming box office. That could be really something if it somehow leads more studios to release more detailed data on their online projects. 

Netflix over the past 18 months began releasing data on its most-watched shows, and maintaining top 10 lists. But the viewership details have been scarce, limited to a handful of big hits, and typically coming during quarterly earnings reports, long after shows hit the market. Perhaps Netflix just wants to reassure investors that yes, people are watching some of its vast array of shows in droves. 

But Netflix provides virtually no detail on revenues from those shows, broken down, say, by region. (For instance, how much is Netflix making on those dozens of Indian shows it has bought, especially because so many are watching through sharply discounted mobile plans there.) The Top 10 lists seem more crafted to drive additional “pile-on” viewership than to provide any useful detail. 

And Netflix is better than most of its competitors. 

AT&T, for instance, hasn’t released much of anything about who’s watching what on HBO Max. Perhaps that will change when WarnerMedia joins with Discovery as a pure-play entertainment company. 

And maybe HBO Max’s new ad-supported side will force it to release more timely and substantive information for advertisers. Maybe the company will institute some sort of Premier Access approach for ad-supported subscribers who want the same day-and-date releases that full-price subscribers now get free. 

I’m not expecting radical transparency from the studios going forward, unless of course they have another chance for bragging rights, always a reliable cause for more talkative studio executives. 

But Wall Street, and not just Greenfield and his LightShed colleagues, need to keep holding to account the companies behind our streaming services. 

That means more data, more timely data, and more of the right data that actually measures performance. We can’t even begin assessing whether Black Widow or any other movie counts as an online “hit” until we have better and more complete data. 

For now, Black Widow will remain an anomaly, but a big one that likely will encourage at least Disney Plus to keep doing what it’s doing. Let’s see how long it takes other studios to open up, too. 

So the North American theatrical exhibition business just had its biggest revenue weekend in 19 months.

Yet, celebrity equity analyst Richard Greenfield is warning investors to run--don't walk--from AMC, Cineworld, Cinemark and every other company vested in the theatrical exhibition of motion pictures. 

"The theater chains are in deep trouble. I mean, deep, deep trouble," the LightShed Partners principal told Yahoo Finance. 

How deep? Pretty deep. 

Over the weekend, Disney Marvel film Black Widow grossed $80 million at the U.S. and Canadian box office, and another $78 million at the foreign box office. It was the biggest theatrical performance for a major U.S. studio title since Disney's last "Star Wars" theatrical feature was released in the pre-pandemic month of December 2019. 

Still, the concurrent release of Black Widow as a $30 premium "Premiere Access" title on Disney Plus represents a "watershed moment" for the movie business, Greenfield said, one in which the studios have seized substantial leverage from the theater chains. 

"If you think about it, this movie did 158 million globally and 60 million directly at home," he added. "Disney keeps 80% of the 60 million. Of the 158, they probably keep, you know, maybe 60%, and that number goes down over as the film plays longer and longer. So this is a big signal that direct-to-home movies that, you know, don't have to be seen in theaters are here to stay."

Movie theaters won't necessarily go away, Greenfield contended, "but the leverage in the relationship is shifting towards the movie studio. They're realizing they can generate a lot of money directly to consumer. They actually get to have a direct relationship with the consumer. They know who you are, and you don't have to go to a movie theater. This is a pretty profound moment."

Greenfield's thesis--that the outsized Premiere Access Black Widow performance is bad omen for theatrical distribution--can be assailed.

It was the biggest day-and-date movie streaming performance so far--at least that we know about, because this is the first time a studio has released such a numb er. But it occurred with COVID-19's delta variant influencing renewed concerns among many about the wisdom of convening together in indoor environments. Los Angeles County, for example, has suggested that vaccinated people once again wear masks indoors, for example. 

And how many of the 2 million or so Disney Plus-subscribing households worldwide, which paid $30 to watch Black Widow, were from a portion of the market that doesn't regularly go to movie theaters, anyway? In other words, did Disney tap into an accretive portion of the market, rather than eat into theatrical distribution?

For his part, Greenfield's, er, reticence toward theater chains might have something to do with the recently outsized Wall Street performance of AMC Holdings, which like Game Stop several months earlier, seems to have been birthed out of a Reddit-fueled, artificial insemination. 

"AMC was not making money pre-pandemic," Greenfield said. "I mean, that's the most important thing-- they weren't making money pre-pandemic."

Streaming service Disney+ unveiled the first commercial spot promoting its upcoming Marvel Studios series during last night's Super Bowl telecast.

The 30-second spot featured quick looks at three of its Marvel-based original series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, WandaVision and Loki. No premiere dates were provided during the spot.

National Geographic Global Networks president Courteney Monroe discusses the company's programming strategy under new parent Disney in a TCA 2019 edition of MCN Original Videos.

Hulu will add two new Marvel Television series to its original programming portfolio as part of several programming announcements made during its newfront presentation Wednesday morning in New York. 

The streaming service, which currently airs Marvel’s Runaways, said it will launch in 2020 Marvel’s Ghost Rider and Marvel’s Helstromare.Ghost Rider follows the life of antihero Robbie Reyes, who is consumed by hellfire and supernaturally bound to a demon, while Helstrom follows siblings who have a complicated dynamic as they track down the terrorizing worst of humanity with their attitude and skills, said Hulu.

Hulu also announced it will partner with Chrissy Teigen’s Suit & Thai Productions to develop and produce a slate of premium food-centric programming for the platform. Teigen -- along with Vox Media Studios, David Chang’s Majordomo Media -- will develop among its first projects a cooking dubbed Family Style, which will revolve around the ways in which people express their love for friends and family by cooking and eating together. Also in the pipeline is a documentary series tentatively titled Eater’s Guide To The World, which taps into Eater's extensive knowledge of the most interesting and delicious restaurants on the planet, said the service.

The announcement comes as the service inks Teigen to a two-year development deal for original programming ranging from scripted drama series to original talk shows.

Hulu has also greenlit straight to series a drama series Nine Perfect Strangers, from actress Nicole Kidman and producer Bruna Papandrea and based on the latest book by New York Times best-selling author Liane Moriarty. Director David E. Kelley and John Henry Butterworth will co-showrun and co-write the series. Also on the development slate is limited series The Dropout, starring Kate McKinnon as the CEO of failed health technology company Theranos.

On the renewal front, the network will bring back freshman series Pen15 and Ramy for second seasons.

About a month after announcing plans to offer two direct-to-consumer offerings tied to its ESPN and Disney brands, Walt Disney Co. chairman and CEO Robert Iger offered more details on the products, including the inclusion of its Star Wars and Marvel films in the Disney-branded app, slated for a late 2019 release.

Disney announced plans for the DTC offering in early August. The content giant plans to launch a direct-to-consumer ESPN app in spring 2018 and a Disney app in late 2019. When it was first unveiled, Disney said the ESPN offering would include about 10,000 games, including contests from Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer and colleges that are not currently aired on its ESPN linear channels. The Disney app would include content not shown on its linear Disney Channel, but will have archive movies that are currently part of its output deal with Netflix, which is slated to expire in 2019. http://www.multichannel.com/news/content/disney-set-launch-direct-consumer-services/414481

When it announced the DTC initiatives, Iger said it hadn’t been determined whether its Star Wars and Marvel franchises would be included in the app. Now they will, in addition to other original content.

“We’ve now decided to put the Marvel and Star Wars movies on this app as well,” Iger said at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch media conference in Los Angeles Thursday. “It will have the entire output of the studio – animation, live action and Disney, including Pixar, Star Wars and all the Marvel films. In addition to that we have been spending a fair amount of time developing original content on the movie side for the app. The studio is already dev and will produce four-to-five original films exclusively for the app, primarily live-action.”

He added that its studio library product will be available, about 400-to-500 films, and on the TV side it will create 4-to-5 Disney branded TV series and 3-to-4 TV movies for the app. Television library content also will be available.    

Pricing for either app hasn’t been released yet, but the Disney chief said it could be announced for the ESPN app by the first of the year.

Iger, said he envisions the direct-to-consumer products to offer content much like Apple’s ITunes music service to offer a customized experience.

“Think of what ITunes is,” Iger said. “Where you will be able to go to the platform and actually buy, almost  on an a la carte basis, a sport, a sporting event, a season, a league, maybe a conference as a for instance. You'll be able to pick and choose over time what it is you want, it won't necessarily be a one-size fits all. We may launch it that way, but the goal eventually is to create something that a sports fan can essentially use to design what their sport media experience can be.”

Iger also addressed ESPN’s slipping subscriber base, adding that while there has been some decline, he still believes the network and other Disney properties will negotiate from a position of strength in upcoming carriage renewals. Iger said that he is currently negotiating with one large distributor – he didn’t identify it – and said that more than 50% of its subscriber base comes up for renewal by the end of 2019.

Iger said that despite worries over declining ratings across the industry, live sports is still strong and ESPN’s rights are deep and “quite attractive.”

“As we enter a new cycle of extensions with traditional distributors, we are well positioned,” Iger said. “We intend to drive significant value in those negotiations, I think you have to look at it as a blend of distribution and price. We intend to use the strong hand that we have and the brands that we have as we negotiate these new deals.”        

Please, let’s not argue whether the age of traditional TV networks is over. It is, and you know it. Older viewers may be keeping it on life support, but if that fills you with optimism, we have a buggy whip factory to sell you.

A friend, a veteran producer at a major TV network, put it this way: “I’ll still be here in 10 years — but the networks, not so much.”

So what comes next? After years in the network TV trenches, we believe the answer is: studios. Neo-studios, actually — a new breed filling the void left by the inevitable disappearance of networks as we know them. Neo-studios will build tomorrow’s media empires.

In the modern TV era, networks have been more than distribution platforms. They‘re brands. Branding has helped forge relationships and create fans (“I want my MTV!”) and helped those fans discover new shows and characters (AMC: “Something more!”).

THE PRODUCTION ISSUE > Cover Story: John Landgraf's Legion of Hits | Finance: Production Profits Now Power VOD Leaders | Content: Family Business Expands Its Tool Set | Through the Wire: ITN Plotting British Invasion Into U.S. Production Market

Branding Across Platforms

But the new digital distribution mega-platforms — we’re looking at you, Netflix, YouTube and Hulu — strip branding away. They just plop content out there naked. And then they dangle algorithmically chosen video-bait — unbranded video-bait — to keep viewers viewing.

To these platforms, content is commodified and fungible. (Unless, of course, it’s their content, which they brand as their own and promote heavily.)

Neo-studios are the new networks. Untethered to any one platform, they distribute their IP over neo-networks — a web of media platforms customized to the nature of the property and needs of the audience. A neo-network could incorporate everything from streaming video to games to books and movies and toys.

Neo-studios understand that successful properties must be media-agnostic in this way, but must also live under the umbrella of a consumer-facing studio brand.

A few smart media companies are well positioned for the age of neo-studios.

The Walt Disney Co., for example, views its branded channels as just one of many platforms for its venerable properties. Its Marvel division, eschewing the Disney brand, is free to leverage its considerable brand equity to become a neo-studio of its own.

WWE has built an empire on the mythology of its story world — live events, television, video games, music, merchandise.

Even Hasbro (Transformers, Monopoly, My Little Pony) understands it’s not in the toy business anymore. Said president John Frascotti: “The business we are in today is really about building multidimensional franchises that are rooted in great stories and great characters.” In other words, Hasbro is a neo-studio whose key franchises are intellectual properties.

As we see it, successful neo-studios share seven traits:

1) Stand for someone and something. They will do their homework — and reflect deeply — to determine exactly who they’re for and what they will promise them.

2) View shows as media-agnostic IP franchises. Digital is more than “brand extensions” and “ancillary content” — it’s a platform equal to any of the others.

3) Spread across the media-verse. They will use all platforms and all formats to architect a media structure that is right for for each IP franchise.

4) Produce a lot of meta-content. Content about content not only promotes properties. It satisfies fans’ hunger to experience properties they love in deeper ways.

5) “Marry” their fans. They’ll recognize that their consensual relationship with fans is an intimate partnership. They’ll listen, respond and give them a sense of ownership.

6) Turn fans into superfans. Using audience management strategies, they’ll drive current fans to new properties, deeper engagement and a role as a kind of marketing platform.

7) Build a realistic business model. Before their subscription VOD and direct-to-consumer dreams can come true, neo-studios will have to become truly indispensable to fans.

The networks that survive today’s upheaval will be those that evolve into neo-studios. Successful media startups will be born that way. And in this new environment, the best content and most well-crafted brands will rise to the top. It’s survival of the finest.

Scott Webb, managing director of brand and content-development company Static-Free Media, was executive vice president and creative director of Nickelodeon during its formative years. Dave Goldenberg, chief brand strategist of Static-Free Media, was part of the Nickelodeon brand team.

Netflix said, via Twitter, that the new action series Marvel's Jessica Jones will premiere on Tuesday, Nov. 20, at 12:01 PT in all territories where Netflix is available. (Launch video is here.)

The series, starring Krysten Ritter (pictured), is the second of four live-action adventure series (Marvel’s Daredevil, which launched April 10, Marvel’s Luke Cage and Marvel’s Iron Fist,  leading up to the teaming of the main characters in Marvel’s The Defenders) to premiere only on Netflix. "It is a suspenseful, edgy look into the life of Jessica Jones, one of the most popular new Marvel characters of the last decade, as she faces demons from within and without." The drama will premiere with 13 one-hour episodes

About the show: After a tragic ending to her short-lived Super Hero stint, Jessica Jones is rebuilding her personal life and career as a detective who gets pulled into cases in New York City. Ritter as Jessica Jones is joined by David Tennant (Kilgrave), Mike Colter (Luke Cage), Rachael Taylor (Trish Walker), Carrie-Anne Moss, Eka Darville, Erin Moriarty and Wil Traval in the cast.

Marvel’s Jessica Jones on Netflix is executive produced by series showrunner Melissa Rosenberg and Liz Friedman, along with Jeph Loeb, who also serves as Marvel’s Head of Television.

The Internet has been in overdrive over the latest choice to play Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man for the Big Screen. And though Tom Holland has some tough acts to follow – Tobey Maguire and  Andrew Garfield have portrayed the role in the last five movies – the character has also has an impressive run on television – including a limited run as a live-action series (The Amazing Spider-Man in 1978) -- to its more successful string of animated series on both cable and broadcast. So, based on my many (too many) years as a fan, and help from IMDB.com, here is a chronoligical list of TV Spidermen.

Spiderman: 1967-70

Paul Soles: Peter Parker/Spiderman:

A veteran voice actor – he wasHermey, the elf that wanted to be a dentist in the 1964 holiday classic Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer as well as Bruce Banner/The Hulk in the 1966 animated Hulk series; Rick Jones in Captain America (1966); and Harold “Happy” Hogan in Iron Man (1966). Soles also provided the voice of Spiderman in two episodes of the short-lived Spider-Woman TV series in 1979 (Spider-Woman was voiced by none-other than Joan Van Ark, who later played Valene Ewing on Dallas and Knots Landing). Soles also made the transition to live action superhero movies, playing Stanley in the 2008 The Incredible Hulk (with Ed Norton as Bruce Banner/ The Hulk). According to IMDB, the 85-year old Soles’ last credit was for additional voices in Cartoon Network animated series The Day My Butt Went Psychoin 2013.

The Amazing Spiderman: 1978

Nicholas Hammond: Peter Parker/ Spiderman

The only live action series in the bunch, The Amazing Spiderman only lasted a few weeks on CBS in 1978 – it ran from April to May of that year. In 1979, the series returned as a handful of specials on the Tiffany Network. Hammond made his big first splash opposite Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer in The Sound of Music (1965) where he played the oldest male Von Trapp child, Friedrich. Although he didn’t get to use his singing and dancing chops in Spiderman, Hammond has had steady work in TV series over the years, and most recently played Henry Nevinson in the Australian mini-series Gallipoli, which aired on the Nine Network in 2015.

Spider-Man: 1994-98

Christopher David Barnes: Peter Parker/Spider-Man

Barnes, probably most famous for his portrayal of Greg Brady in The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) and A Very Brady Sequel (1996),  played Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the animated Fox Kids’ series from 1994 to 1998. Since then he has voiced the wall-crawler in several video games – Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions (2010); Spider-Man: Edge of Time (2011); Marvel Heroes (2011; as Symbiote Spiderman/Superior Spiderman); Spider-Man Unlimited (2014, as Electro/Vulture). In the current Ultimate Spider-Man TV series, Barnes voices Max Dillon/Electro/Spider Knight.

Spider-Man: The New Animated Series: 2003

Neil Patrick Harris: Peter Parker/Spider-Man

Harris, the former Doogie Howser, M.D. who revitalized his career playing himself in comedy Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (2004) and later played raconteur Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother for nine seasons, began his road back into the spotlight as the voice of the web-spinner in 2003. Harris has gone on to do several more movies, host the Oscars and the Tony Awards and has become one of the most well-liked stars in the business. Though short-lived, the Spidey series had an impressive cast – in addition to Harris, Ian Ziering (lately of the Sharknado movies) played best friend Harry Osbourne; singer/actress Lisa Loeb  played love interest Mary Jane Watson; Keith Carradine played J. Jonah Jameson and Ed Asner played Officer Barr. 

Ultimate Spider-Man: 2012-present

Drake Bell: Peter Parker/Spiderman

Bell is a veteran cable actor – he was the co-star of long-running Nickelodeon kids’ show Drake & Josh and was a regular performer on Nick’s The Amanda Show (1999-2001) starring former child star Amanda Bynes. Bell has made a name for himself in the Marvel animated Universe – he’s the voice of Spidey in several Disney series featuring the web-crawler – Marvel Avengers Assemble; Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload. The Ultimate Spiderman series also features some other well-known names: Boston Public star Chi McBride (as Nick Fury), Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons  (as J. Jonah Jameson) and SpongeBob Squarepants voice Tom Kenny (as Dr. Octopus).    

Netflix will bring back its Marvel’s Daredevil original series for a second season three weeks after the launch of its freshman campaign, the OTT service announced Tuesday.

The series, starring Charlie Cox as a blind vigilante superhero, launched April 10 with 10 episodes. Season one show runner Seven DeKnight will not return for the second season, which will be helmed by Doug Petrie (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and Marco Ramirez (Sons Of Anarchy), according to Netflix.

Ramirez, Petrie, Drew Goddard (Cabin in the Woods) and Jeph Loeb (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) will serve as executive producers for the series, which also stars Rosario Dawson,  Vincent D’Onofrio, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Scott Glenn, Bob Gunton, Toby Leonard Moore, Vondie Curtis Hall and Ayelet Zurer.