DISNEY ON PATH TO SURGE PAST NETFLIX: While Disney+ may have had a few growth issues recently, it is still on target to surpass Netflix‘s subscriber numbers by 2025, according to the research firm Digital TV Research. The firm predicts Disney+ will have 284.2 million subscribers in 2026, to Netflix’s 270.7 million. Amazon Prime, meanwhile, is forecast to hit 243.4 million.
NETFLIX & WALMART TEAM UP ON MERCH: Netflix and Walmart are ready to cash in on megahits Stranger Things, Squid Game, Witcher and more with a line of products ahead of the holiday shopping season. Expect toys, apparel, games, books and other products. This is the first time the mega-streamer has teamed up with a national retailer.
BAFTA CANCELS L.A. BRITANNIA AWARDS: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ (BAFTA) annual Britannia Awards, presented in L.A., has been nixed for the second year in a row. “BAFTA Britannia awards will be a key part of our plans for 2022, for the rest of this year we are continuing to focus on our year-round learning and talent programs, which include scholarships, the GSA Bafta Student Awards and Breakthrough USA – which we will announce the new cohort for later in the year,” the BAFTA said in a statement to Variety.
BANIJAY TO DISTRIBUTE JANET JACKSON DOC: Lifetime / A&E‘s upcoming Janet Jackson documentary is set to drop early next year, with Banijay Rights taking on global distribution. The film, titled Janet, has been in the works for five years, with the singer granting access to archival footage and never-before-seen footage of her. It will follow four decades in music and her personal and familial struggles.