Latest news with #MichaelSchneider
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Variety report claims 'The Boys' and 'Handmaid's Tale' imaginary fascist worlds are becoming reality
Michael Schneider, executive editor for Variety's TV section, claimed in an article published Friday that the imaginary fascist worlds of Amazon Prime's "The Boys" and Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale" are becoming reality. Schneider argued the fictitious worlds created in the TV series "don't seem so far-fetched anymore" in President Donald Trump's America. "The Boys," a TV series based on a group of superheroes who cause more chaos than they do good, recently rolled out a marketing campaign jokingly referring to the show as a documentary. In a 2022 interview with Rolling Stone, showrunner Eric Kripke confirmed the series' "evil-Superman-style character," Homelander, was created as a "direct Trump analogue." The Variety editor wrote that the superhero series "feels a lot less fictional every season it's on the air." 'Handmaid's Tale' Showrunners Say Their Series' 'Warning' Was 'Ignored' Based On Trump's Re-election "That's why the cheeky 'The Boys' ads tout its campaign for 'Best Documentary Series.'" he wrote. "Sure, the 'documentary' is crossed out, and 'drama' is hastily written above it, like it was a last-minute mistake. But we've been making that joke for years." Read On The Fox News App Schneider then shifted his focus to "The Handmaid's Tale," claiming the frightening events that take place in the series "don't seem so far-fetched anymore." He featured quotes from the show's creators to reinforce his point that the authoritarian dystopia featured in the series is now becoming reality. The show's executive producer, Eric Tuchman, recalled that some writers for the show were concerned about the possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned when Trump won the presidency in 2016. He felt that it sounded "kind of alarmist and extremist … I could not have been more wrong, obviously." Tuchman claimed the show's creators weren't focused on calling attention to "the political situation in the country," but said "it was just uncanny how much it ended up being a mirror of what was happening in the real world." Another showrunner, Yahlin Chang, said before she joined the production, she "did all this research into what happens when parents and children are separated in conflict zones." She conducted this research in preparation for a scene in which one of the characters is allowed to visit her estranged daughter for only 10 minutes under government supervision. America Now Worse Than 'Make Believe' 'Handmaid's Tale' Because Of Abortion, Actress Claims "My research focused on conflict zones like Liberia, Cambodia, Bosnia. I never imagined that that would happen in our own country. But by the time I wrote this scene in 2017, and by the time it aired in 2018, it aired the week that we were separating parents and children at the border," Chang said. She claimed "by doing research on what authoritarian regimes do," the show's creators "somehow predicted what would happen" in the real world. Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture Schneider noted that, "Ironically, just as things get even worse here in the United States," the imaginary land of Gilead in the series is poised for a revolution. In closing, the Variety editor left readers with his hopes for the future. "A revolution and a happy ending for 'The Handmaid's Tale?' Here's hoping the real world can imitate art in this way, too," Schneider article source: Variety report claims 'The Boys' and 'Handmaid's Tale' imaginary fascist worlds are becoming reality
Fox News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Variety report claims 'The Boys' and 'Handmaid's Tale' imaginary fascist worlds are becoming reality
Michael Schneider, executive editor for Variety's TV section, claimed in an article published Friday that the imaginary fascist worlds of Amazon Prime's "The Boys" and Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale" are becoming reality. Schneider argued the fictitious worlds created in the TV series "don't seem so far-fetched anymore" in President Donald Trump's America. "The Boys," a TV series based on a group of superheroes who cause more chaos than they do good, recently rolled out a marketing campaign jokingly referring to the show as a documentary. In a 2022 interview with Rolling Stone, showrunner Eric Kripke confirmed the series' "evil-Superman-style character," Homelander, was created as a "direct Trump analogue." The Variety editor wrote that the superhero series "feels a lot less fictional every season it's on the air." "That's why the cheeky 'The Boys' ads tout its campaign for 'Best Documentary Series.'" he wrote. "Sure, the 'documentary' is crossed out, and 'drama' is hastily written above it, like it was a last-minute mistake. But we've been making that joke for years." Schneider then shifted his focus to "The Handmaid's Tale," claiming the frightening events that take place in the series "don't seem so far-fetched anymore." He featured quotes from the show's creators to reinforce his point that the authoritarian dystopia featured in the series is now becoming reality. The show's executive producer, Eric Tuchman, recalled that some writers for the show were concerned about the possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned when Trump won the presidency in 2016. He felt that it sounded "kind of alarmist and extremist … I could not have been more wrong, obviously." Tuchman claimed the show's creators weren't focused on calling attention to "the political situation in the country," but said "it was just uncanny how much it ended up being a mirror of what was happening in the real world." Another showrunner, Yahlin Chang, said before she joined the production, she "did all this research into what happens when parents and children are separated in conflict zones." She conducted this research in preparation for a scene in which one of the characters is allowed to visit her estranged daughter for only 10 minutes under government supervision. "My research focused on conflict zones like Liberia, Cambodia, Bosnia. I never imagined that that would happen in our own country. But by the time I wrote this scene in 2017, and by the time it aired in 2018, it aired the week that we were separating parents and children at the border," Chang said. She claimed "by doing research on what authoritarian regimes do," the show's creators "somehow predicted what would happen" in the real world. Schneider noted that, "Ironically, just as things get even worse here in the United States," the imaginary land of Gilead in the series is poised for a revolution. In closing, the Variety editor left readers with his hopes for the future. "A revolution and a happy ending for 'The Handmaid's Tale?' Here's hoping the real world can imitate art in this way, too," Schneider concluded.
Business Wire
05-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
FanDuel Sports Network Doubles DTC Subscriber Base in Eight Weeks, Nears 650,000 Paid Subscribers Amid Strong Streaming Growth
SOUTHPORT, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FanDuel Sports Network today announced significant growth and expansion of its streaming audience. Driven by live game coverage, 100% reach across the regional TV territories of all 30 of its team partners, improved product experience and functionality, differentiated fan-friendly subscription offerings, partnership integrations with Amazon Prime Video and FanDuel, as well as collaborations with Yahoo Sports and SB Nation, and traditional cable and satellite distribution with expansive TV Everywhere (TVE) capabilities, FanDuel Sports Network's streaming offering has seen exceptional growth and engagement. Since the start of the 2025 MLB season, the streaming platform has seen strong engagement from paid and authenticated subscribers, averaging a quarter million unique daily users and nearly 1 million unique monthly users. The network has also doubled its paid subscriber base in just eight weeks, nearing 650,000 paid subscribers, and is on track to reach 1 million direct-to-consumer (DTC) subscribers by year's end. 'We're progressing on our mission to reinvent the local sports media landscape by delivering a new standard for teams and their hometown fans, while also elevating the visibility of our team partners,' said David Preschlack, CEO of Main Street Sports Group. 'Through our industry-leading multiplatform distribution, unmatched local rights aggregation and scalable live production capabilities, we're creating a more dynamic, accessible, and modern ecosystem for hometown sports, and we're just getting started.' Adding to the platform's momentum, average watch-time per game has increased to 92.5 minutes, up 9% year-over-year (YoY) demonstrating deeper user engagement. The network also amassed over 820 million streaming minutes in April, representing a 79% YoY surge. In addition to strong engagement, FanDuel Sports Network is attracting a younger, more digitally native and engaged audience with new content offerings and in-game enhancements. On average, FanDuel Sports Network's streaming viewers are 12 years younger than its traditional cable audience, with many of these cord-never viewers contributing to the incremental growth of the broader ecosystem. 'It's exciting to see that our partnerships and unique offerings are resonating so well with passionate hometown fans and driving strong viewership and engagement across our growing subscriber base,' said Michael Schneider, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of DTC, Main Street Sports Group. Schneider added, 'Our ability to move fast and own the full subscriber journey gives us unmatched efficiency in acquiring DTC subscribers and harnessing viewership data to better understand and acquire more of these younger, local sports fans at scale.' Streaming data provided by Google Analytics. About Main Street Sports Group Main Street Sports Group owns FanDuel Sports Network, the nation's leading multiplatform provider of local sports, offering fans widescale availability and optionality to view their local teams. FanDuel Sports Network serves as the local media partner and home to select MLB, NHL and NBA teams and produces over 3,000 live sports events year-round. Main Street Sports Group harnesses its powerful partnerships, in-house direct-to-consumer streaming product and innovative strategies to reach audiences and deliver programming seamlessly across streaming platforms, connected devices and leading pay TV providers. Its 15 owned-and-operated networks include FanDuel Sports Network Detroit, FanDuel Sports Network Florida, FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City, FanDuel Sports Network Indiana, FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, FanDuel Sports Network North, FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, FanDuel Sports Network Oklahoma, FanDuel Sports Network SoCal, FanDuel Sports Network South, FanDuel Sports Network Southeast, FanDuel Sports Network Southwest, FanDuel Sports Network Sun, FanDuel Sports Network West, and FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin. Main Street Sports Group also has a minority interest in YES Network, the local destination for the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Nets.
CNBC
05-05-2025
- Business
- CNBC
FanDuel Sports Network touts streaming subscriber growth for regional games
The regional sports networks owned by Main Street Sports Group are winning over streaming subscribers. FanDuel Sports Network, the recently rebranded portfolio of regional channels, said Monday its paid subscribers doubled to nearly 650,000 over a period of eight weeks. The company expects to reach one million direct-to-consumer customers by the end of the year. The update comes months after Main Street Sports Group emerged from bankruptcy protection, having significantly trimmed its debt load and scaled back on the number of teams in its portfolio after reworking its agreements with lenders, teams and leagues. There are 15 owned and operated networks under the FanDuel Sports Network banner — known as Bally Sports until recently — airing coverage of 30 Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association and National Hockey League teams across the U.S. On Monday, the company said that since the start of the 2025 MLB season, the streaming platform has been averaging 250,000 unique daily users and about one million unique monthly users. In addition, the average watch time per game is up 9% year over year to 92.5 minutes, according to the company. The numbers have been buoyed by new ways to stream the networks. As part of the bankruptcy proceedings, Main Street Sports inked a deal with Amazon's Prime Video to make the networks available on the streaming platform, in addition to their own direct-to-consumer apps. The deal with Amazon is nonexclusive, giving Main Street the ability to pursue streaming rights deals with other partners, CNBC previously reported. In March, the company struck another partnership with SB Nation and Yahoo Sports with the goal of "accelerating subscriber growth and expanding awareness" of the streaming app ahead of the start of the MLB season. That partnership integrates affiliate links and tune-in messaging within SB Nation's content. It also ties the networks to Yahoo's Sports fantasy community, and offers free trials periodically. Michael Schneider, chief operating officer and general manager of direct-to-consumer at Main Street Sports Group, credited the growth to FanDuel Sports Network's various partners, as well as what he called an "efficient acquisition program" for capturing new customers. He added that team partners have been helping, too, with promotional offers for fans on social and digital platforms helping to drive subscriptions. "We're progressing on our mission to reinvent the local sports media landscape by delivering a new standard for teams and their hometown fans, while also elevating the visibility of our team partners," said David Preschlack, CEO of Main Street Sports Group, in a news release. The various streaming and digital partnerships come as regional sports networks like those owned by Main Street Sports are weighed down by substantial losses among pay-TV subscribers. For years, regional sports networks had proved to be a lucrative business model for teams and leagues. But the fleeing of pay-TV subscribers to streaming options have left the networks needing to adapt and facing pushback from pay-TV distributors about their contracts. Recently, MSG Networks went dark for customers of Altice USA's pay-TV bundle before the two reached a deal that gave Altice more flexibility. MSG Sports, which airs local New York Knicks and other teams' games on pay TV and its Gotham Sports streaming app, has faced financial turmoil as the regional sports network model evolves. FanDuel Sports Network starts at $19.99 a month for access to one network and gets more expensive for broader access depending on the region. The relatively expensive price point for streaming regional sports networks is due to contracts with pay TV providers. Preschlack told CNBC Sport in an interview earlier this year the company will test out lower price points. Schneider said pricing is uniform in most regions. "Teams have provided specific offers to their fan base and we're learning by constantly testing what the optimal price point and offers are to bring in maximum subs," he said.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What about the bike lanes? Transit advocates say Metro project ignores city's mobility plans
When Los Angeles residents voted last year to implement the city's nearly decade-old mobility plan, transportation safety advocates called it a win for Los Angeles's pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. Sidewalks would improve, traffic congestion would slow and bike lanes and bus lanes would be upgraded and built. But the scope of Measure HLA — the citywide initiative to follow through on what L.A. City Council had adopted in 2015 — has been at the center of a recent debate between advocates and Metro after the transit agency moved forward on a project for the county's busiest bus route without anticipated plans for new bike lanes. Transit advocates argue that the exclusion from the Vermont Avenue project ignores voters' mandate to follow the mobility plan, which calls for improved bike lanes on that street; Metro and city officials have countered that the measure applied only to the city of Los Angeles — not to the countywide transit agency. 'We don't think it's legal,' said Michael Schneider, who heads Streets for All, the advocacy group behind the ballot measure. 'HLA is a city measure, and Metro is a county agency, but Vermont is owned by the City of Los Angeles, and the city is working with Metro. They're permitting it, they're providing technical expertise, they're spending staff time and money. This falls under Measure HLA, which requires a bike lane on Vermont.' Last week, the agency's board of directors voted to approve plans for the Vermont Transit Corridor — a project that will add dedicated bus lanes and 26 stations at 13 locations along a 12.4-mile stretch on Vermont Avenue between 120th Street and Sunset Boulevard. The route sees 38,000 daily bus boardings, according to Metro, and that is expected to increase to 66,000 by 2045. Read more: Metro's Olympics plans rely on federal funding. Will Trump threaten it? The project is expected to especially improve transit access for disadvantaged communities and a high number of residents who identify as Black, Indigenous and people of color, according to Metro. The corridor includes a majority of low-income households, including residents without access to a car. The project is included in the Measure M expenditure plan, which allocated $425 million for construction. 'Metro is supportive of the goals and objectives of HLA, specifically we have worked — and will continue to work — with all local jurisdictions to provide better quality transit and safer streets for all of Los Angeles County,' the agency said in a statement. 'However, HLA does not apply to Metro projects.' The board vote did not include discussion and ignored pleas from public commenters who asked Metro to reconsider its plans to include upgraded bike lanes. The project has been under study for nearly a decade. According to Metro, the addition of new bike lanes would delay the project by up to five years, increase the cost and force Metro to acquire properties. In a letter to Metro Chief Executive Stephanie Wiggins last month, Schneider disputed Metro's assertions and said the addition of bike lanes would not cause delays or affect properties if parking was not prioritized over the upgrades. He warned that the plan without bike lanes would further compromise safety on the route for bicyclists and pedestrians. Vermont Avenue sees one of the city's highest pedestrian death and injury counts, according to Metro and Streets for All. Metro has maintained its stance. In a letter sent to L.A. City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson last month, an attorney for Metro said that the agency would take legal action if the city forced it to comply with Measure HLA. The attorney cited a letter that the city attorney sent Streets for All in November that said the agency does not need to comply with the measure, a point that was reiterated at an L.A. City Transportation Committee meeting in February. The attorney also pointed to an agreement between the city and Metro, which acknowledges the agency's 'self-governance authority.' 'The [agreement] simply does not transform Metro projects into City projects,' the letter states. Schneider and others have said that the agency's plan dismisses residents' needs. 'We have an epidemic of traffic fatalities and injuries,' said Eli Lipmen, the executive director of transit advocacy group Move L.A. 'Some of it has to do with how people drive and reckless driving, but a lot of it has to do with lack of good infrastructure.' Lipmen said that more people will be hurt if Metro does not allow for new protected bike lanes in its plans and hopes there is still time for conversation. 'Vermont needs to happen and needs to happen as soon as possible. We cannot delay this project another second,' Lipmen said. The project is expected to be completed by the 2028 Olympics. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
