Cordkillers 551: Maxed Out All Over Again

Max is becoming HBO Max again, CNN is getting another shot at streaming, and Netflix grabs the remote for Sesame Street. Plus: Ironheart, The Bear, and a boatload of Netflix news from upfronts, including Jamie Foxx’s boxing drama, a new Buffy slayer, and a Clash of Clans cartoon.

This week on The FULL Experience: Andor (208 - "Who Are You?")

Next week: Andor (102 - "That Would Be Me")

YouTube: https://youtu.be/thPJi-qv-tk

Supply Run

Warner Bros. Discovery is renaming its streaming service Max back to HBO Max, reversing the branding change from two years ago. Meanwhile, CNN is getting another streaming chance with a service simply called CNN—offering live news, on-demand programming, and subscriber content.

• CNN Streaming Service Announced – Deadline

Search Party

Netflix has scooped up Sesame Street from Max. Season 56 will bring new animations and shorter stories, while Netflix gets 90 hours of legacy episodes and rights to make games.

• Sesame Street Coming to Netflix – The Verge

Trailers and Premieres

• Ironheart hits Disney+ June 24 Watch Trailer

• The Bear Season 4 premieres June 25 Watch Trailer

• Captain America: Brave New World streams on Disney+ May 28 Read More

• Strange New Worlds Season 3 begins July 17 with a two-episode drop Details

• Mickey 17 lands on Max May 23 Details

Netflix Upfront Announcements

• Star Search reboot with live interactive elements Engadget

• Bridgerton Season 4 due in 2026, plus Seasons 5 and 6 confirmed Deadline

• The Four Seasons renewed for Season 2 Deadline

• Forever (Judy Blume) renewed for Season 2 Deadline

• The Diplomat picked up for Season 4 Variety

• Clash of Clans animated series in development Variety

• Jamie Foxx to star in Olympic boxing drama Fight for ’84 Variety

• Netflix announces NFL Christmas Day matchups: Cowboys vs. Commanders and Lions vs. Vikings Variety

• Christopher Nolan to shoot The Odyssey entirely on IMAX film The Verge

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot casts Ryan Kiera Armstrong as new slayer Variety

Buried Treasure

Brian recommends: Murderbot

Tom recommends: The Studio

Got something cool we should check out? Email it to cordkillers@gmail.com

Scanning the Horizon

Ad-supported plans now account for 46% of SVOD subscriptions, driving most of the new sign-ups. Streaming in general rose 15% year-over-year, while cable and broadcast dropped sharply.

• Streaming Growth – Deadline

• Nielsen Streaming Share Update – Deadline

Charter is acquiring Cox Communications, which includes commercial fiber, IT, and cloud services.

• Charter-Cox Merger – Reuters

Netflix’s $7.99 ad plan now has 94 million MAUs, claiming top reach among 18–34-year-olds.

• Netflix Ad Tier Growth – Thurrott

YouTube introduces new TV-style episode formatting for creators and shoppable ad feeds.

• TV Seasons for Creators – TechCrunch

• Interactive Product Ads – TechCrunch

Chatter

Cappy wonders if Netflix’s friendly relationship with Apple hints at a future acquisition. Could a big Apple bite be coming?

Derrick still uses cable for sports and finds the bundled streaming access surprisingly cost-effective—maybe cable isn’t dead, just rebranded.