The shot clock is ticking down on Warner Bros. Discovery in its effort to land a new media rights deal for the NBA.

Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav said Thursday the company continues negotiating with the league to retain its package of NBA contests, a marquee attraction for its TNT cable channel, but offered no clue on where the discussions would end up.

“We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to reach an agreement that makes sense for both sides,” Zaslav told Wall Street analysts on the company’s first-quarter earnings call. “We have had a lot of time to prepare for this negotiation and we have strategies in place for various potential outcomes.”

Zaslav added that the company has the rights to match offers from other companies. But the executive took no questions about what could be a game-changing deal.

Comcast reportedly has a $2.5-billion offer in with the NBA for a package of games to air on its Peacock streaming service and its broadcast network NBC. Amazon’s Prime Video is said to have a deal for exclusive NBA games as well, adding to the streaming service’s growing portfolio of sports properties.

With Disney’s package for ESPN and ABC expected to remain in place, the focus has been on whether anything will be left on the table for Warner Bros. Discovery. There has been speculation that the company could end up with fewer games under a new arrangement that takes effect after the 2024-25 season.

Losing the package would bring long-term ramifications for Warner Bros. Discovery’s carriage arrangements with cable and satellite operators, who pay fees to carry its channels. The company would have to negotiate
its next round of deals for TNT and other channels without offering the NBA, at a time when such talks are increasingly contentious.

Despite strong continued growth for its direct-to-consumer streaming business, the first-quarter earnings picture for Warner Bros. Discovery was mixed. The company missed Wall Street’s expectations on revenue, which declined year-to-year by 7% to $9.96 billion. Analysts expected $10.2 billion.

The company posted a net loss of 40 cents a share, compared to 24 cents a year ago.

The direct-to-consumer business added 2 million subscribers in the third quarter. Streaming ad revenue grew 70%.

Sales for its linear TV networks, which include TNT, CNN and Discovery, fell 8% to $5.13 billion. Soft demand for TV commercials pushed ad revenue down by 11%.

The company’s studio division saw a 13% year-to-year drop in revenue to $2.82 billion. Zaslav cited the delay in the movie pipeline due to last year’s work stoppages by writers and actors. The unit was also hurt by the poor box office performance of “Suicide Squad.”

Zaslav said the company is dedicated to improving the studio’s performance by taking advantage of its existing film franchises such as “Harry Potter.” He said the studio has begun script development on a new “Lord of the Rings” film, produced by Peter Jackson.

Warner Bros. Discovery announced Wednesday that will offer consumers its Max streaming service in a bundle with Disney’s Hulu and Disney+. The package will be available in the U.S. starting this summer and can be purchased through any of the three streaming platforms’ websites.

Zaslav said the new offering will increase retention of subscribers. Pricing has not been disclosed.

Warner Bros. Discovery’s stock traded slightly higher Thursday morning at $8.02 a share.

Review: Directed by Mathieu Turi, ‘The Deep Dark’ is a claustrophobic thriller set in the shadowy confines of a subterranean cave. The film opens in 1856 with an explosion that causes a tragic collapse, hinting at the dangers that await a new group of miners tasked with recovering valuable artifacts. The story centers around professor Berthier (Jean-Hugues Anglade), who leads a team of young men into a mine with the promise of riches. However, the team’s collective greed and the professor’s insistence on going deeper into the cave result in a landslide, trapping them inside. As they attempt to find a way out, they awaken a deadly creature that was best left undisturbed.

One of the film’s most striking features is its use of black and white cinematography (by Alain Duplantier), which effectively underscores the dark theme and creates a sense of claustrophobia. However, the monochrome visuals can be tiring over time, and you might find yourself craving a splash of color to break the monotony. Turi’s direction emphasizes the eerie atmosphere of being trapped in an enclosed space with threats lurking around. The film’s slow-burn approach allows for a gradual build-up of tension, but the real action doesn’t kick in until later, which can test your patience.

Once the killing starts, however, ‘The Deep Dark’ delivers relentless bloodshed with some of the most gruesome and creative slayings seen in a horror film. That said, faster pacing of this Lovecraftian horror with more spooky action and less talk would have been ideal. Performances are decent but Amir El Kacem as Amir and Diego Martín as Miguel stand out. Also, because their characters have been fleshed out better than the others. The film relies heavily on jumpscares and special effects, with mixed results. The creature design is appropriately grotesque, but it at times feels gimmicky rather than genuinely terrifying. Despite this, the overall atmosphere and the sense of impending doom keep the audience on edge.

‘The Deep Dark’ succeeds in its primary goal of creating a tense and unsettling horror experience, though it struggles with pacing and character development. Once the action gets going, the film becomes a relentless bloodbath, leaving the audience gasping for breath and longing for daylight. While it’s not without its flaws, Turi’s commitment to a dark and suspenseful narrative makes it a decent addition to the horror genre.

A mere half-hour late start boded well for the highest-profile comedy, music, and marijuana-themed variety-benefit show of Netflix Is a Joke. May 1’s Bowl kickoff with Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan, Nate Bargatze, and Sebastian Maniscalco, for example, had tasked a jazz combo with killing 45 minutes before any stand-ups took center stage.

One week later, sporting a shiny black tuxedo and devilish grin, host Seth Rogen emerged with a oversized match to spark the three-story prop bong commissioned for the festival. As plume of smoke covered the stage, the white-tailed Hollywood Chamber Orchestra blasted “2001: A Space Odyssey” theme “Thus Spoke Zarathustra,” and opening rapper Lil Dicky challenged Roseanne Barr for the most strained “Star-Spangled Banner” rendition of all time before launching into “Freaky Friday.”

“Even I think this is a little much! Weed’s legal; what am I trying to prove?” Rogen asked back onstage. His thoughts on the Drake-Kendrick Lamar beef — “You don’t hear defensive rapping that often. You don’t hear rap that’s like, ‘I “am” a good father! I “should not” be a registered sex offender!’” — were echoed by “Abbott Elementary” cast member Janelle James. “Men are happy right now,” she observed. “Sports and a rap battle happening at the same time? I caught my boyfriend skipping the other day! Men don’t get to be happy. They’re sitting around dissecting poetry, how lovely!”

From the beginning, the “almost” sold-out audience of 18,000 took happy advantage of the open-air event. A cool evening breeze grew increasingly fragrant and thick under the spotlights and trippy, rotating pastels.

Janelle James at Seth Rogen Smokes the Bowl for the Netflix is a Joke Festival at the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday.

(Mathieu Bitton / Netflix)

Good vibes continued with “Daily Show” correspondent Ronny Chieng, who tailored his set specifically for the occasion. “It’s great to perform in legendary American venues like this where Dave Chappelle almost got murdered!” he enthused. “America is a country that puts show business above everything. This is how much we love show business in America: You guys remember 10 years ago when Seth Rogen made a movie about Kim Jung Un that almost destroyed the world? ‘The Interview’ almost caused global thermonuclear war! We kinda forgot about that, didn’t we? It was our generation’s Cuban Missile Crisis!”

Ronny Chieng at Seth Rogen Smokes the Bowl for the Netflix is a Joke Festival at the Hollywood Bowl.

(Mathieu Bitton / Netflix)

Not much was being remembered at the moment, to be honest. Chieng helpfully revisited the production in minute-to-minute detail for most of his time, noting, “We almost destroyed the world for 59% on Rotten Tomatoes!” Also, “In Malaysia there’s a death penalty for smoking weed… everyone here would all be executed!”

Ramy Youssef at Seth Rogen Smokes the Bowl for the Netflix is a Joke Festival at the Hollywood Bowl.

(Mathieu Bitton / Netflix)

Advertisement

Peabody Award and Golden Globe winner Ramy Youssef followed, the non-smoker cautioning, “I don’t think anyone here understands how much weed is being smoked backstage. I know you saw some of it out here, and this was nothing!”

An extended story about adopting a rescue dog had included references to autism and Harry Potter when Youssef suddenly realized “I’ve been up here too long! My time perception is distinctly… I’m high, I’m not gonna be rude, I’ve gotta go!” Which he very promptly and hilariously did.

“I don’t know if you know you are at a charity event right now,” Rogen checked in, offering thanks for the Netflix event and those aiding his Hilarity for Charity foundation combating Alzheimer’s. “Of all the shows at the Hollywood Bowl, this is the only one where the money goes to charity. Jerry Seinfeld kept the money, just know that, to buy one-sixteenth of a f— Porsche!”

Post Malone at Seth Rogen Smokes the Bowl for the Netflix is a Joke Festival at the Hollywood Bowl.

(Mathieu Bitton / Netflix)

Advertisement

Immediately after, a surprise eight-song set from Post Malone (“Better Now,” “Psycho,” “Chemical”) got the crowd on its feet, who agreed that yep, it felt hella good to be stretching around, plus standing up was totally better for watching the colorful lasers and bursting pyrotechnics anyway. Ooooh, fire!

Bill Burr at Seth Rogen Smokes the Bowl for the Netflix is a Joke Festival at the Hollywood Bowl.

(Mathieu Bitton / Netflix)

Surprise comedy guest Bill Burr followed “Congratulations” with a few minutes up top about Hollywood pedophiles and decrying cancel culture. Right around the time he mentioned punching a baby, the scene shifted to the women’s restroom: clean, minimal foot traffic, the floor painted a mossy, foresty green that looked way more soft and spongy than concrete has any right to look. Don’t bother trying to touch it. And wash your hands. Back and safely seated, Burr was continuing, “You’d better have a Black guy in the trunk, or you, sir, are in trouble!”

Daz Dillinger, Snoop Dogg, Kurupt at Seth Rogen Smokes the Bowl for the Netflix is a Joke Festival at the Hollywood Bowl.

(Rob Liggins / Netflix)

Advertisement

Nearing the unconventional benefit’s end, Rogen announced a hot tip: The Hollywood Chamber Orchestra’s trumpet player wasn’t merely one of the best trumpet players alive, but the guy responsible for the “Jeopardy” theme song! The Bowl grooved its ass off to both the classic jam and a new, “sexy smooth jazz version” before losing its collective mind for final act Snoop Dogg, his “The Next Episode”’s refrain to “Smoke weed everyday!” and the call and response of “Nothin’ But a G Thang.” Plus how does it get any better than “Gin and Juice” for charity?

Lighting up a joint, Snoop took a spin directizzing the orchestrizzle and giving props to the musicians, “Give it up for my band!”

L.A. becoming home to the largest comedy festival in America reminds fans how lucky it feels to exist amid the most important, innovative, genre-busting live performers of our time. Amazing musical moments like the conclusion of Seth Rogen Smokes the Bowl with Snoop rapping hip-hop classics “Jump Around,” “Drop it Like It’s Hot,” “Who Am I (What’s My Name?),” an orchestral “Zarathustra” reprise and a shower of celebratory fireworks remind us how far we’re capable of going… and growing.