The Grinch was last year's North American box office runner-up, raking in $2.6 billion, just behind Spider-Man.
You could tell from STARZ's broadcast numbers too—The Grinch was definitely getting more buzz than X-Men.
Of course, a lot of that had to do with Band of Brothers.
Today was September 3rd—just six days away from the global premiere of Band of Brothers!
In its past life, HBO had dominated that summer. Starting in June, they rolled out Six Feet Under, Charlie's Angels, The Perfect Storm, and Band of Brothers in a four-hit streak, driving subscriptions through the roof—from 7.5 million to 15 million!
In this timeline, Dunn swapped out Charlie's Angels for the bigger-impact X-Men and replaced The Perfect Storm with the more beloved The Grinch.
What would the results be?
The future would tell.
But so far, things were looking good!
In the first two days of September, the TV network added 1.16 million new subscribers—a number worth celebrating!
That brought the total to 6.56 million, overtaking Showtime and making STARZ the second-largest premium cable network in the U.S. by subscriber count!
Only 1 million behind HBO!
Dunn snatched the report from Isla Fisher's hands and scanned it closely. Of those 1.16 million new subscribers, 1.15 million opted for the 3-month, $99 package—not the cheaper six-month or yearly plans.
Clearly, most of these newbies were skeptical about the network. They just wanted to test it out for three months, mainly to watch Band of Brothers.
The series had 10 episodes, and buying the full DVD set would cost $100! Subscribing to the channel was a better deal by comparison.
"Big things are coming!"
Dunn reviewed the report, his spirits high.
Isla Fisher chirped excitedly, "Dunn, did we win again?"
Dunn let out a hearty laugh, loving that "we." He suddenly pulled her into a hug and planted a kiss on her red lips.
Isla pushed him back, blushing. "There's someone else here!"
Kevin Feige stood up with a grin. "Boss, I've got some ideas for The Punisher project. I'll head back and get started. Oh, and congrats in advance on the network's ratings going through the roof!"
Ratings through the roof?
The jury was still out.
But since September kicked off, it'd been one piece of good news after another!
Comcast obviously knew Dunn Films' stance—they'd fax over the latest data every day before closing up shop.
September 3rd: 470,000 new household installations across the U.S., 520,000 new subscribers!
September 4th: 620,000 new installations, 540,000 new subscribers!
Just four days into September, the network was unstoppable, rocketing past Showtime and then overtaking HBO!
It was now, hands down, North America's top premium cable network by subscriber count!
Sure, HBO still had over 5 million subscribers overseas.
In terms of overall scale, STARZ was still behind.
But Band of Brothers didn't premiere until September 9th!
The network had five more days!
With this insane growth rate, no one could predict where it'd peak.
September 5th: The ratio of installations to subscribers was too low, and operational losses were piling up. Comcast tweaked its strategy. That day, installations dropped by 1.2 million, but subscribers jumped by 650,000!
September 6th: Installations went negative by 3.74 million, yet subscribers grew by 570,000!
September 7th—Friday.
Comcast didn't send the report straight to Dunn Films this time. Instead, they threw a celebration party, inviting Dunn, Bill McNickle, Wes Cotton, Tosca Musk, Chris Albrecht, and other bigwigs from Dunn Films and the STARZ network.
Dunn showed up with Penelope Cruz on his arm.
Old man Roberts, now semi-retired, made a rare appearance. He shook Dunn's hand warmly, congratulating the young gun.
But his age was catching up—his energy nowhere near Redstone's. After greeting everyone, he bowed out, leaving the hosting duties to his son, Brian Roberts, Comcast's current chairman.
Brian Roberts, born in 1959, was dubbed by Forbes as "the most scholarly and refined entrepreneur in media." Even wilder? The guy used to be an athlete—back in college, he won a silver medal in squash for Team USA.
Since taking over Comcast from his dad in 1990, he'd kicked off a string of textbook acquisitions, earning a vibe reminiscent of America's "Murdoch."
This year alone, he outbid Time Warner, Disney, and AT&T to snag AT&T's cable business.
Post-merger, Comcast's market share was closing in on 30%—double Time Warner's. It was teetering on antitrust territory, cementing its spot as America's unshakable top cable operator.
But having a huge user base wasn't enough for him.
His ambitions were sky-high. He wanted to be a titan like Murdoch or Redstone, turning Comcast into a full-spectrum media empire!
"Dunn, your strategy's a total curveball—brilliant!" Brian Roberts raised a glass of champagne. After a quick chat with Bill McNickle, he sidled up to Dunn.
Dunn shrugged helplessly. "Brian, how about giving me the latest update? We're all waiting on the numbers."
Brian grinned. "Let me build some suspense! I'll head up on stage soon and announce the big news with some flair!"
"Oh?"
Dunn's face lit up, his eyes gleaming.
A flashy announcement—could it be something jaw-dropping?
Very possible!
It was Friday, and per typical American work habits, operators didn't work weekends.
Families wanting to catch Band of Brothers on Sunday would rush to subscribe today, activating STARZ to avoid missing the premiere due to weekend downtime.
It was a slow season for movies, and a war epic like this was the perfect filler for the weekend entertainment gap.
Of course, most households didn't know that Comcast had staff working overtime on weekends lately to push STARZ's growth, offering installation and subscription services.
Brian caught Dunn's expression and smirked. "Let's talk about something else."
Dunn gave him a deep look, suddenly sensing this party wasn't just a victory lap. This guy had an agenda. Casually, he asked, "Sure, what's on your mind?"
"Content, for one."
"Content?"
Dunn's brow creased slightly.
These days, Hollywood studios were cozying up to big media conglomerates for broader reach. But Brian was talking content—his sights were set high!
Brian didn't mince words. "Dunn, I've boiled down your success to one thing: content! Movies like Spider-Man and Titanic, TV with Six Feet Under and Band of Brothers. That's the right play. In media, no matter how flashy the platform or wide the distribution, it's content that hooks the audience—not the delivery. In a cutthroat market, only top-notch, popular content can pull in the masses."
"Heh, Brian, you've got it figured out," Dunn said, his chest tightening as he locked eyes with him. "You're not eyeing my company for a buyout, are you?"
"What?" Brian blinked, then burst out laughing. "Dunn, you're a riot! Even if I wanted to, would you sell? A company with sky-high returns, low debt, and a bright future? If it went up for bid, Comcast wouldn't stand a chance."
Dunn exhaled, grinning. "Fair point. Dunn Films is great at content, but having content doesn't mean you rule the game. Getting it to the audience takes the right channels. Distribution's becoming king in the media chain. This next wave of mergers is all about matching the best content with the best delivery."
"Well said!"
Brian clapped in approval.
Seeing the glint in his eyes, Dunn squinted, a realization clicking.
This Brian Roberts had a huge appetite!
In the original timeline, he'd led Comcast to bid $66 billion for Disney—got rejected—then pivoted to snatch NBCUniversal. Still hungry, they grabbed a stake in MGM, eyed a $45 billion Time Warner merger, and even pondered a $60 billion grab for Fox's assets.
As Time Warner, News Corp, and Viacom faded, and Disney soared, the only media player left to slug it out was Comcast!
Now, as America's biggest cable operator, growing further risked antitrust scrutiny. They needed new territory.
From his tone, it was clear—he'd set his sights on Hollywood.
Sure enough, Brian confirmed Dunn's hunch. "Like you said, the next media wave is about pairing the right content with the right delivery!"
Dunn chuckled, shaking his head. "Brian, so it's not that you never considered buying Dunn Films—you just didn't think it was worth it without distribution channels!"
Brian's face turned serious. "Dunn Films only works with you at the helm—no one else could pull it off!"
"Alright," Dunn shrugged. "I get it. You're looking to break into Hollywood, aren't you?"