Weeks after their elimination from The Masked Singer, Pentatonix are now exiting a streaming platform. The Disney+ special Pentatonix: Around the World for the Holidays is the latest title set to leave the platform amongst the streamer’s latest mass removal of programs with an ever-expanding list featuring largely short-lived series, specials, and direct-to-streaming movies. The move, which Deadline says comes with a content impairment charge of $1.5 billion to $1.8 billion, was announced on May 10 during Disney’s most recent earnings call. “We are in the process of reviewing the content on our DTC services to align with the strategic changes in our approach to content curation,” CFO Christine McCarthy said. As part of a cost-cutting measure, Disney is the latest media company to remove content from its streaming platforms to improve profitability. The move comes amid a rethinking of costs and strategy in that area in an effort to boost revenue. Warner Bros. Discovery pulled a number of series from HBO Max, and AMC and Showtime also reduced their programming.
During Pentatonix: Around the World for the Holidays, the quintet performs a variety of Christmas standards and song favorites to celebrate holidays from all over the world. According to Disney+, the premise is thus: “Superstar a cappella group Pentatonix is struggling to find inspiration for their annual holiday album, and the clock is ticking. To make matters worse, their well-intentioned but misguided manager mistakenly locks them in a magic mailroom. But with the help of some Disney magic, we’re soon on a whirlwind tour around the world, discovering holiday traditions and inspiration from Pentatonix fans all around the globe: from Japan to Grenada, Iceland to Ghana and Mexico. The journey leads the group to realize that wherever we find ourselves, the holidays offer the perfect opportunity to discover how much we have in common and that it really is a small world, after all!” They sing a number of Christmas tunes, including Wham! ‘s “Last Christmas” and “Joy To The World,” as well as “It’s a Small World (After All),” in a collaborative performance with DCapella, a fellow five-piece pop a cappella group commissioned by Disney.
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During Pentatonix’s recent appearance on The Masked Singer, the competition show was already approaching the conclusion of its Season 9 following the semi-final episode that aired on May 10; only two contestants were left standing after that show. As the night began, there were three contestants, but in the end, the vocal group, who performed as California Roll, were forced to remove their masks at the end of the night. It was in 2011 that Pentatonix was formed and won Season 3 of NBC’s The Sing-Off competition. In 2015 and 2016, they were awarded the best Grammy for Best Instrumental or A Cappella Arrangements, and in 2017 for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. In February, they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The current lineup includes Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kristin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee.
