Now Streaming: Netflix reportedly holds partnership talks with Spotify

“Now Streaming” is The Fly’s weekly recap of the stories surrounding the biggest content streamers.

PLAYING THIS WEEKEND: This weekend’s notable new streaming content is part one of the second and final season of Neflix (NFLX) fantasy drama series “The Sandman,” based on the comic books series by Neil Gaiman.

NETFLIX/SPOTIFY: Netflix has held discussions with Spotify (SPOT) about partnering on several projects, such as a music awards show, a live concert series, or big celebrity interviews, Jessica Toonkel of The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people close to the conversations. The streaming TV company is also rebooting “Star Search,” while releasing a new show called “Building the Band,” the sources added.

‘SQUID GAME’: Netflix said that the third and final season of drama series “Squid Game” has “taken over the world with a record-setting No. 1 debut in all countries ranked, making history as the first show to do so in its premiere week.” In just three days, Season 3 amassed 60.1M views – breaking the record for most views for a show in that time frame – and the rapid success of Seasons 2 and 3 made “Squid Game” the only show ever to make the Most Popular List in its first week, the company said.

NASA+: NASA announced Monday its latest plans to team up with a streaming service to bring space a little closer to home. Starting this summer, NASA+ live programming will be available on Netflix. Audiences now will have another option to stream rocket launches, astronaut spacewalks, mission coverage, and breathtaking live views of Earth from the International Space Station. Through this partnership, NASA says its work in science and exploration will become even more accessible, allowing the agency to increase engagement with and inspire a global audience in a modern media landscape, where Netflix reaches a global audience of more than 700 million people. NASA+ remains available for free, with no ads, through the NASA app and on the agency’s website.

MLB: Representatives for Major League Baseball and Disney’s (DIS) ESPN have renewed talks to keep the sports network involved in broadcasting professional baseball games, sources briefed on the conversation told The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand. The talks were described to be in early stages and would center around local rights and pieces of ESPN’s former package, if they were to progress, the report stated.

CANACCORD: Canaccord raised the firm’s price target on Netflix to $1,525 from $1,380 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. The firm said while most of their covered subscription platforms command premium valuations, they believe they are warranted given the fundamentals while noting Netflix maintains a strong leadership position, pricing power, and developing ad tech capabilities.

STOCK PLAYS: Other publicly traded companies in the space include FuboTV (FUBO), Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), Apple (AAPL), Comcast (CMCSA), Paramount (PARA), Amazon (AMZN), Roku (ROKU), AMC Networks (AMCX), and Fox Corporation (FOX).