• Amazon.com Inc. will combine the theatrical distribution teams of Amazon Studios and MGM, with executive Kevin Wilson tapped to lead the new unit, according to an internal memo obtained by The Wrap. Wilson, who will report to Amazon film head Courtenay Valenti, will oversee Amazon and MGM’s domestic theatrical distribution. (The Wrap)
  
• Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube saw its ad sales revenue drop 2.6% year over year to $6.69 billion, which slightly beat Wall Street forecasts, per the company’s latest earnings report. Alphabet’s first-quarter earnings also exceeded industry expectations with $69.8 billion in sales. (Variety)
  
• British antitrust regulators blocked Microsoft Corp.’s $69 billion acquisition of video game company Activision Blizzard Inc. amid the Federal Trade Commission’s own efforts to stop the purchase. (The New York Times) In its first-quarter earnings call, Microsoft reported that Xbox revenue declined 30% year over year due to increased supply of consoles in the market, while Xbox content and services revenue increased 3%, fueled by monetization in first- and third-party content as well as its Game Pass subscriptions. (The Hollywood Reporter)
• As layoffs continue at the Walt Disney Co., mid-level and coordinator positions were reportedly impacted across Searchlight Pictures and Disney marketing, along with the story departments at 20th Century Studios and Disney. Eight employees were reportedly laid off from the story departments, while the legal, production, PR and marketing teams at Searchlight were affected. (Deadline)
  

The AI Frenzy Is Introducing Marketing Buzzwords That Consumers Don’t Understand

Morning Consult

IATSE Endorses President Joe Biden’s Re-election

David Robb, Deadline

IATSE’s General Executive Board voted unanimously today to endorse the re-election of President Joe Biden. The vote came shortly after Biden announced that he would be running for a second term.

WGA Sends Out Strike Rules To Members As Potential Hollywood Labor Shutdown Looms Next Week

Dominic Patten and David Robb, Deadline

Less than a week before the Writers Guild of America’s latest contract expires, the guild today sent out strike rules to its members in highly anticipated labor action hitting Hollywood on the morning of May 2.

Melissa McCarthy fronts People magazine’s ‘Beautiful Issue’

The Associated Press

Melissa McCarthy is out front on this year’s People magazine “Beautiful Issue.”

A play about the making of ‘Jaws’ swims toward Broadway

Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press

A stage play about the making of the blockbuster movie “Jaws” will soon take a huge bite out of Broadway.

Harry Belafonte, activist and entertainer, dies at 96

Hillel Italie, The Associated Press

Harry Belafonte, the civil rights and entertainment giant who began as a groundbreaking actor and singer and became an activist, humanitarian and conscience of the world, has died. He was 96.

Meryl Streep wins Spain’s Princess of Asturias award

The Associated Press

Meryl Streep has won one of Spain’s most prestigious awards in the arts for her long career of acting excellence, the jury of the Princess of Asturias awards said Wednesday.

Theater owners group optimistic about future of moviegoing

Lindsay Bahr, The Associated Press

For the movie theater industry, the math behind recovery is simple: More movies in theaters equals more money for theaters and Hollywood.

Warner Bros. Discovery previews a stacked film slate, centered around this summer’s ‘Barbie’

Sarah Whitten, CNBC

CEO David Zaslav told attendees at the annual cinema convention that the studio will release 16 films in 2023 and hopes to do more than 20 releases annually going forward.

First reactions to ‘The Flash,’ starring Ezra Miller

Lindsay Bahr, The Associated Press

The words “impressive” and “awesome” were common refrains from a group of entertainment reporters who were among the first to see the upcoming DC superhero movie “The Flash.”

‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ Ends #1 VOD Run for ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

Tom Brueggemann, IndieWire

Very little distinguishes this week’s different VOD charts, though there are surprising results for everything from Sundance winner “A Thousand and One” and the Adam Driver-starring “65.”

Imax Signs Multi-Theater Deals In Florida, Mexico

Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter

The cinema technologies company’s latest signings will add screens in Florida and Mexico as it follows up strong box office on its giant screens from “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”

Netflix Top 10: ‘The Diplomat’ Debuts at No. 1, ‘Love Is Blind’ Season 4 Scores 39 Million Hours Viewed After Live Reunion Blunder 

BreAnna Bell, Variety

Political thrillers led Netflix’s Top 10 chart this week as “The Diplomat” took the No. 1 spot following its April 20 release date.

‘Barry’ Season 4 Viewership Nearly Quadruples on HBO Max as ‘Succession’ Matches Series High

Selome Hailu, Variety

HBO is seeing solid success in audience size as it sends off two of its most loved series: “Barry” and “Succession,” which are both airing their fourth and final seasons.

‘Love & Death’: Elizabeth Olsen Set for Lead Emmys Submission, Jesse Plemons Submitted for Supporting

Clayton Davis, Variety

“Love & Death” is set to premiere Thursday on HBO Max (soon to be just “Max”) and is expected to be a strong Emmys player for the cable and streaming platform in the limited series races.

‘The Witcher’ season 3 will debut this summer in two parts

Aisha Malik, TechCrunch

Netflix has announced that the third season of “The Witcher” will premiere on June 29. The streaming service is splitting up the season into two parts, with the second half of the season debuting on July 27.

Verizon Sheds 76,000 TV Subscribers in First Quarter, Grows Broadband Customers

Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter

The telecom giant, led by CEO Hans Vestberg, has been shifting its video focus away from Fios TV to partnerships with third-party streaming services, in part via a Verizon +play platform.

TelevisaUnivision Cuts Losses on Higher Revenues After Launching ViX Streamer

Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter

The Spanish-language TV giant, led by CEO Wade Davis, swung to a loss in the first quarter far smaller than the most recent fourth quarter red ink due to year-end non-cash impairment loss.

Tony Awards Pre-Show to Be Streamed by Pluto TV

Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter 

The pre-show, which typically features creative awards, will move to the free ad-supported streaming service from Paramount Global for the first time.

At White House, ‘L Word’ cast praises Biden’s LGBTQ record

The Associated Press

Cast members and the creator of the Showtime series “The L Word” praised President Joe Biden on Tuesday for his support of LGBTQ rights.

Past Fox firings carry lessons for network after Carlson

David Bauder, The Associated Press

Before ousting Tucker Carlson, Fox News had twice fired wildly popular hosts – and both times the network recovered better than the stars it cut loose.

Fox Has a Secret ‘Oppo File’ to Keep Tucker Carlson in Check, Sources Say

Diana Falzone and Asawin Suebsaeng, Rolling Stone

Fox News executives have in their possession a dossier of alleged dirt on Tucker Carlson should he attack the network in the wake of his departure, eight sources at and close to the network tell Rolling Stone.

Tucker Carlson’s Vulgar, Offensive Messages About Colleagues Helped Seal His Fate at Fox News

Keach Hagey et al., The Wall Street Journal

Prime-time host called senior executive the c-word in redacted missive; network grew wary of further embarrassment from possible disclosure.

Tucker Carlson’s Prayer Talk May Have Led to Fox News Ouster: “That Stuff Freaks Rupert Out”

Gabriel Sherman, Vanity Fair

Fox Corp. chair Rupert Murdoch is said to have balked at Carlson’s remarks in a Friday night speech, driving another theory about the prime-time star’s abrupt exit. “He doesn’t like all the spiritual talk,” said a source.

The Webby Awards: SZA, Obama, Lizzo, ‘Stranger Things’ & ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Among Winners

Amanda Tinoco, Deadline

The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences (IADAS) announced the winners of the 27th Annual Webby Awards.

Spotify CEO says AI progress is both “really cool and scary,” may pose risk to creative industry

Sarah Perez, TechCrunch

In its first-quarter earnings call, streaming music service Spotify talked in more detail about how AI advances are impacting its business.

Ed Sheeran testifies in ‘Let’s Get It On’ copyright suit

Deepti Hajela, The Associated Press

Ed Sheeran took the witness stand in a New York courtroom Tuesday to deny allegations that his hit song “Thinking Out Loud” ripped off Marvin Gaye’s soul classic “Let’s Get It On.”

Hawks playoff win pushes Janet Jackson concert back 1 day

The Associated Press

The Atlanta Hawks are still alive in the playoffs and that will force fans planning to attend Janet Jackson’s concert in the city this week to wait a day to see the music star.

Kesha Reveals Her New Album: ‘I Really Dug Into My Uglier Emotions’

Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone

Working with Rick Rubin, not to mention her beloved cat Mr. Peeps, made “Gag Order” a new kind of breakthrough for the singer.