General
Whitney Houston’s Estate Plans a Hologram Tour and a New Album
Ben Sisario, The New York Times
Since Whitney Houston died in 2012, her estate has been pitched every kind of entertainment deal, from jukebox musicals to a traveling museum. Pat Houston, the executor, has turned them all down.
Emmys Shocker: Donald Glover’s ‘Guava Island’ Out of Race
Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter
TV Academy favorite Donald Glover will not be a 2019 Emmys contender, after all. Glover’s acclaimed FX show Atlanta, for which he won best directing for a comedy series and best actor in a comedy series Emmys in 2017, was not on the air over the past year, but a side project of his, Guava Island, was — specifically, on Amazon Prime — and was widely expected to be a top contender in a host of Emmy categories.
Film
‘John Wick 3’ dethrones ‘Avengers: Endgame’ at weekend box office
Sonaiya Kelley, Los Angeles Times
It had to happen eventually, and Keanu Reeves was the man to do it. Lionsgate’s “John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum” stole the top spot at the weekend box office from the mighty Marvel blockbuster “Avengers: Endgame,” which had dominated for three consecutive weeks.
As ‘Rocketman’ Prepares to Take Off, Hollywood Holds Its Breath
Brooks Barnes, The New York Times
Multiple movie studios passed on the opportunity to make “Rocketman,” an R-rated musical fantasia about Elton John’s hedonistic breakthrough years. Too gay.
Why religious movies like ‘Breakthrough’ are attracting non-believers
Heather Robinson, New York Post
In the movie “Breakthrough,” a Midwestern Christian mother, played with uncanny realism by Chrissy Metz of NBC’s prime-time hit “This is Us,” relentlessly prods doctors to save her son, even after they’ve given up hope.
Will John Wick 3 Mark the Moment Movie Marketers Became Comfortable With Reddit?
Chris Thilk, Adweek
The choice of which off-domain social media profiles to link from a movie’s official website offers a clear indication of where the studio marketer’s priorities lie.
Television
Running Scared: Network TV in the Streaming Age
John Koblin, The New York Times
As the curtain comes down on the 2018-19 television season, the major broadcast networks found themselves sinking deeper into trouble.
‘Game of Thrones’ Bows Out
John Jurgenson, The Wall Street Journal
“Game of Thrones,” the HBO series that achieved epic scale and success, ended Sunday with at least one winner to its eight-season tale but left many viewers feeling like they had suffered a loss—either because their beloved show was over, or because they loathed the last episodes.
CBS Hurls New Anchor Team Into TV’s Morning-News Wars
Brian Steinberg, Variety
News Team: Assemble. CBS News plans to hurl a new anchor squad into TV’s morning-news wars Monday when a different trio – Gayle King, Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil – takes the helm at “CBS This Morning.”
The race is on to make the next ‘Game of Thrones’
Steven Zeitchik, The Washington Post
The “Game of Thrones” finale Sunday means viewers will get their last taste of the blood and the Westerosi fight that has been spilling it. But back in Hollywood, the battle is still very much underway.
‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ to End After 17 Years in Syndication
Joe Otterson, Variety
“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” is coming to an end. Variety has learned exclusively that the syndicated game show has been canceled.
‘Dirty John’ Moving From Bravo To USA Network For Season 2
Nellie Andreeva, Deadline Hollywood
Breakout true-crime anthology series Dirty John will be moving from Bravo to sister NBCUniversal network USA for its second season, expected to premiere in 2020. Dirty John received a two-season straight-to-series order by Bravo in January 2018. With its first season, starring Connie Britton and Eric Bana, Dirty John became the highest-rated scripted series ever on the network, with ratings growing throughout its run.
James Corden Nears Long-Term Deal With CBS for ‘The Late Late Show’
Cynthia Littleton, Variety
James Corden is in advanced talks on a new multi-year deal with CBS that will keep him at the helm of “The Late Late Show” as host and executive producer. Sources said Corden’s camp has been in deal talks with CBS for some time.
Magazine Writers Are Cashing In on Peak TV
Lucas Shaw, Bloomberg Businessweek
As a peripatetic writer for national magazines, David Kushner has traveled to some far-flung destinations. He has trained to be a cosmonaut in Moscow for Wired and sampled glacial vodka in Anchorage for Outside.
‘Game of Thrones’ Is Going Out Fighting. So Will Its Audience.
James Poniewozik, The New York Times
Who will win the Iron Throne? Who should win the Iron Throne?
Steve Kroft to Retire from ’60 Minutes’
Marisa Guthrie, The Hollywood Reporter
Steve Kroft, the longest-tenured 60 Minutes correspondent, will retire at the end of his 30th season on the iconic newsmagazine. His last piece — about what could be the biggest money laundering scheme ever — will air Sunday on the show’s 51st season finale.
Technology and New Media
As Quibi reportedly seeks another $1 billion, Fiction Riot fills the programming slate for its rival service
Jonathan Shieber, TechCrunch
Even as Quibi, the short form video platform from Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo, reportedly looks to raise another $1 billion, rival service Fiction Riot continues to steadily build out its pipeline of short form serials. The Los Angeles-based company has already launched a beta version of its streaming service, Ficto, and yesterday announced a host of new shows that will appear on the app later this year.
HobbyKidsTV, YouTube, And The New World Of Child Stars
Emma Grey Ellis, Wired
HobbyBear is expecting a package any day now. In it will be a Silver Play Button, a plaque that YouTube gives to creators who have surpassed 100,000 subscribers.
Winter is coming for HBO NOW subscriber growth
Sarah Perez, TechCrunch
Fan reaction to Game of Thrones’ final season may be mixed, but the show has been undeniably good for HBO’s network — and for its over-the-top streaming service, HBO NOW. The Season 8 premiere drew in 11.8 million live viewers and 17.4 million viewers across all platforms on the day of airing, as well as a record number of sign-ups to HBO NOW, which in March was reported to have 8 million subscribers.
As IGTV expands in Instagram app, advertisers push for more analytics
Kerry Flynn, Digiday
Instagram has given IGTV, its home for long-form video content, more prominence in the app with a new tab on Instagram’s Explore page. But despite the product tweak announced on May 16, advertisers continue to see IGTV as little more than a testing ground.
Netflix should take a cue from ‘Game of Thrones’ and ditch binge-watching for new shows
Sarah Whitten, CNBC
In an era in which binge-watching is the new norm, HBO’s “Game of Thrones” breaks the mold.
Crunchyroll sets its sights on growth in international markets
Sahil Patel, Digiday
Anime streaming service Crunchyroll is looking to make a bigger investment — particularly around live events and new content distribution deals — in international markets, ranging from Latin America to the Middle East, Africa and Russia.
TV networks to advertisers: Hey, we’ll have streaming services, too
Megan Graham, CNBC
TV networks came out with a strong message as they courted advertisers at the annual “upfront” presentations in New York this week. Digital may be hot and growing like crazy, but TV can provide a brand-safe space for ads as the tech world grapples with a series of privacy scandals and abuses of their platforms.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
Not Even Apple Can Clean Up the Mess of Streaming TV
David Pierce, The Wall Street Journal
What do you do when you turn the TV on? You pop the popcorn, grab the clicker… then what?
‘GoT’ and ‘Big Bang Theory’ finales highlight shift to fewer shared TV experiences
Brian Lowry, CNN Entertainment
Two major hits, “Game of Thrones” and “The Big Bang Theory,” are signing off within days of each other. Whether those shared viewing experiences represent a celebration or a wake is once again the subject of debate in TV industry circles.
What CBS’ Pursuit of Starz Means for CBS, Lionsgate
Cynthia Littleton, Variety
CBS’ effort to buy pay TV service Starz from Lionsgate seems on the surface to be a head scratcher.
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