Top Stories

  • CBS Corp. and Viacom Inc. have set Aug. 8 — the date both companies report second-quarter financials — as an internal target for agreeing to a potential merger, according to people familiar with the matter. Speculation of a merger has been circulating for more than a year, with controlling shareholder Shari Redstone — who is unable to propose the merger herself — advocating for a deal to help the companies compete against media companies such as Netflix Inc. and Walt Disney Co. (CNBC)
  • Elizabeth Gabler, the longtime head of the now-shuttered Fox 2000, is moving her development team to Sony Pictures Entertainment by the end of August, where she will produce content based on HarperCollins books. Gabler, known for producing film adaptations of books such as “The Devil Wears Prada” and the upcoming “The Art of Racing in the Rain,” left Disney after the studio decided her films did not align with their blockbuster model. (Variety)
  • Quentin Schaffer, HBO’s executive vice president of corporate communications, is set to depart the company next month after 39 years, according to an internal memo. The news comes two months after WarnerMedia tapped Kevin Brockman as head of WarnerMedia public relations, and after Schaffer’s boss at HBO, then-CEO Richard Plepler, stepped down in February. (The Hollywood Reporter)

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Events Calendar (All Times Local)

07/16/2019
Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2019 Conference
IAB Video Leadership Summit
Digiday Brand Summit
Los Angeles Entertainment Summit
71st Emmy Nominations Announcement 8:30 am
07/17/2019
Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2019 Conference
Digiday Brand Summit
Los Angeles Entertainment Summit
Netflix to Announce Second-Quarter 2019 Financial Results 1:00 pm
Leaning Forward 6:45 pm
07/18/2019
San Diego Comic-Con
Snap Inc. 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
07/19/2019
San Diego Comic-Con
07/20/2019
San Diego Comic-Con
07/21/2019
San Diego Comic-Con
07/22/2019
Digiday Publishing Product Leaders Retreat
Women in Film Speaker Series: Unscripted—Creating and Supervising 7:00 pm
07/23/2019
Digiday Publishing Product Leaders Retreat
Hasbro Second Quarter 2019 Earnings Conference Call 8:00 am
Snap Inc. Q2 2019 Results Conference Call 2:00 pm
View full calendar

Understanding Gen Z: The Definitive Guide to the Next Generation

Based on nearly 1,000 survey interviews with 18-21 year-olds, Morning Consult’s ‘Understanding Gen Z’ report digs into the values, habits, aspirations, politics, and concerns that are shaping Gen Z adults and the ways they differ from the generations that came before them.

Download the full report →

General

Dissent in Ranks of Hollywood Writers Who Fired Their Agents
John Koblin, The New York Times 

The two unions representing television and movie writers took a firm stance in April, when they instructed their members to fire their agents and sued the four biggest talent agencies in Hollywood. Now a faction of writers who belong to the Writers Guild of America West and the Writers Guild of America East are beginning to go public with criticisms of the unions’ tactics. 

Hero Nation: John Carpenter, JJ Abrams Join Hollywood Push Into Comics
Geoff Boucher, Deadline Hollywood

John Carpenter is taking his Hollywood horror sensibilities to Gotham City, with DC Comics’ recent announcement that the director of The Thing, Halloween, and The Fog is co-writing a special 40-page Joker comic book. Carpenter isn’t the only Hollywood notable dabbling in the comic book world — far from it, in fact, he’s actually part of a crush of celebrity tourists who are putting their names on comics.

Sent to Indonesia by a Fake Film Executive? The F.B.I. Wants to Talk to You
Nancy Coleman, The New York Times 

The fraud usually starts the same way: Someone claiming to be a lofty entertainment executive makes a phone call, sends a text or drafts an email offering an enticing job on the other side of the world.

Peyton Manning Tops List of Most-Loved Sports Media Personalities
Mark J. Burns, Morning Consult 

ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” has tried more than once to secure former quarterback Peyton Manning’s services in the broadcast booth since his 2016 NFL retirement — and a new ranking of some of the most high-profile sports media personalities shows why: The two-time Super Bowl champion and future first-ballot Hall of Famer is beloved by sports fans.

Death of the Rubber Chicken Dinner: How Hollywood Is Reinventing Charity Galas
Scott Huver, The Hollywood Reporter 

The traditional fundraiser has long involved industry or celebrity attendees, gang-pressed into duty by a studio or agent, with a schlep to the Beverly Hilton or Beverly Wilshire to consume a chicken dinner and shell out the expected donation. Surely, there must be a better way to raise money for charity.

Film

Can ‘The Farewell’ Become a Summer Box Office Breakout?
Rebecca Rubin, Variety 

A24’s “The Farewell” lit up the specialty box office with a stellar limited debut, making its performance the one bright spot in an otherwise lackluster weekend for the movie business. “This is the blockbuster of the indie world this weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore.

‘Avengers: Endgame’ within $7.1 million of ‘Avatar’ record ahead of San Diego Comic-Con
Sarah Whitten, CNBC

If the stars align, and it appears they will, Disney’s “Avengers: Endgame” will soon be the top-grossing film of all time, “Spider-Man: Far From Home” will cross $1 billion at the global box office and Marvel will continue to solidify itself as one of the most successful film franchises in industry history. And there’s more to come.

Imax Inks Deal to Get Its Screens in More Chinese Movie Theaters
Anousha Sakoui, Bloomberg 

Imax Corp. is getting even bigger in China. The operator of big-screen movie theaters will add 40 more locations in the country under an agreement with longtime partner CGV Holdings Ltd., its latest expansion in the world’s No. 2 movie market.

In Weinstein Co. Bankruptcy, Viacom And Spyglass Reach $11M ‘Scream’ Settlement
Dade Hayes, Deadline Hollywood

While a major element of the Weinstein Co. bankruptcy proceeding — a petition to change it from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7 — was postponed again Monday, two major claims have been settled. U.S. Bankrupcy Court Judge Mary Walrath approved the settlements, one involving Viacom and the other between Weinstein Co. lender AI International and Union Bank.

Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach to Tackle Margot Robbie-Produced ‘Barbie’ Movie
Borys Kit and Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter 

Barbie is looking to embolden her fashion sense by going indie. Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, known for critically adored, quirky dramas, are tackling Barbie, Warner Bros.’ big-screen take on the Mattel toy icon. 

Emma Stone Eyes Damien Chazelle’s Next Film ‘Babylon’
Justin Kroll, Variety 

“La La Land” director Damien Chazelle is heading back to Hollywood for his next feature film “Babylon,” and Emma Stone is in early talks to star. Sources say Chazelle has met with a handful of suitors over the past couple weeks, and Paramount and Lionsgate are both vying to land the project.

Television

Fox Sees Primetime, Sports Ad Gains As TV Upfront Wraps
Brian Steinberg, Variety 

Fox Corporation is the latest to benefit from stronger-than-expected trends in TV ad spending, as the company notched strong gains in advertising commitments for its next cycle of programming – its first since selling off a large chunk of its media assets to Walt Disney.

Technology and New Media

Meet the Woman Arming HBO Max for Battle in the Streaming Wars
Joy Press, Vanity Fair 

WarnerMedia guaranteed last week that its new streaming service would get maximum fanfare by announcing that it will reclaim Friends from Netflix at the same time that it trumpeted the platform’s official name: HBO Max. WarnerMedia’s sprawling back catalog will be crucial to the company’s chances as it battles with Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and the avalanche of new streamers headed toward us in the next year for a finite amount of subscriber dollars.

Netflix deletes suicide scene from popular youth show, ’13 Reasons Why’
Rich McKay, Reuters

Netflix Inc. is removing a controversial graphic scene depicting a youth suicide from its popular young adult drama “13 Reasons Why”, following advice from medical experts, the company said on its Twitter account early on Tuesday.

Netflix Subscribers Say ‘Orange Is the New Black,’ ‘Stranger Things’ Are Their Favorite Shows on the Service
Todd Spangler, Variety 

Asked to pick their favorite shows on Netflix, users surveyed put “Orange Is the New Black” at No. 1 and “Stranger Things” at No. 2, topping licensed shows like “The Office” and “Friends,” according to a new study.

Amazon Developing Jack Reacher Drama Series From Nick Santora Based On Lee Child Books
Denise Petski, Deadline Hollywood 

In a competitive situation, Amazon has landed the rights to develop a script-to-series drama based on the Jack Reacher character from Lee Child’s bestselling book series, from Scorpion creator Nick Santora. The project will be a co-production of Amazon Studios, Skydance Television and Paramount Television.

Quibi and NBC News partner to target millennials with daily mobile news bulletins
John Glenday, The Drum 

NBC News is chasing after the millennial market with a partnership with fledgling OTT service Quibi to bring two original daily news shows to viewers by April 2020. The news bulletins, titled Daily Essentials, will stream each morning and evening seven days a week exclusively on the Quibi mobile platform.

The Dodo launches a kids vertical
Sara Fischer, Axios 

The Dodo, a digital publisher focused on animal content, is launching a new kids vertical called Dodo Kid that will live across multiple channels, as well as a commerce line and book publishing.

Dish’s AirTV launches an $80 streaming stick for accessing Sling TV, Netflix & broadcast channels
Sarah Perez, TechCrunch 

Dish is expanding its hardware lineup today with the launch of a new 4K streaming stick, the AirTV Mini, designed to make it easier for cord cutters to access its live TV service Sling TV, plus Netflix and over-the-air channels from one user interface. The Android TV-powered device is meant to complement an existing setup that already includes an OTA digital antenna and an AirTV WiFi-enabled network tuner, the company says.

YouTube’s Trampled Foes Plot Antitrust Revenge
Lucas Shaw and Mark Bergen, Bloomberg 

Brian O’Kelley built AppNexus Inc. to help companies advertise anywhere on the internet. Its software plugged into virtually every digital ad-trading hub, including those from Google, the biggest ad seller, and Google’s YouTube video service.

Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research

Andrea Arnold reportedly losing control over ‘Big Little Lies’ isn’t just about gender
Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times 

Steven Soderbergh did it. So did Jane Campion, Park Chan-wook, Ava DuVernay and Spike Lee.

What If WarnerMedia Got a Redo on the HBO Max Reveal?
Tim Goodman, The Hollywood Reporter 

Let’s launch this part out of a rocket straight away: You can bet good money on WarnerMedia, er, HBO Max, being successful. It has great content (probably going to have to put some trust in that) and an impressive leadership in place. 

The 2019 Emmys drama race is wide open, thanks (in part) to Game of Thrones
Emily Todd VanDerWerff, Vox 

If the 2019 list of Emmy nominees for Outstanding Drama Series seems like it’s missing some familiar faces when it’s announced the morning of Tuesday, July 16 — that’s because it is. The Emmys are known for nominating the same shows over and over and over again, often well past the expiration of whatever good qualities those shows have had. 

Morning Consult