General
Talent Agencies’ Fight With Writers May Impact IPO Plans
Paul Bond, The Hollywood Reporter
When the Writers Guild of America sued the four major agencies April 17 over packaging fees, it was a major escalation in a war that has upended talent-representative relationships. But even if WME, CAA, UTA and ICM beat the lawsuit, they may already be losing in one respect: The guild’s move to end an “illegal kickback” could effectively put on ice — or at the very least, slow down — any ambitions for public offerings.
WGA’s Dispute With Hollywood Talent Agencies Has Attracted Justice Department’s Attention
Trey Williams, The Wrap
The U.S. Department of Justice is aware of the antitrust and racketeering accusations the Writers Guild of America has lodged against Hollywood’s top talent agencies, according to an individual familiar with the matter.
PwC: Media Merger Activity Quiets Down in First Quarter
Jon Lafayette, Broadcasting & Cable
After a busy year in 2018, merger and acquisition activity in the media and telecommunications sector was quiet in the first quarter, according to a report by PwC. Deals worth $6.7 billion were announced during the quarter, down 82% in the first quarter.
Radhika Jones hitting the town in bid to boost Vanity Fair
Sara Nathan, Page Six
Bookish Vanity Fair Editor-in-Chief Radhika Jones is making an effort to get out on the town more, Page Six is told — amid chatter about her future at the magazine.
Daytime Emmys: New Procedures Aim to Avoid Repeat of Last Year’s Winner Scandal
Michael Schneider, Variety
A year after an awards debacle rocked the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) and nearly took down the Daytime Emmys, the organization has instituted new rules that officials hope have made this year’s proceedings fairer. One major one was to stop the practice of posting acting reel submissions from some key categories online.
Joe Biden Sets Beverly Hills Fundraiser as Battle for Hollywood Money Heats Up
Peter Kiefer, The Hollywood Reporter
How much will Joe Biden move the needle with Hollywood’s donor class? We’re about to find out.
How Disney is preparing for the epic crush of visitors to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Nicole LaPorte, Fast Company
Next month’s opening of Disneyland’s much-anticipated new attraction, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, has been an elaborate exercise in managing expectations.
America’s Grandest Movie Palaces Find Strange New Lives
Michael Hardy, Wired
Between the 1920s and the 1950s, Hollywood studios built thousands of ornate movie palaces in cities across the United States. Warner Bros., Paramount, RKO, MGM, and others competed to build the biggest and gaudiest cinematic cathedrals to showcase their big-budget blockbusters. In this vertically integrated era of filmmaking, when the major studios tightly controlled the production, distribution, and exhibition of movies, these palaces served as the showrooms in which they displayed their wares.
Film
‘Avengers: Endgame’ Sets Opening-Day Record in China
Nick Turner, Bloomberg
Walt Disney Co.’s “Avengers: Endgame,” which is poised to break box-office records in the U.S. when it debuts Friday, is already doing so in China.
‘Avengers: Endgame’ Full Movie Hits Piracy Networks
Todd Spangler, Variety
Disney/Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame,” poised to be the hugest movie opening in history, has hit piracy networks — two days before its U.S. premiere — with a copy evidently recorded in a Chinese movie theater now circulating online, according to a published report.
Why Hollywood Desperately Needs “Avengers: Endgame”
Adam B. Vary, BuzzFeed News
When Avengers: Endgame debuts in theaters Thursday night, it promises to resolve the devastation caused at the end of last year’s Avengers: Infinity War, when half the population of the universe was vaporized in a single snap.
Tribeca Film Festival: 9 Movies to Watch
Brent Lang, Variety
The Tribeca Film Festival kicks off on Wednesday with a slate of movies from up-and-coming filmmakers and established directors that tackle hot-button issues such as gun violence, homophobia, and gender discrimination.
Interscope Films Relaunches With Full Slate at Tribeca
Chris Willman and Shirley Halperin, Variety
The Interscope record label’s interest in film/music crossover isn’t exactly a secret: With hit companion albums for “A Star Is Born,” “Black Panther” and “La La Land,” they’ve seemed to own the soundtrack space at times in recent years. And the company hasn’t completely made a secret of its desire to move into film production.
Television
TV Programmers Unveil Plan for OpenAP Ad Marketplace
Alexandra Bruell, The Wall Street Journal
The antiquated TV ad business is inching closer to automation with the latest development from an industry coalition.
Viacom acquisition talks back on at CBS, sources say
Claire Atkinson, NBC News
One of the media industry’s longest-running merger discussions is entering a new — and potentially final — round.
CBS Chiefs: Former Exec’s Claim Network ‘Has a White Problem’ Is ‘Disheartening,’ ‘Painful’
Will Thorne, Variety
Susan Zirinsky, president of CBS News, and Kelly Kahl, president of CBS Entertainment, sent emails to staff Tuesday expressing concern over claims made in an essay published in Variety in which CBS veteran Whitney Davis detailed racist discrimination and sexual harassment she witnessed and was subjected to at the network.
All American,’ ‘The 100,’ ‘Roswell,’ ‘In the Dark’ Renewed as CW Avoids Any Cancellations
Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter
The CW is officially bringing back nearly its entire lineup for the 2019-20 broadcast season.
Jussie Smollett Should Be “Brought Back” For ‘Empire’s Next Season, Taraji P Henson & Terrence Howard Tell Disney, Fox
Dominic Patten, Deadline Hollywood
Empire co-creator Lee Daniels told a New York City morning show Wednesday that the fate of Jussie Smollett on the Fox hit is “in discussions” right now, but Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard and the rest of the series’ top cast have already made their decision.
Discovery Veteran Jane Latman Named President of HGTV
Cynthia Littleton, Variety
Longtime Discovery Inc. programming executive Jane Latman has been promoted to president of HGTV, one of the company’s most prominent and successful cable channels.
Technology and New Media
Netflix Fights to Keep Its Most Watched Shows: ‘Friends’ and ‘The Office’
Joe Flint and Amol Sharma, The Wall Street Journal
Netflix Inc. may soon have to contemplate life without its No. 1 show. It’s “The Office.”
9 Million US Netflix Subscribers Might Drop Service for Disney+, Survey Finds
Sean Burch, The Wrap
Nearly nine million U.S. Netflix subscribers could ditch the service in favor of Disney’s upcoming streaming service, according to a survey from Streaming Observer released on Wednesday.
AT&T Chief Randall Stephenson “Impressed” By Disney Streaming, Says NFL Sunday Ticket Will Stay On DirecTV
Dade Hayes, Deadline Hollywood
AT&T Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson said he was “impressed by what Disney did” at its investor day earlier this month, a three-plus-hour reveal of extensive details about the company’s direct-to-consumer streaming plans.
‘Stranger Things’ Trial Split Into Two Phases
Ashley Cullins, The Hollywood Reporter
The trial set to address whether Matt and Ross Duffer took the idea for Stranger Things from a man they met at a 2014 Tribeca Film Festival party will be split into two phases, which means court watchers may not get insight into the profits of the mega-popular Netflix series.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
AT&T Redefines Messy as It Slogs Through Its Media Merger
Tara Lachapelle, Bloomberg
AT&T Inc. looks exactly like a business that’s been disrupted by a giant debt-laden merger. Go figure.
Amy Poehler’s Coming-of-Rage Story: Comedy’s Subversive Star Is Defining Her Own Feminism
Marisa Guthrie, The Hollywood Reporter
“I’ve been trying to unpack my own deep institutionalized misogyny,” says Amy Poehler.
Are Midseason Debuts Cancelled More Often Than Fall Launches? Or Does It Only Seem That Way?
Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine
At this time of year, when I go to report on broadcast-TV ratings, I will often look at the numbers for a midsession launch and wonder: “Why did they even bother airing this? Might simply running an inexpensive test pattern do nearly as well?”
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