General
Movie Theaters and Concerts Could See Major Attendance Drop Post-Pandemic
Adam B. Vary, Variety
After a month of increasing anxiety and self-isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic, audiences in the U.S. are largely not eager to return to public events once the crisis subsides, according to a new study.
‘It is brutal’: Hollywood’s rank-and-file on the pandemic
Mike Cidoni Lennox, The Associated Press
The red carpets are rolled up in storage, the A-listers holed up in mansions, multiplex doors are closed. For now, at least, the coronavirus has shut down much of Hollywood.
CBS Studios Says It Is Not Retroactively Cutting Assistant Pay
Elaine Low, Variety
In the wake of an email sent to CBS Studios term-deal assistants informing them that their wages for the week ending March 28 would be capped at 52 hours, CBS tells Variety that the memo was sent out in error, and that there is no plan to retroactively reduce pay for those support staffers.
Peacock, Nickelodeon Nab NFL Playoff Games as League Expands Postseason
Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter
Patrick Mahomes, meet SpongeBob SquarePants. The NFL has approved expanding its playoffs from 12 to 14 teams, with two extra games taking place during the wild-card round.
Film
AMC CEO hopes theaters will reopen by mid-June, optimistic moviegoers will return in droves
Sarah Whitten, CNBC
The CEO of the largest theater chain in America is hoping to have locations open by mid-June. Adam Aron, CEO of AMC Entertainment, admits that it is unclear exactly when the movie theater industry will be back on its feet in the wake of the coronavirus, but he’s certain moviegoers will be eager to return to cinemas.
Will the Coronavirus Pandemic Wipe Out All of Summer Blockbuster Season?
Brent Lang and Rebecca Rubin, Variety
Say goodbye to blockbuster season — at least for this year. After would-be summer hits from Disney, Warner Bros., and Universal already vacated their release dates, Sony Pictures announced Monday that its comic book adventure “Morbius,” “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and virtually all of its upcoming tentpoles were being moved into the fall or beyond.
A Coronavirus Thriller Was Finished Just Before the Shutdown
Josh Kron, The New York Times
In between the time the coronavirus started to make headlines but before life shut down to restrain the pandemic, an independent filmmaker conceived, shot and finished postproduction on a movie about the contagion. Thanks to the availability of relatively cheap digital equipment, there is rarely much lag time these days between real-life events — like Hurricane Sandy in 2012 or the Japanese tsunami in 2011 — and films about them.
Coronavirus Causes 85% Crash in Asia Box Office
Patrick Frater, Variety
Theatrical box office in the Asia-Pacific region tumbled a massive 85% in the first two months of the year. The coronavirus caused cinema closures, audience hesitation, and a halving of the number of film releases.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe faces a big test as the shifting movie release calendar disrupts its meticulous story planning
Travis Clark, Business Insider
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the biggest movie franchise of all time and it’s about to face its biggest challenge yet. Most movie theaters across the US are closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Movie advertising is now just making Zoom backgrounds
Jacob Kastrenakes, The Verge
Movie posters and billboards are useless right now, so marketing teams all seem to have landed on the same solution: Zoom backgrounds. Yesterday, Pixar tweeted out backgrounds for Toy Story, Cars, and Up.
Television
CNN, MSNBC Hosts Speak Out Against Airing Donald Trump’s Press Briefings Live
Ted Johnson, Deadline Hollywood
MSNBC’s Chris Hayes and CNN’s Don Lemon each spoke out against their networks decision to run Donald Trump’s coronavirus press briefings live, as critics contend that they have provided a platform for the president to trumpet dubious claims about his response and even to spread misinformation as a time of crisis.
CNN anchor Chris Cuomo diagnosed with coronavirus; he will continue working from home
Brian Stelter, CNN
CNN anchor Chris Cuomo said Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with Covid-19. He is feeling well, and will continue to anchor his 9 p.m. program “Cuomo Prime Time” from his home.
Will the Coronavirus Outbreak Slow Down Cord-Cutting?
Sean Burch, The Wrap Pro
The coronavirus pandemic, while sabotaging the U.S. economy overall, has led to a few select companies benefiting from millions of people suddenly being compelled to spend more time at home. Zoom, for instance, has seen its stock price surge 25% in the last month, as more people gravitate towards its video-conference technology for both work and staying connected to family and friends.
When TV Anchors Work From Home, a Lot Can Go Wrong
Joe Flint, The Wall Street Journal
Like many, Whoopi Goldberg, host of ABC’s “The View,” is also working from home. Recently, Ms. Goldberg went on air wearing a well-worn purple wrap over her dreadlocks.
Technology and New Media
How free streaming-TV services are trying to capitalize on big spikes in viewership, from fast-tracking channel launches to bolstering news programming
Ashley Rodriguez, Business Insider Prime
Free streaming-TV services like Pluto TV and Xumo are fast-tracking channel launches and doubling down on increasingly popular categories like news, education, and “lean-back” programming, in the hopes that the industry-wide surge in streaming will be a boon for them.
Streaming comes to fill a sports-sized hole in the world
Julia Alexander, The Verge
The cost of sports coming to a standstill around the world because of the novel coronavirus is somewhere in the billions of dollars. The leagues have lost revenue, and the cable networks have lost hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising revenue from not having games to carry.
Coronavirus crisis viewing: ‘The Office’ among top picks for streamers
Meg James, Los Angeles Times
“The Office,” the hugely popular sitcom that debuted on NBC in 2005, has mushroomed into an even bigger streaming hit now that millions of Americans are stuck at home. Measurement firm Nielsen on Tuesday released a new analysis on consumers’ streaming behavior since millions of people have been told to shelter at home to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
A Roku exec reveals the 2 biggest questions he’s getting from advertisers and the steps the company is taking to address them
Ashley Rodriguez, Business Insider Prime
People are spending more time streaming video as they stay home to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. While evenings — known as primetime in the US — are still the most watched time of day, Roku said it’s also seen huge spikes in streaming in the middle of the day, from noon to 6 p.m.
Cheaper remote productions help media companies save money during the pandemic
Tim Peterson, Digiday
Producing shows remotely may be an adjustment for TV and video producers, but it could be a saving grace for their companies’ businesses. For all the pressure on producers to coordinate shoots across Slack channels and Zoom calls, filming from people’s homes relieves them of some budgetary concerns at a time when media companies are scrambling to rein in costs.
Disney to Debut India Streaming Without Fanfare in Lockdown
P.R. Sanjai and Ragini Saxena, Bloomberg
Walt Disney Co. will start its streaming service in India later this week, after a coronavirus lockdown upended its previous plans in one of the world’s biggest emerging markets for online video.
Need a laugh? SiriusXM launches channel for female comics
David Bauder, The Associated Press
The midst of a global pandemic might seem like an odd time to launch a radio channel devoted to female comedians, but executives at SiriusXM believe that it’s precisely the right time. Listenership at the satellite radio company’s eight current comedy channels has been up, and the company feels that it is filling a need with people stuck at home.
Spotify is bringing its kids app to the US, Canada, and France
Ashley Carman, The Verge
Spotify’s expanding the rollout of its kids app, just as more kids are at home with nothing to do. The company announced that it’s bringing Spotify Kids to the US, Canada, and France today.
Spotify Details Changes in Podcasts, Playlists During the Coronavirus Pandemic
David Cohen, Adweek
In a fitting nod to the era of social distancing, streams of “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” by The Police shot up more than 135% on Spotify in recent weeks.
SiriusXM’s Premier Streaming service is free until May 15th
Kris Holt, Engadget
All of SiriusXM’s premium channels will be free to listen to for the next six weeks. The service’s biggest name, Howard Stern, revealed on his show the service is making the Premier Streaming plan available at no cost until May 15th.
DAZN To Withhold Rights Fees For Canceled Content
John Ourand, Sports Business Daily
DAZN has started telling sports leagues that it will not pay rights fees for any games that have been suspended or content that has not been delivered because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to sources.
Hooq May Have Fallen But a Business Case for Southeast Asian Streamers Endures
Patrick Frater, Variety
With coronavirus lockdowns across the region causing a spike in stay-at-home viewing, Friday’s news that Southeast Asian video streamer Hooq is to close within a matter of days came as a shock to its friends and competitors alike.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
Tiger King Is Cruel and Appalling—Why Are We All Watching It?
Kate Knibbs, Wired
Over the past week, as countless stressed-out people have found themselves cocooned on their couches with a Netflix subscription and no place to go, one miniseries has grabbed viewers more than others: Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness. Twitter these days is largely dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, but in the moments when people’s attention shifts to pop culture, it shifts to this seven-part documentary and its cast of compelling characters.
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