• Netflix Inc. plans to debut more than 70 new films this year, with a new title hitting the platform every week. Scott Stuber, who oversees original films for the streamer, said Netflix remains open to acquiring films from other studios that are shifting theatrical releases to streaming platforms, noting that “there are a few acquisitions percolating.” (Variety)

• Following the lead of companies such as AT&T Inc. and Comcast Corp., the Motion Picture Association and Walt Disney Co. are pausing donations to lawmakers who opposed certifying election results last week. A Disney spokesperson said donations to those members of Congress would be halted for the year, while Patrick Kilcur, the MPA’s executive vice president of U.S. Government Affairs, said the MPA will suspend donations “for the foreseeable future.” (The Wrap)

• “The Office” was the most-watched TV show on streaming platforms last year, with viewers spending more than 57 billion minutes watching the sitcom, while Netflix’s “Ozark” was the most-viewed original series (more than 30 billion minutes), according to data from Nielsen Holdings PLC. Just one non-Netflix TV show — Disney+’s “The Mandalorian” — was among the most-watched TV programs, but seven of the top 10 films were Disney titles. (The Hollywood Reporter)

• Nielsen will introduce a new measurement tool, called theatrical video on-demand, to track the viewing of premium video on-demand titles this year. It’s unclear how often new viewership numbers will be shared, but the TVOD measurements will not include films that come with a streaming service subscription. (Deadline Hollywood)

Media could be rocked by major deals in 2021 — including a merger of WarnerMedia and NBCUniversal and takeover of MGM
Claire Atkinson and Ashley Rodriguez, Business Insider Prime 

Media insiders are speculating about potential industry-shaking deals in 2021, like a merger of AT&T’s WarnerMedia and Comcast’s NBCUniversal or a tech takeover of MGM or Lionsgate.

Leaders of the SPAC: Why Hollywood Is Hot for Blank-Check Companies
Beatrice Verhoeven and Sean Burch, The Wrap Pro 

Hollywood talent and executives like Shaquille O’Neal and former TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer, and tech and gaming companies from DraftKings to Skillz, are rushing into the hot new thing for investment and growth: SPACs, short for Special Purpose Acquisition Company.

Martha Stewart Probably Won’t Be the First Celebrity to Post a Disclaimer With Her Vaccine Selfie
Kenzie Bryant, Vanity Fair 

Here’s some perfectly good news: Martha Stewart got the first of two shots of the coronavirus vaccine this week. She posted a video of the procedure to her personal Instagram account, which plenty of celebrities, politicians, nurses, doctors, and laypeople alike are doing in order to encourage the practice.

Los Angeles Film Permits Drop Nearly 25% in December as COVID-19 Cases Surge
Jeremy Fuster, The Wrap 

Over the past month, Los Angeles has become America’s epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis; and even though film and TV productions in Hollywood have not been forced to shut down, the infection surge has taken its toll.

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Plan to Revive New York’s Arts Scene
Ryan McPhee, Playbill 

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has outlined his intent to reposition the state as a cultural hub in the first half of 2021. The public-private initiative, under the banner New York Arts Revival, will support numerous performances and events, beginning with its official launch February 4.

DGA Sides With Writers Guild In Its Dispute With WME Over Endeavor Content
David Robb, Deadline Hollywood 

The Directors Guild has sided with the Writers Guild in the WGA’s ongoing legal battle with WME over the agency’s ownership interest in its affiliated production entity – Endeavor Content.

Cannes Lions Says It Will Move Forward With an In-Person Festival in 2021
Ian Zelaya and Ronan Shields, Adweek 

January is usually when industry executives would be booking their summer flights to the French Riviera. But as Covid-19 continues to surge this month, most of us get nervous at the idea of even hopping in an Uber or taking a trip to the grocery store.

Joe Biden’s Inaugural Committee Turns to Cast From ‘West Wing,’ ‘Scandal’ For Virtual Fundraiser
Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter 

President-elect Joe Biden’s inaugural committee is turning to Hollywood to help raise funds for the event, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Virtual cast reunions quickly became a fundraising trend amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, and now Biden’s Presidential Inaugural Committee is hopping on the bandwagon as well, planning an event for Friday, Jan. 15.

U.S. Box Office Plummets 80%, Global Revenue Drops 71% in 2020 Amid Pandemic
Rebecca Rubin, Variety 

North American box office revenues in 2020 hit a 40-year low, struggling to reach $2.2 billion in total amid the coronavirus crisis. Movie theaters were forced to stay closed for a significant portion of the year beginning in late March and struggled to recover when some cinemas were able to reopen months later in August.

‘No Time To Die’ Poised To Depart Easter Weekend For Fall Release
Nancy Tartaglione and Anthony D’Alessandro, Deadline Hollywood 

In what should not be a shocker, we are hearing that MGM/Eon’s No Time to Die is bound to move from its Easter weekend release of April 2 to some time in the fall, as the world waits for this pandemic to come under control. 

Universal Television’s ‘Good Girls,’ ‘Never Have I Ever’ Extend Production Hiatus
Joe Otterson, Variety 

Production on two Universal Television shows has been rescheduled again after multiple shows across multiple studios extended their planned hiatus’ due to a COVID-19 surge in Los Angeles.

Jeopardy! Taps NFL Star Aaron Rodgers as Latest Interim Guest Host
Michael Ausiello, TVLine 

Celebrity Jeopardy! alum Aaron Rodgers is lectern-bound: The NFL star confirmed Tuesday that he will serve as one of Jeopardy!‘s rotating guest hosts.

After Nickelodeon Football, CBS May Try Other Sports Experiments
Brian Steinberg, Variety 

Putting professional football on kids-TV outlet Nickelodeon might at first blush seem like something of a Hail Mary. 

Nic Pizzolatto Negotiating Early Exit From FX Deal
Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter 

Nic Pizzolatto era at FX is coming to an early end. Multiple sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that FX and Fox 21/Touchstone Television are negotiating with the True Detective creator on an exit package that would end his first-look deal with the two Disney-owned brands. 

Fox News Marketing Chief Jason Klarman Named President of Fox Nation
A.J. Katz, TVNewser

Fox News evp of marketing Jason Klarman has been named President of Fox Nation, Fox News Media’s streaming service. Klarman will also retain his role as marketing chief for the entire company, overseeing all brand strategy.

AT&T Shutting Down Live TV Streaming Service AT&T TV Now
Mollie Cahillane, Adweek 

AT&T is attempting to clean up its struggling pay-TV business, sunsetting its live TV subscription streaming service AT&T TV Now—in favor of its newer AT&T TV broadband service.

Future of TV Briefing: The ad-supported streaming war officially kicks off in 2021
Tim Peterson, Digiday 

Over the past year or so, Netflix has faced its greatest competition yet among subscription-based streamers in the forms of Disney+ and HBO Max. Now it is Hulu’s turn.

‘Cobra Kai’ Season 3 Draws Big Viewership, but Nowhere Near ‘Bridgerton’ or ‘Queen’s Gambit’
Tony Maglio, The Wrap 

Netflix is projecting 41 million member households will have watched at least a small portion of “Cobra Kai” Season 3 within its first 28 days. The season launched on Jan. 1, so we’re not even halfway there yet.

Univision enters the streaming wars with “PrendeTV”
Sara Fischer, Axios 

Univision, the largest Spanish-language broadcaster in the U.S., will announce today the launch of “PrendeTV,” a free, ad-supported streaming service, sources tell Axios.

Amazon Circling Chris Pratt Sci-Fi Film ‘The Tomorrow War’ in $200 Million Megadeal
Brent Lang and Matt Donnelly, Variety 

Amazon Studios has swept in and is poised to land “The Tomorrow War,” a science-fiction action film with Chris Pratt that Skydance developed and produced.  The price for the film is rumored to be roughly $200 million, but insiders stress the sale has not been finalized and financial terms have yet to be determined.

Travel Channel Originals To Move To Discovery+ As Factual Giant Experiments With Windowing
Peter White, Deadline Hollywood 

A number of long-running Travel Channel originals are set to move to Discovery+ as the factual giant ramps up its experimentation around windowing. Deadline understands that a handful of Travel Channel originals, most notably in the paranormal space, will run first on the nascent streaming service rather than on the linear network.

Parler Faces Complex, Costly Route to Getting Back Online
Robert McMillan and Aaron Tilley, The Wall Street Journal 

Parler, the social network popular among conservatives and other right-leaning users that was plunged into internet limbo this week, faces a technically complex and costly path to getting back online.

YouTube puts a temporary freeze on uploads to Trump’s channel
Natasha Lomas, TechCrunch 

YouTube has been the slowest of the big social media platforms to react to the threat of letting president Trump continue to use its platform as a megaphone to whip up insurrection in the wake of the attack on the US capital last week. But it’s now applied a temporary upload ban.

FuboTV Bets on Sports Gambling as Key to Drawing In More Customers
Lillian Rizzo, The Wall Street Journal 

FuboTV Inc. is buying an online sportsbook, a deal that makes the over-the-internet TV provider the latest sports-rich media company to invest in sports gambling in an effort to attract and retain viewers.

Can Conservative Media Still Return to Business as Usual?
Jason Zengerle, The New York Times 

On a Friday in late December, people who tuned in to “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on Fox Business encountered something they had most likely never seen before: a subdued, uncertain Lou Dobbs. 

2021 in Podcasting: Now What?
Nicholas Quah, Vulture 

Given the complete annihilation that 2020 brought to the very notion of future projections, I couldn’t help tensing up when I sat down to outline this preview column.