General
Outgoing President Trump Pardons Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez, Lil Wayne and Kodak Black
Jem Aswad and Gene Maddaus, Variety
In the fraught final hours of Donald Trump’s presidency, he issued a raft of pardons, including ones for Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez and rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black.
Disney Cuts Iger’s Pay 56% to $21 Million, Axes Bonuses
Christopher Palmeri and Anders Melin, Bloomberg
Walt Disney Co. Executive Chairman Bob Iger saw his pay decline 56% to $21 million last year, after the company curtailed bonuses and other compensation in the wake of the pandemic.
Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Drivers License’ Hit No. 1 in a Week. Here’s How.
Joe Coscarelli, The New York Times
The music industry’s first runaway hit single of the year is at once a time-tested model — a Disney actress pivoting to pop with a catchy and confessional breakup ballad — and also an unprecedented TikTok-era smash by a teenager.
Vogue publishing new Kamala Harris cover after backlash
Sara Nathan, Page Six
Vogue magazine is doing a U-turn and publishing a new cover with Kamala Harris following the furor over the vice president-elect’s cover.
Forbes launches massive expansion of paid newsletters
Sara Fischer, Axios
Forbes is launching a newsletter platform that will allow journalists to launch their own paid newsletters and split the revenue with the 103-year-old publisher, executives tell Axios.
Film
Cannes Film Festival Weighing Up June-July Dates As Chances Of May Event Recede
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline Hollywood
The Cannes Film Festival is continuing to weigh up a postponement of its traditional May kickoff until a date between late June and late July, organizers have told us.
Slavery stories take a back seat as diversity breaks into awards season in new ways
Randee Dawn, Los Angeles Times
Awards season films usually arrive with a certain feel to them. Big stories, strong acting, deeply felt and poignant moments. But when it comes to telling diverse stories with nonwhite casts or stars in awards season, storytelling often feels a bit more limited and familiar.
Will Biden Roll Out COVID Vaccines Fast Enough for Movie Theaters – and Spring Blockbusters?
Jeremy Fuster, The Wrap Pro
Will Joe Biden’s rapid rollout of COVID-19 vaccines be rapid enough to save Hollywood blockbusters aiming to release in theaters this spring — and to save the ailing exhibition industry that needs those big-budget films to bring back moviegoers?
SAG Awards could make history again this year with the film ensemble prize
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times
Last year’s SAG Awards both made history and foreshadowed history when “Parasite” became the first non-English-language film to win its film ensemble prize.
Television
Fox News Fires a Key Player in Its Election Night Coverage
Rachel Abrams and Michael M. Grynbaum, The New York Times
Two senior leaders of Fox News’s reporting division are exiting the network as the cable channel replaces some news programming with right-wing opinion shows and tries to lure back viewers who balked at its coverage of the 2020 election and its aftermath.
‘This Is Us’ Jan. 19 Episode Stalled By ‘Covid-Related Production Delays’
Elaine Low, Variety
As a result of an extended holiday production hiatus at 20th Television, there will not be a new episode of “This Is Us” on NBC airing on Tuesday evening.
Technology and New Media
Regardez! Netflix’s Lupin Poised to Reach a Bigger Crowd Than Bridgerton
Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine
Not two weeks after its Netflix première (that is French for “premiere”), the mystery crime drama Lupin is on track to reach more households than recent buzzy fare such as Bridgerton and The Queen’s Gambit.
Future of TV Briefing: Free, ad-supported streaming TV bubble nears an inflection point
Tim Peterson, Digiday
The free, ad-supported streaming TV market has quickly expanded to the point of becoming overgrown. Now it’s in need of some pruning.
Why did The CW skyrocket to the top of the App Store?
Julia Alexander, The Verge
Some people may have been surprised to see The CW’s app sitting atop the list of free apps available on iOS devices, passing YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and more.
Live Nation Buys Majority Stake in Madden Brothers’ Streaming Company Veeps
Dave Brooks, Billboard
The nascent live-streaming industry received a major validation today with the announcement that concert promoter Live Nation is buying a controlling stake in Veeps, the streaming company founded by Joel and Benji Madden. The agreement marks the first major acquisition in the COVID-19 live-streaming era and solidifies Veep’s key role building one of the first ticketed live stream platforms.
Tubi Says Streaming Rose 58% In 2020, With Half Of Viewers Younger Than 35
Dade Hayes, Deadline Hollywood
Fox-owned streaming service Tubi said total viewing hit 2.5 billion hours in 2020, up 58% from 2019.
‘Tenet,’ Now at $5.99, Strong Against PVOD Debut of Tom Hanks in ‘News of the World’
Tom Brueggemann, IndieWire
Following a long theatrical run and a month at $19.99, “Tenet” is now thriving at $5.99 and holds the top spot at all three lists that rank by purchases. At FandangoNow, which ranks by revenue, it is #6, the highest among standard-price entries.
Apple TV Plus Names JP Richards as Head of Film Marketing Strategy
Matt Donnelly, Variety
Former Warner Bros. Pictures executive JP Richards has taken the top film marketing job at Apple TV Plus.
‘Saved by the Bell’ Reboot Renewed by Peacock for Season 2
Tony Maglio, The Wrap
It’s all right, guys: Peacock has renewed its “Saved by the Bell” reboot for a 10-episode Season 2.
Wattpad, the storytelling platform, is selling to South Korea’s Naver for $600 million
Connie Loizos, TechCrunch
Wattpad, the 14-year-old, Toronto-based, venture-backed storytelling platform with reach into a number of verticals, is being acquired by Naver, the South Korean conglomerate, in a $600 million cash-and-stock deal.
Cinedigm Acquires Fandor, Plans to Reboot Indie-Film Streaming Service
Todd Spangler, Variety
Cinedigm continues its rollup of niche streaming brands: The company has acquired the assets of Fandor, a subscription-streaming service with a catalog of 4,600 films that has been in hibernation mode for the last two years.
Epic pledges $20 million for Fortnite esports in 2021
Andrew Webster, The Verge
Fortnite developer Epic says that, for 2021, the game’s competitive scene will have a prize pool of $20 million. That’s a step up from last year’s total of $17 million — though it’s not as massive as the 2019 World Cup, where $30 million was on the line.
How Donald Trump Lost the War on TikTok
Scott Nover, Adweek
“Please follow us on Instagram before TikTok is gone,” begged Self Defense Online, a mixed martial arts TikTok user, on Aug. 1.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
Netflix Gets to Say ‘I Told You So,’ for Now
Tara Lachapelle, Bloomberg
Netflix Inc. would like to thank you for attending its cash bonfires over the years but says it’s time to go home now — and watch more Netflix.
What I Learned in the Late-Night Joke Mines
Megh Wright, Vulture
“Can anyone tell me that Stephen Colbert, or Trevor Noah, or anyone doing an impression of Trump is really as funny as Trump? I don’t think so,” a writer, who worked on a popular late-night show all four years of Donald Trump’s presidency, tells me over the phone.
Inside Nancy Dubuc’s Quest to Rehabilitate Vice
Jessica Toonkel, The Information
When television veteran Nancy Dubuc took over as CEO of Vice Media in the spring of 2018, cash was so tight that company executives were debating whether they should cancel the Friday morning ritual of free donuts and bagels for staff.
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