Top Stories

  • Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. reported second-quarter profits of $299 million, down 18 percent compared to the same period in 2019 but an increase from $230 million in the first quarter of 2020 as the global entertainment company continues to grapple with the ramifications of the pandemic. The earnings come as Sony Pictures prepares to merge its theatrical, home entertainment and TV distribution marketing operations, which it said will result in layoffs. (Deadline Hollywood)
  • T-Mobile US Inc. unveiled three subscription tiers for its long-planned wireless TV service, set to launch next week, including TVision Vibe, a $10-per-month bundle aimed at the cord-cutting crowd. Other bundles include TVision Live, a midrange package with local broadcast channels, sports channels and news, and TVision Channels, which includes premium cable options such as Showtime. (The Wall Street Journal)
  • Netflix Inc. is testing an audio-only mode with select Android users that allows people to stream a show or film’s audio track without visuals, according to code snippets found in the latest version of its Android app, creating a podcast-like listening environment for the user and cutting down on data use. Netflix previously dipped into the audio-only experience in 2017 when company engineers developed an “audiobook mode” during a Netflix hack day. (Protocol)

Chart Review

Frail, Frumpy and Forgotten. A Report on the Movie Roles of Women of Age
Geena Davis Institute on Gender and Media and TENA

Events Calendar (All Times Local)

10/28/2020
Vulture Festival
Digiday Publishing Summit Worldwide LIVE
ARF’s OTTxSCIENCE 2020: Streaming in the New Media Landscape
Variety Power of Women Conversations
Virtual Paley Dialogue: Redefining Digital Experiences and Brand Storytelling for the New Decade 12:00 pm
10/29/2020
Vulture Festival
Sports Business Journal and Leaders’ Media Innovators Series: North America
Variety Power of Women Conversations
Spotify Technology S.A. to Announce Financial Results for Third Quarter 2020 8:00 am
Comcast to Host Third Quarter 2020 Earnings Conference Call 8:30 am
Q3 2020 IMAX Corporation Earnings Conference Call 8:30 am
Facebook Q3 2020 Earnings 3:00 pm
Tour Stop(ped): An Honest Conversation With Touring Artists 4:00 pm
Alphabet Third Quarter 2020 Financial Results Conference Call 4:30 pm
Activision Blizzard Third Quarter Calendar 2020 Results Conference Call 4:30 pm
Apple FY 20 Fourth Quarter Results 5:00 pm
Amazon.com Third Quarter 2020 Financial Results Conference Call 5:30 pm
10/30/2020
Vulture Festival
Recording Academy: Meeting Of The Minds
3Q20 Charter Investor Conference Call 8:30 am
View full calendar

Webinar – Great Expectations: The Evolving Role of Companies in a Post-Election World

The 2020 presidential election — considered by some “the most important in history” — has significant potential to reshape how corporate America and brands interact with politics.

Join Morning Consult this Friday, October 30 at 1 p.m. ET for a comprehensive deep dive on Americans’ changing expectations around brands’ engagement with politics, the issues consumers care about most as they relate to CSR and political activism, and the role brands should play as the political environment evolves. Register here.

General

Sexual Harassment Remains Persistent in Hollywood for Men and Women After #MeToo, Survey Finds
Elizabeth Wagmeister, Variety

Three years after the #MeToo movement garnered mainstream attention in Hollywood, sexual harassment in the workplace remains a persistent problem in the entertainment biz, according to new research from an industry-wide study.

The Lincoln Project is becoming a media business
Sara Fischer, Axios 

The Lincoln Project is looking to beef up its media business after the election, sources tell Axios.

What is a COVID-19 compliance supervisor? What to know about Hollywood’s newest job
Anousha Sakoui, Los Angeles Times 

The pandemic has spawned a new job on Hollywood sets — the COVID-19 compliance supervisor. The role was created under an agreement last month between entertainment unions and an alliance of producers as part of the terms for Hollywood’s return to production. 

California Governor Gavin Newsom Won’t Budge On Theme Park Reopening Rules, Refuses To Say The Word “Disneyland” When Asked About Anaheim Park
Tom Tapp, Deadline Hollywood 

For the first time in at least a week, California Governor Gavin Newsom addressed his ongoing disagreement with theme park operators over state orders that are keeping them closed.

Older Actors Fear Pandemic Has Made Hollywood’s Ageism Worse
Jeremy Fuster, The Wrap Pro 

While the pandemic has hit all of Hollywood hard, older actors in Hollywood are facing a perfect storm of problems as the new financial and health stresses of COVID-19 blend with the ageism that has plagued the industry for decades.

Inside the Broadway Community Project: How Marketers Are Working to Develop New Generations of Theatregoers
Ryan McPhee, Playbill

The arts and culture industries remain largely at a standstill in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, affecting millions of workers in an already delicate ecosystem. The Broadway Community Project, from industry veterans Greg Schaffert, Tiffani Gavin, Situation Interactive, and Playbill, was developed to shed light on the myriad fields and roles that go into making the curtain rise.

The unlikely partnership between pop stars and Crocs
Marc Bain, Quartz

Two years ago, singer and rapper Post Malone teamed with Crocs for a special version of its signature foam-resin clogs. It was an unusual deal for a pop star, but Post Malone, with his offbeat style and face covered in tattoos, is a bit unusual himself. 

Comic Relief To Stop Sending Celebrities To Africa After “White Savior” Criticism
Tom Grater, Deadline Hollywood

Major UK charity Comic Relief, founded in 1985 by Lenny Henry and Richard Curtis in response to famine in Ethiopia, says it will stop sending celebrities to Africa for fundraising appeals due to recent criticism.

Film

Cannes Film Festival Sets Three COVID-19 Contingency Plans for 2021
Ben Croll, Variety 

Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Fremaux has detailed a three-prong contingency plan should next year’s festival, due to run May 11–22, be forced to delay due to ongoing uncertainty around COVID-19.

AMC to reopen eight theaters in California
Tiyashi Datta, Reuters

AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc said on Tuesday it plans to reopen eight theaters in California, one of its key markets, providing some much needed hope to an industry that has been hammered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aretha Franklin Biopic ‘Respect’ Delays Release to Late Summer 2021
Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter

MGM and Bron’s Aretha Franklin biopic Respect — starring Jennifer Hudson as the iconic performing artist — is delaying its release yet again amid the ongoing pandemic.

Television

CBS Trims Episode Orders As Broadcast Series On All Nets Face Abbreviated Runs In COVID Impacted 2020-21 Season
Nellie Andreeva, Deadline Hollywood 

The coronavirus pandemic cut short the 2019-20 seasons of most broadcast series as production shut down in mid-March. Now the continuing effects from the pandemic are altering the course of the 2020-21 season, with late launches and shorter runs for scripted series.

Sheila Ducksworth to Head Up CBS-NAACP Production Partnership
Tim Baysinger, The Wrap Pro 

CBS Studios has tapped Sheila Ducksworth to head up its production partnership with the NAACP. Ducksworth, who will serve as president of the partnership, will oversee development and production of all series.

NBCLX to Debut Virtual Set on Election Night
Jon Lafayette, Broadcasting & Cable

NBCLX, the NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations streaming news service aimed at Gen Z, will be offering election night coverage on its over-the-top, linear, digital, mobile and cable platforms.

During ‘The Bachelorette,’ a Michigan TV affiliate accidentally airs (mock-up) election results.
Kathleen Gray, The New York Times

There was a lot of drama between Clare Crawley and her beaus on Tuesday night, so fans of “The Bachelorette” already had reason for confusion.

Technology and New Media

Behind MGM’s Apple Overture: How Much Is a Bond Movie Worth?
Borys Kit and Tatiana Siegel, The Hollywood Reporter 

In recent days, Hollywood producers and executives have been taking part in a guessing game: How much is a complete, unreleased, James Bond movie worth? The short answer: Even the worldwide rights are not enough.

Spotify criticised after Joe Rogan interviews conspiracy theorist Alex Jones
Roisin O’Connor, Independent

Jones was banned from Spotify, as well as Facebook, Apple and YouTube, in 2018.

Netflix Sets Live-Action Assassin’s Creed Series Franchise
Kelsey Sutton, Adweek 

Assassin’s Creed is coming to Netflix, beginning with a live-action adaptation of the popular video game franchise. The show marks the first project in a wide-ranging development deal between the streaming giant and the video game company Ubisoft to develop live-action shows based on Assassin’s Creed.

Jon Stewart Returns With Current Affairs Series for Apple
Lacey Rose, The Hollywood Reporter 

Jon Stewart is headed back to our TV sets. As part of an expansive, multiyear deal with Apple, the Emmy-drenched former writer, producer and host of The Daily Show is set to front an all-new current affairs series for the streaming service.

Netflix Global TV Head Bela Bajaria Sets Leadership Team
Daniel Holloway, Variety

A little more than a month after being named head of global TV at Netflix, Bela Bajaria has set her leadership team.

‘CTV took from everybody’: How connected TV won this year’s upfront
Tim Peterson, Digiday

Traditional TV may still receive the bulk of advertisers’ upfront budgets, but connected TV continues to steal away share, especially in this year’s upfront market. “CTV took from everybody. It took from linear folks.

Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research

Will Animators Inherit the Post-Pandemic Earth?
Don Hertzfeldt, Vulture 

Animators are good at isolation. When I lived alone for years, deeply focused on a project, it wasn’t unusual to go several weeks without speaking to another person. 

6 Ways Reese Witherspoon Is Changing the Film and TV Industry
Jason Lynch, Adweek 

In this week’s cover story, Reese Witherspoon—Adweek’s Media Visionary—talks about how she turned Hollywood on its head by becoming a producer to make the female-centric stories the industry had long ignored. “If you want systems to change, you have to rethink how you want the system to work,” she told Adweek.

The hidden cost of the Peanuts holiday specials moving from ABC to AppleTV+
Emily VanDerWerff, Vox 

Each October for more than half a century, the beloved Peanuts Halloween special It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown has risen out of the pumpkin patch of TV programming and aired for free on a broadcast network, making it accessible to almost everyone. But that probably won’t happen in 2020 — for the first time since the special debuted in 1966.

Morning Consult