ICYMI: How MLB Fans Feel About All-Star Game’s Relocation

Last week, MLB decided to move July’s All-Star Game and draft from Atlanta in response to Georgia’s new controversial voting law. Morning Consult senior sports reporter Alex Silverman took a look at how baseball fans feel about the move and found that self-described avid MLB fans (62 percent) are more likely than adults overall (39 percent) to support the league’s decision, a figure that could provide insight into consumer sentiment as other businesses contemplate their dealings in Georgia. 

Top Stories

  • The U.S. State Department said the Biden administration is consulting with allies about a joint approach on how to handle the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, while a senior official added that there hasn’t yet been discussion about joining a boycott over China’s human rights record. Department spokesman Ned Price did not say when a decision about participation will be made, noting the games don’t begin until Feb. 4. (The Associated Press)
  • The Screen Actors Guild Awards were watched by 957,000 viewers across TBS and TNT, down from 2 million viewers in 2020, according to Nielsen. This year’s telecast was a one-hour, pre-taped special, a contrast from the two-hour live shows of previous years. (Variety)
  • Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s first project for Netflix will be “Heart of Invictus,” a docuseries about the Invictus Games, the sports competition for veterans founded by Harry. Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara will serve as directors and producers, with Harry and the Invictus Games Foundation also serving as executive producers. (The Wrap)

Chart Review

Events Calendar (All Times Local)

04/07/2021
Variety Streaming Room: Curation & Convenience: How to Program for the New Era of Connected TV 9:30 am
The Business of Games feat. Uri Marchand, the CEO and Co-Founder of Overwolf and Mike Vorhaus, CEO of Vorhaus Advisors. 12:00 pm
Exclusive Virtual Screening: “One Night in Miami” 2:00 pm
From Page to Screen: Writing and Directing 5:30 pm
Emmys FYC: Taste the Nation 7:00 pm
04/08/2021
Digiday Gaming Advertising Forum
Using Technology to Bridge Broadcast and OTT Video 12:00 pm
RightsTech Roundtable feat. Oscar Hōglund, co-founder & CEO of Epidemic Sound 12:00 pm
Variety Streaming Room: An Exclusive Screening and Q&A With Maria Bakalova of “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” 8:00 pm
04/09/2021
The Business of Music feat. Brady Sadler, Co-Founder of Double Elvis 12:00 pm
STARZ #TakeTheLead Transparency Talk: Increasing Representation in the Director’s Chair 2:00 pm
Emmys FYC: Call Me Kat 5:00 pm
Emmys FYC: Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker 7:00 pm
04/10/2021
Deadline Contenders Film 10:00 am
04/11/2021
Emmys FYC: Dickinson 2:00 pm
Emmys FYC: The Good Lord Bird 7:00 pm
04/12/2021
The Business of Streaming: Smarter, Better, Faster – How Subscription Intelligence is Reshaping OTT 12:00 pm
A Conversation with Jon Murray & Jamal Henderson: An Examination of the Past, Present & Future of Unscripted Storytelling 4:00 pm
Emmys FYC: Pretend It’s A City 5:00 pm
View full calendar

Fintech: How the Public Views the Future of Finance

Now more than ever, the average consumer is playing a larger role in finance, investing and banking. As the Fintech industry looks towards the future, it will be important to make sure that new technologies meet the mark and exceed the public’s expectations.

A new special report from Morning Consult takes a deep dive into public opinion on financial technology, an issue that’s likely to transform both the banking industry and how Washington regulates the finance industry. Download the report.

General

Disneyland and California Adventure Park tickets go on sale next week
Hugo Martín, Los Angeles Times

With about three weeks to go before Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park reopen, the Anaheim resort announced that ticket sales will begin Monday for those who are holding unused tickets and sales for all other California residents will launch April 15.

Fox Files Suit Over Valuation of FanDuel Investment Option
Christopher Palmeri, Bloomberg 

Fox Corp. said it filed an arbitration claim over the value of its stake in FanDuel, a fast-growing sports-betting business majority owned by Irish bookmaker Flutter Entertainment Plc.

Caitlyn Jenner Eyeing Run for California Governor
Haley Bosselman, Variety 

Olympic champion and former reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner is exploring the idea to run for governor in California.

Forbes World’s Billionaire List
Kerry A. Dolan et al., Forbes

It’s been a year like no other, and we aren’t talking about the pandemic. There were rapid-fire public offerings, surging cryptocurrencies and skyrocketing stock prices.

Advertising Showcase Cannes Lions Goes Online Only In June Due To The Pandemic
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline Hollywood

Advertising and marketing confab Cannes Lions will be fully digital this year, running from 21-25 June.

Disney World to allow guests to take off masks for photos
Alexandra Steigrad, New York Post 

Later this week, visitors to the Magic Kingdom will be able to go maskless — for photos, at least.

Film

Blame Canada: Box Office Recovery Faces New Challenge Despite ‘Godzilla vs Kong’ Success
Jeremy Fuster, The Wrap Pro

After weeks of incremental growth, “Godzilla vs. Kong” provided a big leap in the recovery process for the domestic box office. In Canada, however, theaters are still closed in approximately 75% of the country, making the country the next big challenge in the struggle to return to normalcy.

Oscar Nominees and Guests Can Get Essential Workers’ Waiver to Attend Academy Awards
Marc Malkin, Variety 

Oscar nominees and their guests will qualify as essential workers to attend the upcoming Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced in a letter on Tuesday.

Casting directors call to be included in the Oscars
Daniel Vaillancourt, Los Angeles Times

The Emmys, Spirits, Canada’s Geminis, Australia’s AACTAs and Britain’s BIFAs and BAFTAs each bestow an annual prize upon casting directors in recognition of the central role they play in show business. At the Oscars, no such accolade exists.

Television

‘Reading Rainbow’ legend LeVar Burton wants to host ‘Jeopardy!’
Ben Cost, New York Post 

Take a look, he could get booked. Amid mixed reception for the latest crop of “Jeopardy!” guest hosts, Twitter is campaigning for one beloved celeb to succeed Alex Trebek as full-time MC — former “Reading Rainbow” host LeVar Burton.

Social justice activist Tarana Burke lands CBS Studios production deal
Meg James, Los Angeles Times

Tarana J. Burke, prominent social justice activist and founder of the #MeToo movement, and her producing partner, Mervyn Marcano, have entered into an overall production deal with CBS Studios to develop scripted and unscripted programming and documentaries for TV networks and streaming services.

Disney Continues Pursuit of New ABC News Chief
Brian Steinberg, Variety 

Disney’s search for a new leader for ABC News continues weeks after the company unexpectedly disclosed the former president, James Goldston, would leave the post.

MTV, Annenberg Inclusion Initiative Lead Mental Health Storytelling Coalition
Haley Bosselman, Variety 

In recognition of the role storytelling can play in addressing the nation’s mental health crisis, a coalition of experts and entertainment giants are taking steps to raise awareness and change the narrative around mental health.

Greg Gutfeld’s Late-Night Debut on Fox News More Than Doubles Don Lemon’s Audience on CNN
Lindsey Ellefson, The Wrap 

Greg Gutfeld’s new late-night Fox News show premiered Monday night at the top of its time slot, at least where the cable news networks are concerned. In fact, it doubled CNN’s 11 p.m. ET total viewership.

‘A Sense of Belonging’ for Hispanic Children, With Puppets
Johnny Diaz, The New York Times 

Standing outside a home, Romina Puga paints endangered animals, plants a garden, hosts guest experts and talks about the news. She is joined by two friends: Coco, a puppet shaped like a coconut, and Maya, a plush pink puppet.

Technology and New Media

Hulu Unveils Brand Redesign as the Streaming Competition Heats Up
Kelsey Sutton, Adweek 

Hulu is getting a brand facelift.

Netflix Sued by Dad in College Scam Case for Portrayal in Movie
Patricia Hurtado, Bloomberg 

A private equity and real estate executive accused of paying bribes to get his children into Harvard, Stanford and USC as recruited athletes sued Netflix Inc. over a documentary about the college admissions cheating scheme.

‘Knives Out’ Sequels: The Whodunit Behind Netflix’s $469M Power Play
Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter 

Just over a year ago, it looked like an open-and-shut case. In February 2020, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said during a quarterly earnings call that the company was officially moving ahead on a sequel to “Knives Out,” the surprise box office and critical smash whodunnit starring Daniel Craig and written and directed by Rian Johnson.

Apple TV Plus Launches True-Crime Podcast ‘The Line’ Ahead of Docu-Series Premiere
Todd Spangler, Variety 

Apple TV Plus announced “The Line,” its first combination podcast-TV original — a bid to exploit the tech giant’s podcast footprint to seed signups for its TV subscription service.

Clubhouse Discusses Funding at About $4 Billion Value
Katie Roof, Bloomberg 

Clubhouse, the buzzy audio-based social network, is in talks to raise funding from investors in a round valuing the business at about $4 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.

Intel Backs Video Data Firm Offering an Ad-Targeting Alternative to Cookies
Sahil Patel, The Wall Street Journal 

Intel Capital, the investment arm of Intel Corp., has led a new $18 million Series B investment round in Iris.TV Inc., a data technology company that provides tools to help marketers and others understand the content of individual videos for the purposes of ad targeting and measurement.

Streaming music algorithm more likely to play male artists
Hannah Sparks, New York Post

Is your algorithm feminist enough? Streaming music platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music and iHeartRadio may be giving male artists more airtime, according to a new study that discovered a “widely used” algorithm is more likely to recommend male artists, as opposed to “female and mixed-gender artists.”

YouTube to Begin Sharing New Violative View Rate Metric
David Cohen, Adweek 

YouTube will begin sharing a new metric in its Community Guidelines Enforcement Report, Violative View Rate, in an effort to provide transparency on what percentage of views on the Google-owned video site comes from content that violates its policies.

Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research

Ray Fisher Opens Up About ‘Justice League,’ Joss Whedon and Warners: “I Don’t Believe Some of These People Are Fit for Leadership”
Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter 

Ray Fisher is ready to talk. Ever since June 2020, when he fired off a tweet accusing Joss Whedon of “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable” conduct on the set of “Justice League,” the 33-year-old actor has used social media and a series of interviews to lob serious allegations of racist behavior and a cover-up at Warner Bros.

‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Might’ve Just Resuscitated the Movie Industry
Aric Jenkins, The Ringer 

Have you heard the news? Godzilla and King Kong have utterly decimated Hong Kong, unfortunately, but also they may have just brought the movie business back to life.

Is Apple TV+ the best streaming service out there? Not yet. But it’s gaining.
Emily VanDerWerff, Vox

When Apple TV+ launched in late 2019, I found the whole idea of it deeply annoying. A big tech company entering the streaming game, simply because it could, throwing around money to attract big-name talent but without making shows that were all that great?

Why Lil Nas X Is the Best Marketer in the Game
Philip Pirkovic, Adweek 

This week, Lil Nas X’s new single “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It follows the massive success of “Old Town Road,” becoming a cultural phenomenon.

Morning Consult