General
Hollywood writers fired their agents. Now agencies are sidelining writers in new deals
Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times
The pitch seemed promising: a true crime podcast about a vengeful zookeeper from Oklahoma, starring and executive produced by “Saturday Night Live” comedian Kate McKinnon. United Talent Agency assembled a “package” that included McKinnon and the rights to develop Wondery’s podcast into a TV show, and sold the series last month to a studio run by NBCUniversal.
Brazil Antitrust Agency to Re-examine Disney-Fox Deal
Agustin Mango, The Hollywood Reporter
Brazil’s antitrust agency Cade (Administrative Council for Economic Defense) ruled Wednesday that it will revise Disney’s acquisition of Fox, which had been approved in February on the condition that the new company would sell the Fox Sports channel in the country.
Like Y Combinator, but for Hollywood Scripts
Lydia Horne, Wired
Apple, Disney, Amazon: The profusion of streaming platforms means an ever-increasing demand for content. How to find the great scripts that will be competitive in an increasingly fragmented market?
Streaming TV’s Ratings “Black Box” Could Lead to Hollywood Guild War
Jonathan Handel, The Hollywood Reporter
As Disney CEO Bob Iger kicked off the streaming wars in earnest with the launch of Disney+ on Nov. 12, the TV industry’s pivot from linear broadcasting to direct-to-consumer platforms is igniting a battle over residuals that could see once-in-lifetime dual union strikes in mid-2020. Not since 1960 have Hollywood’s writers and actors walked out in unison — but not since the postwar collapse of the studio system and rise of television has the filmed entertainment industry been seized by such epochal change.
Warner Bros.’ new brand is a glimpse at the future of entertainment
Lilly Smith, Fast Company
You might be a fan of Harry Potter, the Dark Knight trilogy, Crazy Rich Asians, or Friends (one of my friends had a DVD box set of all 10 seasons), but you might not realize those titles and a lot more were all created by the same entity: Warner Bros. studios. As a heritage brand, Warner Bros. had the benefit of brand recognition; the shield emblem that encases the Warner Bros. initials is easily identifiable on its own.
Film
With a lineup led by ‘Queen & Slim’ and ‘Richard Jewell,’ AFI Fest resumes charging for tickets
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times
With last year’s collapse of the L.A. Film Festival, the annual AFI Fest has officially taken over as Los Angeles’ dominant local festival. But at a time when the international film festival circuit has been in a state of flux — including leadership changes at Sundance, Toronto and New York — AFI Fest has undergone a few changes of its own.
Oscars: Why the Animation Race Is the Most Competitive in Years
Carolyn Giardina, The Hollywood Reporter
When Disney’s photoreal CG retelling of The Lion King opened in July and went on to earn $1.65 billion worldwide, many in the animation community wondered if the studio would put the film forward for the animated feature Oscar. But when the Academy released the list of a record 32 submissions for the category Oct. 16, it was made clear that Jon Favreau’s film would not be in the running.
In Oscar Race for Best Screenplay, Large Majority of Writers Also Directing Their Films
Randee Dawn, Variety
If you’re a screenwriter these days, it really helps to also be a director —if you plan on taking home one of the Academy Awards for either original or adapted screenplay, that is.
Television
Showtime Networks Inks Output Film Deal With A24
Nellie Andreeva, Deadline Hollywood
Showtime Networks has entered into an exclusive output agreement with A24 for movies released theatrically through November 1, 2022. A24 has a multiyear deal with Apple to produce a slate of films for the tech giant.
Sheila Nevins Tunes Into the MTV Generation
Lisa Lockwood, Women’s Wear Daily
Sheila Nevins, the award-winning executive producer, is taking a different approach in her new role as head of MTV Documentary Films to speak to a younger generation. Her first three films for MTV are “St. Louis Superman,” “Gay Chorus Deep South” and “17 Blocks.”
Justices could return cable TV race bias suit to lower court
The Associated Press
The Supreme Court seems likely to overturn a lower court ruling in favor of an African-American media mogul and comedian who’s suing cable giant Comcast for racial discrimination.
Success of ‘Little Mermaid Live’ Hooks Networks on the Idea of Big Event Programming
Michael Schneider, Variety
The networks still want to be a part of your world, and the success last week of ABC’s “The Little Mermaid Live” was a reminder that they can — especially with the kind of appointment programming that the streamers still don’t do.
Can NBC Halt Jimmy Fallon’s Long Ratings Tumble?
Marisa Guthrie, The Hollywood Reporter
When Jimmy Fallon debuted on NBC’s The Tonight Show in 2014, he was watched by more than 11 million viewers. Today his live viewing audience is less than 2 million a night and he’s in the third year of a ratings tumble while CBS rival Late Show With Stephen Colbert builds an audience by mining Trump-era anxiety.
MSNBC’s Surprise Guest: George Conway, Husband of Kellyanne
Michael M. Grynbaum, The New York Times
Even in television news, a little stunt casting can’t hurt. MSNBC turned heads on Wednesday when, minutes before the House impeachment hearings got underway, the network announced a surprise guest: George T. Conway III, the conservative lawyer and husband of President Trump’s White House counselor, Kellyanne Conway.
Technology and New Media
Disney+ launch: More than 10 million people have already signed up
Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times
Disney’s ambitious new streaming services has already achieved a major subscriber milestone, the company said Wednesday. More than 10 million people have signed up for the $6.99-a-month service so far after it officially launched Tuesday morning.
Apple Is Considering Bundling Digital Subscriptions as Soon as 2020
Gerry Smith and Mark Gurman, Bloomberg
Apple Inc. is considering bundling its paid internet services, including News+, Apple TV+ and Apple Music, as soon as 2020, in a bid to gain more subscribers, according to people familiar with the matter.
‘SpongeBob’ Spinoff Highlights Netflix-Nickelodeon Deal
Brooks Barnes, The New York Times
Nickelodeon will make a “SpongeBob SquarePants” spinoff for Netflix as part of a multiyear content-production deal that reflects the pressure on Netflix to fortify itself against new streaming competition, notably Disney Plus.
Amazon Studios Won’t Report Box Office Grosses for Some of Its Films
Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter
Don’t bother asking Alexa if it knows what the box office numbers are for The Report, Amazon Studios’ post-9/11 CIA drama starring Adam Driver, Annette Bening and John Hamm. Taking a cue from Netflix, Amazon won’t report grosses when the pic opens Friday in select theaters across the country.
Disney’s Next Streaming Challenge: Absorbing Hulu
Jessica Toonkel and Tom Dotan, The Information
Disney’s launch of Disney Plus on Tuesday put in place the second of its three-part streaming strategy, following last year’s debut of its ESPN Plus sports service. Now, Disney executives are expected to turn their attention to the final piece, Hulu, the decade-old streaming service that became part of Disney earlier this year.
Disney+ warns viewers about past racism, but not as well as Warner Bros.
Julia Alexander, The Verge
Some of Disney’s older movies streaming on Disney+ will include disclaimers about the cultural context of certain scenes that are considered outright racist and prejudiced today.
TV Is Dead. Long Live TV
Sonia Saraiya, Vanity Fair
The flood is here. On Tuesday, Disney+, the studio’s long-awaited streaming service, launched with over 100 exclusive films—including the blockbuster Star Wars franchise, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and nearly every Pixar feature.
Early Streaming Glitches Highlight Disney’s Tech Challenges
Tom Dotan and Kevin McLaughlin, The Information
Disney’s revelation on Wednesday that it signed up 10 million subscribers for Disney Plus on its first day was as strong an indication as any that it will quickly become a formidable player in the streaming space—and also gave some explanation for its early technical woes.
Disney’s ‘FX on Hulu’ Plan Snubs Pay TV in Battle to Boost Digital
Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter
When WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey unveiled HBO Max on Oct. 29, he also created, in his words, an “IQ test” for consumers. For $15 a month, cable subscribers can get HBO, or, in May, access to HBO Max, the beefed-up streamer that will be home to shows from the premium cable network and a plethora of originals and library content from across the WarnerMedia brands.
Disney+ to launch in India, Southeast Asian markets next year
Manish Singh, TechCrunch
Disney plans to bring its on-demand video streaming service to India and some Southeast Asian markets as soon as the second half of next year, two sources familiar with the company’s plan told TechCrunch.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
For Streamers, the Great Unbundling Was Too Good to Be True
Tara Lachapelle, Bloomberg
Netflix Inc. broke the cable-TV bundle. Now it’s time to put it back together again, and cable giants like Comcast Corp. look eager to help.
Disney+ Reveals a Studio Once Blind to Diversity, and the More Inclusive Future That Awaits
Tambay Obenson, IndieWire
Streaming service Disney+ launched November 12 with nearly 500 films, 7,500 television episodes, and an undetermined amount of anxiety around a handful of animated titles that contain culturally insensitive characters. From the flock of crows led by Jim in “Dumbo,” to the broken-English performance of the “Siamese Cat Song” in “Lady and the Tramp,” these films can be seen on Disney+ in their unedited, cringe-inducing glory, with the following caveat: “It may contain outdated cultural depictions.”
‘The Mandalorian’ is the first TV show that actually looks like a movie. That might be a problem.
Travis M. Andrews, The Washington Post
Hand-wringing over what constitutes the difference been movies and television shows has become commonplace in the streaming era. (Some, led by Martin Scorsese, have even begun arguing over what films constitute cinema — but that’s a whole other conversation.)
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