General
Annapurna Pictures Lays Off CFO James Pong, Film and TV Executives Matt Donnelly and Justin Kroll, Variety
Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures has enacted a round of layoffs, reaching as high as chief financial officer James Pong, insiders told Variety.
Meredith Corp cuts pay for 60% of employees amid COVID-19 Arriana McLymore, Reuters
People Magazine owner Meredith Corp, will temporarily cut pay for 60% of its employees and paused its dividend as advertising revenue takes a hit during the coronavirus outbreak, the company announced on Monday.
Guild Coalition Reaches Out to About 500,000 Members Over Virus Relief Efforts Jonathan Handel, The Hollywood Reporter
Unions signaled a focus on safety measures necessary for production to resume, as well.
Charter Promises No Layoffs or Employee Furloughs for 60 Days Todd Spangler, Variety
Amid the backdrop of the COVID-19 crisis, cable giant Charter Communications announced that it will not lay off or furlough any employees for at least the next 60 days.
Bon Jovi Cancels 2020 Tour, Rather Than Postponing: ‘This Will Enable Ticketholders to Get Refunds’ Michele Amabile Angermiller, Variety
Bon Jovi announced Monday that it has canceled its 2020 tour dates with Bryan Adams due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Bamberger Joins Amobee as Chief Commercial Officer Jon Lafayette, Broadcasting & Cable
Advertising technology company Amobee said it named Jack Bamberger as chief commercial officer, a new position.
NYC LGBTQ Pride March canceled for first time in half-century Tim Fitzsimons, NBC News
The NYC Pride March has been canceled for the first time in its half-century history, along with all in-person events leading up to the annual June event, which draws millions of participants and revelers every year.
Film
Venice Film Festival Still a Go Amid Coronavirus Pandemic Jennifer Maas and Brian Welk, The Wrap
The 2020 Venice Film Festival is still set to take place this September amid the coronavirus pandemic.
‘The Batman’ Moves Back Amid Warner Bros. Date Shuffle Pamela McClintock and Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter
The film’s release date has been delayed from June 2021 to October 2021. More immediately, the studio is pushing ‘Sopranos’ prequel ‘The Many Saints of Newark’ and ‘King Richard’ out of 2020 entirely.
Television
Even Soap Operas Are Running Out of Episodes Because of the Coronavirus Josef Adalian, Vulture
Tune in tomorrow while you can: Long-running daytime soaps The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful, which halted production last month in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, are about to run out of original episodes.
TV Ad Spending Will Decline by at Least $7.5 Billion in First Half of 2020 Amid Pandemic
Tim Baysinger, The Wrap Nicole Perrin, eMarketer principal analyst, says “campaigns likely fear it will seem insensitive” to campaign during coronavirus
AT&T Seeks Delay of Carriage License Sunset, Citing Pandemic John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable
AT&T is telling Congress that this week it will begin notifying thousands of its DirecTV subs that they will lose access to network affiliate TV stations over the satellite service beginning June 1, as Congress mandated.
How Is ‘American Idol’ Going to Go Live During the Pandemic? The Producers Say They Have a Plan For That Gil Kaufman, Billboard
Imagine filming a summer action blockbuster in your basement. Or trying to pull off a heavyweight boxing match with the fighters in two different states.
Ashleigh Banfield Returns To Court TV As Contributor Denise Petski, Deadline Hollywood
Ashleigh Banfield, a host on the original Court TV, is returning to the rebooted network as a special contributor.
The call for federal support of local news is getting louder Kerry Flynn, CNN
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are getting louder in their call for the federal government to provide financial support for local news as the already struggling industry suffers another blow from the coronavirus pandemic’s impact.
Technology and New Media
Travis Scott is going to debut his next song on Fortnite as part of virtual tour Brett Molina, USA Today
Epic Games, the creators of the popular video game, announced Monday the musician will premiere a brand new song as part of an “Astronomical” experience within Fortnite.
ViacomCBS International Studios, Fremantle Team for Short-Form Series ‘Balcony Stories’ Tim Dams, Variety
ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS) has gone into production on “Balcony Stories,” a slate of user-generated, short-form content to mark the ways people are experiencing coronavirus lockdown.
ABC’s ‘Disney Family Singalong’ Heads to Disney Plus Tim Dams, Variety
Disney Plus is making hit ABC television special “The Disney Family Singalong” available to subscribers of its new streaming platform.
FCC OKs T-Mobile/Dish MVNO John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable
The FCC is satisfied that the MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) agreement the combined T-Mobile-Sprint has created for Boost Mobile passes muster.
Kept home by COVID-19, U.S. politics goes virtual with digital dance parties and avatars Sharon Bernstein and Makini Brice, Reuters
When stay-at-home orders sparked by the coronavirus forced him to find new ways to reach young voters ahead of the November U.S. election, Felix Clarke turned to an online computer game.
Plunge in digital ad prices opens spending opportunity for start-ups in gaming, e-commerce and online education Ari Levy and Megan Graham, CNBC
Facebook, Google and Twitter are seeing ad prices drop precipitously as companies in travel, entertainment and physical retail freeze spending.
Musicians Turn to Streaming Concerts From Home to Pay the Bills Lucas Shaw, Bloomberg Businessweek
Covid-19 has left an estimated multibillion-dollar hole in the ticket sales that account for most of performers’ income.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
The Last Dance Reignites the NBA’s Greatest Debate: Jordan or LeBron? Christopher Rosen, Vanity Fair
Who is basketball’s one true GOAT? Director Jason Hehir has some thoughts on the subject.
The Secret of Scooby-Doo’s Enduring Appeal Christopher Orr, The Atlantic
Why on earth has the formulaic series, which debuted half a century ago, outlasted just about everything else on television?
|