General
CBS Credit Union Manager Pleads Guilty to $40 Million Fraud
Gene Maddaus, Variety
The manager of a credit union for CBS employees pleaded guilty in Los Angeles federal court on Monday to a $40 million embezzlement scheme. Edward Rostohar, 62, was arrested in March after the scheme began to unravel.
New content financing entity Library Pictures International to invest in local productions globally
Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times
A new L.A.-based content financing company is hoping to capitalize on the growing demand for local productions around the world. Library Pictures International said Monday it will fund local-language productions in India, Spain and Latin America, among other locations.
Hollywood’s Writers-Agents War Bleeds Into ‘Walking Dead’ Profits Dispute
Eriq Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter
For nearly six years, Creative Artists Agency has been after hundreds of millions of dollars in allegedly missing profits from AMC’s The Walking Dead, which, apologies to Game of Thrones, is still the biggest drama series ever to air on cable television. CAA enjoys profit participation along with series co-creator Frank Darabont for packaging the creative elements of the zombie series.
Film
AMC Stubs A-List Hits 800,000 Members, Becoming No. 1 Subscription Movie Ticketer
Dade Hayes, Deadline Hollywood
AMC Theatres’ Stubs A-List subscription service has added 200,000 members in 2019 to date, passing 800,000 total subscribers. The company said the level is well ahead of its initial Year One target of 500,000 members, and also makes it the No. 1 subscription moviegoing service in North America.
‘John Wick 4’ gets a 2021 release date from Lionsgate
Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times
John Wick will be back. On Monday, Lionsgate revealed that “John Wick: Chapter 4” is scheduled to hit theaters May 21, 2021.
Has ‘Pokémon: Detective Pikachu’ Captured Enough Box Office to Spark a New Movie Franchise?
Trey Williams, The Wrap
Despite the conductivity of iron — and vibranium, probably — “Pokémon: Detective Pikachu” didn’t quite have the juice to topple “Avengers: Endgame” from its box office perch in the Marvel blockbuster’s third weekend. But the Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros. release, which stars Justice Smith (“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”) and Ryan Reynolds as the voice of the yellow pocket monster Pikachu, has performed strongly enough to suggest the studio may have a new franchise on its hands — a sequel is already in development.
New Database to Hire Women in Film Launches at Cannes
Jeremy Fuster, The Wrap
“Downton Abbey” actress Victoria Emslie announced the launch of Primetime, a new database which “spotlights women from all over the world working above the line and below the line in film” at Cannes on Monday as part of an ongoing push to encourage the hiring of more women in film.
Sony Pictures CEO Touts Studio’s Upside Amid Consolidation, Rise of Streaming Services
Gavin J. Blair, The Hollywood Reporter
Sony Corp. CEO Kenichiro Yoshida and Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra both touted the studio’s upside in the rapidly shifting entertainment landscape, particularly amid consolidation and the rise of streaming services, during presentations to investors and the media in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Television
Over 19 Million Watch ‘Game of Thrones’ Finale
Michael Malone, Broadcasting & Cable
The Game of Thrones series finale was watched by 19.3 million viewers across HBO’s platforms (linear, HBO Go, HBO Now) May 19, setting a record for the network. The finale beat the previous series high of 18.4 million set by Game of Thrones the week before.
Of course there’s going to be another Game of Thrones-size hit
Peter Kafka, Vox
You, a normal person, are interested in discussing the finale of Game of Thrones. Bless you.
TV Upfront Aftermath: Media Buyers Say Presentations Do Not Influence Investment
Marisa Guthrie, The Hollywood Reporter
Media buyers long ago began following the eyeballs, whether or not Nielsen can adequately count all the eyeballs on all the platforms. So the promises emanating from the Manhattan theaters (Lincoln Center, Rockefeller Center, Carnegie Hall) about proprietary data rang somewhat hollow for buyers who still do not have an industry-accepted metric for digital viewing.
The View is a political powerhouse hiding in plain sight
Lila MacLellan, Quartz
The View, when it makes headlines, is often dismissed as a gossipy chatfest or a catty “lion’s den.” And, yes, the ABC morning talk show, co-hosted by a panel of five women, deserves some of the condescension.
Marta Fernandez Exits As Starz EVP Originals Programming
Nellie Andreeva, Deadline Hollywood
Marta Fernandez is exiting Starz where she most recently served as EVP Originals Programming. Fernandez, a 12-year Starz veteran, is leaving to pursue other opportunities.
James Holzhauer Returns to ‘Jeopardy!’ as Insiders Reveal Financial Details of a Record Streak
Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter
James Holzhauer’s return Monday to Jeopardy! after a two-week break for a teachers’ tournament promises to be a ratings bonanza for the syndicated quiz show. When last we joined the 34-year-old champion, he was 22 games into an unprecedented winning streak, accumulating $1.7 million and breaking records for the 10 highest single-day winnings in Jeopardy! History.
Everything We Know About the ‘Game of Thrones’ Prequels (So Far)
Jordan Moreau, Variety
Prequels are coming. Fans looking for their next fix after “Game of Thrones,” rest assured, plans are already in the works to cash in on George R.R. Martin’s expansive fantasy universe.
ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro is fighting the cord-cutting wave
Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times
When the 2019 NFL draft took over downtown Nashville last month, ESPN became a city within the city, with more than 600 staffers and freelancers on site, and its top executive, Jimmy Pitaro, surveyed the scene like its mayor. Pitaro shook hands and introduced himself to every ESPN employee in his path as he toured the red brick brewery on Honky Tonk Highway where the sports media behemoth was based for 90 hours of live draft coverage.
Technology and New Media
‘Game of Thrones’ is gone, and so are some HBO subscribers
Daniel Arkin, NBC News
For years, Sarah Robinson was a faithful “Game of Thrones” viewer. Her loyalty to HBO, however, didn’t run as deep.
How BuzzFeed is making its video shows business sustainable
Sahil Patel, Digiday
BuzzFeed plans to make 20 episodic video shows across Facebook, YouTube and other platforms this year. In an effort to make the business sustainable, the company is focused on not only distributing individual shows across more than one platform at scale — and collecting ad revenue from those platforms — but also increasingly pitching marketers on buying sponsorships and integrations into these existing shows versus pitching them on custom, built-if-sold programs.
Lauren Dolgen Exits as BuzzFeed Studios Boss After a Year
Todd Spangler, Variety
Veteran TV producer Lauren Dolgen has departed as head of BuzzFeed Studios after one year in the job. BuzzFeed had hired Dolgen, a longtime MTV producer who worked on shows including “Teen Mom” and “16 and Pregnant,” as head of BuzzFeed Studios to oversee the company’s slate of original content.
TikTok Owner to Challenge Spotify and Apple With Music Service
Lucas Shaw, Bloomberg
ByteDance Ltd., owner of the popular video app TikTok, is developing a paid music service that will challenge industry leaders Spotify and Apple Music in emerging markets, according to people familiar with the matter.
Netflix Again Blows Past HBO, Others as No. 1 Pick for ‘Best Original Programming,’ Survey Finds
Todd Spangler, Variety
Netflix continues to wear the crown as having the “best original programming” among premium TV and over-the-top subscription services, according to new research from Morgan Stanley.
Bloomberg’s TicToc plans to launch on OTT streaming services this year
Lucinda Southern, Digiday
Bloomberg’s goal to turn TicToc, its 24/7 news brand, into a fully fledged media network is taking shape. Launched on Twitter December 2017, TicToc now has a presence on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, Amazon Echo, as well as a podcast and newsletter.
Snap’s Evan Spiegel Finishes Overhaul of Leadership Team
Georgia Wells, The Wall Street Journal
Snap Inc. promoted two executives internally to run its finance and personnel units, completing Chief Executive Officer Evan Spiegel’s remaking of the leadership team after a series of departures over the past year.
How Hulu Plans For Half Its Ad Revenue To Come From Non-Intrusive Ads
AdAge
Hulu plans for half of its ad revenue to come from non-intrusive ad formats in the next three years. It’s one of the pillars of its strategy as the industry heads into the annual upfront ad haggle.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
‘Game of Thrones’ finale’s ratings seem like a one-off. They may be a trendsetter.
Steven Zeitchik, The Washington Post
A full 19.3 million people tuned in to watch the finale of “Game of Thrones” across all HBO platforms Sunday night — a number that outdid the already high expectations for the fantasy phenomenon.
Why Verve Gave Up Packaging Fees – While Bigger Hollywood Agencies Will Fight to Keep Them
Jeremy Fuster, The Wrap
Verve last week became the most prominent agency to agree to the Writers Guild of America’s new Code of Conduct for talent agencies — breaking with its competitors by renouncing packaging fees on film and TV projects. But while the decision is an interesting turn in the weeks-long stalemate between Hollywood writers and agencies, Verve is likely to be an outlier among its peers.
How ‘Game of Thrones’ wronged its female characters in the series finale
Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times
“Game of Thrones” will always be remembered for the strength and complexity of its female characters, flawed and fascinating women like Cersei Lannister and Daenerys Targaryen, who were beautifully portrayed even when the writing by showrunners D.B Weiss and David Benioff failed them.
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