Top Stories

  • Netflix Inc. released its first diversity and inclusion report, noting that women accounted for 47 percent of its employees worldwide last year — up 7 points from 2017 — while in its U.S. workforce, the share of Black employees more than doubled to 8 percent and the share of Hispanic employees was 8.1 percent, up from 6 percent. Verna Myers, Netflix’s head of diversity and inclusion, said that, while the company is more diverse than others in the technology space, there is room for improvement, and Netflix plans to bring in a variety of creators from underrepresented groups. (Bloomberg)
  • After pausing production due to a surge of COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles, Warner Bros., CBS Studios and Sony are resuming production on TV shows — including “NCIS” and “The Goldbergs” — this week, according to sources, with Netflix and Walt Disney Co. expected to restart filming next week. A SAG-AFTRA spokesperson said that, given the strain on the health care system, it’s “hard to understand how an increase in production in this environment makes a lot of sense,” while FilmLA spokesperson Philip Sokoloski noted that all calls for a pause in production have not been an instruction but rather a guidance. (The Hollywood Reporter)
  • The 27th Screen Actors Guild Awards were rescheduled for a second time, moving from mid-March to April 4. The change was made to accommodate the Grammy Awards, which shifted its January ceremony to March 14 due to the escalating COVID-19 situation in Los Angeles. (Los Angeles Times

Chart Review

Events Calendar (All Times Local)

01/14/2021
CES 2021
Variety Entertainment Summit: A CES Partner Program 12:00 pm
01/17/2021
Arthouse Convergence 2021 Virtual Conference
01/18/2021
Arthouse Convergence 2021 Virtual Conference
01/19/2021
Arthouse Convergence 2021 Virtual Conference
Netflix to Announce Fourth-Quarter 2020 Financial Results 1:00 pm
View full calendar

The Fastest Growing Brands of 2020

Morning Consult’s Fastest Growing Brands of 2020 is the definitive measure of brand growth for both emerging and established brands, showcasing a wide range of companies and products that have accelerated their consumer appeal and awareness in 2020.

Download the report for the full rankings overall and by generation, and for the brands that most increased their brand ID in 2020.

General

New York Post to Staff: Stay Away From CNN, MSNBC, New York Times and Washington Post
Katie Robertson, The New York Times 

CNN, MSNBC, The Washington Post and The New York Times are among the news organizations that President Trump has falsely labeled “fake news.” And now articles based on reporting from the four outlets are no longer welcome at Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post, according to three journalists who work there.

Disneyland’s Toy Story Parking Lot Opens for Mass Vaccinations
Christopher Palmeri, Bloomberg

Orange County, California, opened a mass-vaccination site at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim on Wednesday, where it expects to inoculate more than 7,000 people a day.

James Murdoch joins former Disney executive in India push
Alex Barker and Benjamin Parkin, Financial Times 

Pair reunite to build ‘large-scale’ business spanning media, education and healthcare. 

SAG-AFTRA Says Industry’s Return-To-Work Protocols Have Been “A Remarkable Success”
David Robb, Deadline Hollywood 

The film and television industry’s return-to-work protocols, which were adopted in June following the initial Covid-19 shutdown, have been “a remarkable success,” according to SAG-AFTRA leaders, who are telling their members that “the data indicates that our production sets remain safe environments despite the surge in community infection rates in various North American cities.”

Inside Marvel Boss Kevin Feige’s 2021 Content Blitz – in Theaters and Streaming
Tim Baysinger, The Wrap Pro 

Following an unexpected 18-month hiatus due to the pandemic, Marvel Studios is making up for lost time with an onslaught of content that begins Friday with “WandaVision.”

Universal Music Group Licenses Catalog to Equinox At-Home Fitness App Variis
Anne Steele, The Wall Street Journal 

Vivendi SE’s Universal Music Group has licensed the world’s largest music catalog to Equinox Holdings Inc.’s Variis digital fitness app, allowing users to work out at home to hits by Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish and the Weeknd.

How the pandemic ignited a celebrity candle craze
Elana Fishman, Page Six 

In the first few days of 2020, it wasn’t COVID-19, the presidential election or even Megxit that dominated the news cycle, but rather a candle that claimed to smell like Gwyneth Paltrow’s vagina.

Music Catalogs Are Selling for Serious Cash. Now Wall Street Wants In
Tim Ingham, Rolling Stone 

The catalog acquisition frenzy in the music industry continues to accelerate. Right now, the gorillas in this jungle include Larry Mestel’s Primary Wave and Merck Mercuriadis’s Hipgnosis Songs Fund, two investment and management firms: in 2021 alone the latter company has acquired copyrights and/or income streams from Neil Young, Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac, Shakira, and Jimmy Iovine.

Dick Van Dyke and Joan Baez Among 2021 Kennedy Center Honors
Devon Ivie, Vulture 

And now, here’s a rare nice thing to emerge from inside the Capital Beltway.

Film

Warner Bros.’ Simultaneous Film Releases Need New Success Metrics, CEO Says
Kelsey Sutton, Adweek 

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to upend the entertainment industry’s playbook, WarnerMedia’s Ann Sarnoff is on the hunt for a new set of industry measurement tools—traditional box-office figures be damned.

‘Many Saints of Newark’ Delayed to Fall 2021
Rebecca Rubin, Variety 

Audiences will have to wait to return to the world of “The Sopranos.” “The Many Saints of Newark,” an upcoming film that serves as a prequel to the long-running HBO series, has again delayed its big-screen debut.

Is Letterboxd Becoming a Blockbuster?
Calum Marsh, The New York Times 

Early last decade, Matthew Buchanan and Karl von Randow, web designers based in Auckland, New Zealand, were seeking a passion project. Their business, a boutique web design studio called Cactuslab, developed apps and websites for various clients, but they wanted a project of their own that their team could plug away at when there wasn’t much else to do.

Ray Fisher Reacts To His Dismissal From ‘The Flash’ In Long Twitter Tweet
Bruce Haring, Deadline Hollywood 

Ray Fisher is continuing his battle against WarnerMedia, sending out a Twitter manifesto on his recent dismissal from the upcoming Flash film.

Television

After Unwinding Tokyo Olympics Ad Sales, NBC Will Start Them Again
Brian Steinberg, Variety 

NBCUniversal may well complete an Olympic-like event before the next set of Games even get started.

And Now for Some Random Jeopardy! Guest Hosts
Devon Ivie, Vulture 

This … is … all of the demographics being covered. Jeopardy! announced today that Aaron Rodgers, Bill Whitaker, and Mayim Bialik have been scheduled to guest host the show in the aftermath of Alex Trebek’s death, joining the already announced Katie Couric and current guest host Ken “GOAT” Jennings for the role.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris tap Tom Hanks to host starry inauguration special
Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times

Screen icon Tom Hanks has landed his next gig: the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. 

ViacomCBS, Sinclair Renew Deal for 13 CBS Affiliates
Mónica Marie Zorrilla, Variety 

ViacomCBS and Sinclair Broadcast Group have inked up multi-year renewal agreements across 13 CBS network affiliations for Sinclair stations, including four top-50s: WKRC in Cincinnati, Oh., WPEC in West Palm Beach, Fl., WWMT in Grand Rapids, Mi., and WHP in Harrisburg, Pa.

Positive COVID-19 Messaging on TV Can Persuade Resistant Viewers, The Protective Coalition Says
Natalie Oganesyan, Variety 

Positive TV messaging about coronavirus safety protocols and vaccines in both scripted and unscripted series can help save lives by persuading ambivalent and resistant viewers to follow recommended public health guidelines, according to a virtual panel discussion presented by USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center’s Hollywood, Health & Society, in partnership with the WGAE and WGAW, on Wednesday.

It took 31 years, but Daniel Dae Kim finally lands his first lead role in TV series
Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times 

A multitude of entertainment luminaries are congratulating veteran TV star and executive producer Daniel Dae Kim on a milestone many believe is “ well overdue” and “so deserved.”

Technology and New Media

Snapchat will permanently ban Trump’s account
Sara Fischer, Axios 

Snapchat will permanently ban President Trump’s account on Jan. 20, Axios has learned, after locking it indefinitely last week following the Capitol siege.

Lockdown-Driven OTT Growth a ‘Double-Edged Sword’ for Streamers
Kelsey Sutton, Adweek 

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has been good for streaming services. Sort of.

Philo, Which Streams Discovery’s Cable Networks, Isn’t Worried About Discovery+
Mollie Cahillane, Adweek 

Since 2017, Philo has differentiated itself from other virtual MVPD offerings by focusing exclusively on entertainment and lifestyle programming, including streaming more than a dozen of Discovery Inc.’s cable networks. 

‘Mosul’ Cast Receiving ISIS Death Threats After Huge Viewership Numbers On Netflix For Iraq Drama
Mike Fleming Jr., Deadline Hollywood 

There has been a continuing sense of unease and high alert from the stars and filmmakers behind Mosul, the Iraqi-language thriller based on the true tale of an Iraqi SWAT police squad that took to the streets to wipe out ISIS members to avenge the love ones that unit members lost at the hands of the terror organization.

App Annie: Mobile Ad Spending Hit $240B in 2020
Brandy Shaul, Adweek 

Mobile data and application analytics company App Annie released its State of Mobile 2021 report, which analyzed the ways consumers interacted with mobile apps in 2020.

Lucasfilm Games’ New Partnerships Mean the Galaxy’s the Limit
Eric Ravenscraft, Wired 

Today, Lucasfilm Games announced that it’s entering a partnership with Ubisoft to create an open-world Star Wars game. The title will be developed by Ubisoft’s Massive Entertainment, marking the first time that a company outside of EA has produced a Star Wars game since Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, ending nearly eight years of exclusivity. 

Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research

When Sex and the City Returns, Will It Finally Get Queer People Right?
Cassie Da Costa, Vanity Fair 

On Sunday, HBO Max confirmed that a Sex and the City reboot called And Just Like That… is officially in the works—an announcement that inspired fervent speculation among fans and critics. (Not least because the show is, tragically, down one lead: Kim Cattrall’s Samantha.) 

How Marvel Went From ‘Nazi-Punching Comic Universe’ to Symbol of Capitol Rioters
J. Clara Chan, The Wrap Pro 

The siege of the U.S. Capitol can be remembered by the dizzying visuals of it all. Amid the utter chaos and violence, there were the outlandish costumes — images of Halloween-like buffoonery that seemed to defy the seriousness of the insurrection. 

Morning Consult