• Alphabet Inc.’s Google will raise its monthly prices for YouTube TV from $65 to $73 per month beginning in April, according to an email sent to subscribers, which attributed the increase to rising content costs. The price hike comes as other companies such as the Walt Disney Co., Apple Inc. and Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. raised the prices of their streaming services, and after YouTube TV secured rights to NFL’s “Sunday Ticket” package for a reported $2 billion per year. (CNBC)
  
• Twitch Chief Executive Emmett Shear stepped down from his role at the Amazon.com Inc.-owned video game live streaming service after 16 years with the company, citing in a blog post that he wants to move on from the business. Twitch President Dan Clancy is now CEO, while Shear will stay on as an adviser. (TechCrunch)
• A group of Walt Disney World workers from the Services Trades Council Union, a coalition of six unions which represents 42,000 cast members, protested outside the Orlando-based theme park to demand a raise in wages. Disney and the coalition have been in negotiations over a new contract after it expired in October, with the union asking for a minimum wage of $18 an hour in the first year of a new pact. (Deadline)
• Megan Colligan will exit as president of Imax Entertainment next month, according to an internal memo sent to staff obtained by the Hollywood Reporter. The search to replace Colligan, who previously served as president of worldwide marketing and distribution at Paramount Pictures, is underway, per the memo from Imax Corp. CEO Richard Gelfond. (The Hollywood Reporter)

March Madness Viewership, Bracket Participation Poised for Jump in 2023

Morning Consult

Steve Nissen Tapped as President, CEO for Hollywood Chamber of Commerce

Katie Reul, Variety

Steve Nissen, who previously served as senior vice president of legal and government affairs at NBCUniversal, is set to take over as president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce (HCC).

Fox Studio Lot Getting Major Expansion to Ramp Up Production

Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter

The former 20th Century Fox complex is getting 9 additional soundstages and other new production space after the cameras first started rolling in Century City nearly 100 years ago.

‘Room’ Broadway Production Shuttered Due to Lack of Funding, Lead Producer Withdrawal

Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter

The new show was in rehearsals and set to open in April.

Stephen Sondheim’s last musical finds a New York City stage

Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press

The late Stephen Sondheim’s last stage musical — an adaptation of two films by Spanish surrealist director Luis Buñuel — will be given an off-Broadway stage this year, offering theatergoers a chance to see a new work by musical theater’s most venerated composer.

‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’, ‘The Boys’ Top Critics Choice Super Awards

Patrick Hines, Deadline

Best Picture Oscar winner Everything Everywhere All at Once and superhero series The Boys topped the list of winners for the third annual Critics Choice Super Awards.

Warner Bros Circling Nancy Meyers Film After Its Exit From Netflix

Justin Kroll, Deadline

Just days after parting ways with Netflix, Nancy Meyers’ next movie may have found a new home.

A24 Releasing Remastered Version of Talking Heads Classic Concert Film ‘Stop Making Sense’

Rebecca Rubin, Variety

A24 has acquired worldwide rights to the classic Talking Heads concert film “Stop Making Sense.” A 4K restoration of the movie will be released in theaters globally later this year.

Lana Condor, Toni Collette, Jane Fonda to Star in ‘Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken’ for DreamWorks Animation

Jordan Moreau, Variety

Lana Condor, Toni Collette and Jane Fonda are playing a family of sea monster queens in DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming film “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken.”

Barry Keoghan In Talks To Join ‘Gladiator’ Sequel At Paramount

Justin Kroll, Deadline

The “Banshees of Inisherin” OScar nominee Barry Keoghan is in negotiations to join the cast of Paramount’s sequel to “Gladiator” that has Ridley Scott returning to direct and Paul Mescal set to star.

Keke Palmer to Star in, Produce Universal Comedy ‘The Backup’

Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter

Kevin Hart is also producing the feature via his Hartbeat Productions.

Demi Lovato to Make Directorial Debut with Child Stardom Documentary for Hulu

Wilson Chapman, IndieWire

Demi Lovato has already been the subject of a painfully honest documentary; now, the musician is going behind the camera to direct a new one.

Hilarie Burton Details Sexual Assault Allegations Against ‘One Tree Hill’ Creator Mark Schwahn

Rodlyn-mae Banting, Jezebel

“I didn’t know how to process it anymore…You can see that I’m not there,” the actor said on the latest episode of her “Drama Queens” podcast.

HBO’s ‘The Idol’ Will Premiere Out of Competition at Cannes Film Festival

Wilson Chapman, IndieWire

Sources have confirmed to IndieWire that two or three episodes from The Weeknd and Sam Levinson’s A24 drama will screen out of competition at the fest.

The CW Lands ‘FBoy Island’ & Sets Up Date With ‘FGirl Island’ Spinoff

Peter White, Deadline

“FBoy Island,” the breakout HBO Max reality format, is getting another date.

How Beyoncé’s Fan Army Inspired the Wildest Show of the Year

Kyndall Cunningham, The Daily Beast

The new series “Swarm,” about a crazed pop fan whose obsession turns very, very dark, will surely ruffle some feathers. Co-creator Janine Nabers explains why.

How “Abbott Elementary” Takes On the Charter-School Movement

Jessica Winter, The New Yorker

In its second season, Quinta Brunson’s superb sitcom became an unabashed polemic against the privatization of a public good.

Surge in Newsmax Ratings Shook Fox News, Then Faded

Joe Flint, The Wall Street Journal

Smaller channel’s postelection gains concerned Fox hosts and executives, court documents show; threat didn’t last.

Jen Psaki enters TV’s weekend fray with show starting Sunday

David Bauder, The Associated Press

Seven months into her new television career, it’s clear that Jen Psaki didn’t sign with MSNBC to just dabble in the media.

Amazon stops selling magazines and newspapers through Kindle Newsstand

Jay Peters, The Verge

It’s halting sales of print subscriptions, too.

Pornhub is under new ownership

Adi Robertson and Sean Hollister, The Verge

MindGeek has faced persistent problems with payment processors and illegal videos.

AI-“Assisted” Works Are Now Open to Copyright Protection, Raising Questions for Hollywood

Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter

Materials generated solely by AI still don’t qualify as courts have ruled that copyrights can only be granted to works created by humans.

A Bunch of Top Music Advocates Want to Ensure AI Doesn’t Replace Your Favorite Artist

Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone

A new coalition called the Human Artistry Campaign includes powerful trade groups like the RIAA and Recording Academy.

Taylor Swift will unveil four previously unreleased songs ahead of Eras Tour debut

Alli Rosenbloom, CNN

Time has not run out on Taylor Swift’s “Midnights” era. The “Anti-Hero” singer shared on Instagram on Thursday that “in celebration of the Eras Tour,” she’ll be releasing four previously unreleased songs. They’re set to debut at midnight.

Ticketmaster Will Give Partial Refunds On Tickets For The Cure Tour

Bruce Haring, Deadline

After several days filled with complaints about excessive fees on the $20 tickets to see The Cure – including complaints from its frontman Robert Smith – a report indicates Ticketmaster will give back some of its fees.

Justin Bieber Shares a Smiley Update on His Facial Paralysis Recovery

Emily Tannebaum, Glamour

Bieber announced his Ramsay Hunt syndrome diagnosis in June 2022.

Jack White pens poetic ode to Meg White after White Stripes drummer was maligned

Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times

Jack White dedicated a poem on Wednesday to his former wife and bandmate, Meg White, after a journalist posted a disparaging tweet about the White Stripes drummer that went viral.

Billboard Music Awards 2023 Date Is Set

Lars Brandle, Billboard

The 2023 BBMAs is shifting from its regular spring slot for a new fall date.