Showbiz Sandbox 592: Why Is HBO Max Dumping Content?
September 7, 2022
At a time when streaming services are hoarding content in an attempt to attract subscribers and capture market share, Warner Bros. Discovery has taken the opposite approach with HBO Max; they are removing shows from their platform. Now comes reports that pulling shows from its library can save the company around $100 million annually. We explain where those savings might come from.
Certainly HBO Max won’t be dropping “House of Dragons,” one of three big fantasy shows to premiere over the last month. Is that too many shows with dragons and elves for audiences to watch at one time, or has each found significant viewership?
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the new agreement between streamers and music publishers, who killed the queen of crime novelists and the absurdity of nonstop reports about standing ovations at film festivals.
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Showbiz Sandbox 591: Live Sports Becomes the Costliest Battle of the Streaming Wars
August 30, 2022
There is no better evidence that the streaming wars are still in full swing than the news that streaming services are accounting for more viewing than cable television for the first time in history. As streaming media companies fight for market share, they have turned to live sports as a means of driving subscriber growth. However, vying with traditional networks for broadcast rights has driven the cost of live sports to record setting levels.
While there might be an audience for live sports, new data shows attendance has fallen by as much as 50% for live performances such as Broadway, opera and classical music concerts. Pop concert tours, on the other hand, have never been more successful, or more expensive.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the reason some movie stars are ditching social media for their own sanity, the second largest movie theater chain in the world may file for bankruptcy and why Mariah Carey should not become the Queen of Christmas.
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Showbiz Sandbox 590: New Warner Bros. Discovery Strategy Is A Little Batty
August 9, 2022
The newly merged Warner Bros. Discovery held its first earnings call last week making so many headlines it was all anyone in the entertainment industry could talk about. The company has a ton of debt, but a plan to get into better financial shape; stop producing expensive scripted shows, shelve pricey projects and layoff thousands of employees. Most controversially the media giant decided to completely abandon the nearly finished DC movie, “Batgirl.”
Speaking of comic book movies, the Wall Street Journal believes Disney’s Marvel titles are in a bit of a slump. Their movies are grossing less, getting worse reviews are not a big deal on social media. Do people even like superhero movies anymore?
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the story behind all those expensive Springsteen tickets, why Beyonce is changing the lyrics to one of her recent songs and why “To Kill A Mockingbird” is leaving Broadway.
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Showbiz Sandbox 589: Should Music Be Produced and Sold Like Fine Art?
July 20, 2022
In an effort to make music valuable again, producer T Bone Burnett is getting behind a technology that allowed him and Bob Dylan to create a one-off re-recording of “Blowin’ In The Wind” and then auction it off for $1.8 million. But can recordings be treated the same way as paintings are in the art world? If musicians limit the reproduction of their work will it really become more valuable?
Meanwhile the Emmy Award nominations were announced last week with hit series from HBO and HBO Max helping the network garner 140 nods. Netflix made history with “Squid Game” becoming the first non-English language show to be nominated for Best Drama Series.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why comedian Lewis Black is suing Pandora, the reason Shawn Mendes is pausing his world tour and how Iran is jailing its leading film directors.
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Showbiz Sandbox 588: Keeping Track of Ever-Shifting Streaming Strategies
July 5, 2022
Though the entertainment industry may be infatuated infatuated with streaming, the legacy media companies behind all the new subscription services haven’t quite found the right way to profit from them. NBC/Universal earned nearly a billion dollars in committed ad revenue with Peacock this year, causing them to take a hard look at all of their low-rated cable channels. And HBO Max is thinking twice about producing original programming in countries like Turkey and Sweden.
Meanwhile, the “Minions: The Rise Of Gru” is the lates blockbuster release that is proving the box office is back for everyone, even families. The worldwide gross of “Top Gun: Maverick” continues to soar, but will Paramount leave it in theatres long enough to fully capitalize.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the Creative Artists Agency completes its acquisition of rival ICM, Disney renews CEO Bob Chapek and Alec Baldwin commiserates with Woody Allen.
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Showbiz Sandbox 587: How To Succeed on Broadway After a Global Pandemic
June 28, 2022
With this year’s Tony Awards having been doled out, the 29 shows currently running on Broadway are taking stock of what’s working, which ones should stick around and which should stop raising their curtains. At least 14 have announced closing dates or are expected to soon, including some big musical productions. Others are recasting their big stars. But hope springs eternal on Broadway as new plays and musicals gear up to light up the Great White Way.
Meanwhile, “Top Gun: Maverick” has crossed into the billion dollar club making it the first film in Tom Cruise’s career to hit such a milestone. The actor showed up at CineEurope last week for a bit of a victory lap. We’ll bring you all the latest news from the event.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the future of K-Pop superstars, BTS, the winners of this year’s BET awards and Apple’s big bet on sports broadcasting.
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Showbiz Sandbox 586: Tony Awards Help Broadway Get Its Groove Back
June 14, 2022
After all of the obstacles the pandemic forced plays and musicals to deal with, this year’s Tony Awards looked to raise the curtain on a revived Broadway. The ceremony managed to honor some of the best productions and performances from last season while celebrating the efforts the Broadway community made just to stay in business. We’ll look at how they might help and hurt this year’s batch winners and mention a few of our favorite performances.
Meanwhile, just as movie theaters are looking to rebound from the pandemic, exhibitors in the United Kindom found themselves in a difficult position over a film depicting the early days of Islam. And Disney is saying au revoir to theatrical in France unless that country changes its rules on theatrical release windows.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including some new categories for the Grammy Awards, the rare disorder forcing Justin Bieber to cancel tour dates and why a top executive at Disney is being forced out of the company.
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Showbiz Sandbox 585: Entertainment Industry Stumble Into Sociopolitical Pitfalls
June 7, 2022
Social justice and political issues have been making life complicated for movie studios, record labels and concert promoters. Whether you’re casting a movie, choosing a director, booking a live performance or releasing a new album, you’ll also be having to deal with their past, present and sometimes even future behavior. Just ask Johnny Depp, filmmaker Cary Fukunaga and comedian Louis C.K.
Rolling Stone knows a thing or two about digging into the past of the musicians it covers. As the war in Ukraine marches on the magazine published a piece on all the big name pop stars who’ve been paid millions over the years to perform at private parties and events for Russian oligarchs.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why Mariah Carey is being sued for plagiarism, the most watched television shows from the past year and musician Kate Bush has a new old hit thanks to “Stranger Things.”
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Showbiz Sandbox: Movies Were the Stars at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival
June 5, 2022
After the COVID pandemic hampered the Cannes Film Festival over the last two years, the 2022 edition moved back to its usual May time frame with all the glamor and artistry that has made it one of the most important annual cinematic events in the world. Despite critics’ complaints about what was deemed a weak official selection, the festival featured its fair share of impressive films from noteworthy auteurs.
What’s more, many of these movies will find audiences as distributors were rather active in acquiring titles to release theatrically over the next 12 months.
On this special episode of Showbiz Sandbox we are joined by Karen Krizanovich, an independent journalist and broadcaster, not to mention a member of the London Film Critics Circle, as well as Stephen Garrett, the founder of the movie marketing firm Jump Cut who covered the festival for the New York Observer. Both attended this year’s Cannes Film Festival and we’ll discuss the highs and lows of the latest edition, which concluded last weekend.
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Showbiz Sandbox 584: Cannes Film Festival Showcases Industry Revival
May 31, 2022
Unlike some years, there was no frontrunner or obvious favorite to win the Palme d’Or at the 75th annual Cannes Film Festival which concluded over the weekend. Instead, the social satire “Triangle of Sadness” from Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund took the festival’s top prize, the second time he has won the award. We discuss the highlights and big winners from this year’s Cannes.
Meanwhile “Top Gun: Maverick,” which was shown at Cannes, finally premiered in movie theaters setting all kinds of box office records. It is far and away the biggest opening weekend its star Tom Cruise has ever had as it looks to go on and become his biggest hit.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the winner of this year’s Eurovision song contest, Justin Timberlake sells his recording catalog and politicians hope to strip Disney of its Mickey Mouse copyright.
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