Showbiz Sandbox 629: Disney vs. Charter Feud Could Finally Unbundle Cable
September 5, 2023
Carriage disputes between cable companies and media companies are nothing new. They happen regularly around big events like the Super Bowl, FIFA World Cup or the Oscars. However this time Charter Communications, the second largest cable operator in the United States, has pulled all of Disney’s 19 networks from its service, refusing to pay the higher licensing fees, arguing that the bundled pay television business model no longer works. Settling the disagreement could significantly alter the future of the television landscape.
Meanwhile, Taylor Swift has conquered the album charts and football stadiums and now she’s going to conquer movie theaters. And with summer box office hitting $4 billion, Swift’s concert film comes at the perfect time, at least for those in North America.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the Hollywood Reporter gets another editor-in-chief, more details about Kevin Costner’s departure from “Yellowstone” and Michael Mann brings his “Ferrari” to the Venice Film Festival.
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Showbiz Sandbox 628: An Inside Look at Streaming’s Microscopic Residual Payments
August 30, 2023
The recent success of the television series “Suits” on Netflix has shined a spotlight on how much money writers make on a cable or broadcast hit versus one on a streaming service. Last week one of the show’s writers revealed the vast difference in residual payments he received between linear and streaming underscoring why the WGA is currently on strike.
Meanwhile, with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA striking in strong solidarity, the AMPTP has hired a public relations crisis management firm. Studios, realizing the strike shows no sign of ending, have begun postpone tentpole releases such as “Dune 2” into 2024.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including how Amazon has shown interest in partnering with Disney on ESPN, how preview screenings are messing up box office calculations and why musicians seem to be dumping manager Scooter Braun.
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Showbiz Sandbox 627: Linear TV Drops Below 50% In U.S. For First Time
August 22, 2023
The number of households in the United States subscribing to traditional pay television services has dropped below 50% for the first time in the two years Nielsen has been tracking such metrics. And it’s not that viewers are cutting the cable cord, they’re just watching their favorite television shows and movies on streaming services more than they are on broadcast and cable.
Meanwhile, the writers and actors’ strikes show no sign of ending. One of the big sticking points is over the use of artificial intelligence in future productions. Now a new court ruling sided with the Copyright Office and said works solely generated by AI cannot be copyrighted.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why Disney is being sued by one of its finance partners, why an Iranian filmmaker is being thrown in prison and some box office shenanigans taking place in Korea.
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Showbiz Sandbox 626: Will Disney’s Big Wager On Sports Betting Pay Off?
August 15, 2023
Though Disney had previously dismissed the idea of venturing into sports betting, saying it didn’t fit the company’s image, the media giant signed a billion dollar agreement this week with a little known online gambling company. The move comes as Disney’s linear television revenue is declining with no end in sight and losses for its streaming service continue to mount. Will ESPN Bet help bolster Disney’s balance sheet?
Meanwhile the dual writers and actors strikes continue though the AMPTP held what was reportedly a productive conversation with the Writers Guild over the past week. Hollywood will need to get comfortable with holding labor negotiations since more of its workers are opting to unionize.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why Paramount is selling publishing giant Simon & Schuster, India has one of its biggest box office weekends of all time and why you might not want to work for Lizzo anytime soon.
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Showbiz Sandbox 625: SAG-AFTRA Concerns Over AI Are Justified
August 8, 2023
One of the key disputes striking actors are having with the AMPTP (the studios and the streamers) is over artificial intelligence and how it will be used in movies and television shows in the future. What rights will actors have and will they get paid if their image and likeness is used through AI? We look at some of the issues surrounding AI and how it relates to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Meanwhile, talks between the Writers Guild and the AMPTP over their own strike for a new contract resumed last week. Unfortunately it seemed all they talked about was whether they should start talking again. It would help if both sides could agree on what they are arguing about.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why an opera star is suing the Metropolitan Opera, how Lizzo is accused of fat-shaming and the economic impact of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour.
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Showbiz Sandbox 624: Hollywood Is Bungling Its Barbenheimer Momentum
August 2, 2023
The idea of counter-programming the simultaneous global release of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” over the same summer weekend always seemed like a gamble. But somehow Greta Gerwig’s comedy about a popular toy doll and a Christopher Nolan’s biopic of the renowned nuclear physicist wound up becoming a worldwide phenomenon breaking all sorts of box office records over its first two weeks. Now, instead of capitalizing on this success, Hollywood studios are determined to drag out a dual strike with writers and actors which shows no sign of ending anytime soon.
Having joined the Writers Guild of America on the picket lines, SAG-AFTRA continues to make its case in the court of public opinion. Unfortunately, producers (meaning studios, streamers and networks) aren’t ready to start negotiating a compromise.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including country music’s big moment, why Disney CEO Bob Iger called in some former senior executives to consult with the company and how video streaming is hitting new heights.
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Showbiz Sandbox 623: Actors Join Writers In Historic Dual-Strike
July 18, 2023
Film and television production ground to a halt last week in Hollywood (and elsewhere) when actors joined the already striking writers on the picket line. This marks the first time in 63 years that the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild has been on strike at the same time and it is an existential moment for the entertainment business which could set the tone for labor relations for decades to come. Entertainment attorney and journalist Jonathan Handel drops by to give us all the details.
Meanwhile, the Emmy Award nominations were announced last week, though thanks to the ongoing strike(s) who knows when the ceremony will be held. What we do know based on the nominations is that in a world of peak TV, Emmy voters watched about…four shows last year!
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why Disney is looking to sell off certain television assets, the BBC finds itself embroiled in another scandal and Taylor Swift becomes only the third artist to ever have four albums in Billboard’s top ten in a single week.
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Showbiz Sandbox 622: Actors and Writers Agree That AI Ain’t So Smart
July 11, 2023
The Writers Guild of America members have been on strike for over two months now and might soon be joined by the Screen Actors Guild. When it comes to artificial intelligence however both guilds agree; when their members’ work is used to train AI, actors and writers should be paid. Some writers are now taking matters into their own hands and filing lawsuits against companies for training their A.I. models using their work without permission.
Meanwhile, we’ve known how big music streamers have become on a global level, but now the National Music Publishers Association announced it has cracked the code on figuring out how many subscribers each major service has in the United States.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including how a movie that Disney dumped five years ago beat out Indy 5 at the weekend box office, NBCUniversal promotes some senior executives and Elton John finally wraps up his farewell tour after earning $900 million.
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Showbiz Sandbox 621: Summer Box Office Is Much Cooler Than Expected
July 4, 2023
In a year which boasted a bevy of summer blockbusters, moviegoers haven’t been turning up at theaters for some of the more highly anticipated releases. Instead, big budget titles such as “The Little Mermaid,” “Elemental,” “The Flash,” and even “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” among others have all had underwhelming opening weekends. Is depressed movie attendance a temporary trend or is it the new normal?
Meanwhile, when SAG-AFTRA extended their contract negotiations with producers into July Hollywood averted a dual strike with both actors and writers walking picket lines. The ongoing writers strike is already causing studios to shift release dates back by months if not years.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the Academy sets new rules for the Best Picture Oscar, big name directors make their case for the Turner Classic Movies network and Ryan Seacrest takes over as host of “Wheel of Fortune.”
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Showbiz Sandbox 620: This Year’s Tony Awards Were Unscripted, Yet Predictable
June 14, 2023
This 76th annual Tony Awards ceremony was held last weekend honoring the best and brightest Broadway productions from the past year. Although there was no script for host Ariana DeBose to work due to the writer’s strike. But while the telecast may have been refreshingly unscripted, the winners were fairly predictable with “Kimberly Akimbo” winning Best Musical, Tom Stoppard’s “Leopoldstadt” taking home Best Play and “Parade” picking up the Best Musical Revival trophies. The only question now is which shows will turn their Tony wins into box office gold.
Speaking of labor relations in Hollywood, the DGA released some more info on its proposed deal with producers and the reviews are decidedly mixed, especially for helmers who also write. Meanwhile SAG-AFTRA members made it loud and clear that they are ready to strike as well.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the PGA’s controversial move to merge with a competitive golf league, CNN axes its CEO and network shows continue to sink in TV ratings.
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