Hollywood Buzz: August 2023
By Natalie Lifson, Agent Trainee at Buchwald and your co-Editor-in-Chief at THA
Barbie is officially the highest-grossing release of the year with $1.36B globally, and becomes the highest-grossing Warner Bros movie of all time (Variety, 9/2)
SAG-AFTRA votes for a strike authorization for a strike against video game companies as their Interactive Video Game Agreement contract nears expiration. (Deadline, 9/1)
AMC Networks strikes deal with SAG-AFTRA to resume production for three series amidst the strike (Deadline, 8/31)
DGA donates $100,000 to the Motion Picture & Television Fund to help crew workers affected by the strikes (Variety, 8/30)
Five late night hosts launch a podcast together to discuss the strikes, with proceeds going to their out-of-work staff (Hollywood Reporter, 8/29)
Max announces a “programming pop-up” called “AMC+ Picks on Max” in which they will offer 200 episodes of AMC programming for two months (LA Times, 8/28)
The Entertainment Community Fund has raised more than $7.6M and distributed more than $5.4M in financial aid to industry workers since the start of the WGA strike (Deadline, 8/28)
Marvel VFX workers file for unionization under IATSE (Hollywood Reporter, 8/28)
AMPTP cedes to WGA for certain protections for comedy writers in a rare win (Deadline, 8/26)
AMPTP hires crisis PR firm to change strike messaging (Deadline 8/25)
Max announces launch of CNN Max News Streaming Service, adding 24/7 news programming beginning 9/27 (Hollywood Reporter 8/24)
Two assistant directors create strike fund for out- of- work production assistants, who often don’t qualify for other strike relief programs (Deadline, 8/23)
Federal judge rules that AI-created art isn’t copyrightable (Hollywood Reporter, 8/18)
Hello Sunshine strikes a first- look deal with Making Space, a company dedicated to improving the representation of disability in media (Deadline, 8/18)
Paramount Global reneges on their plan to sell majority stake in BET (Variety, 8/16)
For the first time ever, linear TV Viewing drops below 50% of U.S. Television usage (Variety, 8/15)
EverPass Media struck an exclusive multi-year licencing agreement to bring Peacock’s sports content to bars, restaurants, and other commercial locations (NBC Sports press release, 8/11)
SAG-AFTRA announces support for Real Housewives star Bethenny Frankel in her call for reality stars to unionize and demand better treatment (LA Times, 8/10)
SAG announces that they will no longer grant interim agreements for WGA-affiliated projects (Vulture, 8/7)
Max launches OWN hub featuring original series and curated collections from OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (WBD Press Release, 8/2)
Lionsgate acquires eOne from Hasbro (Variety, 8/3)
Fortress Investment Group completes acquisition of Vice Media (Variety, 7/31)
