Hollywood Buzz: December 2023

By Natalie Lifson, Agent Trainee at Buchwald and your co-Editor-in-Chief at THA

Major News

• SAG-AFTRA draws ire for using AI image to promote upcoming technology summit (Deadline, 12/29)

• Lionsgate closes acquisition of eOne From Hasbro (Deadline, 12/27)

• Lionsgate Studios to become a new public company, splitting with Starz in SPAC deal (Deadline, 12/22)

• Apple TV+’s viewership was up 42% year-over-year in over 100 countries (Deadline, 12/21)

• Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global discuss possible merger (THR, 12/20)

• Fox greenlights its first scripted series co-produced with an international studio (Deadline, 12/14)

• Netflix releases viewing numbers for 18,000 titles (THR, 12/12)

• Netflix viewership data highlights (Deadline, 12/12)

• Freeform cancels last two scripted original series (THR, 12/8)

• Disney faces pay equity claims from thousands of female employees after losing bid to halt class action certification (Deadline, 12/8)

• SAG-AFTRA members ratify new three-year contract with studios (Deadline, 12/5)

• A3 Artists Agency sale talks with Gersh spark lawsuit against Chairman (THR, 12/5)

• Netflix and Apple open door to bundling with streaming rivals (THR, 12/4)

• Apple and Paramount discuss bundling their streaming services (WSJ, 12/1)
  

Helpful Articles

• Is media M&A industrial logic or wishful thinking? Either way, deals likely to pick up after slow 2023 (Deadline, 12/29)

• Was this Hollywood’s worst year ever? (THR, 12/23)

• 'Warnamount’ merger talk confounds investors and industry: “Why would any company try to catch a falling knife?” (Deadline, 12/21)

• What the Hell will happen in Late-Night in 2024? (Deadline, 12/16)

• It’s quiet, too quiet, in Hollywood: Where are the deals? (THR, 12/7)

• Study: Hollywood jobs down ~20% this year (not just because of strikes) (Deadline, 12/7)