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Hollywood Buzz: February 2025

Writer's picture: Natalie LifsonNatalie Lifson
5 days ago

By Natalie Lifson, Agent Trainee and Executive Assistant at Buchwald; your Co-Editor-in-Chief at THA



Helpful Articles



News

  • New FCC Chair Revives Complaints About ABC, CBS And NBC Content That His Predecessor Rejected As “At Odds With The First Amendment” -Deadline, 1/22

  • YouTube, Netflix, Prime Video Hit Usage Highs During 2024 Holidays -THR, 1/21

    • The three streaming sites reach or tie their biggest share ever of the U.S. TV audience.

  • Disney and YouTube In Close Race for Overall TV Viewing Crown -THR, 1/28

  • YouTube Viewership On TV Screens Exceeds Mobile For First Time In U.S. -Deadline, 2/11

  • RIP, Venu Sports. On Friday, ESPN, FOX and Warner Bros. Discovery announced they have decided not to move forward with their proposed bundled sports streamer. -Cynopsis, 1/13



DEI

  • President Trump signed 3 Executive Orders eliminating all federal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs and directed government agencies, including the FCC, to pursue action against private companies that engage in “illegal private sector DEI preferences, mandates, policies, programs, and activities.” In response, many companies scaled back or eliminated their DEI initiatives, including Amazon Studios, Google, Disney, and PBS. -THA, 2/18

  • The FCC launched an investigation into Comcast and its subsidiary NBCUniversal for failing to eliminate their DEI initiatives. -THA, 2/18

  • For more information, read ”What DEI Rollbacks Mean for the Future of Hollywood” by Natalie Lifson and Matthew Threadgill.



AI

  • ABC News members of the Writers Guild of America East have ratified a new contract that covers the potential use of generative AI. -Cynopsis, 1/29

    • “Now more than ever, we need journalists who can report and present the news while they are protected in their workplace,” said WGAE President Lisa Takeuchi Cullen. “A union contract is the only thing that ensures that protection. Our members and staff fought hard for this contract, and they deserve everything they won.” 

  • Oscars Consider Requiring Films to Disclose AI Use After ‘The Brutalist’ and ‘Emilia Pérez’ Controversies -Variety, 2/7

  • Elon Musk Enlists Ari Emanuel Among Investors In Bid to Take Over OpenAI and Court Hollywood. -THR, 2/10

    • The Sam Altman-led AI company already shot down the initial $97 billion-plus offer



New Initiatives

  • Comcast Launches $70 per Month Sports and News TV Streaming Package, Pitched as Cheaper Than YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV -Variety, 1/23

  • Disney+ Signs Landmark Deal in France to Invest 25% of its Local Turnover in French, European Movies -Variety, 1/29

  • Comcast Chief on TV Division’s Future and Cable Channel Spinoff: ‘We’re Running a Broadcast-Plus-Streaming Strategy’ -Variety, 1/30

  • BuzzFeed’s New Plan: An AI-Powered Social Media Platform to Help “Spread Joy” -THR, 2/11



Industry Trends

  • Eighty percent of US consumers prefer free internet access supported by ads, and over 70% are willing to share data to enable personalized experiences, according to IAB study, “Striking the Balance: the Consumer Perspective on Privacy, Preference and Personalization.” -Cynopsis, 1/28

  • Time spent streaming was up 56% year-over-year, but it wasn’t necessarily at the expense of linear, which grew 8%, according to Samba TV’s “State of Viewership Report” for the second half of 2024. Streaming was buoyed by popular TV series and an increase in live sports events. Linear also got a boost from live sports, as well as the presidential election. -Cynopsis, 2/7



Deals and Disputes

  • Lawmakers have proposed a bill that would require cable companies to compensate customers for blackouts due to carriage disputes. -Cynopsis, 2/3

  • YouTube TV, Paramount Agree to Deal Extension to Avoid Blackout of CBS, Other Networks While Talks Continue -Variety, 2/13

  • Paramount, Nielsen Strike New Measurement Deal, Ending Months-Long Feud -Variety, 2/3

  • YouTube TV Could Lose CBS, Comedy Central, MTV and More in Contract Dispute With Paramount -Variety, 2/12




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