Hollywood Buzz: March & April 2025

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

Everything you may have missed in the trades this month...  

DEI Rollbacks

• The past two months, we've reported DEI rollbacks and what they mean for the future of Hollywood - particularly, for entry-level entertainment professionals who will now face new barriers in breaking into the entertainment industry. Entertainment companies have continued to roll back DEI initiatives. Some have reiterated their commitment to inclusive values while doing so, and some are fighting back. Here is how some of those companies have responded so far.

• The FCC's latest target: Disney and ABC

  • On March 27th, Carr published a letter to Disney CEO Bob Iger stating that although "Disney recently walked back some of its DEI programs, significant concerns remain."

  • Most notably to young people just entering the entertainment industry, Carr specifically called out "restricted fellowships to select demographic groups" and "Inclusion Standards" in every level of production - actors, writers, directors, crew, and more.

New Initiatives

• Tuff TV is coming back. Launched in 2009, the male-focused channel was shuttered in 2018 over distribution issues. In September, Tuff TV is relaunching on over-the-air and streaming platforms, featuring scripted and unscripted programming. -Cynopsis, 3/17

• Reelz announces launch of new Reelz+ streaming service -The Streamable, 3/21

• The Television Academy is launching a first-ever TV festival, “Televerse,” that will offer fans and voters “unprecedented access” to Emmy-nominated shows. -THR, 3/27

  • The festival will run from Aug. 14 to 15 at the JW Marriott at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. According to the Academy, plans are in progress with partners at every studio, network, platform and tech company to present “insider discussions, meet-and-greets, interactive exhibits, premieres and previews of upcoming programs” at this festival.

• Fremantle has launched Imaginae Studios, a label it says is “designed specifically to harness the power of Artificial Intelligence.” -Deadline, 4/9

  • The unit will hire a team who will “leverage all AI solutions, technologies and tools for the creative community, embracing experimentation, innovation and vision,” Fremantle noted in a press release. 

Partnerships

• NBCU and LG announced an expanded partnership that will deliver new free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels in the U.S., including entertainment, news, sports, Spanish-language, and true-crime programming. -Adweek, 3/25

• Ryan Reynolds & His Maximum Effort Banner Ink First-Look Deal With 20th Television -Deadline, 3/27

Other News

• California lawmakers have set in motion plans to increase the film credit for LA shoots, expanding the effort to include animated films and TV shows, sitcoms and large-scale competition shows. -Cynopsis, 3/27

• The Television Critics Association has canceled its Summer Press Tour. -Cynopsis, 4/3

  • “The systems that once supported the tour, in Hollywood and journalism, have changed,” said the TCA in an email to members. “Networks have consolidated into just a few companies and cut publicity staff. There are considerable costs for those presenting panels – the hotel and AV are expensive for the networks. The TCA Board reduced some of those costs by half, but that was not enough.” It’s been a rocky few years for the event, between Covid, the WGA strike and the cancellation of this year’s Winter Press Tour due to “deep contraction” in Hollywood.

Mergers, Acquisitions, and Restructuring

• ABC News is restructuring around three units: 24/7 live and breaking news; signature shows, including “GMA,” “World News Tonight,” “The View,” “Tamron Hall,” and “This Week”; and longform storytelling built around “20/20,” “Nightline,” and ABC News Studios. -Cynopsis, 3/20

• Warner Bros. Discovery Takes Minority Stake in Dubai’s OSN Streaming Limited. -The Wrap, 3/24

  • The deal, which will be completed in stages and is subject to regulatory approval, will see WBD pay $57 million for a 30% stake

• FCC chairman Brendan Carr warned that M&A deals could be jeopardized by diversity, equity and inclusion policies. -Cynopsis, 3/24

  • “Any businesses that are looking for FCC approval, I would encourage them to get busy ending any sort of their invidious forms of DEI discrimination,” Carr told Bloomberg, adding, “If there’s businesses out there that are still promoting invidious forms of DEI discrimination, I really don’t see a path forward where the FCC could reach the conclusion that approving the transaction is going to be in the public interest.” Carr mentioned Paramount Global’s merger with Skydance Media as well as Verizon Communications Inc.’s acquisition of Frontier Co.

  • See HERE for our February article on DEI rollbacks and our list of companies that have responded.