Hollywood Buzz: May 2024
By Natalie Lifson, Agent Trainee at Buchwald and your co-Editor-in-Chief at THA
New Initiatives
ESPN Programming Coming To Disney+ By Year-End; Bob Iger Calls It “First Step” Toward Flagship Sports Launch In 2025 -Deadline, 5/7
New Jersey Approves Massive Studio Complex In Bayonne As State Pushes To Attract Production -Deadline, 5/8
Tubi has launched Stubios, a fan-fueled studio for aspiring filmmakers and their fans. -Cynopsis, 5/8
UTA launches new division “UTA Creators,” which brings together four previously separate agency groups — digital talent, gaming and esports, audio, and the influencer management company DBA — under one shingle, with the goal of super-serving a pool of talent that is increasingly firing on all cylinders and working on multiple platforms. -THR, 5/9
Academy Launches $500 Million Global Outreach Initiative to Broaden Base and Honor 100th Oscars Edition -Variety, 5/10
Gordon Ramsay, Fox to Launch Food Brand & Entertainment Platform Bite -Variety, 5/10
Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Hispanic Launches FAST Channel Package -Variety, 5/14
Hulu Launches Stand-Up Comedy Banner -Deadline, 5/14
Nielsen launched The Media Distributor Gauge, a cross-platform view of total TV consumption across broadcast, cable and streaming, aggregated and ranked by media company. -Cynopsis, 5/15
Proof of Concept, an accelerator program supporting women, trans and nonbinary filmmakers founded by Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, producer Coco Francini and Dr. Stacy L. Smith, has set its inaugural class of filmmakers. -Variety, 5/21
Mergers, Acquisitions, & Partnerships
In Streaming Milestone, Disney And Warner Bros. Discovery Team On Bundle Featuring Disney+, Hulu And Max -Deadline, 5/8
Comcast Unveils Peacock, Netflix, Apple TV+ Streaming Bundle -THR, 5/14
Disney-Fox-Warner Sports Streaming Service Gets a Name and Logo: Venu Sports -THR, 5/16
Open AI inked a deal with News Corp. that will bring content from its stable of media outlets to ChatGPT and other OpenAI products. -THR, 5/22
Paramount and Charter Spectrum Ink New Carriage Deal, Including Paramount+ -THR, 5/23
Paramount, Skydance Agree on New Merger & Acquisition Deal Terms -Variety, 6/3
Festivals
South By Southwest Sets London Expansion For Branded Cultural Film, Music & Tech Festival -Deadline, 5/7
Filmmakers Back Cannes Workers in Strike Action -THR, 5/10
The inaugural San Quentin Film Festival — the first film festival to be held inside a prison — will take place Oct. 10, 2024 at the maximum security correctional facility located near San Francisco. -THR, 5/15
“Conflict, Cuts And Identity Crises: How Film Festivals Are Navigating Choppy Waters” -Deadline, 5/21
“5 Takeaways From Cannes as Festival Winds Down” -Variety, 5/21
Upfronts
Upfronts 2024: Every Broadcast TV Show Canceled or Renewed for 2024-25 Season -Variety, 5/13
“8 Takeaways From Netflix, Amazon and the Rest of Upfronts Week” -THR, 5/16
“Breaking Down Upfronts: How Networks and Streamers Used A-Listers, Athletes and ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ to Entice Ad Buys” -Variety, 5/22
IATSE Strike Updates
IATSE Talks Focus on $670 Million Shortfall in Health and Pension Plans -Variety, 5/3
IATSE West Coast Locals and Studios Tackle AI, Wages in Latest Week of General Negotiations -THR, 5/10
IATSE Aims To Conclude General Negotiations Thursday As Members Petition For Greater Transparency On Contract Proposals -Deadline, 5/13
IATSE Continues Bargaining With AMPTP; More Basic Agreement Talks Set For June -Deadline, 5/24
Loan Out Corporations Could End, IATSE Tells Members -Deadline, 5/25
Awards
Helpful Articles
TV
“Independent TV Pilots Are Having A Moment” -Deadline, 5/8
“Peak TV Is Over, Welcome to Peak IP” -THR, 5/10
“The Re-Reinvention of Television: Streamers Dust Off Some of the Old Broadcast Playbook for a New Era” -Variety, 5/14 “Why Reality TV Is On Life Support” -THR, 5/29
“Why FAST Services Are No Longer the Bargain Bin of Streaming” -THR, 5/30
Film
“Why Are Movies With Big Stars Struggling to Score U.S. Distribution Deals?” -Variety, 5/15
Influencers / Content Creators
AI
“Hollywood at a Crossroads: “Everyone Is Using AI, But They Are Scared to Admit It”” -THR, 5/15
