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Behind the Headlines I t’s a tumultuous time in the movie business. Consolidation is underway, and “scale” is the watchword. The record $11.4 billion domestic box-office tally of 2016 masks weakness, and the studios (except for Disney) are dead serious about collapsing theatrical windows and getting a premium price for home viewing of movies currently in theaters. What to watch in 2017: WARNER BROS. Among the top studios, Warners faces the greatest uncertainty with the planned AT&T acquisition of Time Warner. Most observers don’t see the $85 billion deal really being blocked in a Donald Trump administration. Assuming the purchase goes through, the question is what influence Peter Chernin will wield. Rupert Murdoch’s former No. 2 has business dealings with AT&T, and industry insiders find it hard to imagine that…
Behind the Headlines Arecord 455 scripted original series aired in 2016, and Peak TV may not have hit its actual peak yet. A Dec. 21 study from FX Networks found the annual tally jumped another 8 percent year-over-year and a whopping 137 percent fromjust a decade ago. And the biggest gains came from such streaming services as Netflix, YouTube Red and Seeso, all of which have promised even more scripted output in 2017. (Broadcast, premium and basic cable actually slid from 2015.) “It seemsvery likely that the estimate will hover around 500 for the next few years,” FX Networks executive vp research Julie Piepenkotter tells THR. “Growth will continue to be overwhelmingly fueled by the streaming services.” With spending estimated at $6 billion on originals, it should come as little…
The big question on red carpets of the future might not be “Who are you wearing?” but “What are you wearing?” Wearable technology — like 3D printed dresses and even a designer Fitbit from Vera Wang — will be on full display as the annual CES confab kicks off in Las Vegas on Jan. 5. Those are just a few of the gadgets that will be unveiled at the glitzy digital desert event, which could see about 180,000 attendees. There also is some big business expected to go down on everything from virtual and augmented reality systems (and content) to high-definition televisions and a muchanticipated presentation from Hulu about the upcoming launch of its live TV streaming service. The show also brings star power: This year, Hidden Figures’ Octavia Spencer…
Behind the Headlines Closer Look Most Watched Awards Shows 1. The Academy Awards ABC 34.4M (-6%) 2. The Grammys CBS 24.9 M (-1%) 3. The Golden Globes NBC 18.5M (-4%) 4. The CMA Awards ABC 12.8M (-6%) 5. The Primetime Emmys ABC 11.3M (-5%) 6. Academy of Country Music Awards CBS 11.2M (-31%) Source: comScore; box-office estimates in $ millions ( ) Weekends in release; *Territories, Broadcast: Source: Nielsen, Live-plus-7 for the week of Dec. 12; Cable TV: Source: Nielsen, Live-plus-3 for the week of Dec. 19. Carrie Fisher’s Dec. 27 death has left a disturbance in the Force. Her iconic Princess Leia is set to appear in the next two Star Wars films, and insiders tell THR that at least two key scenes are planned for Episode VIII (Dec.…
AWARDS SEASON 2017 BEST PICTURE La La Land The frontrunner is going strong at the box office — it has grossed $37.3 million domestically as of Jan. 2 — and took a promotional swing through London and Paris, where it was toasted by the likes of Leslie Caron, Michel Legrand, Claude Lelouch and Roman Polanski. Live by Night Ben Affleck’s first combined acting-and-directing effort since his Oscar-winning film Argo ran up against negative reviews — it’s at just 35 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes — and was on life support as it bowed in four theaters over the Christmas holiday. FILM EDITING Rogue One: A Star Wars Story It failed to get a nomination from the American Cinema Editors’ ACE Eddie Awards, an ominous sign since 2015’s Star Wars: The…
MEGYN’S RISKY MOVE TO NBC: CAN SHE WIN WHERE OTHERS LOST? Deal of the Week New year, new network. Megyn Kelly started 2017 announcing her departure from Fox News Channel for a multifaceted megapact with NBC News. The multiyear deal gives Kelly, 46, her own daytime weekday news vehicle, a Sunday night newsmagazine and a key role in breaking news coverage. “For years, the story for broadcast network news has been downsizing and retrenchment,” says news analyst Andrew Tyndall. “[But] this is a huge investment.” Nabbing Kelly is a coup for NBCUniversal News Group chairman Andrew Lack, who beat out would-be suitors including ABC News and CNN. Neither network came close to matching an annual salary of nearly $25 million reportedly proffered by the Murdochs. But sources tell THR that…
