The all-new Hollywood Reporter offers unprecedented access to the people, studios, networks and agencies that create the magic in Hollywood. Published weekly, the oversized format includes exceptional photography and rich features.
When Disney launched streamer Disney+ in November 2019, it leaned on the global recognition of Luke Skywalker, Iron Man, Moana and Buzz Lightyear to great effect. The service attracted 95 million subscribers in a little more than a year. Soon, Disney will find out what happens when characters like Olivia Pope, Betty Suarez and Jack Bauer crash its streaming party. On Feb. 23, Disney began adding programming that skews more adult to Disney+ in such markets as Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand under the new streaming brand Star. The entertainment giant’s plan to feature Star as a content hub within Disney+ alongside Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar and National Geographic is designed to help fuel sign-ups overseas, but it also stands to create confusion for the family-friendly Disney+ brand. “Everybody knows…
Nahnatchka Khan The Young Rock creator’s show resonates on NBC, nabbing 5.3 million viewers in its Feb. 16 premiere and the best 18-49 rating for any live-action comedy this season. Mike Lu After Universal Music Group removes its catalog from Triller, its CEO takes another hit as a Billboard report claims the app inflated user figures, which the company denies. Perry Sook Buoyed by 2020 campaign political spending, the CEO leads Nexstar broadcasting to $772 million in total TV advertising revenue, a 37 percent rise quarter-to-quarter. Charlie Ergen After adding 16,000 subscribers to Sling TV in its latest quarter, the Dish chairman says the streamer should have fared better against competitors like Hulu. Showbiz Stocks $34.12 (+7.1%) FOX CORP. (FOXA) Reports the broadcaster is in position to keep its Sunday…
How likely are you to subscribe to Paramount+? Would you be more or less likely to subscribe to Paramount+ if the service included access to the following new movies on the same day they are released in theaters? Would the inclusion of TV shows and movies from each of the following make you more or less likely to subscribe to Paramount+? Source: THR/Morning Consult poll conducted from Feb. 18 to Feb. 21 among a national sample of 2,200 adults. Percentages are rounded, don’t equal 100.…
Guest Column Here we go again. Another out-of-touch so-called celebrity who needs to shut up or do more (depending on whom you ask), preaching to the entertainment industry choir. Who cares what this guy thinks? Believe me, I couldn’t agree with you more. But, as one of Hollywood’s statistically least desired demographics, an Asian man, I have a moral and civic responsibility to take the industry press opportunities I can. In recent weeks, the almost daily videos of physical attacks on innocent elderly Asian Americans finally hit a cultural tipping point that pushed it into the American news media zeitgeist. Yes, the same American news media zeitgeist that everyone seems to simultaneously hate and seek the validation of finally found the pattern of attacks too horrendous to ignore and highlighted…
Think of it as one small step for mankind but a giant leap for Hollywood film studios and moviegoers. That’s the hope, anyway. With little fanfare, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a routine press briefing Feb. 22 that New York City’s movie theaters will be allowed to reopen March 5, nearly a year after cinemas across the five boroughs were forced to shut off the lights because of the novel coronavirus, along with movie theaters across the country. Yet theater industry insiders note that the celebration won’t be complete until Los Angeles cinemas are open. L.A. and New York City are the two top moviegoing markets in the country, and are key to any film’s success, be it a tentpole or a smaller Oscar contender. Chicago and San…
Amid a national racial reckoning in summer 2020, The Bachelor’s producers vowed to make their ABC franchise more diverse. The show cast Matt James, the first Black Bachelor featured in its 19-year history. And, of the 37 castmembers for the season that began airing Jan. 4, 25 women identify as BIPOC. But on Feb. 9, host and exec producer Chris Harrison refused to condemn allegations of racism made about a contestant, Rachael Kirkconnell, who had once attended a plantation-themed college party. Days later, Harrison apologized and stepped aside for the rest of the season. As the show’s missteps receive renewed criticism, an Instagram account, @BachelorData, has been regularly cata-loging, in illuminating chart form, on-air disparities for white contestants and contestants of color. For instance, heading into the Feb. 22 episode,…
