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.
Weeks before it even launches, CNN’s streaming service CNN+ is contemplating a strategic pivot. With the Feb. 2 resignation of CNN chief Jeff Zucker after the disclosure of a relationship with CNN chief marketing officer Allison Gollust, and with Discovery’s takeover of WarnerMedia set to close in the next few months now that U.S. regulators have given the green light, insiders are questioning what happens next for the forthcoming service. While the rest of WarnerMedia was focused on building out HBO Max, CNN opted to launch its own separate streaming product, with the specific price point and launch date still TBD. However, a CNN source familiar with the plans tells THR that the company is conducting market research around forming a bundle with HBO Max, and that while such an…
Audio Podcast Gold Rush Agencies increasingly look to cash in p. 20 Streaming Disney+ Soars But will it displace Hulu? p. 24 Courtney Kemp Starz’s Power Book IV: Force, the latest in Kemp’s franchise, nabbed 3.3 million cross-platform viewers, bigger than Showtime’s Dexter: New Blood and HBO’s White Lotus. Roland Emmerich The Moonfall director’s $138 million bet on the theatrical viability of the disaster pic doesn’t pan out stateside as it lands with a debut of just $10 million. Chun Sung-il Netflix’s Korean zombie series All of Us Are Dead, led by the writer, tops its global TV chart for the second straight week, with more than triple the view time of the No. 2 show. Pete Bevacqua NBCU, and its sports chief, saw the primetime cross-platform audience for the…
No Oscar nomination surprise on Feb. 8 sparked a bigger gasp in living rooms across Hollywood than the absence of House of Gucci’s Lady Gaga from the best actress field. It’s not that Gaga is widely regarded as an actor’s actor — she’d given only one previous film performance of note, in A Star Is Born, for which she received a best actress Oscar nom two years ago, and she remains far better known for her music. But, in a competitive year for best actress, she looked better positioned than anyone; indeed, no leading lady except her had received noms from the SAG Awards (both as an individual and as a part of her film’s ensemble), Golden Globe Awards, Critics Choice Awards and BAFTA Awards — and she also won…
As Hollywood fully buys into podcasting, multimillion-dollar deals have become the norm for the crème de la crème of shows, while a growing audio advertising marketplace has allowed more podcasters to make a good living off their work, given the industry is expected to exceed $2 billion in ad revenue next year. The major talent agencies have jumped on the train and are building out their audio divisions, with agents increasingly working on podcast deals with clients. “The deals are getting more complicated. The businesses are getting more complicated. There are more players,” Oren Rosenbaum, head of audio at UTA, tells THR. Rosenbaum, who brokered major deals like Alex Cooper’s exclusive three-year pact with Spotify for a reported $60 million, says Spotify “fasttracked” the move toward exclusivity and platform-specific content,…
UTA Division head ↑Oren Rosenbaum Notable clients audiochuck/Ashley Flowers; Tenderfoot; Alex Cooper (Call Her Daddy); Guy Raz, Exactly Right Media (My Favorite Murder); iHeart, Wondery CAA Division head ↑Josh Lindgren Number of agents About 12 Notable clients SmartLess; Futuro Media; Stuff You Should Know; Climate of Change With Cate Blanchett and Danny Kennedy; Prophecy, from Kerry Washington’s Simpson Street; Ari Shapiro; and Dr. Death reporter Laura Beil WME Division Head ↑Ben Davis Number of agents About 14 Notable clients Morbid; Malcolm Gladwell/Pushkin Industries; Pod Save America/Crooked Media; Dax Shepard; Freakonomics; Brené Brown; Glennon Doyle; Literally With Rob Lowe VERVE Division head ↑Elise Bergerson Notable clients Emmanuel Dzotsi (host of Reply All); Stephanie Foo (formerly of This American Life); Hillary Frank (creator of Here Lies Me) ICM Division head ↑Caroline Edwards…
American Horror Story arrived. Then came Veep. Legion and Ballers followed soon after, with The Flight Attendant close behind. Those TV shows all originally filmed outside of California but relocated after being granted tax breaks. Since 2015, 28 TV shows have moved to California from other locales at least in part because of financial incentives aimed at halting the steady march of productions fleeing Hollywood. California is now looking to bolster that competitive edge. In July, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill (SB144) that gives the film and TV industry an additional $330 million in tax credits on top of the $330 million the state already doles out to Hollywood as part of its current incentives program. Another bill expected to be signed by Newsom (SB485) would extend the credits…
