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.
Hollywood executives may be worried about a cooling in content spending, but the smart money doesn’t seem to be. Even though companies like Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney have indicated that they will be more prudent with their content investments, private equity firms are continuing to invest in entertainment assets at a torrid pace. And while some in the space warn that macroeconomic factors could see things cool down, for now at least, the dealmaking keeps up. Consider that The North Road Co., Peter Chernin’s production roll-up, is being financed by $500 million from Providence Equity Partners and $300 million in debt from Apollo through its managed affiliates. Chernin tells THR that he is now in the market for further acquisitions, leveraging the private equity cash to buy “pure-play”…
John Landgraf The FX chief is on a hot streak, with the buzzy drama hit The Bear and the spy thriller The Old Man scoring speedy season two renewals and critical accolades. Nasim Pedrad The star-creator’s critically praised comedy Chad was scrapped days before its second-season debut as TBS and TNT keep exiting scripted under Warner Bros. Discovery. Katherine Pope The veteran exec leaves her Charter programming role for the top job at Sony Pictures Television Studios, succeeding Jeff Frost as president. Mike Fleiss The TV producer’s The Bachelorette season 19 premiere tumbles 22 percent in viewers and 26 percent in the 18-49 demo on ABC year-over-year. Showbiz Stocks $54.25 (+4%) NINTENDO (NTDOY) The Japanese video game giant acquired a CG animation studio, with plans to develop content based on…
The pay TV business has been in secular decline for years, with multichannel video packages (MVPDs) from cable and satellite companies seeing steady erosion. But even amid the subscriber churn, the streaming-focused virtual multichannel video providers (vMVPD) — think YouTube TV or Hulu’s Live Tier — have increased market share, with the two leading players in the space seemingly breaking away from the pack. On July 12, YouTube made public new data showing the major vMVPDs now have a combined 12.4 million subscribers, just shy of 20 percent of the active pay TV universe, and are well positioned — thanks to their slick user interfaces, easy mobility between devices, and seamless sign-up and cancellation processes — in the one area where pay TV could see growth. Even though vMVPDs carry…
Guest Column It was 1972, and I was a student at Northwestern University when I found myself pregnant. I had lost both my parents very young, and I was not equipped to be a mother at all. I knew then that I couldn’t let this unwanted pregnancy affect the rest of my life, that I had to write my own story. Although the ability to choose an abortion was a year away from being federally protected by Roe v. Wade, I was able to get one illegally. It was through a chance meeting, it was not easy, and it’s a situation that I’ve since hoped no one else would ever have to experience once laws changed. Nearly 50 years later, I can’t believe we’re back here. I’m a longtime movie…
The Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade puts Hollywood between a rock and a hard place. Most studios, including Disney, Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery, condemned the decision and informed employees that they will cover travel costs to venture out of state for abortions. But the WGA counted itself as the lone major group in the industry to call for a boycott of filming in states that pass abortion bans, urging employers to “consider the laws of each state when choosing production locations.” The absence of widespread calls to boycott shooting in certain states that have passed and will pass abortion restrictions stands in stark contrast to the moment when many in Hollywood threatened to pull investments from Georgia after that state passed legislation in 2019 banning abortions once…
In Hollywood this July, an out-of-office email message might not be for a vacation — but instead a subtle form of protest. Some industry workplaces, including most of the major talent agencies, participated in a nationwide virtual walkout July 13, organized by Planned Parenthood to show support for abortion rights. The virtual walkout is one of the ways, in the three weeks since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, that the entertainment industry has transitioned from shock to activism. Some, including Lizzo, have also made major donations to reproductive rights organizations. There is also the group of power players, including many former Time’s Up board members, who meet weekly, and there have been guild gatherings, protests and donations. The loosely organized group that has begun meeting…
