“Traditional TV has been declining for decades now, for myriad obvious reasons. But the NBC/SpinCo situation may be representative of an even grimmer media trend: powerful corporations choosing to expedite the devaluation of the cable industry altogether.” - Slate
Or at least movie theatres and cinematic releases. “In spite of some directors’ unhappiness, Apple seems set on being cautious with its theatrical risks from now on.” - The Verge
That’s Glick-ed, Gladiator II plus Wicked. Obviously. But: “Is this now what it takes to fill theaters? Movies, especially ones like Wicked, a mega-spectacle with mega-reviews based on a mega-musical, used to be able to commandeer the culture by themselves.” - The New York Times
Robbins “fears for a Hollywood that has been upended by the rise of streaming services, and is increasingly governed by algorithms that prioritise more of the same over anything sui generis.” - The Guardian (UK)
But it’s not about volume: "Hulu will roll out one special every month. The aim is to turn each one into an event, leaning on the considerable marketing resources of Disney.” - The New York Times
There’s just more time, with the movie in two parts. That means it “zeroes in on the rivals-turned-besties dynamic with a touching naturalism that goes beyond what’s possible in the show” - and that changes the entire dynamic. - Washington Post (MSN)
That’s a documentary, actually, “examining a lockdown staging of the play within the online digital realm of Grand Theft Auto, emerging as a strangely moving testament to the communal comforts of gaming and performance alike.” - The Guardian (UK)
On Thursday, the European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO), a research body, published its annual report on the theatrical performance of European movies worldwide. It’s not a pretty picture. - The Hollywood Reporter
Parent company Comcast is spinning off its cable channels but keeping its broadcast networks, including NBC. Both CNBC and MSNBC share, along with the brand name, correspondents and other resources with NBC News; the latter even shares office space at Rockefeller Center in New York. How to untangle all that? - AP
Peter Kyle, the secretary of state for science and technology, is trying to convince social media platforms to do more to prevent online harms, with new laws coming into effect next year that could result in heavy fines and even jail in cases where online safety is breached. - The Guardian
"Nicholson previously served as chief film critic at LA Weekly beginning in 2013, then at MTV News starting in 2016. She has written for publications including The New York Times, Variety, The Washington Post, The Guardian and Rolling Stone." - Los Angeles Times
It's a real movie, not just a morbid curiosity, but the latter can't help but overshadow the former — especially at a cinematography festival. The film is now world-famous, after all, only because its star accidentally shot its cinematographer to death on set. - Vulture (MSN)
"Comcast's move is the strongest sign yet of alarm reverberating throughout Hollywood's traditional companies. Cable channels have long been a key economic pillar, generating billions of dollars in distribution fees that more than covered up the misses when big-budget movies flopped or during advertising recessions. No more." - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
