Disney, Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery are all cutting back to reduce their streaming losses. Amazon has the resources to compete with Netflix, but is still figuring out the best path to streaming sustainability. Even Apple, which has seemingly unlimited resources, is growing a little more cost-conscious. - Bloomberg
The annual tax, currently £169.50 ($219) and mandatory for any household with a television or using BBC's iPlayer online, is the national broadcaster's primary source of funding. Younger people in particular seem willing to do without the BBC's content, worsening the network's financial woes. - The Guardian
After 40 years, the festival seems to be acknowledging that it has outgrown its hometown. Last week organizers announced six finalist candidates for the new host city, and Nate Jones rates them. - Vulture (MSN)
"The BBC will lay off 500 more staff by March 2026 as its annual report paints a worrying financial picture including a near-doubling of its deficit to almost £500M ($646M). BBC headcount has fallen by 2,000 – or 10% – over the past five years." - Deadline
It helps that the Harris memes booted up shortly after Biden’s disastrous debate. It makes it feel as if the internet manifested her candidacy. Her boosters are now tipsy with their collective power. - The New York Times
For months, the outlet has faced complaints from freelancers who say that the new owners, prominent L.A.-based trial lawyers Mark Geragos and Ben Meiselas, have refused to pay freelance writers, reporters, photographers and graphic artists. - The Wrap
In the 12 months since the movie’s release, little has changed in Hollywood. Buffeted by dual labor strikes that went on for months and a general retrenchment by entertainment companies trying to navigate the economics of the streaming era, the industry has retreated to its usual ways of doing business. - The New York Times
Says one key player, "If you compare South Africa to a lot of industries with similar GDPs, the difference here is the lack of intentional focus on this industry." In particular, the government rebate system on which many filmmakers rely is, says one filmmaker, "so dysfunctional as to not exist." - Variety
Some parts involve passive viewing, like a sequence in which the supervillain Thanos is on trial for theft. But there’s also a lot of interactivity: one character explains how to use hand gestures, like making a fist, to defend yourself against enemies and cast magic spells. - NPR
The movie played until the film broke at cinemas across the world. “Made by a white director with funding from the apartheid government yet starring an unusually diverse cast, … The Gods Must Be Crazy delivered an idealized, false picture of South Africa into the international marketplace.” - Slate
“True crime podcasts, movies and investigative TV series are wildly popular, often raking in profits for their producers and platforms. Many, though, are made without the consent or involvement of those most closely affected.” Now, TikTok has changed that. - The New York Times
One, “the Village Theatre, is expected to close only temporarily, thanks to a high-profile effort by director Jason Reitman and others to save the once stately 170-foot white Spanish Revival-Art Deco ‘wedding cake’ tower that has beckoned Westside moviegoers since 1931.” - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo)
Welcome to a scared Hollywood. “'I just wanted to make sure that with the movie, we don’t ever feel like is putting forward any message,’ director Lee Isaac Chung, who grew up in Oklahoma’s tornado belt, told CNN.” - The Guardian (UK)
The surprising list includes six cities: “In alphabetical order: Atlanta, GA; Boulder, CO; Cincinnati, OH; Louisville, KY; Park City/Salt Lake City, UT; and Santa Fe, New Mexico.” Wait, Louisville? And … isn’t the festival already in Park City? - IndieWire
People who had the Basic plan, for $12 a month, will now have to dive into the depths of ads on streaming (not having to see ads used to be one of the entire selling points of streaming, but hey) for $7 a month, or pay a lot more for no ads. - NPR
