- The showrunners for Avatar: The Last Airbender have left the Netflix live-action remake because of creative differences (Vox)
- Amazon Studios pledges US$6 million to support European TV and film production (TBI Vision)
- How shows like Daniel Tiger can soothe kids in quarantine (Mashable)
- Talk about business as usual: Fisher-Price has created a line of work-from-home toys (USA Today)
- Have you heard of Likee? The social app has reached 150 million monthly users and wants to become TikTok’s successor (Tech Crunch)
- Why is Disney betting big on premium VOD? (The Hollywood Reporter)
- …And the House of Mouse is doing away with the last of the Fox brand names (BBC News)
- Producers say Quibi “got the memo” and has changed tactics since launch (Digiday)
- A TikTok ban would change how the influencer industry works (The Verge)
- WarnerMedia laid off roughly 600 staffers yesterday, but hasn’t confirmed whether the kids teams were affected (Variety)
- It turns out not that many people want to go to Disney World during a pandemic (The Washington Post)
- Entertainment guilds warn employees against signing COVID-19 liability waivers when they return to work (The Hollywood Reporter)
- Despite the failure of its previous big-budget gaming efforts, Amazon is giving it another go (The New York Times)
- Netflix kids exec Ed Horasz has revealed the streamer spent US$79 million on originals in Australia and New Zealand (Sydney Morning Herald)
- WarnerMedia’s chief says all of the staff shuffles are to “streamline” decision-making (The Hollywood Reporter)
- It’s not just Microsoft anymore, new bidders are emerging to save TikTok in the US (Tech Crunch)
- …But should Netflix be one of those bidders? (CNBC)
- Hulu is getting ready to roll out Spielberg’s Animaniacs reboot (Variety)
- Theater chain AMC is learning to embrace the streaming era, rather than run from it (Variety)
- Roughly one in five children are highly sensitive—what do they need to thrive? (New York Times)
- The TikTok ban is forcing some uncomfortable questions in the US (The Verge)
- After months of fighting, Facebook Gaming is finally in the Apple App Store (Business Insider)
- ViacomCBS will launch a new global streamer with Nickelodeon content in early 2021 (Variety)
- …And unsurprisingly, the mediaco had a good Q2 for streaming, but a bad quarter for linear (Deadline)
- The other big winner from this quarter is Nintendo, after users flocked to Animal Crossing in lockdown (The Verge)
- Why are some children more into TV than others? (Science Daily)
- Quibi is launching in Australia and New Zealand with a free ad-supported tier (TBI Vision)
- Discovery’s upcoming SVOD will be more like an “SUV” to Netflix’s “sports car” model (Deadline)
- NBCUniversal is prepping for significant layoffs, and an investigation into its chairman (Variety)
- Sales for bouncy castles are way up as families seek a different kind of escape (Vanity Fair)
- Cinema chains Cinemark and Regal aren’t happy about shortening theatrical windows (CNBC)
- ViacomCBS is launching a new ad platform that will let marketers buy ads for all its networks (The Hollywood Reporter)
- Microsoft is launching a Netflix-style gaming service (CNBC)
- …And how does TikTok, an app that caters to dancing teens, fit with Microsoft’s business strategy? (The Verge)
- SAG-AFTRA and producers have reached a new three-year contract for animated projects, which will see more animation made for SVODs (Deadline)
- Sony’s profits increased 53% throughout the pandemic, with video games playing a major role in the growth (Variety)
- Tech earnings wrap-up: Apple, Facebook, YouTube and Amazon all had crazy-good Q2s (Tech Crunch)
- TikTok’s CEO says its planned US$200-million creator fund will grow to US$1 billion in three years (Tubefilter)
- Seemingly run by a bunch of theater kids all grown up, Disney+ is now adapting a Broadway musical (The Hollywood Reporter)
- With return-to-school plans in flux, parents are growing increasingly worried their kids will fall behind (The New York Times)
- On first blush, Peacock appears to be doing OK—the SVOD has added 10 million subscribers since its April launch (The Verge)
- Netflix VP of content acquisition Bela Bajaria gives a peek at the streamer’s plan to become a global TV giant (Variety)
- Pixar has laid out the details of its upcoming film Luca, which looks quite European in style (Polygon)
- The Emmys—like everything else this year—are going virtual (Deadline)
August 13, 2020
August 12, 2020
August 11, 2020
August 10, 2020
August 7, 2020
August 6, 2020
August 5, 2020
August 4, 2020
July 31, 2020
July 30, 2020
Newsletter