David Ellison was able to ascend to Paramount moguldom thanks in part to his closeness with Mr. Trump, and now he is trying to capitalize on the same bond to win the president’s favor for an even bigger prize. And he has leverage. - The New York Times
Disney is accusing the tech giant of copyright infringement on a “massive scale,” claiming it has used AI models and services to commercially distribute unauthorized images and videos, according to the letter seen by Variety. - TechCrunch
On the surface, there appears to be some dissonance with Disney embracing OpenAI while poking its rivals. But it’s more than likely that Hollywood is embarking down a similar path as media publishers when it comes to AI. - Wired
Carl Rinsch was convicted of wire fraud, money laundering and making illegal transactions in a case where he took $11 million in funding from Netflix for the series White Horse — and proceeded to spend the money on luxuries and blow it on a bad investment in a pharma company. - Variety
“The eight-member Arkansas Educational Television Commission, made up entirely of appointees of the governor, announced … that it planned to disaffiliate from PBS effective July 1, citing annual membership dues of about $2.5 million it described as ‘not feasible.’ … PBS Arkansas is rebranding itself as Arkansas TV and will provide more local content.” - AP
The CPB is set to shut down after Congress approved President Trump’s request to rescind its funding. The Center for American Rights said the CPB shutdown should be used as an opportunity to reassign spectrum used by NPR and PBS stations to other entities. - Ars Technica
In Hollywood, concern about whether Warner Bros. will remain a theatre-centered business is haunted by historical echoes of earlier seismic shifts in the movie business. It seems existential, perhaps portending the end of mainstream moviegoing. - The New Yorker
“The three-year licensing deal will let users generate videos using Sora, OpenAI’s short-form AI video platform, of more than 200 Disney, Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar characters. ... ChatGPT will also be able to generate images of Disney’s multibrand licensed characters.” - The Wall Street Journal (MSN)
So, how does the cinema experience fit into this time? Its key benefits are “immersion, spectacle, and shared experiences,” the Bain report highlights. “But this is at odds with people’s evolving consumption of media, which is increasingly short-form, interactive, and digital.” - The Hollywood Reporter
Presently, non-fiction filmmaking (in the form of docuseries) stands as a cornerstone of streaming economics, a format bolstered and degraded by an ever-growing demand for cheap, time-consuming content. - Stat Significant
Netflix’s movies don’t have to abide by any of the norms established over the history of cinema: they don’t have to be profitable, pretty, sexy, intelligent, funny, well-made, or anything else that pulls audiences into theater seats. - n+one
So, yes, for all intents and purposes, the Golden Globes are back. But regarding ethical practices, today’s for-profit Globes may well be worse than ever, crossing the line in ways that are more egregious than the shady maneuverings that put the awards on life support not so long ago. - Los Angeles Times
“The streamer has set new parameters for making content, providing rich upfront fees, but diminished profit participation or residuals for producers, directors, actors and their agents.” - TheWrap (Yahoo!)
From a competition standpoint, Warner Bros. going to Netflix is sharp a step in the wrong direction. It’s turbocharging the runaway market leader, leaving the other studios’ streaming services to wither on the vine. - Slate
Eline Van der Velden toiled with her 15-person team to nail down the look of her leading lady, creating 2,000 iterations of an actress unbound by the limits of physical ability, age or talent. She passed on dud iterations with the ruthless efficiency of a casting director who makes actors cry at auditions. - The Wall Street Journal
