All the major film festivals are over, and though the writers and actors' strikes continue, some movies are shaping up as awards season contenders (if we have an awards season). - The Guardian (UK)
In addition to free shipping and other benefits, for their monthly fee — currently at $14.99 — Prime members have been able to watch Prime Video films and series ad-free. Those who want to continue to do so next year will have to pay an additional fee, set at $2.99 per month in the U.S. - Deadline
The company says a “significant percentage” of its podcast division has been laid-off. “Like many in the industry, we are further streamlining our structure as we continue to shift our creative strategy and focus on building big audiences across a select group of ongoing shows and our subscription business." - Inside Radio
"Scenic painters who once added 'Disney dirt' to make walls look old are now working on actual old walls, prop fabricators who built mechanical dolls are building folding desks, and the warehouses that once supplied set decorators and prop masters with furniture are, in this lull, selling to the masses." - Curbed
"I kind of fell into this avenue of media literacy influencing to help Gen Z get invested back into print media," said Kelsey Russell (whose first video got 1.7 million views), acknowledging that the platform is popular precisely because attention spans are so short." - Yahoo! (TheWrap)
The strike has taken a toll on many less visible members of the industry, who say they are now looking outside the industry for work or considering leaving it altogether. - The Wall Street Journal
"Fox said Thursday that Murdoch would become chairman emeritus of both companies. His son, Lachlan, will become News Corp. chairman and continue as chief executive officer of Fox Corp." - AP
According to the British Film Institute (BFI), spending on such productions reached a record £6.27bn last year, with most of that money coming from overseas. - BBC
Like the perspectival evolution that occurred when frescoes affixed to walls gave way to portable paintings, shrinking the screen down to the size of a smartphone altered the content coming through it and our sense of free movement within it. - Wired
"Several TikTok creators, many of them with little or no professional cooking experience, have gone from tinkering in their home kitchens to topping best-seller lists in a remarkably short time. In the process, they've shot a jolt of energy into a sagging cookbook market." - The New York Times
A spokeswoman for YouTube said in an email that Mr. Brand, whose channel on the platform has 6.6 million subscribers, was suspended for violating YouTube’s “creator responsibility policy.” - The New York Times
"Hearing our own voice on a recording is a bit of a shock. 'Do I really sound like that?' (Yes, you do.) … So why are so many of us surprised by the sound of our own voices, and what can be done to alter them?" - MSN (The Washington Post)
