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Apple Made A Big Investment In Hollywood. How’s It Going?

Apple TV+ “has become a must-see destination” and posted record viewership in the quarter. Some have compared it to HBO — before Warner Bros. Discovery began making cuts — developing a reputation for being willing to pay big for A-list stars and creatives. - Los Angeles Times

A Movie Box Office Rebound?

The rebound started with The Minecraft Movie, spilled into Sinners and moves into Thunderbolts this weekend.  - Deadline

How AI Is Making It Possible To Connect With Audience Individually

AI is making it possible to focus on customers as individuals and craft more personally relevant experiences. “We’ve got to get out from behind the spreadsheet of revenue bands and these overly simplistic ways of looking at customers and bucketing them." - Fast Company

They Shot Their Movie In A Week For $7,000. Now The Hard Part: Getting Into Theatres

It’s a challenge to make a film like “Burt”— and quite another to bring such a handmade film to audiences. In 2024, Burke went 0 for 28 in film festival acceptances, which made him question if “Burt” might be the final chapter of his career instead of a launching pad. - Los Angeles Times

Meta’s New AI Chatbot Will Accompany You To Movie Theatres. Is This A Good Thing?

The chatbot, which Meta has reportedly claimed will “get audiences back in theaters,” works by sending moviegoers trivia, quips, and questions about the movie, according to the New York Times. The catch? All of this happens while the film plays in front of them. - Fast Company

Today’s Film And TV Projects Have Embraced Diversity in Story Telling. But…

In recent years, there have been increasing creative efforts to fill these historical gaps. This suggests there is a willingness, at least in some spheres, to acknowledge the long history of multiculturalism in Britain and to see people of colour in 19th-century histories. - The Conversation

Sinners: A Movie Deal That Shook Hollywood

Since the film came out, these contract stipulations have been much discussed, even controversial. That has little to do with why “Sinners” is so enthralling to watch but everything to do with the film’s central theme, and why it is so resonant: the art of the deal. - The New York Times

Judge In Meta AI Case: “I Just Don’t Understand How That Can Be Fair Use”

Authors may need to sharpen their case, which Chhabria warned could be "taken away by fair use" if none of the authors suing, including Sarah Silverman, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Richard Kadrey, can show "that the market for their actual copyrighted work is going to be dramatically affected." - Ars Technica

Jon Voight Is Working On A Plan To Save Hollywood. What Is It?

The exact plan that Coming Home Oscar winner Voight, whose daughter is Angelina Jolie, has prepared for Trump is unclear, but sources with knowledge of his conversations with Hollywood insiders tell us they expect a federal tax incentive to be the main component. - Deadline

Trump Issues Executive Order Blocking All Funding For NPR And PBS

“The order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies ‘to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS’ and further requires that that they work to root out indirect sources of public financing for the news organizations.” This is funding already approved by the U.S. Congress. - AP

UK Culture Secretary Rules Out Taxing Streaming Services To Fund British TV Dramas

“British Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has firmly rejected proposals for a levy on streaming platforms operating in the U.K., despite recent recommendations from a parliamentary committee suggesting such a measure could help support the country’s television drama sector.” - Variety

The “Secret” Public Radio Service That Has Survived The Switch To Digital Signals

It’s a separate service which even public radio fans might not know is there: subchannel broadcasting with dedicated programming for the blind and visually impaired. - Nieman Lab

People Have Already Found Loopholes In The Oscars’ “Must Watch All Nominees To Vote” Rule

“Today, some members, particularly in the Executive and Marketing and PR branches, simply press play on the Academy app to satisfy the system’s viewing requirement — then mute the audio or switch tabs. ‘The app only needs to see that you watched it,’ says one voter. ‘It doesn’t know if you’re sitting there.’” - Variety

After Bullying And Harassment Scandals, Formal Review Of BBC Finds This

“A BBC review has found no evidence of a ‘toxic culture’ but a ‘minority of people whose behavior is simply not acceptable,’ the U.K. public broadcaster said on Monday.” - The Hollywood Reporter

Comcast Is Bleeding Broadband Customers. Here’s Why

After reporting a net loss of 183,000 residential broadband customers in Q1 2025, Comcast President Mike Cavanagh said the company isn't "winning in the marketplace" during an earnings call today. The Q1 2025 customer loss was over three times larger than the net loss in Q1 2024. - Ars Technica

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