Global TV, Film & Media Industry News Roundup, Wednesday 25 June 2025
AI copyright ruling, China’s film push, indie studio rise, Range breakout, ViX surge, Netflix bets on Trinity & Olivia doc, Eurimages funding, Ealing revamp, NHK climate doc sales.
Today’s Highlights:
California Court Rules AI Can Use Copyrighted Books Under Fair Use – A landmark decision that could reshape copyright law and the future of generative AI across media, publishing, and tech industries.
Shanghai Film Festival Highlights China’s Global and AI Ambitions – Signals China’s accelerating leadership in global entertainment and content production through technology and market consolidation.
Range Studios Breaks Out After Automatik Merger – A significant success story in the independent studio space, with A Complete Unknown elevating Range Studios into top-tier industry status.
Indie Studios Redefine TV Deals and Attract Top Talent – Indie disruptors like A24 and Fifth Season are changing the TV business model, influencing how talent and studios collaborate globally.
ViX Projected as Fastest-Growing Streamer in the Americas – Indicates a major shift in the streaming landscape, as a Spanish-language platform expands rapidly across multiple regions.
Eurimages Awards €10.7M to 35 International Film Projects – Reflects sustained investment in European cinema, spotlighting influential auteurs and gender equity in funding.
Netflix Orders Jed Mercurio Thriller Trinity Starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw – A major creative collaboration from the Line of Duty creator and A-list talent, showing Netflix’s continued investment in prestige international drama.
Netflix Greenlights Olivia Newton-John Documentary – High-profile project with global appeal that blends biography and music, honouring an iconic Australian star through a premium streamer.
Ealing Studios Launches £20m Redevelopment Plan – Marks a historic revitalisation of one of the world’s oldest studios, with potential to boost UK production capacity and prestige.
NHK Sells Snowman Race Doc to France After Sunny Side Premiere – Highlights the international appetite for environmental and climate-related storytelling through high-end factual co-productions.
Plus: Insights, Executive Moves, Festivals & Markets, In Development, Deals, Renewals & Jobs with Fox, Paramount, Netflix & Crunchyroll in London & LA.
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Producers: Fifth Season, Sony Pictures Television, Banijay, Fremantle, Endemol Shine, Gaumont, Pathé, Warner Bros Television Productions, Universal Pictures International Australasia, UFA Fiction, Vivendi, Entertainment One, BBC Studios, Warner Bros Discovery, Talpa Studios, Keshet, Tiger Aspect, Wild Bunch TV, Red Planet Pictures, Go Quest Media, Eureka Productions, The Ink Factory, Nordisk Film, Reel One Entertainment, Bunya Productions, Beach House Pictures, Beyond, The Global Agency, Esha Bargate Productions, blue Entertainment, Paper Plane Productions, Paprika Studios, Playmaker, Off the Fence, Goalpost Pictures, Spin Master, Stand By Me, Halcyon Studios, DPG Media, Envision, Rive Gauche, Blue Ant Media, Squareone, Great Southern Studios, Collective Media Group, New Dominion Pictures, RAW TV, Optomen, Magpie Pictures, KOJO, ShinAwiL, WildBrain, Nine Daughters, Amazon/MGM Studios, October Films, Legendary Entertainment, Bad Wolf, Mediapro, Bron, Red Arrow.
Also: Aarhus Series Festival, The Wit, Norwegian Film Commission, New Zealand Film Commission, IMDA, MIA, Getty Images, Ottawa Film Office, Simkins, Harbottle & Lewis, Screen Brussels, Sheffield DocFest, FilmChain, Documentary Business, Zero Gravity Management, SXSW, MEA, DOC, Attraction Distribution, Kaplan Stahler Agency, Passion Distribution, Audible, Screen Queensland, Canada Media Fund, My Smash Media, Artists First, Grey Seal Media, Screenforce Finland, BAFTA, IMAX.
INSIGHTS
Range Studios Sees Breakout Year After Automatik Merger
Two years after merging with Automatik during the dual Hollywood strikes, Range Media Partners’ film division has hit its stride. In 2024, A Complete Unknown became a breakout hit, grossing $140 million worldwide and earning eight Oscar nominations, marking a milestone year for the growing Range Studios banner. Read More
'Younger' Dominates US Comedy Streaming Rankings on Netflix
Darren Star’s Younger became a breakout hit on Netflix in early 2025, with all seven seasons landing in the US Top 10 most-watched half-hour comedies from January to May. Season 1 ranked #3 with 2.4B views, while the others placed between #5 and #10. The series, which originally aired on TV Land in 2015, surged in popularity after debuting on Netflix nearly a decade later. Read More
ITV Daytime Shows Reportedly Moving to Former Hospital Club in London
ITV Daytime is reportedly relocating production of Lorraine, This Morning, and Loose Women to The Hospital in Covent Garden, London, according to The Sun. The move, part of ITV's cost-cutting strategy, shifts production away from BBC Studioworks' Television Centre. ITV has not confirmed the report, but it previously announced its daytime shows would move to a new central London location, with GMB relocating to ITN on Gray’s Inn Road. Read More
Ealing Studios Set for £20m Revamp to Reclaim Industry Spotlight
Co-owner Barnaby Thompson, who first filmed at Ealing Studios in 1997 during Spice World, is now leading a £20m redevelopment of the historic west London site. Founded in 1902 and famed as the world’s oldest continuously operating film studio, Ealing is undergoing its biggest transformation in 80 years, as Thompson seeks to modernise the beloved location and reassert its place in the global film industry. Read More
VFX Veteran Ed Ulbrich Reflects on Loss of Artistry in the Digital Age
Ed Ulbrich, whose credits span Titanic to Top Gun: Maverick, laments how modern visual effects have shifted from hands-on creativity to impersonal, large-scale production. He recalls the early days of VFX, when he collaborated directly with directors and shaped scenes in real time, finding it more fulfilling. Today's globalised, industrialised pipelines, he says, feel like factory work, far from what drew him to the craft. Read More
Anthony Ramos Embraces His First Villain Role in Marvel’s Ironheart
After rising from Hamilton to Hollywood, Anthony Ramos steps into darker territory as the Hood in Marvel’s Ironheart. Known for roles in In the Heights and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Ramos tells The Hollywood Reporter this marks his first true villain role. He also teases upcoming collaborations with Ryan Murphy and Kathryn Bigelow while reflecting on his musical theatre roots and hopes of returning to Broadway. Read More
Judge Rules AI Can Use Copyrighted Books for Training Under Fair Use
A California federal judge ruled on Tuesday that Anthropic, the maker of the Claude AI chatbot, can legally train its models using copyrighted books under the fair use law. The court found Claude’s outputs were “exceedingly transformative.” However, Anthropic still faces a separate trial over alleged piracy involving millions of copyrighted works. Read More
How Indie Theatre Shapes “The Tonight Show’s” Creative Spark
"The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" thrives on a blend of planned precision and last-minute chaos. With fast turnarounds and a need to stay topical, its success depends on the theatre kid energy of its team, especially its two production designers, whose indie theatre roots bring fast, flexible creativity to the ever-changing late-night landscape. Read More
ViX Poised to Become Fastest-Growing Streamer in the Americas
Spanish-language streaming platform ViX, owned by TelevisaUnivision, is on track to be the fastest-growing subscription service in the Americas in 2025, according to Ampere Analysis. The platform is expected to grow its subscriber base by 18%, reaching 10.5 million paying users across the US, Central, and South America—excluding Canada. Read More
Danny Boyle Shot '28 Years Later' on iPhone Despite $75M Budget
Danny Boyle returned to the "28 Days Later" franchise with 28 Years Later, this time backed by a $75 million budget. Yet, he and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle chose to shoot parts of the film on an iPhone, echoing the raw, urgent style of the original. They told IndieWire the choice was intentional to match the energy and tone that defined the 2002 classic. Read More
Indie Studios Rewrite the Rules of TV Deals
Indie studios like A24, Fifth Season, and Media Res are now driving some of TV’s biggest hits and reshaping dealmaking in the process. With more flexible backend terms, faster turnaround times, and a human lens approach, these studios are attracting top talent and redefining what’s possible outside the traditional studio system. Read More
Jessie Hughes Champions GenAI as a Creative Superpower for Screen Storytelling
Jessie Hughes, Senior Creative Technologist at Leonardo.Ai, sees generative AI not as a threat but as a creative amplifier, especially for emerging talent and the Australian screen sector. With a background spanning Sundance to Cannes, Hughes believes GenAI democratises access to tools once limited by budget or technical skill, enabling artists to visualise complex ideas faster and more affordably. Her message to creatives? Don’t fear the tech. Shape it.
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