TV, Film & Media Industry International News Roundup, Wednesday 2 October 2024

Ireland boosts film incentives, CAA sues Range, Apple updates Podcasts, Disney+ debuts Spanish series, Hollywood clashes over AI, Ryan Murphy's hits, UK film woes, FRAPA's future.

Today’s Highlights:

• Ireland Introduces 8% Tax Incentive Uplift for Local Film Productions—Pending EU approval, Ireland plans to increase its film tax incentive by 8%, aiming to support local films with budgets up to €20m.

• CAA Sues Range Media Partners - CAA has filed a lawsuit against Range Media Partners, accusing them of theft and deceit.

• Spot of Bother Series Adaptation - Prime Video will debut Blind Spot in the Nordics, based on Norwegian author Anne Holt's detective novel 1222.

• Apple Podcasts App Update - Apple is enhancing its Podcasts app with a new "Series" category and Top Series chart, focusing on narrative-driven shows.

• FRAPA's 25th Anniversary - Phil Gurin discusses FRAPA's future amid AI's influence on TV and the challenges of keeping younger audiences engaged.

• Calliope Networks and AI Training Data—Calliope Networks launches "License to Scrape" to help YouTube creators earn money from AI data scraping.

• UK Film Industry Concern Over Indie Financing—A report reveals funding struggles for UK indie films and calls for better alignment with market demand.

• Disney+ Spain Launches' Regreso a Las Sabinas' - Disney+ is launching its first daily Spanish streaming series, Regreso a Las Sabinas.

• Hollywood and Big Tech Clash Over AI Deals—Tensions are rising between Hollywood and Big Tech over AI use, with Meta licensing celebrity voices for chatbots and Lionsgate partnering with Runway for AI video models.

• Ryan Murphy's Success with Multiple Hit Series—In a short span, Ryan Murphy has launched six new hit shows, solidifying his dominance in the TV industry.

Plus: News, Insights, Executive Moves, Festivals & Markets, In Development, Deals and Jobs with Prime, BBC, Sky, ITV, Fox, Sony, WBD, Netflix & UGC.

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NEWS

Ireland Introduces 8% Tax Incentive Uplift for Lower-Budget Local Film Productions

Ireland is set to receive an 8% increase in its film tax incentive to support local feature films with Irish creative talent and budgets up to €20m. This uplift aims to help smaller projects and is pending European Union state aid approval. The current incentive offers a 32% tax break on eligible expenditure up to €125m for Irish resident or branch-based production companies. Read More.

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CAA Sues Range Media Partners for Alleged Theft of Confidential Material

CAA has taken Range Media Partners to court, alleging theft and deceit after cancelling equity for agents who formed the management company in 2020. In a lawsuit filed on September 30 in Los Angeles, CAA claims Range is an "unlicensed talent agency built on deceit," accusing Peter Micelli, a former CAA agent, and four CAA leaders of secretly working to benefit Range while harming CAA. Read More.

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INSIGHTS

Spot of Bother

Norwegian author Anne Holt’s detective Hanne Wilhelmsen is set to appear on screen in Blind Spot, a murder mystery at an isolated mountain hotel. Adapted from the novel 1222, Ida Engvoll stars as Hanne, who investigates a series of murders after an avalanche strands travellers. Despite her suspension from the police, Hanne uncovers the truth with the help of a doctor, played by Pål Sverre Hagen. The series debuts next year on Prime Video in the Nordics. Read More.

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Mark Gatiss Talks Expanding 'The Ghost Stories' Franchise

Despite a slowdown in the U.K.'s scripted sector, Mark Gatiss remains active with multiple projects. He stars in Moonflower Murders and wrote the upcoming UKTV original Bookish, set for 2025. Along with frequent stage work, Gatiss will return to the Mission Impossible franchise in 2025 and is working on a new instalment of A Ghost Story for Christmas. APT Syndication and BBC Studios offer all six Ghost Stories instalments to U.S. public television stations. Read More.

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Apple Updates Podcast App with Focus on Series-Driven Shows

Apple is updating its Podcasts app to focus on narrative-driven series, introducing a new "Series" category and a Top Series chart featuring the top 100 serialised podcasts. Additionally, Apple Podcasts will launch Series Essentials, highlighting one podcast selected by its editors monthly. Ben Cave, Apple’s global head of Podcasts, emphasized the innovative nature of series-driven podcasts, noting their lasting impact, creativity, and talent across genres like true crime, business, and fiction. Read More.

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Phil Gurin Reflects on FRAPA’s 25th Anniversary and Future Goals

Phil Gurin, president of The Gurin Company and co-chairman of FRAPA, reflects on the organization's 25th anniversary and its future amid rapid technological changes. As artificial intelligence influences TV and economic pressures affect producers and broadcasters, Gurin highlights FRAPA's ongoing efforts to support TV format creators. He also discusses the challenges ahead as younger viewers move away from traditional TV and AI reshapes the industry. Read More.

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Startup Aims to Help YouTube Creators Earn from AI Training Data

AI companies have been using YouTube videos and content for training without permission, but Calliope Networks aims to change that with its "License to Scrape" program, targeting YouTube creators. CEO Dave Davis, formerly of the Motion Picture Licensing Corporation, seeks to make AI data scraping legal and straightforward by negotiating licenses with groups of creators. This approach contrasts with platforms like Reddit, and Davis believes the industry will shift from unauthorized scraping to licensed use, supported by Calliope's involvement in the Datasets Providers Alliance. Read More.

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UK Film Industry Reacts to Stark Indie Financing Report

The UK film industry has expressed concern following a report on independent film financing. Industry insiders highlight insufficient focus on market demand, with many indie projects struggling to secure funding or find an audience. The report reveals a disconnect between creative ambitions and commercial viability, calling for better alignment with market trends to ensure sustainability for independent filmmakers. Read More.

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Inside ‘Secret of Pearls’: A New Tale of Suspense

In the Turkish drama Secret of Pearls, Azem, a once-beloved literature teacher, is wrongly imprisoned for his wife’s murder. Produced by BKM for Kanal D and sold globally by Kanal D International, the series explores love, sacrifice, and family bonds. Screenwriter and star Yılmaz Erdoğan delves into the idea of taking the blame for another’s crime and reflects on the fragility of relationships, likening family bonds to a delicate thread holding precious pearls together. Read More.

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Disney+ Spain Launches New Series ‘Return to Las Sabinas’

Disney+ is set to launch Regreso a Las Sabinas, a 70-episode daily melodrama series from Spain, with the first five episodes releasing on October 11 and the rest airing Monday to Friday starting October 14. Sofia Fábregas, VP of original production at Disney+ Spain, highlighted the show's ambitious nature as the first daily streaming series made in Spain. The production took over two years, reflecting Disney's commitment to engaging audiences with high-quality content. Read More.

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Hollywood and Big Tech Clash Over AI Deal Amid Talent and Studio Tensions

Meta licensed the voices of stars like Awkwafina, John Cena, and Dame Judi Dench for its AI chatbots in the past two weeks. Lionsgate partnered with AI startup Runway to create a proprietary video model using its IP library. Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed the Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act, highlighting concerns over AI’s impact on Hollywood. As AI startups raise billions, industry insiders foresee growing challenges in protecting intellectual property and compensating talent. Read More.

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Louis Theroux Launches New Interview Podcast on Spotify

Louis Theroux admits that recording podcasts feels more intimidating than filming in prisons or mental hospitals. The British documentarian, known for his investigative interviews with society’s fringes, has focused on podcasting. In its third season on Spotify, The Louis Theroux Podcast has featured A-list guests like Paul Mescal, Shania Twain, Baz Luhrmann, and Sharon Stone. Despite his experience with intense subjects, Theroux finds the podcasting environment demands a higher level of preparation. Read More.

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Ryan Murphy Thrilled by the success of his Hit Series

Ryan Murphy made history by launching six hit shows across various platforms in 10 days. His new projects include American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez on FX, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story on Netflix, Grotesquerie on FX, Doctor Odyssey on ABC, and returning series 911 on ABC and 911: Lone Star on Fox. All debuted at No. 1 on their respective platforms, with Monsters staying atop Netflix’s global TV charts for two weeks and Doctor Odyssey becoming ABC’s most-watched drama premiere since 2020. Read More.