TV, Film & Media Industry News Roundup, Weekend 8-9 June 2024

TBI closes; Daytime Emmys winners; Netflix sued; Big Tech defends AI; Skydance deal; 'The Acolyte' hits 4.8M views; Brady roast tops Netflix; New anime studio; Viz one-shots; Seriesmakers expands.

Today’s Highlights:

• Television Business International (TBI) to Close After 35 YearsTBI ceases publication after over three decades.

• Daytime Emmys 2024 Full Winners ListThe 51st Daytime Emmy Awards announced its winners on June 7, including major daytime drama and acting categories.

• 'Baby Reindeer's' Alleged 'Real Martha' Sues NetflixThe real-life inspiration behind 'Baby Reindeer' sues Netflix for $170 million, demanding damages.

• Big Tech Launches Campaign to Defend AI UseThe Chamber of Progress launched the "Generate and Create" campaign to highlight AI's benefits in art production.

• Paramount's Shari Redstone Juggling Skydance DealParamount Global's shares dip amid uncertainty over Skydance's latest offer, and the company is awaiting a decision from Shari Redstone.

• 'The Acolyte' Reaches 4.8 Million Views on Disney+Disney+'s new Star Wars series, "The Acolyte," achieved the most significant series premiere of 2024 with 4.8 million views.

• Streaming Ratings: Tom Brady Roast Tops Netflix Tom Brady's roast becomes Netflix's most-watched one-off special.

• La Chouette Compagnie Launches 2D Anime StudioLa Chouette Compagnie establishes Chouette Studio, with projects for Disney+ and ADN.

• Viz Media Adds One-Shots, Bite-Sized MangaViz Media launches a new collection of one-shot manga series from emerging creators.

• Series Mania, Beta Group Expand Seriesmakers ProgramSeriesmakers opens its selection to box office hit directors and less-known filmmakers, promoting broader participation.

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NEWS

Television Business International (TBI) to close after 35 years

After more than 35 years of publication, Television Business International (TBI) is to close and will stop publishing new content from today.

From: TBI

Daytime Emmys 2024 Full Winners List

Night one of the 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be live on Friday, June 7, starting at 8 p.m. ET at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. Major awards passed on Friday include daytime drama series, daytime talk series, entertainment news series, daytime talk series host, and the major daytime acting categories.

From: Variety

‘Baby Reindeer’s’ Alleged ‘Real Martha’ Sues Netflix, Demanding at Least $170 Million in Damages

Netflix rep: 'We intend to defend this matter vigorously and to stand by Richard Gadd's right to tell his story.'

From: Variety

Big Tech Launches Campaign to Defend AI Use

Chamber of Progress, in a campaign called "Generate and Create," says it will showcase "how AI lowers barriers for producing art."

From: The Hollywood Reporter

Lois Patiño, Belén Funes, and Pablo Hernando Make the Cut at Madrid Film School’s First Co-Pro Showcase ECAM Forum

Tagged as the new co-production showcase “like all those European markets but hotter,” ECAM Forum, launched by Madrid Film School ECAM, has unveiled the first ten projects in development and eight in post-production, to be pitched to international decision-makers between June 10 and 13 in the Spanish capital.

From: Variety

Paramount’s Shari Redstone Juggling Skydance, Other Suitors As Deal Saga Continues

Shares of Paramount Global edged lower Thursday, day three in the red, amid lingering uncertainty around Skydance’s latest offer. With more significant than anticipated sweeteners for Class B shareholders, it was approved by Par’s special board committee and sent on to controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, but no announcement was forthcoming.

From: Deadline

‘The Acolyte’ Reaches 4.8 Million Views in One Day, Biggest Disney+ Launch of 2024

“The Acolyte,” Disney+‘s newest Star Wars series, reached 4.8 million views on its first day of availability. According to Disney, this marks the streamer’s most significant series premiere of 2024.

From: Variety

Streaming Ratings: Tom Brady Roast Charges to Overall No. 1

The show draws Netflix's largest-ever weekly viewing total for a one-off special.

From: The Hollywood Reporter

Series Mania, Beta Group Open Up Seriesmakers to Directors of Box Office Hits, Lesser Known Filmmakers

Seriesmakers, twinning Series Mania, Europe’s most prominent TV fest, and European film-TV powerhouse Beta Group, is opening up its selection criteria to embrace directors of box office smashes or hits at festivals beyond “A” list events.

From: Variety

La Chouette Compagnie Launches 2D Anime Studio

La Chouette Compagnie, celebrating its tenth anniversary, has set up Chouette Studio, dedicated to 2D animation. Co-founded with Charles Lefebvre, director and artistic director at La Chouette Compagnie, the studio’s first productions include Dragon Striker for Disney+ and Dreamland for ADN.

From: TV Kids

Viz Media Adds One-Shots, Bite-Sized Manga and Creator Training Program

Viz Media, a leading manga and anime platform, is launching One-Shots, a collection of bite-sized Japanese comic (manga) series that flow from the pens of new creators.

From: Variety

TV Biopic ‘Fortún’ by ‘Skam’ Spain Writer Among Seven Hot TV Projects to Watch at Madrid’s ECAM Forum

Seven hot Spanish TV projects in early development will debut at the inaugural ECAM Forum co-production market, unspooling June 10-14 in Madrid.

From: Variety

INSIGHTS

How ‘King Kong’ Sparked Long Trek Of ‘Run Lola Run’s Franka Potente: The Film That Lit My Fuse

Has it really been 25 years since Franka Potente burst onto the scene as the flame-haired heroine in Run Lola Run? Sony Pictures Classics christened today’s quarter-century anniversary, re-released in theatres the Tom Tykwer-directed thriller, remastered in 4K.

From: Variety

VISMANIMATION’s Lucia Vismara On Brand Partnerships

Positioned as an independent consultancy firm, VISMANIMATION launched several months ago to foster the production and distribution of high-quality animation and social impact-driven content. Founder Lucia Vismara, in charge of content development and international business, talks about offering flexible services and tailor-made solutions in production, financing, distribution and brand development and shares the values underpinning VISMANIMATION’s work.

From: TV Kids

CBS Chief George Cheeks Talks Paramount Global Uncertainty, Traction for ‘Tracker’ and the Future of Broadcast TV

'At the end of the day, what we are is a hit-making content machine,' the CEO tells Variety's FYC Fest.

From: Variety

It Starts On The Page: Read ‘Under The Bridge’ Finale Script “Mercy Alone” By Samir Mehta

In Hulu‘s adaptation of the late Rebecca Godfrey’s true crime page-turner from 2005, Riley Keough plays the author who, along with a local police officer (Lily Gladstone), uncovers the mystery behind the death of Reena Kirk – a 14-year-old misfit who disappears after attending a party with kids who she thought were her friends.

From: Deadline & Read the Script

A Hollywood trailblazer, a gaming visionary, a horror genius ...

Los Angeles is in constant flux. Arranged into six categories, L.A. Influential presents people of all ages, backgrounds and fields who are making a difference.

From: Los Angeles Times

Madrid Co-Pro Market ECAM Forum Awaits 300+ Delegates: ’We’re Experiencing a Post-Cannes Effect,’ Says Head Alberto Valverde 

Programmers from Sundance, Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, Toronto, and Rotterdam, sales agents such as Goodfellas and Coproduction Office and U.S. distributor Magnify Pictures are among 50 top international guests expected at the inaugural ECAM Forum co-production market in Madrid, which is due to unspool June 10-14.

From: Variety

’Samsara’ Director Lois Patiño on His Playful Shakespearian Pic ‘Ariel’, Backed by RTP in Portugal, TVG Galicia

Lois Patiño, one of the leading lights of the New Galician Cinema in Spain, is putting the final touches to “Ariel,” the highly anticipated follow-up to his critically acclaimed feature ”Samsara”, which has secured distribution in more than a dozen territories and won a Special Jury Prize at the Berlinale Encounters 2023.

From: Variety

How ‘Neighbours’ Came Back From the Dead: Inside the Cult Australian Soap’s Remarkable Journey From Emotional Farewell to the Emmys

In June 2022, Jason Herbison was on set shooting what was to be the 8,903rd—and final—episode of “Neighbours,” an experience he admits was “very, very emotional.” The cult Australian soap opera—a show he started writing for after leaving high school in 1990 and came to oversee as its top executive producer—was coming to a tearful end.

From: Variety

Richard Linklater on Why ‘Hit Man’ Went to Netflix: Studios Have Given Up on Movies for Adults

"Hit Man" streaming on Netflix is another example of how scared studios have become.

From: IndieWire

‘The Shallow Tale’ Director on Casting Steve Buscemi as a Serial Killer — Who Is Also a Marriage Counselor — in Tribeca Dark Comedy

Turkish director Tolga Karaçelik, who made a splash in the U.S. with the absurdist comedy “Butterflies,” is getting ready to premiere his first English-language film, “The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer,” in which Steve Buscemi plays the offbeat serial killer in question.

From: Variety

Do Trigger Warnings Need Spoiler Alerts?

As content advisories become popular, Hollywood tries to find a balance between ruining plot twists and helping viewers avoid trauma

From: Variety

Elizabeth Debicki & Emma Corrin — Actors on Actors (Full Conversation)

Emma Corrin and Elizabeth Debicki’s road to “The Crown” began with failed auditions. Each performer was up for a guest part in the Netflix series’ early seasons; both ended up playing Princess Diana at different ages. Corrin was Emmy-nominated for portraying the newlywed and then increasingly disillusioned princess in Season 4.

From: Variety

Banff Boss Brings It On

At the exclusive Rocky Mountains retreat, Jenn Kuzmyk talks about post-strike doldrums, AI dangers, and other entertainment industry challenges.

From: The Hollywood Reporter

Nina Hahn On Navigating Industry Upheaval

Industry veteran Nina Hahn shared her thoughts on the direction of the kids’ media business and how producers and distributors should navigate the new landscape at the TV Kids Summer Festival.

From: TV Kids

Lily Gladstone Had Three Requirements Before Agreeing to Play an Indigenous Woman Cop in ‘Under the Bridge’: ‘It’s Almost the Only Role We Get to See’ 

There aren’t enough Native women on TV. But when they do get hired, they’re often playing cops.

From: Variety

‘I Used to Be Funny’ Director Ally Pankiw Wanted to Capture the ‘Weird’ and Joyful ‘Nightmare’ of Being a Young Woman

In "Black Mirror" alum Pankiw's feature debut, Rachel Sennott stars as a traumatised stand-up comic.

From: IndieWire

How ‘Bad Actor’ Documentary Unpacked a Notorious Hollywood Ponzi Scheme While Pulling Off Its Own Deception

Just how easy is it to get duped? It’s the central question of “Bad Actor: A Hollywood Ponzi Scheme,” a documentary that premieres this week at Tribeca Festival and details aspiring movie star Zach Avery (aka Horwitz) who defrauded investors of out $227 million and pulled off the entertainment industry’s biggest Ponzi scheme.

From: Variety

‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ Directors Adil and Bilall Talk Jerry Bruckheimer’s Unwavering Support and Being ‘Better Call Saul’ Fanboys

The duo, which rose again after the cancellation of 'Batgirl,' also confirmed the Marvel homage they paid to the film: "When Kevin Feige watches that scene, we hope he sees that little nod that we did to him.”

From: The Hollywood Reporter

Breaking Baz: ‘Expats’ Star Ji-Young Yoo On Her Career And Being “Happy” To Be Thrown In “Deep End” Shooting With Lulu Wang & Nicole Kidman

Ji-young Yoo says she was thrown in at “the deep end of things“ when she shot Prime Video‘s limited series Expats, playing the central figure of Mercy, a character around whom everyone else orbits.

From: Deadline

Making a Scene: John Wilson on Blowing Up a Car in ‘How To’ and Steven Soderbergh’s Thoughts on The Cheesecake Factory

After three seasons, John Wilson is tired of people questioning the integrity of “How To With John Wilson.” However, when you spend 18 episodes curating the most unbelievable New York oddities and storylines while sending crews out to film “houses that look like faces” or a “bunch of bottles of urine discarded on the sidewalk” (which are actually pretty easy to find in the city), the public can’t help but wonder if the subjects of his docuseries on HBO are really… real.

From: Variety

Alex Gibney and Sebastian Junger Weigh in on Doc World Controversy About Death of Afghan Man That Appeared in NatGeo’s ‘Retrograde’

The ethics of documentary filmmaking is not a new topic of debate, but after last month’s Washington Post article about an Afghan man allegedly murdered by the Taliban as a consequence of his participation in Matthew Heineman’s Oscar-shortlisted 2022 documentary “Retrograde,” the discussion around the moral responsibility of nonfiction filmmakers has once again heated up.

From: Variety

The 9/11 Documentary You’ll Never See

'We Go Higher' was supposed to give a much-needed voice to the children of 9/11 victims. Now, its high-profile producer is dealing with claims of financial fraud and emotional manipulation, and the much-anticipated film will likely never come out. What went wrong?

From: The Hollywood Reporter

‘Monarch’ Team Breaks Down the Complexities of Bringing Godzilla to Apple TV+ | Collaborators

Translating the big-screen terror and wonder of the “Godzilla” franchise into a TV series was no easy task, but the team behind Apple TV+’s “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” was up to the challenge. As they put the series together, they learned collaboration across all departments would be vital to nailing the drama series and convincing Apple that a monster show was a fit for their brand.

Directors on Directors: Viggo Mortensen & Jane Campion – The Dead Don’t Hurt

Filmmaker Jane Campion has a conversation with Viggo Mortensen about his film The Dead Don't Hurt, which is in theatres now from Shout! Studios. Mortensen directs, writes, scores, and stars in the film alongside Vicky Krieps and Danny Huston. The two filmmakers go in depth in this intelligent but down-to-earth look at the filmmaking process.

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