TV, Film & Media Industry News Roundup, wednesday 26 June 2024

Netflix partners with Sami Institute; Disney tops TV; Paramount cuts $500M; 'Supacell' praised; LA exodus; Freely's potential; Hot Docs struggles; Conecta Fiction insights; Kore-eda honoured.

Today’s Highlights:

• International Sami Film Institute Partners with Netflix: The Sami Producers Lab seeks emerging and mid-career film producers.

• 'Indera' to Open Malaysia Film Festival: Hirokazu Kore-eda will receive the honour and Hong Kong features will close the festival.

• Disney Maintains Top TV Distributor Spot in May: Disney leads TV viewing with 11.4%, followed by YouTube and NBCUniversal.

• Hot Docs Fest Financial Struggles: The festival cuts its board of directors and temporarily closes its cinema due to financial issues.

• Paramount Cuts $500M in Costs: Co-CEOs announce asset sales to reduce debt after profit drops.

• Netflix's New Culture Memo: Co-CEO Greg Peters discusses ads, AI, and future plans.

• Conecta Fiction Focuses on TV Industry Challenges: The forum in Toledo addresses co-production and industry complexities.

• Netflix's All-Black Sci-Fi Series' Supacell': Rapman praises the groundbreaking series about Londoners with superpowers.

• Hollywood Workers Leaving Los Angeles: Rising housing costs and fewer opportunities drive workers away.

• Evan Shapiro on Freely's Potential: Shapiro believes the streaming platform could save the UK's public service broadcaster sector.

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NEWS

International Sami Film Institute partners with Netflix for producers lab

Sami Producers Lab is looking for emerging and mid-career film producers.

From: Screen Daily

‘Indera’ to open Malaysia film festival, Hirokazu Kore-eda to receive honour

Two Hong Kong features, Ho Miu Ki’s Love Lies and Nick Cheung’s Peg O’ My Heart, close the festival.

From: Screen Daily

Disney Maintains Top Spot as TV Distributor in May

According to Nielsen's second Media Distributor Gauge, Disney retained the top spot for TV viewing in May, with 11.4% of all TV use. This includes ABC, ESPN, FX, Hulu, and Disney+ viewing. YouTube remained in second place with 9.7%, followed by NBCUniversal (9%), Paramount (8.8%), and Warner Bros. Discovery (8.1%). Fox increased its share to 6.4%, driven by Tubi and Fox News viewing.

From: The Hollywood Reporter

Hot Docs Fest Financial Struggles Lead to Board of Directors Cuts

Due to financial distress, the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival has significantly reduced its board of directors. At a June 18 meeting, the board agreed to cut down from 14 to three members. The remaining board members, Nicholas de Pencier, Kevin Wong, and Lydia Luckevich, will navigate the financial challenges ahead. This cost-cutting includes a temporary summer closure of the Hot Docs Cinema and a review of the board’s structure and governance.

From: The Hollywood Reporter

Paramount Chiefs to Staff: We’re Cutting $500M in Costs After “Unacceptable” Profit Drops

The trio of co-CEOs told employees at a town hall Tuesday that bankers have been hired to sell unspecified assets "to help pay down debt and strengthen our balance sheet."

From: The Hollywood Reporter

INSIGHTS

Netflix’s Greg Peters on a new culture memo and where ads, AI, and games fit in

The co-CEO who replaced co-founder Reed Hastings details the company’s new culture memo, ad ambitions, and what’s next for Netflix.

From: The Verge

Conecta Fiction: More Co-Production, Cost Contention and the ‘Severely Overstated’ Death of Peak TV

The eighth edition of Spain’s Conecta Fiction & Entertainment, a leading TV development and production forum, took place in the historic city of Toledo from June 18-21. Toledo, famous for its grand Catedral, imposing Alcázar castle, and winding old quarter streets, is steeped in history. However, Conecta Fiction focused on the contemporary complexities of the international TV industry.

From: Variety

Rapman on Netflix’s ‘Groundbreaking’ All-Black Sci-Fi Series ‘Supacell’: ‘I Couldn’t Believe They Were Actually Going to Let Me Make It’

Netflix’s “Supacell” is unlike anything seen before. It's a six-part British sci-fi series featuring an all-Black cast, centred around a group of ordinary Londoners who suddenly discover they have superpowers.

From: Variety

Hollywood’s exodus: Why film and TV workers are leaving Los Angeles

Los Angeles has long been a magnet for those chasing their big break in film and TV, drawn by the allure of creative fulfilment and fame. But conversations about a growing exodus are getting louder as escalating housing costs and dwindling career opportunities push many to pursue their dreams elsewhere.

From: Los Angeles Times

Evan Shapiro praises Freely as UK PSB leaders gather to mark service’s launch

Media commentator Evan Shapiro believes the streaming platform Freely could help save the UK’s public service broadcaster (PSB) sector. This claim comes as the country’s PSB leaders gathered to mark the service's launch yesterday. Producer, professor, and 'media cartographer' Shapiro has long predicted the imminent demise of linear TV as audiences shift en masse to digital platforms.

From: C21

Six of the Best: Nicole Amarteifio

The creator of "An African City" shares how six television series inspired her screenwriting career and underscored the importance of representation on screen.

From: Drama Quarterly

Are 200 Million Streaming Subscribers Enough to Survive? Perhaps Not Anymore

Only Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ may make it.

From: IndieWire

Video: The Zweiflers’ David Hadda, Saffron Coomber & Aaron Altaras

The six-part drama "The Zweiflers," presented by ZDF Studios, follows a dysfunctional extended Jewish family in Germany. As patriarch Symcha Zweifler prepares to sell his delicatessen empire, he faces his past in Frankfurt’s red-light district, forcing the family to confront long-buried conflicts.

From: TV Drama

“To use AI in a critical and innovative way, then why not?”: FIDMarseille heads on tackling the significant issues

FIDMarseille festival director Tsveta Dobreva and artistic director Cyril Neyrat discuss this year’s festival.

From: Screen Daily

How Eva Longoria Crafted Her Ideal TV Comeback With ‘Land of Women’

The actress and series co-creator Ramón Campos talks about bringing the essence of “Desperate Housewives” into the bilingual Apple TV+ dramedy.

From: The Wrap

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