Film and TV Briefing: Friday 1 March 2024
Welcome to this week’s round-up of news, commentary and industry announcements that you may have missed from the past week.
If you are looking for advice in relation to any of the issues mentioned, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
In the news
Disney set to merge with failing Indian streaming business in a deal worth $8.6bn (BBC)
BBC apologises over the way the Huw Edwards complaint was handled (BBC)
What impact will OpenAI’s Sora have on the filmmaking industry? (IndieWire)
Mary Poppins film age classification raised from a U to a PG over ‘discriminatory language’ (BBC)
Netflix expected to raise streaming prices in 2024 (Variety)
Warner Bros. Discovery no longer looking to merge with Paramount Global (IndieWire)
SAG-AFTRA issues guidelines on intimacy coordinators speaking publicly about actors (IndieWire)
New Disney+ show ‘Iwájú’ delights critics as Disney collaborates with Kugali (BBC)
Paramount set to release a Robbie Williams biopic ‘Better Man’ over Christmas (Screen Daily)
BBC outlines non-editorial complaints procedure after Huw Edwards case criticism (Broadcast)
F1’s Liberty Media sees profit growth with increased interest in acquiring worldwide media rights for races (The Hollywood Reporter)
Curb Your Enthusiam's Richard Lewis dies (BBC)
Features and commentary
What do the SAG Awards tell us in the lead up to the Oscars? (The Hollywood Reporter)
Bradley Cooper on his Netflix biopic, ‘Maestro’ (The Hollywood Reporter)
Studio chief Tom Rothman on Sony’s four-movie Beatles bet (The Hollywood Reporter)
Pact’s Deputy CEO Max Rumney on AI in production (Pact)
Industry announcements
Dan Lin to replace Scott Stuber as head of film at Netflix (Screen Daily)
Pact boss urges Ofcom to clarify the C4 N&R quotas (Broadcast)
Resources
Full list of SAG Award winners 2024 (BBC)
Full list of Spirit Awards winners 2024 (The Hollywood Reporter)
Together TV launches the 2024 Diverse Film Fund (Pact)
Legal updates
Berlin Film Festival files criminal charges after hacking led to antisemitic messages being posted (Variety)
Amazon denies it used AI to complete ‘Road House’ as the original film’s screenwriter files copyright lawsuit (Screen Daily)
