Film and TV Briefing: Friday 31 October 2025
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
Sky's original film division moves to concentrate on acquisitions (ScreenDaily)
Paramount signs 10-year lease, joining Netflix in New Jersey (IndieWire)
ITV's share price fell 10% as Liberty Global sells up part of its holding (Broadcast)
Johnny Depp has been confirmed for Ti West's film ‘Ebeneezer: A Christmas Carole' (IndieWire)
Actress Prunella Scales who starred in ‘Fawlty Towers’ has died aged 93 (BBC)
Kathryn Bigelow addressed Pentagon criticism of her Netflix show ‘A House of Dynamite' (The Guardian)
‘One Battle After Another' is set to lose $100m due to its oversized budget (Variety)
Peacock announces its 2025 Q3 figures, with a $217m loss (The Hollywood Reporter)
Disney acquires a 70% stake in new company merging Hulu + Live TV with Fubo (Variety)
Australian box office is dominated by Indian films, rather than local films (ScreenDaily)
Artists still face uncertainty after Arts Council England’s grant processing platform crashed (The Guardian)
Why Disney didn't renew Doctor Who (Deadline)
Paramount makes substantial staff layoffs (ScreenDaily)
BBC Doctor Who Christmas special confirmed for 2026 (BBC)
Features and commentary
Oscar-winning film producer David Parfitt speak about his life in film (ScreenSkills)
A first look at Morgan Neville's new documentary about Paul McCartney (IndieWire)
Variety celebrates the power of women in LA (Variety)
Why did Taylor Sheridan move his deal from Paramount to NBCUniversal (The Hollywood Reporter)
Industry announcements
BFI grants funds to the Creative Diversity Network and Design Otherwise CIC (BFI)
A reminder of the changes from tax reliefs to AVEC, and how to claim (PACT)
2025 festivals and markets dates (ScreenDaily)
Legal updates
Steve Coogan and Pathé agree to settle and pay damages over character portrayal in 'The Lost King' (Deadline)
Disney & YouTube have a settled dispute over the hiring of Justin Connelly (Deadline)
