Showbiz Sandbox 570: The Realistic Future of a Mature Netflix

January 26, 2022

When Netflix was just shy of meeting its estimated new subscriber growth during the last financial quarter it faced immediate repercussions as its stock price plummeted over 20% in a single day. We explain why Netflix is not suddenly a failing company, it’s just one in a mature market of its own making. Even so, Netflix’s sudden deflation has given Hollywood’s media giants cause for concern, since most of them followed the company’s lead by launching their own streaming services.

Meanwhile the Sundance Film Festival, which usually takes place in Utah each January was forced by COVID forced to go virtual for the second year in a row. However, even remotely, the festival remains one of the premiere launching pads for independent film and, at the halfway point, we’ll tell you what titles are generating all the buzz.

Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including Microsoft’s big video game acquisition, YouTube stops paying for original content and Adele postpones her Las Vegas residency.

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Showbiz Sandbox 324: Can These 100 People Fix The Academy’s Diversity Problem?

June 6, 2016

After the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences failed to recognize the work of minority actors and filmmakers for the second year in a row, the organization promised to double the number of minorities within the next four years. The Los Angeles Times has taken matters into their own hands by suggesting 100 industry professionals that could make the Academy more diverse. Tre’vell Anderson, the staff writer who oversaw the project, joins us to explain how the list was compiled and what the response has been.

Meanwhile, rumors are circulating that Disney has scheduled four weeks of reshoots for the Star Wars spin-off “Rogue One”. There is some speculation that Disney felt the film was too dark, however it could just be the standard reshoots multi-million dollar blockbusters often go through.

Sony made some revisions of their own last week to their senior executive ranks. Specifically the heads of both the motion picture and television groups both announced their departure from the studios. What’s noteworthy about the news is that both had worked at the studio for 25 years.

Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment news including when the Broadway hit “Hamilton” might lose its leading man, Nintendo revamps Pokemon in China and Amazon expands its content offerings in Japan.

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