Showbiz Sandbox 625: SAG-AFTRA Concerns Over AI Are Justified
August 8, 2023
One of the key disputes striking actors are having with the AMPTP (the studios and the streamers) is over artificial intelligence and how it will be used in movies and television shows in the future. What rights will actors have and will they get paid if their image and likeness is used through AI? We look at some of the issues surrounding AI and how it relates to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Meanwhile, talks between the Writers Guild and the AMPTP over their own strike for a new contract resumed last week. Unfortunately it seemed all they talked about was whether they should start talking again. It would help if both sides could agree on what they are arguing about.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why an opera star is suing the Metropolitan Opera, how Lizzo is accused of fat-shaming and the economic impact of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour.
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Showbiz Sandbox 624: Hollywood Is Bungling Its Barbenheimer Momentum
August 2, 2023
The idea of counter-programming the simultaneous global release of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” over the same summer weekend always seemed like a gamble. But somehow Greta Gerwig’s comedy about a popular toy doll and a Christopher Nolan’s biopic of the renowned nuclear physicist wound up becoming a worldwide phenomenon breaking all sorts of box office records over its first two weeks. Now, instead of capitalizing on this success, Hollywood studios are determined to drag out a dual strike with writers and actors which shows no sign of ending anytime soon.
Having joined the Writers Guild of America on the picket lines, SAG-AFTRA continues to make its case in the court of public opinion. Unfortunately, producers (meaning studios, streamers and networks) aren’t ready to start negotiating a compromise.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including country music’s big moment, why Disney CEO Bob Iger called in some former senior executives to consult with the company and how video streaming is hitting new heights.
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Showbiz Sandbox 622: Actors and Writers Agree That AI Ain’t So Smart
July 11, 2023
The Writers Guild of America members have been on strike for over two months now and might soon be joined by the Screen Actors Guild. When it comes to artificial intelligence however both guilds agree; when their members’ work is used to train AI, actors and writers should be paid. Some writers are now taking matters into their own hands and filing lawsuits against companies for training their A.I. models using their work without permission.
Meanwhile, we’ve known how big music streamers have become on a global level, but now the National Music Publishers Association announced it has cracked the code on figuring out how many subscribers each major service has in the United States.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including how a movie that Disney dumped five years ago beat out Indy 5 at the weekend box office, NBCUniversal promotes some senior executives and Elton John finally wraps up his farewell tour after earning $900 million.
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Showbiz Sandbox 621: Summer Box Office Is Much Cooler Than Expected
July 4, 2023
In a year which boasted a bevy of summer blockbusters, moviegoers haven’t been turning up at theaters for some of the more highly anticipated releases. Instead, big budget titles such as “The Little Mermaid,” “Elemental,” “The Flash,” and even “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” among others have all had underwhelming opening weekends. Is depressed movie attendance a temporary trend or is it the new normal?
Meanwhile, when SAG-AFTRA extended their contract negotiations with producers into July Hollywood averted a dual strike with both actors and writers walking picket lines. The ongoing writers strike is already causing studios to shift release dates back by months if not years.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the Academy sets new rules for the Best Picture Oscar, big name directors make their case for the Turner Classic Movies network and Ryan Seacrest takes over as host of “Wheel of Fortune.”
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Showbiz Sandbox 620: This Year’s Tony Awards Were Unscripted, Yet Predictable
June 14, 2023
This 76th annual Tony Awards ceremony was held last weekend honoring the best and brightest Broadway productions from the past year. Although there was no script for host Ariana DeBose to work due to the writer’s strike. But while the telecast may have been refreshingly unscripted, the winners were fairly predictable with “Kimberly Akimbo” winning Best Musical, Tom Stoppard’s “Leopoldstadt” taking home Best Play and “Parade” picking up the Best Musical Revival trophies. The only question now is which shows will turn their Tony wins into box office gold.
Speaking of labor relations in Hollywood, the DGA released some more info on its proposed deal with producers and the reviews are decidedly mixed, especially for helmers who also write. Meanwhile SAG-AFTRA members made it loud and clear that they are ready to strike as well.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the PGA’s controversial move to merge with a competitive golf league, CNN axes its CEO and network shows continue to sink in TV ratings.
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Showbiz Sandbox 591: Live Sports Becomes the Costliest Battle of the Streaming Wars
August 30, 2022
There is no better evidence that the streaming wars are still in full swing than the news that streaming services are accounting for more viewing than cable television for the first time in history. As streaming media companies fight for market share, they have turned to live sports as a means of driving subscriber growth. However, vying with traditional networks for broadcast rights has driven the cost of live sports to record setting levels.
While there might be an audience for live sports, new data shows attendance has fallen by as much as 50% for live performances such as Broadway, opera and classical music concerts. Pop concert tours, on the other hand, have never been more successful, or more expensive.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the reason some movie stars are ditching social media for their own sanity, the second largest movie theater chain in the world may file for bankruptcy and why Mariah Carey should not become the Queen of Christmas.
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Showbiz Sandbox 554: China’s Love Affair With Hollywood May Be Over
September 7, 2021
For years analysts have breathlessly insisted China would become the largest movie market in the very near future. Well, last year after North American movie theatres spent most of 2020 shuttered, China did manage to become the top earner and did so primarily with local content. However, after COVID gave it a win with an asterisk, Patrick von Sychowski, the editor of Celluloid Junkie, discusses why the Chinese box office may stumble as the industry recovers from the pandemic whereas the Indian market is primed to take off.
Despite all the hurdles of getting their movies released in China, Hollywood’s affinity for the Middle Kingdom has hardly waned. The recent record breaking opening of Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” will surely provoke even more interest in chasing the Chinese market.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including another delay for “Top Gun: Maverick,” Kanye West enjoys his tenth number one album and the pop group ABBA reunites after 40 years.
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Showbiz Sandbox 539: What the Roku and YouTube TV Dispute Means For Streamers
May 4, 2021
Roku and YouTube TV are locked in a very public dispute over a distribution agreement. Roku claims YouTube is playing games with its user data, while YouTube says it won’t share its user data with Roku. Now the YouTube TV app has been removed from the Roku channel store and if the fight escalates Roku could block the service entirely. We explain how this dispute could shape how viewers access streaming services in the future.
Meanwhile the Grammys are dumping the nominating committees which made the big decisions on major categories. These secret committees were originally created because the voters at large were missing obvious critical and commercial successes like The Weeknd.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including how SAG-AFTRA is creating a certification for on-set intimacy coordinators, John Mayer will host his own music program and hockey gets a streaming payday.
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Showbiz Sandbox 506: Apple Gets Into An Epic Battle Royale
August 18, 2020
Online gaming allows participants to take part in massive multiplayer battles, but no one ever gets hurt. Well, in real life, Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite is taking on both Apple and Google with an antitrust lawsuit and one of these companies is definitely going to get hurt where it counts most…the bottom line.
Meanwhile, as movie theaters around the world start to re-open after being shut down for months due to the coronavirus pandemic, the box office is sputtering back to life. Even Comscore has started publishing a weekend box office report again. Still, the industry has lost billions of dollars and is far from returning to normal grosses.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including why thousands of actors may lose their health insurance, women are ruling the Billboard music charts and how Warner Music Group is getting a bit more social.
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Showbiz Sandbox 504: Does The Entertainment Industry Need A Government Bailout?
July 29, 2020
Most of the world’s cinemas are closed. Studios are struggling to release films theatrically. Live theatre probably won’t return until at least 2021. Who knows when concerts can safely be held. Likewise, new movies and television shows can’t get made because producers can’t get production insurance. Is it time for governments to help the entertainment business bounce back the same way they help other industries?
Meanwhile, the Emmy nominations provided some good news, at least for HBO and Netflix who racked up a combined 267 nods. In a year where an Emmy ceremony is hardly likely, the major broadcast networks only scored one nomination for a top award. We go take a stab at predicting which shows will score an Emmy this year.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including why TikTok signed a deal with record labels, Drake charts another music industry record and how Universal Music Group profits from local music acts.
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