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☆ Private-equity and VC investors look to sports, AI, and live events as the era of peak TV draws to a close
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

That was a far steeper decline than the overall venture funding market, which declined 38% in 2023, the report said. (The report was based on data from Crunchbase, which Alignment Growth is an investor in.) Investors have been flocking to AI, live entertainment, and sports. Sports M&A nearly tripled in three years to $27.9 billion in 2023, driven by deals for team franchises, the Alignment Growth report showed. High ticket prices for live entertainment could dampen attendance, especially if consumer confidence takes a hit.

Persons: Wade Holden, Anthony Jasenski, CBRE's, Jasenski, haven't, IATSE, Alex Iosilevich, Schlogel, Craig Thompson Organizations: Venture, Business, Disney, Warner Bros, Global, P Global Market Intelligence, Blackstone, Bain Capital Real, Deloitte, Teamsters, Hollywood, Investors, Sports, Atwater, Mindspring Capital Locations: Hollywood, Crunchbase, Americas, OpenAI

☆ 2023 was year of the strike. Here’s what’s possibly ahead in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The 33 strikes last year is roughly double the average of 16.7 major strikes a year over the course of the last 20 years. A separate database of all work stoppages by Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations shows that there were 451 work stoppages in 2023, up 9% from the 2022 total. So the major strikes of 1,000 or more account for less than 10% of the overall number of strikes. So many of the major strikes and contract negotiations that occurred in 2023 will not occur again in 2024. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a chance of some major work stoppages this year.

Persons: Joe Biden Organizations: New, New York CNN, Labor Department, Bureau of Labor Statistics, SAG, Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, General Motors, Ford, Anheuser, Busch, Teamsters, CNN, Molson Coors, Hollywood, Writers Guild of America, Boeing Boeing, Boeing, Max, Alaska Airlines, Professional, American Airlines, Labor, Railway Labor Locations: New York, America, Fort Worth , Texas, Canada, Hollywood, Washington

☆ Another Hollywood strike? Musicians union ‘prepared to do whatever it needs’ for AI protections and streaming residuals
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Elizabeth Wagmeister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The American Federation of Musicians (AFM), a union representing musicians across the entertainment industry, will begin negotiations Monday on a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The union said it is seeking a deal to better reflects the current state of streaming media. The AFM is also seeking AI protection, increased wages, health care improvements, improved working conditions and residual payments for streaming content. According to the AFM, musicians who record on soundtracks make 75% less on streaming content due to less residual income. And the AFM is not the only union in the entertainment industry which might strike in 2024.

Persons: Los Angeles CNN —, ”, Tino Gagliardi, “, ” Gagliardi, “ We’ve, they’ve, Matthew Loeb, ” Loeb Organizations: Los Angeles CNN, American Federation of Musicians, Alliance, Television Producers, CNN, Federation, Writers Guild of America, Screen, American Federation of Television, Radio Artists, WGA, SAG, International Alliance, “ Locations: United States, Canada, Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks, California

NEW YORK (AP) — Hollywood’s months of labor unrest are coming to an end, but the post-strike landscape that awaits actors and writers may be far from happy-ever-after. That helter-skelter transition threw much of the economics of entertainment out of whack. “Going through that with a streaming service that’s losing billions of dollars is really, really difficult to go on offense.”Cancellations have grown more commonplace as streamers get more selective. Due in part to the strikes, series production will dip for the first time in years in 2023 after reaching an all-time high last year, when 599 original series were made. “And so I think really we will see over the coming days, weeks and months what the industry’s real intentions are.

Persons: —, HBO Max, Max ”, ”, Jonathan Taplin, Crypto, Taplin, Puck’s Matt Belloni, Walt, Bob Iger, ” Iger, I’ve, it’s, Peacock, David Zaslav, Max, ” Zaslav, “, Martin Scorsese’s, Ridley Scott’s “ Napoleon, ” Duncan Crabtree, Krysta Fauria Organizations: Hollywood, SAG, HBO, Netflix, USC, Innovation Lab, International Alliance, Walt Disney Co, Disney, Comcast, Warner Bros . Discovery, Apple Studios, Associated Press Locations: Hollywood, Los Angeles

The actors strike might provide that, though there's still the chance of strike sequels in the months ahead. Here's some of what will happen next:Political Cartoons View All 1237 ImagesSO IS THE ACTORS STRIKE REALLY OVER? Picket lines are suspended and the only rallies on the horizon are celebratory ones that the actors union is promising will happen. Another actors strike — this one by video game performers — is possible. ___For more coverage of the actors and writers strike, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/hollywood-strikes/

Persons: they're, ” “ Abbott, ”, there's, —, they've “, ” Duncan Crabtree, I’m, ” Crabtree, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Ridley Scott's, “, Kevin Costner's, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brie Larson, That's, Lily Gladstone, didn't, Michael Mann's, “ Ferrari, Adam Driver, Patrick Dempsey, Dempsey, It'll Organizations: ANGELES, Screen, American Federation of Television, Radio Artists, Television Producers, SAG, Associated Press, “ Abbott, Netflix, Globe, International Alliance, Marvel, IATSE Locations: Venice, U.S, hollywood

For more than a decade, work had been nonstop in Atlanta’s booming film industry thanks to Georgia’s extremely generous tax break. Having now gone nearly five months without film work, O'Hare has been relying on a combination of savings, unemployment checks and odd jobs he's been doing for his grandmother's neighbors, including lawnmowing and pressure washing. He hopes the actors will soon reach a deal, though a recent breakdown in negotiations had quelled some optimism. Even with a deal, O'Hare knows it could still be months before he's back on set. She feels Atlanta-based actors are frequently overlooked by casting agents who still focus on New York and Los Angeles talent pools.

Persons: soundstages, they’ll, ”, Ed O'Hare, O'Hare, Del, “ I've, It's, he's, Alex Buhlig, Buhlig, IATSE —, ’, “, ” Buhlig, —, Ethan Embry, Embry, “ Grace, Frankie, “ It’s, ” Bethany Anne Lind, Atlanta's, ” Lind, it's, Lind, I’m, I'm, There’s, it’s Organizations: ATLANTA, Marvel, International Alliance, IATSE, O'Hare, Screen, American Federation of Television, Radio Artists, AP, New, SAG Locations: ”, Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York, Del Toro, L.A, LA, Georgia, Angeles, Netflix's, Hollywood

☆ Hollywood writers reach 'tentative agreement' with studios after 146 days
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Huileng Tan | Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Writers Guild of America reached a tentative agreement with Hollywood studios on Sunday. AdvertisementAdvertisement"The WGA and AMPTPT have reached a tentative agreement," the AMPTP email said; the WGA's version was typo-free. The tentative agreement comes after the guild and the AMPTP — which represents major studios and streaming services, including Warner Bros. They were joined on the picket lines by over 160,000 union members of SAG-AFTRA, the actors' union, on July 14. Broadcast networks' fall TV schedules were loaded with reality series, whose writers aren't subject to the WGA agreement.

Persons: Bob Hopkinson, Netflix —, they've, Alex O'Keefe, O'Keefe, Keefe, Drew Barrymore, Barrymore, Insider's Reed Alexander, Alison Brower, TUSC Organizations: Guild of America, Hollywood, WGA, Service, Alliance, Television Producers, Warner Bros, Disney, Netflix, SAG, Guild, Union Solidarity Coalition Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Hollywood workers resort to flea markets, bake sales as strikes drag on
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] SAG-AFTRA actors and Writers Guild of America (WGA) writers walk the picket line outside Disney Studios in Burbank, California, U.S., July 25, 2023. Hollywood writers walked off the job in May, followed by actors in July. The motion picture and sound recording industries shed 17,000 jobs in August because of the strikes, according to U.S. government statistics. Writers and actors can apply for assistance from their unions, and some crew members are eligible for state unemployment benefits. In the meantime, stars including George Clooney, Dwayne Johnson and Meryl Streep have donated millions to Hollywood charities that assist industry workers.

Persons: Mike Blake, IATSE, Dejon Ellis, Kevin Klowden, Daniel Fox, Fox, Laura Seaman, Berry, Greg S, Tiffany Puterbaugh, Puterbaugh, I've, Gavin Newsom, George Clooney, Dwayne Johnson, Meryl Streep, Ellis, We're, it's, John Lithgow, Nicole Kidman, Andrea Tyler, Tyler, Lisa Richwine, Mary Milliken, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Writers Guild of America, Disney Studios, REUTERS, Rights, IATSE, Milken Institute, Star Wars, Hollywood, SAG, Netflix, Thomson Locations: Burbank , California, U.S, Rights BURBANK , California, Los Angeles, Hollywood, California, Georgia, New Mexico

☆ Marvel visual effects workers unanimously vote to unionize
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Marvel Studio’s VFX workers unanimously voted to unionize with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes, marking the first time visual effects workers have unionized with IATSE, the union announced Wednesday. A still from Marvel Studios' Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, which kicked off phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel StudiosThe National Labor Relations Board oversaw the election, and the count was held Tuesday after the Marvel employees first filed for this election on August 7. Though this union only includes Marvel’s in-house VFX workers, its parent company Disney’s visual effects crews filed for their own election to unionize with the NLRB, and backed by IATSE, at the end of August. Now, the Marvel VFX workers will engage in collective bargaining negotiations with their employer to draft a contract.

Persons: Mark Patch, IATSE, “, Aladdin ”, ” Sarah Kazuko Chow Organizations: New, New York CNN, Marvel, International Alliance, IATSE, Marvel Studios, National Labor Relations Board, “, NLRB, Walt Disney Pictures, “ Pirates, ”, Disney’s, Writers Guild of America, SAG, CNN Locations: New York, Caribbean

☆ Marvel visual effects artists unanimously vote to unionize as Hollywood strikes rage on
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Marvel Studios' visual effects workers unanimously voted in favor of unionizing with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, IATSE announced Wednesday. This marks the first time a unit of solely VFX workers have unionized with the group. The Marvel Studios VFX crew has more than 50 workers, according to IATSE. Now that the vote is official, Marvel VFX workers must engage in collective bargaining negotiations with Marvel Studios executives in order to draft a contract. Loeb told Marvel's VFX artists that it has the backing of IATSE, telling those who voted to unionize, "Your fight is our fight."

Persons: IATSE, Sarah Kazuko Chow, Mark Patch, Matthew Loeb, Loeb Organizations: Hollywood, Marvel Studios, International Alliance, Disney, Marvel, IATSE, Walt Disney Pictures, National Labor Relations Board, Alliance, Television Producers, Comcast, CNBC Locations: unionize, NBCUniversal, Hollywood

☆ Walt Disney Pictures VFX workers file for unionization with backing of IATSE
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

More than 80% of Walt Disney Picture’s 18 in-house VFX crewmembers signed their authorization cards, IATSE said in a release. While the Marvel Studios VFX unionization effort is set to count votes on September 12, workers at Puerto Rico-based Gladius Studios also voted unanimously to unionize earlier this month. The unionizing VFX workers are behind some of Walt Disney Pictures’ biggest hits, IATSE said, including the live-action adaptations of “Lion King,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.”If the elections turns out in favor of unionizing, IATSE said the studio is obligated to hold good-faith negotiations. CNN has reached out to the Walt Disney Company for comment. VFX jobs have historically not been represented by unions, even though a wide range of positions from production design to lighting and props have fallen under IATSE.

Persons: Walt Disney, IATSE, “, ” IATSE, Aladdin ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, National Labor Relations Board, International Alliance, Walt, Walt Disney Picture’s, Marvel Studios, Gladius Studios, Writers Guild of America, SAG, Walt Disney Pictures, “ Pirates, CNN, Walt Disney Company Locations: New York, unionize, Hollywood, Puerto Rico, Caribbean

☆ Marvel's VFX artists become the first in their industry to unionize after months of speaking out about reported bullying and grueling work hours
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Marvel Studios' VFX artists became the first in their industry to file to unionize on August 7. "Turnaround times don't apply to us, protected hours don't apply to us, and pay equity doesn't apply to us," one artist wrote. "Turnaround times don't apply to us, protected hours don't apply to us, and pay equity doesn't apply to us," VFX artist Bella Huffman wrote in the press release. Rumors of Marvel Studios VFX artists' discontent and desire to unionize have been swirling for months. "She is known in the industry as a kingmaker," a former Marvel Studios VFX tech told Vulture.

Persons: —, Bella Huffman, who's, Matthew D, Loeb, Vulture, Govil, Marvel, Victoria Alonso, Alonso Organizations: Marvel Studios, International Alliance, Technicians, Artists, Allied Crafts, Marvel, Guild of America, SAG, Entertainment Locations: Hollywood

☆ Generative AI is coming for the visual effects industry: What the technology means for the future of animation
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Four VFX artists told Insider that AI could boost productivity and inspire creativity. Four visual-effects artists spoke to Insider about how generative AI could change their industry. Given its impressive capabilities, they believe AI has the potential to save visual-effects artists time on laborious tasks and create new forms of storytelling. Generative AI is impressing VFX artists — but it's not ready for prime timeAll four VFX artists who Insider spoke with said the quality of AI-generated animations impressed them. McCarron believes that the technology will enhance the quality of artists' work — not take over.

Persons: Runway's, Sebastien Francoeur, Francoeur, it's, Paul Franklin, Franklin, Christopher Nolan's, Mark Chavez, Jennifer Twiner McCarron, McCarron, Rick, Morty, It's, Mark Patch, Patch, Chavez, — Organizations: Adobe, Marvel Studios, Disney, International Alliance, Employees, Thunderbird Entertainment, Netflix, PBS, Marvel Locations: Hollywood

☆ Broadway union reaches tentative deal with management, averting strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Daniel Arkin | Diana Dasrath | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The union representing some 1,500 Broadway workers reached a tentative deal Thursday with theater industry management, averting a strike that would have closed the curtains on theatrical productions in New York as well as touring shows across the country. The deal was announced jointly by the union, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and two organizations representing management: the Broadway League, the industry's trade group, and Disney Theatrical, a division of the media conglomerate. IATSE had been conducting a strike vote when negotiators agreed to a tentative deal. The agreement still needs to be formally ratified by IATSE members, a body that includes stagehands and other backstage employees. "The respective parties will inform their members of the details of this agreement in the coming days," the union and management groups said in a joint statement.

Persons: IATSE, Hamilton, Sweeney Todd, King, Matthew D, Loeb, America's Organizations: Behind Entertainment, NYC, International Alliance, Broadway League, Disney, IATSE, Broadway, North, Walt Disney Studios, Writers Guild of America, SAG Locations: Flatiron, Manhattan , New York City, New York, New York City, North America

New York CNN —A strike vote Thursday by the union representing 1,500 stagehands and other backstage workers could shut down Broadway shows as soon as Friday, according to the union. “This strike vote will send a strong message that we will not accept substandard contracts that fail to acknowledge our workers’ contributions,” said Mathew Loeb, president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). The strike would be a blow to the New York City economy, which is still suffering from the shift from in-office work to people working from home. Tourism is a major driver of the city’s economy and Broadway a significant magnet for those tourists. The Broadway League reported that in the season that concluded in May, the first full season since Broadway shows were disrupted by the pandemic, theaters reached a total attendance of 12.3 million and grossed $1.6 billion in ticket sales.

Persons: ”, Mathew Loeb Organizations: New, New York CNN, International Alliance, Broadway League, Disney, SAG, Writers Guild of America, Tourism, Broadway Locations: New York, New York City

☆ Hollywood writers' strike halts production of 'Stranger Things,' 'Severance,' Marvel's ‘Blade’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

More than 11,000 film and television writers, who say their compensation doesn't match the revenue generated in the streaming era, are on strike for the first time since 2008. Since then, a number of notable films and shows have halted or wrapped production early, including Netflix's "Stanger Things," Disney and Marvel's "Blade," AppleTV+'s "Severance" and Paramount's "Evil." Beyond the delayed production, and likely delayed releases, of these titles, industry experts worry the work pause could have a financial toll greater than that of the previous writers' strike. A number of productions with finished scripts, like Amazon's "The Rings of Power," have decided to continue filming without writers or showrunners on set. "While we're excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike.

☆ Cord cutting, streaming losses and the ‘terrifying math’ driving the writers strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

So why was management willing to pay whatever it took to avoid a strike then, but is poised for a long strike now? The sea change in the so-called “streaming wars.”The about face in the streaming warsTwo years ago, the war between competing streaming services was all about subscriber growth, no matter the cost. But the media companies’ streaming services are faced with competition from tech companies such as Amazon and Apple and that’s resulted in continued losses – outside of Netflix. Even before the start of the strike, there had already been thousands of layoffs across media and tech companiesA long strike? The key to how long the strike goes could be how long subscribers stay with multiple streaming services once they run out of new content.

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