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☆ Warner Bros. Discovery's new streamer could keep the name HBO Max as execs wrestle over pricing, timing, and content mix
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Discovery is considering the name "HBO Max" as well as "Max" for its forthcoming streamer. They're also debating how to effectively promote all the Discovery and HBO content on one platform. Discovery is still debating the name for its forthcoming streaming app that will combine Discovery+ and HBO Max. Execs are mindful that HBO Max ad-free subscribers are already paying at the top of the market while Discovery+ subscribers pay significantly less. WBD has been preparing for the new streamer launch by moving some Discovery+ content to HBO Max.

☆ Warner Bros. Discovery is planning to run ads on HBO originals on HBO Max, a move that could be controversial in Hollywood
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Discovery is exploring running ads on HBO originals like "Game of Thrones." HBO Max launched its ad-supported tier in June 2021 for $10 a month versus the streamer's $15 ad-free version. HBO Max capped ads at four minutes per hour, limited how often users would see the same ad, and said no ads would run on original HBO programming. Since then, HBO Max parent WarnerMedia has been acquired by Discovery, and under new CEO David Zaslav, the merged entity Warner Bros. It's also unclear whether WBD will charge a premium for ads appearing in HBO originals — and if so, how much.

☆ Priyanka Chopra Jonas says she is finally earning as much as her male co-star
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Priyanka Chopra Jonas says she is finally earning as much as her male co-star, after two decades in the movie industry. In an interview with the BBC, the actress and activist revealed that she never had “pay parity” in all the years she worked in Bollywood. Chopra Jonas was among the women to feature in the UK broadcaster’s list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world, published Tuesday. The BBC posted a short video clip on its website from a wide-ranging interview with the Indian star, due to be broadcast next year. In the clip, Chopra Jonas said: “I’ve never had pay parity in Bollywood.

☆ Bob Iger Is Back at Disney to Fix His One Big Failure: Succession
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Ben Cohen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The most recent Emmy winners for best drama were TV shows about the same irresistible premise: Succession is what binds “Game of Thrones,” “The Crown” and, of course, “Succession.” It’s now the subject of another Hollywood saga, and this one stars neither the royals nor the Roys. The latest epic tale began when Disney made the surprising move to lure Robert Iger out of retirement as chief executive last week and give Mr. Iger two years to help find the next Mr. Iger.

☆ HBO is No. 1 as 14 TV insiders rank the streamers where they want to sell shows: Apple's a big spender and 'there's a sheen when you're a Hulu show,' but there's 'fear in the air' at Netflix
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Elaine Low | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

"It's definitely been not the most exciting and robust year," said one TV agent at a major agency. Around 70 people at HBO and HBO Max have been let go this year, and their comedy development teams have merged. While WBD doesn't break out streamer-specific figures, it said on Thursday's earnings call that HBO Max, HBO, and Discovery+ have a combined 94.9 million subscribers, ensuring that any show on HBO Max has the chance to get a lot of eyeballs. They'll also take smaller swings in the genre department, do things at a lower budget," said the second TV agent. Echoed the first TV agent: "You pitch and sell to them if no one else wants it."

☆ Wilko Johnson, 'Game of Thrones' actor and Dr. Feelgood guitarist, dies at 75
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON — Wilko Johnson, the guitarist with British blues-rock band Dr. Feelgood who had an unexpected career renaissance after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, has died. Born John Wilkinson in 1947, Johnson was raised on Canvey Island, a marshy, industrial oil town in England’s River Thames estuary. He studied Anglo-Saxon literature at Newcastle University and worked as a schoolteacher before forming Dr. Feelgood with other local friends. Johnson later said that if the band had been able to follow its managers’ instructions to behave, “I’m pretty sure we’d be multimillionaires. He released another album, “Blow Your Mind,” in 2018, and played gigs with his Wilko Johnson Band until last month.

☆ 'Wednesday' review: Jenna Ortega makes Netflix's Addams Family series look like a snap
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Although the main character’s name was inspired by the poetic line “Wednesday’s child is full of woe,” “Wednesday” is generally a delight, thanks almost entirely to Jenna Ortega. Having outgrown her Disney Channel days, Ortega makes the Addams Family’s now-high-school-age daughter the coolest humorless goth sociopath you’ll ever meet, in a Netflix series that’s more kooky than spooky or ooky. – a “five-fingered discount.” The writers extract a great deal of comedic mileage from that extremity, so give them a hand. Seeking to bring something new a property like the Addams Family, which has been done so many times before, isn’t easy without altering its DNA. To its credit, “Wednesday” rises to the challenge and mostly manages to make it look like a snap.

"Interview with the Vampire" is a new series based on the popular book by Anne Rice. You can watch new episodes on AMC Plus and the AMC cable channel every Sunday through November 13. "Interview with the Vampire'' is based on the 1976 novel of the same name by author Anne Rice. How to watch 'Interview with the Vampire' (2022)You can watch "Interview with the Vampire" season one every Sunday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on AMC. You can watch "Interview with the Vampire" for free if you sign up for an AMC Plus trial.

Twitter’s chief information security officer and chief compliance officer resigned late Wednesday night as the company started implementing changes that would allow users to more easily impersonate major brands and government officials. The departures came just hours before the company’s new CEO, Elon Musk, sent his first email to Twitter employees, titled “difficult times ahead,” and implementing a mandatory return-to-work policy. Lea Kissner, the chief information security officer, confirmed they had left in a Twitter post Thursday morning. Chief Compliance Officer Marianne Fogarty has also left the company, according to a person familiar with the situation who asked to remain nameless because they were not authorized to speak publicly. A spokesperson for the Federal Trade Commission said in an emailed statement that it is keeping watch on the situation.

☆ 'Yellowstone' creator says it's not 'the red-state Game of Thrones,' pushing back on the idea that it's a conservative TV show
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

"Yellowstone" creator Taylor Sheridan pushed back against the notion it's a right-leaning series. It's not the first time he's contested that "Yellowstone" is a conservative TV show. "They refer to it as 'the conservative show' or 'the Republican show' or 'the red-state Game of Thrones,' " Sheridan said in an Atlantic profile published on Thursday. A New York Times opinion piece in August referred to the show as "a conservative fantasy liberals should watch." "People perceive all my stuff as red state, and it's the most ridiculous thing," he told The New York Times.

☆ Ralph Fiennes cooks up culinary heaven and hell in 'The Menu'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Hanna Rantala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Cast member Ralph Fiennes arrives at the world premiere for the film 'The King's Man' at Leicester Square in London, Britain December 6, 2021. The two are part of a select group of 12 who have paid a small fortune to dine at the restaurant run by the celebrated American chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes). Unbeknownst to his wealthy guests, Slowik and his team of robot-like professionals have planned a one-off menu with some unexpected ingredients especially for them. "This story for me is about privilege for privileges' sake or pretentiousness for pretentiousness' sake," Taylor-Joy told Reuters at the film's London premiere on Wednesday. "If you're not enjoying yourself and if you're not enjoying life, then what are you really doing?

☆ 14 TV insiders rank the streamers where they want to sell shows now as Apple TV+ closes in on HBO Max amid turmoil at Warner Bros. Discovery
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Elaine Low | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

For Love & Money is a biweekly column from Insider answering your relationship and money questions. This week, a reader wonders if it's worth buying "frivolous" flowers for a spouse who loves them. Write to For Love & Money using this Google form. Is there something innately wrong with spending money on things that aren't necessary for our survival? Rooting for you both,For Love & Money

☆ Elon Musk is threatening to 'thermonuclear name and shame' advertisers that press pause on Twitter. It's a dumb thing to do to your biggest customers.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Jake Swearingen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

After advertisers paused spending, Musk went on the offensive, tweeting that advertisers were causing a "massive drop in revenue," He continued: "Extremely messed up! Per a Standard Media Index report, total advertising spending was down by 5% year-over-year in September. Other advertising giants like YouTube and Meta reported year-over-year declines in advertising revenue, with YouTube down by 2% and Meta down by 4%. Brand advertising relies highly on "brand safe" outlets where ads won't appear near objectionable content like violence, pornography, or hate speech. To replace the $40 million in lost monthly revenue, Twitter would need to sign up a little over 5 million Twitter Blue accounts paying $8 a month in its first month.

☆ 'Dangerous Liaisons' review: A Starz series version ratchets up the sexual politics while dragging out the story
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —For an 18th-century French novel, “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” certainly got around, inspiring a play, the movies “Dangerous Liaisons” and “Valmont” in 1988 and ’89, respectively, and the twisted teen variant “Cruel Intentions.” Now comes a Starz series prequel, “Dangerous Liaisons,” which ratchets up the sex while dragging out (and out and out) the story. That cast includes “Phantom Thread’s” Lesley Manville and “Game of Thrones” alumni Carice Van Houten, Michael McElhatton and Tom Wlaschiha. Handsomely mounted, it’s nevertheless easy to dismiss “Dangerous Liaisons” (especially for those who lack a prior investment in the property) as being a somewhat edgier version of “Bridgerton” or less-comedic spin on “The Great,” both shows that scratch similar itches. In a vote of confidence, the network has already renewed “Dangerous Liaisons” for a second season in advance of its premiere, so those hoping for the finality that a limited series might have provided, be forewarned. “Dangerous Liaisons” premieres November 6 at 8 p.m.

Warner Bros. Pictures, film subsidiary of Warner Bros. "We're spending more money this year than we've ever spent historically," Warner Bros Chief Executive David Zaslav told a conference call. Warner Bros posted a third-quarter loss of $2.3 billion, or 95 cents a share, which includes $1.5 billion in pre-tax restructuring charges. Warner Bros Discovery, home to hit franchises such as "Batman" and "Euphoria," added 2.8 million new streaming subscribers in the third quarter, bringing its total to 94.9 million. A merger of HBO Max and Discovery+ will debut on an accelerated timetable, in spring of 2023.

☆ Elon Musk has been taking digs at AOC and cracking jokes while thousands of Twitter employees grappled with looming layoffs and sent each other well-wishes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk started fights with celebrities and cracked jokes as thousands of Twitter staff waited for layoff notices. Twitter employees shared heartfelt farewells on Slack and across social media over the past few days. Twitter employees have received zero communication from Musk since he took over the company. After a week of zero communication with Twitter employees from leadership following Musk's takeover, staff received a memo on Thursday confirming that layoffs would commence on Friday. Meanwhile, Twitter staff was flooding the company's Slack channels with heart emojis and salutes, tech newsletter writer Casey Newton reported.

☆ What to Watch: Best Movies and TV Shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Wsj Arts In Review Staff | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Film ReviewBrad Pitt takes a wild ride as a hitman on a Japanese train, Steve Carell is a therapist forced by a serial killer to attempt a cure, ‘Game of Thrones’ spawns a prequel, and much, much more.

☆ Netflix CEO once handed out army berets to his execs in response to an insult from the former Time Warner boss, and it shows the rivalry between Netflix and HBO stretches over a decade
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes implied Netflix was overrated in a 2010 interview. A new book about HBO reveals that Netflix CEO Reed Hastings took the comments in stride. "We didn't have the financial flexibility to make that commitment," former HBO CEO Richard Plepler told the book's authors, Gillette and Koblin. In other words, Netflix wanted to be more like HBO and HBO's corporate overlords wanted it to be more like Netflix. HBO's content chief, Casey Bloys, was recently elevated to CEO of HBO, HBO Max, and HBO Content.

☆ 'House of the Dragon' creator knows that one scene was too dark, says he's learned 'we are making the show for people's television sets'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"House of the Dragon" showrunner Ryan Condal acknowledged how dark scenes in episode seven were. He said he has to take more into account that "we are making the show for people's television sets." Episode seven in particular, titled "Driftmark," was criticized for scenes that many viewers said were too dark to see on their TV screens. "The unique challenge of making television post-production is that you're making it in this highly calibrated facility with millions of dollars' worth of equipment and high-end professionals," Condal said. Sapochnik also directed a "Game of Thrones" episode that received some backlash for being too dim, the season eight episode "The Long Night."

☆ 'House of the Dragon' season finale review: 'The Black Queen' soars into the battle to come
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Review Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Editor’s Note: This story contains spoilers about the “House of the Dragon” season finale. CNN —The two giant fantasy series that premiered within weeks of each other shared massive scope and scale. The “Dragon” season finale that premiered October 23, subtitled “The Black Queen,” in a sense brought this first season – at times uneven, but always interesting – full circle. Although it wasn’t a direct competition between “Dragon” and “Rings,” the parallels between them and the timing of their release made comparisons virtually inevitable. But based on its opening salvo, score “House of the Dragon” as a victory for the old guard.

☆ Taylor Swift 'Midnights' album gives TikTok fan groups more fodder, and community
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Casey Fiesler | Ph.D. | J.D. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The magic of a midnight showing wasn’t just about the film but about the community created standing in line together. Some of these fan theories also fuel speculation that Swift might be queer, and in the lead-up to the album release, this conjecture culminated in debate about whether “Midnights” would be Swift’s coming out album. I study fandom and online communities, especially communities that form around fanfiction, and have seen up close that fan theories bring joy to those who engage in making them. There can be a downside to fan theories created around celebrities, of course. But for now, my For You Page has been full of excited videos from fans just enjoying Swift’s music.

"House of the Dragon" will air its season one finale on October 23 on HBO and HBO Max. The "Game of Thrones" prequel series focuses on the Targaryen civil war. The season one finale will air on HBO and HBO Max on October 23. How to watch 'House of the Dragon'You can watch "House of the Dragon" exclusively on HBO and HBO Max. That said, many of the characters in "House of the Dragon" are ancestors of the characters we meet in "Game of Thrones."

☆ HBO's big 'House of the Dragon' finale leaked 2 days before it was supposed to air. The company says it's 'aggressively' policing and issuing takedowns.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The season finale of HBO's "House of the Dragon" reportedly leaked online 2 days before it was supposed to air. The episode was leaked on Friday, two days before its air date. While this is the first reported leak for the "Game of Thrones" spinoff, HBO has a long history of dealing with piracy. In August 2017, hackers leaked episodes of HBO's "Insecure," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and a reported draft script of a yet-to-air episode of "Game of Thrones." The hacks led HBO to make the decision to film multiple "Game of Thrones" endings in an effort to throw off would-be leakers from spoiling the series finale.

☆ Is the Uber, Lyft and gig economy battle over workers nearing its end game?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Tim Mullaney | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

With federal regulators set to tighten Trump-era labor standards that let Uber and Lyft, as well as food-delivery services like Doordash, treat gig workers as independent contractors with few protections under labor law, shares dropped sharply last week. But while a shift, the Department of Labor proposal doesn't immediately transform gig workers into employees entitled to overtime pay, unemployment insurance and other benefits. "It seems like the start of a Game of Thrones battle between the Department of Labor and the gig economy,' Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said. Uber believes the Department of Labor is focused less on ridesharing and more on industries such as construction that also use gig workers, pointing out that the proposed rule doesn't single out rideshare drivers. Uber drivers also supply their own cars and gasoline, though the company in March added a per-trip fuel surcharge that goes directly to drivers.

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