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LOS ANGELES, July 13 (Reuters) - Hollywood actors will go on strike at midnight on Thursday after talks with studios broke down, joining film and television writers who have been on picket lines since May and deepening the disruption of scores of shows and movies. The actors' union announced at a Thursday press conference that the strike will begin at midnight after its national board unanimously authorized the walkout. Fran Drescher, former star of "The Nanny" TV show and the president of SAG-AFTRA, called the studios' responses to actors' concerns "insulting and disrespectful." But the loss of actors, who will also not promote their films or TV shows while on strike, will put more pressure on media companies to find a resolution. The economic damage is expected to spread after actors join the picket lines on Friday.

Persons: Fran Drescher, Drescher, AFTRA, Rather, Duncan Crabtree, Ridley Scott, Bob Iger, Iger, Matt Damon, Oppenheimer, Lisa Richwine, Jonathan Allen, Dawn Chmielewski, Marie, Louise Gumuchian, Mark Porter, Bill Berkrot Organizations: SAG, Writers Guild of America, Television Producers, Netflix Inc, Walt Disney Co, Reuters, Alliance, Paramount Pictures, Hollywood, WGA, Screen Actors Guild, Disney, CNBC, Comcast, Paramount Global, Thomson Locations: ANGELES, United States, Hollywood's, Morocco, Malta, Idaho, California

☆ Union fears Hollywood actors' digital doubles could live on 'for one day's pay'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Actors have used contract talks with the Hollywood studios to assert control over how these digital simulations are used on screen. Such protections, the studios noted, would include gaining an actor's consent to create and use a digital replica, or digitally alter their performance. "So if you think that's a groundbreaking proposal, I suggest you think again." Any other use would require that actor’s consent and bargaining for the use, subject to a minimum payment, the studios said. SAG-AFTRA, Hollywood's largest union, representing 160,000 film and television actors, announced its members would go on strike at midnight.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Walt Disney, Duncan Crabtree, Crabtree, AMPTP, Dawn Chmielewski, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Hollywood, Walt, Netflix, SAG, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles, Ireland, Hollywood's

☆ Comcast president Cavanagh shakes up NBCUniversal leadership
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Cavanagh, who has been running NBCUniversal since April, said he would continue to lead the division as president of Comcast and not name a new CEO. In his first major action since taking the helm of the unit, Cavanagh also named Mark Lazarus as chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group while Cesar Conde will expand his role as head of the news division to oversee NBCUniversal Local and Telemundo Enterprises Group. Pearlena Igbokwe will continue to lead the four TV studios under the Universal Studio Group umbrella. Cavanagh took charge after Jeff Shell left following the acknowledgment of an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company. Before his role as president, Cavanagh had served as the finance chief.

Persons: Mike Cavanagh, Donna Langley, Cavanagh, Mark Lazarus, Cesar Conde, Pearlena Igbokwe, Jeff Shell, Akash Sriram, Tanya Jain, Dawn Chmielewski, Sriraj Organizations: NBCUniversal, Group, Reuters, Comcast, NBCUniversal Media, NBCUniversal Local, Telemundo Enterprises Group, Universal Studio Group, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru, Dawn, Los Angeles

☆ Disney accused in lawsuit of 'systematically' paying women less than men in California
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Industry Insight | Corporate Attorneys Don T Want To Pay Law Firms For Chatgpt When They Could Use It Themselves | Zach Warren | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A screen shows the logo and a ticker symbol for The Walt Disney Company on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoJune 30 (Reuters) - Walt Disney (DIS.N) has been accused of systematically underpaying women in California in a lawsuit that alleges the company's female employees in the state earned $150 million less than their male counterparts over an eight year period. An analysis of Disney's human resource data from April 2015 through December 2022 has found female Disney employees were paid roughly 2% less than male counterparts, the filing said. Nine current or past Disney employees have joined the suit. Lower pay for women in California would breach the state's Equal Pay Act and the Fair Employment & Housing Act.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Walt Disney, David Neumark, Shawna, Swanson, LaRonda Rasmussen, Lori Andrus, Dawn Chmielewski, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Walt Disney Company, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Disney, University of California Irvine, Housing, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, California, Los Angeles

☆ ESPN lays off on-air talent including NBA analyst Van Gundy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Houston Rockets Head Coach Jeff Van Gundy shouts about a call during the second half of NBA basketball action against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City April 18, 2007. REUTERS/Steve Wilson (UNITED STATES)/File PhotoJune 30 (Reuters) - ESPN laid off about 20 of its sports personalities on Friday as the Walt Disney (DIS.N) unit seeks to more closely manage costs, a source said. Among those affected by the cuts were long-time NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy, former head coach of the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets, and studio analyst Jalen Rose, a former NBA player at six teams including the Indiana Pacers. It also laid off ESPN Radio's morning show co-hosts, Max Kellerman and Keyshawn Johnson. ESPN has already undergone two rounds of layoffs that did not impact talent as part of parent company Disney's announced plans to eliminate 7,000 jobs.

Persons: Jeff Van Gundy, Steve Wilson, Jalen Rose, Max Kellerman, Keyshawn Johnson, “, ”, Disney's, pare, Dawn Chmielewski, Ken Ferris Organizations: Houston Rockets, NBA, Utah Jazz, REUTERS, UNITED STATES, ESPN, Walt Disney, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, ” ESPN, Reuters, Burbank, Thomson Locations: Salt Lake, Los Angeles

Weekly orders this year now average 26 as the strike by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) halted many film and TV productions, Elyea said. Florists, caterers, costume suppliers and others have seen orders dwindle as many are still recovering from disruptions caused by COVID-19. No new talks are scheduled between major Hollywood studios and the writers, who are seeking higher pay and guardrails around the use of artificial intelligence. The strike's impact would be magnified if the SAG-AFTRA actors union also goes on strike when its contract expires on Friday. "Now, there's the writers' strike, and we're losing the movies that have been so good to us."

Persons: Pam Elyea's, Elyea, Kevin Klowden, Klowden, You've, Ross Garner, Danni Sapp, Sapp, Cristina, John Iverson, Cristina Iverson, Iverson, we're, hadn't, Lisa Richwine, Dawn Chmielewski, Danielle Broadway, Rollo Ross, Mary Milliken, Sandra Maler Organizations: Hollywood, Hire, Writers Guild of America, SAG, WGA, Milken Institute, NFP's Entertainment Group, Services, Netflix, HBO, Television Fund, Vogue, FBI, Thomson Locations: ANGELES, Los Angeles, California, United States, COVID, New Mexico, Santa Fe, Waco

The cost of certain goods is retreating in some places, but that doesn't include live music. Concert tickets have surged in price, to the point where economists are noticing. While ticket prices have increased, he said, mid-year figures haven't shown an appreciable rise since May 2022, when U.S. inflation was 8.6%. In India, fans are happy to pay a premium for quality entertainment, according to Owen Roncon, chief of business for Live Entertainment at BookMyShow. In Britain, about 150,000 music fans paid 340 pounds ($431)for a ticket to June's Glastonbury festival to see Elton John and hundreds of other acts.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, haven't, Mario Ihieme, Paul Donovan, Harry Styles, Joel Barrios, Carolina Candelas, Andy Gensler, Pollstar, TD Cowen, Stephen Glagola, Elton John, Jason Cairnduff, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Fairuz Zahari, Ed Sheeran, Owen Roncon, Eventbrite, Michael Rapino, Beth Cook, Dawn Chmielewski, Danielle Broadway, Sachin Ravikumar, David Milliken, Sharon Kimathi, Rozanna, Radhika Anilkumar, David Gaffen, Catherine Evans Organizations: LOS ANGELES, National Statistics, UBS Global Wealth Management, Stubhub, Ticketmaster, REUTERS, U.S . Labor Department, Backstreet, Live Entertainment, Backstreet Boys, Entertainment, Thomson Locations: Asia, U.S, GLASTONBURY, England, London, Seattle, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Europe, Barcelona, Glastonbury, Somerset, Britain, Malaysia, Australia, India, Leeds, Kuala Lumpur, Bangalore

The cost of certain goods is retreating in some places, but that doesn't include live music. Concert tickets have surged in price, to the point where economists are noticing. Event prices in UK inflation data are based on when shows take place, not when tickets are bought. While ticket prices have increased, he said, mid-year figures haven't shown an appreciable rise since May 2022, when U.S. inflation was 8.6%. The U.S. Labor Department does not specifically measure inflation for concert prices, but the inflation rate for live performing admission events is currently 2.6 percentage points more than U.S. headline inflation.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, haven't, Mario Ihieme, Paul Donovan, Harry Styles, Joel Barrios, Carolina Candelas, Andy Gensler, Pollstar, TD Cowen, Stephen Glagola, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Fairuz Zahari, Ed Sheeran, Owen Roncon, Eventbrite, Michael Rapino, Elton John, Beth Cook, Dawn Chmielewski, Danielle Broadway, Sachin Ravikumar, David Milliken, Sharon Kimathi, Rozanna, Radhika Anilkumar, David Gaffen, Catherine Evans Organizations: LOS ANGELES, National Statistics, UBS Global Wealth Management, Stubhub, Ticketmaster, U.S . Labor Department, Backstreet, Live Entertainment, Backstreet Boys, Entertainment, Thomson Locations: Asia, U.S, GLASTONBURY, England, London, Seattle, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Europe, Barcelona, Malaysia, Australia, India, Britain, Leeds, Glastonbury, Kuala Lumpur, Bangalore

☆ TikTok COO Pappas quits after five years in the role
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 22 (Reuters) - TikTok Chief Operating Officer V. Pappas is stepping down after five years with the short-video company owned by China's ByteDance, according to an email seen by Reuters on Thursday. In an email to staff, Pappas said they would be taking on an advisory role for the company during the transition. "Given all the successes reached at TikTok, I finally feel the time is right to move on and refocus on my entrepreneurial passions," said Pappas, who uses the pronoun they. Adam Presser, TikTok's chief of staff, will become head of operations and oversee content, user operations and distribution, Chew said. Last month, TikTok sued Montana after it became the first state to ban the app state-wide.

Persons: Pappas, China's ByteDance, Shou Chew, Zenia Mucha, TikTok, Adam Presser, TikTok's, Chew, Samrhitha, Dawn Chmielewski, Sheila Dang, Devika Syamnath, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Reuters, Walt Disney Co, Thomson Locations: TikTok, Montana, Bengaluru, Dawn, Los Angeles, Dallas

Universal’s “The Super Mario Bros.” movie and Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” both animated films, have racked up big ticket sales this year. The successes of "Super Mario Bros." and "Spider-Man" also reflect a new post-COVID-19 trend at box offices, Hollywood insiders say. In his book, “Creativity, Inc.,” Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull credited Pixar's brain trust with the studio’s early box-office triumphs. Catmull and other members of the original brain trust are gone, though Docter remains, now in the role of chief creative officer. During the pandemic's peak, when many cinemas were closed, Disney launched three Pixar films directly to Disney+_in the U.S., bypassing theaters.

Persons: ”, Universal’s, Mario, Tony Chambers, Disney's, don’t, Chambers, DreamWorks Animation’s, “ Ruby Gillman, Tom Sito, King, Sito, Jeff Bock, Ed Catmull, — John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Lee Unkrich, Joe Ranft —, Docter, Domee Shi, Soul’s ’ Kemp Powers, Pixar’s, Brad Bird, Oscar, “, Darla K, Anderson, “ Coco ”, Bob Chapek, there’s, we’ve, ” Docter, it’ll, Dawn Chmielewski, Lisa Richwine, Kenneth Li, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Pixar, Inc, Walt Disney, Universal Studios, DreamWorks, University of Southern, Netflix, Disney, Apple, Relations, Thomson Locations: ANGELES, U.S, Canada, Disney, University of Southern California, ”

The movie is projected to debut with a modest $31 million to $41 million this weekend in the U.S., according to the Box Office Pro website. That is well shy of the recent $120.5 million haul for Sony’s critically acclaimed animated hit "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse." Pixar is looking to rebound from the box office disappointment of 2022 release "Lightyear," the origin story of "Toy Story" hero Buzz Lightyear. "Judging Pixar on the recent past, history would not be kind," said SVB MoffettNathanson media analyst Michael Nathanson. But the move dealt a blow to creatives who had hoped their films would be seen on the big screen, according to one Pixar director who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Persons: Athie, Leah Lewis, Pete Docter, Denise Ream, Peter Sohn, Adele Exarchopoulos, Vincent Lacoste, Jim Morris, Read, Buzz Lightyear, Pixar, Michael Nathanson, Sohn, Mario, Shawn Robbins, Robbins, Bob Chapek’s, Luca, creatives, Sohn’s, Dawn Chmielewski, Lisa Richwine, Nathan Frandino, Kenneth Li, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Cannes Film, Pixar Animation Studios, Box, Pixar, Reuters, Walt Disney Co, Reuters Television, Comcast, Universal Pictures, Mario Bros, Sony Pictures, Pro, Disney, U.S, Cannes, Rotten, Thomson Locations: U.S, City, Los Angeles, San Francisco

June 13 (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) on Tuesday announced that a new "Star Wars" film will reach theaters in 2026 but said it would postpone the release of the next three installments in James Cameron's blockbuster "Avatar" series. The studio also pushed back the scheduled release dates for "Thunderbolts" and "Blade," two Marvel films that have been disrupted by the ongoing strike by Hollywood writers. "Avatar 3," originally scheduled to debut in December 2024, is now set for release in December 2025. "Avatar 4" is slated for December 2029 and "Avatar 5" for December 2031. A new "Star Wars" movie was scheduled for December 2026, one of two in the space saga that will be released that year.

Persons: James Cameron's, Jon Landau, Landau, Mahershala Ali, Ryan Reynolds, Dawn Chmielewski, Lisa Richwine, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Walt Disney Co, Tuesday, Marvel, Hollywood, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles

☆ PGA Tour, LIV merger may lead to higher viewers and costs for golf sponsors
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Sheila Dang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The move ends a bitter legal battle between the organizations that has split the golf world and its top players. The organizations said on Tuesday they will work to allow a process for LIV Golf players to reapply for membership on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. The potential for top players to compete on other tour events will help boost ratings, experts said. It is unclear how broadcasting rights for the TV networks that sell commercial time during golf events could change in the long term. The CW network, which airs LIV Golf in the U.S., said there is no change to the event schedule in 2023, while NBC Sports, which airs some PGA Tour events, said it was still learning about the announcement.

Persons: LIV, Paul Childs, Neal Pilson, I've, Michael Goldman, LIV Golf, Patrick Rishe, St . Louis, Pilson, Jamal Khashoggi, Goldman, Sheila Dang, Dawn Chmielewski, Lisa Richwine, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Centurion Club, LIV Golf, REUTERS, PGA, Pilson Communications, CBS Sports, National Golf Foundation, CBS, CW, LIV, NBC Sports, Nexstar Media Group, Comcast, University of San, Washington University, Brands, Public Investment Fund, Saudi, Washington Post, Thomson Locations: Hemel Hempstead, St Albans, Britain, Saudi, United States, U.S, University of San Francisco, St ., Saudi Arabia, Dallas, Los Angeles

☆ Peter Chernin's North Road buys Turkish film and TV house Karga Seven
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 6 (Reuters) - Veteran Hollywood producer Peter Chernin said on Tuesday his company North Road has bought Turkish film and television house Karga Seven Pictures in one of its first major international acquisitions. Los Angeles-Istanbul-based Karga Seven is best known for its popular English-language period piece, "Rise of Empires: Ottoman", and Turkish time travel drama, "Midnight at the Pera Palace", which were among Netflix's top shows. Karga Seven's founders Sarah Wetherbee, Emre Sahin and Kelly McPherson will remain in leadership roles, with Wetherbee and Sahin serving as global co-CEOs and reporting to North Road President Jan Frouman. McPherson will head English-language content, along with newly hired Ömer Müjdat Özgüner serving as the company's Turkey CEO. Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles and Samrhitha Arunasalam in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja DesaiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Peter Chernin, Chernin, Karga Seven's, Sarah Wetherbee, Emre Sahin, Kelly McPherson, Wetherbee, Sahin, Jan Frouman, McPherson, Ömer Müjdat, Ford, Dawn Chmielewski, Samrhitha, Pooja Desai Organizations: Hollywood, Pictures, North Road, Providence, Red Arrow Studios, Chernin Entertainment, Thomson Locations: Turkish, Los Angeles, Istanbul, Turkey, United States, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Apple to sell Vision Pro AR headset for triple Meta's top-line price
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/4] People use cameras as Apple's Vision Pro headsets are on display at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, California, U.S. June 5, 2023. Apple's headset will be available early next year in the U.S. with more countries coming later in 2024. The Vision Pro has two hours of use with an external battery, which Apple said would reduce the weight on the user's head. Investors and tech fans alike are focused on how much Apple's view of the virtual reality market overlaps with Meta's. In addition to Meta, Sony Group Corp (6758.T) and ByteDance-owned Pico both recently released virtual reality devices.

Persons: Loren Elliott CUPERTINO, Apple, Alan Dye, Tim Cook, Walt Disney's, Mark Zuckerberg, there's, John Ternus, Apple's, Craig Federighi, Stephen Nellis, Yuvraj Malik, Dawn Chmielewski, Katie Paul, Peter Henderson, Aditya Soni, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Developers, REUTERS, Apple Inc, Pro, Apple, Vision, Reuters, Adobe, Microsoft, Unity, Meta, Sony Group Corp, Pico, Research, IDC, Mac Pro, Mac, Intel, Thomson Locations: Cupertino , California, U.S, Loren Elliott CUPERTINO , California, Bengaluru, Dawn, Los Angeles, New York

☆ Ex-NBCUniversal executive Joe Benarroch to join Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 4 (Reuters) - Former NBCUniversal executive Joe Benarroch will join Twitter on Monday, in a role focusing on business operations, he told Reuters. Benarroch said in an email that he was looking forward to working with the company's team to "build Twitter 2.0 together." From one bird to the next," tweeted incoming Twitter Chief Executive Linda Yaccarino, who was appointed in May. At Comcast Corp's (CMCSA.O) NBCUniversal, Benarroch oversaw communication strategy for its Advertising and Partnerships division, reporting to Yaccarino, who was advertising chief there before joining Twitter. Twitter's head of trust and safety, Ella Irwin, said on Thursday that she has resigned from the social media company.

Persons: Joe Benarroch, Benarroch, Linda Yaccarino, Twitter's, Ella Irwin, Brown, Dawn Chmielewski, Chandni Shah, Juby Babu, Will Dunham, Grant McCool Organizations: Twitter, Reuters, Comcast, Street Journal, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles, Bengaluru

During the last WGA strike in 2007 and 2008, a studio deal with the DGA prompted writers to head back to the bargaining table. If approved, it could offer a blueprint for the striking writers and upcoming talks between studios and SAG-AFTRA, the union representing Hollywood actors. In the DGA's agreement, directors secured wage increases starting at 5% the first year, an increase in residuals from streaming, and a guarantee that "generative AI cannot replace the duties performed by members." AI has emerged as a major concern of writers and actors, who see their jobs as especially vulnerable to the new technology. The WGA work stoppage has disrupted production of late-night shows and shut down high-profile projects such as Netflix's "Stranger Things" and a "Game of Thrones" spinoff.

Persons: Chris Keyser, Keyser, AFTRA, Lisa Richwine, Maria Caspani, Dawn Chmielewski, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: of America, DGA, Alliance, Television Producers, Netflix, Walt Disney Co, Guild of America, WGA, YouTube, SAG, Hollywood, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles, New York

☆ Exclusive: Walt Disney's Pixar Animation eliminates 75 positions
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 3 (Reuters) - Walt Disney's (DIS.N) Pixar Animation Studios has eliminated 75 positions including those of two executives behind box office disappointment “Lightyear,” sources said on Saturday, the first significant job cuts at the studio in a decade. Susman had been at Pixar since the release of the original “Toy Story” movie in 1995. MacLane and Susman could not be reached for comment. The cuts, which took place May 23, are part of Walt Disney Co Chief Executive Bob Iger’s previously announced plan to eliminate 7,000 jobs and slash $5.5 billion in costs. Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski; Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Walt Disney's, “, Angus MacLane, “ Coco, ” Galyn Susman, Susman, Bob Iger’s, Dawn Chmielewski, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Pixar Animation Studios, Pixar, Walt Disney Co, Thomson

☆ Exclusive: Walt Disney's Pixar targets 'Lightyear' execs among 75 job cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A screen shows the logo and a ticker symbol for The Walt Disney Company on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidJune 3 (Reuters) - Walt Disney's (DIS.N) Pixar Animation Studios has eliminated 75 positions including those of two executives behind box office disappointment “Lightyear,” sources said on Saturday, the first significant job cuts at the studio in a decade. Susman had been at Pixar since the release of the original “Toy Story” movie in 1995. The cuts, which took place May 23, are part of Walt Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger’s previously announced plan to eliminate 7,000 jobs and slash $5.5 billion in costs. Disney acquired Pixar in 2006 to revitalize its struggling Disney Animation.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Walt Disney's, “, Angus MacLane, “ Coco, ” Galyn Susman, Susman, Michael Agulnek, Bob Iger’s, ”, Bob Peterson, Dawn Chmielewski, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Walt Disney Company, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Pixar Animation Studios, Pixar, Walt Disney, Disney Entertainment, Disney, Disney Animation, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S

☆ Netflix shareholders withhold support for executive pay package
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

June 1 (Reuters) - Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) shareholders on Thursday withheld their support for the company's executive pay package, in a non-binding vote that followed a call by striking Hollywood writers to reject the proposed 2023 compensation. "While investors have long taken issue with Netflix's executive pay, the compensation structure is more egregious against the backdrop of the strike," wrote Writers Guild West President Meredith Stiehm. Netflix shareholders withheld support for the executive compensation structure for 2023, in a non-binding "say on pay" vote. Last year, the company's executive pay package won support from just 27% of the shareholder votes cast. After last year's vote, Netflix said it made changes including instituting a salary cap for its co-chief executives and a performance-based bonus plan.

Persons: Guild of America West, Meredith Stiehm, Stiehm, Reed Hastings, Ted Sarandos, Greg Peters, Peters, Ari Emanuel, David Zaslav, Dawn Chmielewski, David Gregorio, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Netflix Inc, Guild of America, Guild West, Comcast Corp, Netflix, Hollywood, Endeavor, Warner Bros Discovery, Alliance, Television Producers, SAG, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles

☆ Digital doubles, fake trailers: AI worries Hollywood actors before labor talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

AI already has divided studios and striking film and television writers, who want assurances that the emerging technology will not be used to generate scripts. SAG-AFTRA wants to ensure its members can control use of their "digital doubles" and ensure studios pay the actual actors appropriately, said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union's chief negotiator. A representative for the AMPTP had no comment on its position on use of AI with actors. In negotiations with the Writers Guild of America (WGA), the AMPTP proposed discussing the topic once a year, which the Guild viewed as an attempt to avoid the issue. You're never going to see anything like that if we're all using AI."

Persons: Julia Louis, Dreyfus, Christine, Wes Anderson, Harry Potter, Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, AFTRA, Duncan Crabtree, Crabtree, Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves, Reeves, Leland Morrill, we're, Morrill, Justine Bateman, Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford, Walt Disney, Ford, Stephen Colbert, James Earl Jones, Darth Vader, Carrie Fisher, AFTRA's Crabtree, Bateman, " Bateman, Lisa Richwine, Jorge Ramos, Dawn Chmielewski, Mary Milliken, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Warner Bros ., Screen, Writers Guild America, YouTube, SAG, Microsoft Corp, Walt Disney Co's, Lucasfilm, Disney, Alliance, Television Producers, Netflix Inc, Writers Guild of America, WGA, Thomson Locations: Burbank , California, ANGELES, Hollywood, Ireland, ., Los Angeles

☆ Striking Hollywood writers lament residuals slide
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The streaming residual check amounted to one-third of the $12,000 Jones received in residuals for writing one episode of the ABC drama "Queens." The writers argue that streaming services, which upended decades of television industry business practices, have significantly undercut their compensation. RESIDUALS WERE 'VERY HEALTHY'Streaming changed the compensation structure and now accounts for the largest share of TV residuals. One studio executive said writers negotiated a 46% increase in residuals for streaming programs, starting in 2022. The latest guild proposal would bump foreign streaming residuals by 200%, a number studio executives noted fails to recognize that subscription fees vary from country to country.

DeSantis, who is expected to soon announce that he will seek the 2024 Republican nomination for U.S. president, then moved to strip Disney of its long-standing self-governing power over Walt Disney World in Orlando. Democratic State Sen. Linda Stewart, who represents part of Orange County, called it "disappointing" that Florida would lose jobs. Iger's predecessor announced plans in July 2021 to relocate jobs from Southern California to a new facility in central Florida, citing its "business-friendly climate." "I remain optimistic about the direction of our Walt Disney World business," D'Amaro wrote. We have plans to invest $17 billion and create 13,000 jobs over the next ten years.

LOS ANGELES, May 18 (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) is scrapping plans to relocate 2,000 jobs to Florida in part because of "changing business conditions" in the state, according to an e-mail to employees seen by Reuters on Thursday. Disney parks chief Josh D'Amaro said "leadership changes" and "changing business conditions" prompted Disney to reconsider its 2021 plan to relocate employees, including its Imagineers who design theme park rides, to a new campus in Lake Nona. The original decision to relocate employees to Florida from California had prompted complaints from many employees who did not want to move across the country. DeSantis, who is expected to soon announce that he will seek the 2024 Republican nomination for U.S. president, then moved to strip Disney of its long-standing self-governing power over Walt Disney World in Orlando. Iger's predecessor announced plans in July 2021 to relocate jobs from Southern California to a new facility in central Florida, citing its "business-friendly climate."

This year, advertisers and ad agencies may well use the strike as a bargaining tool, said Erin Firneno, vice president of business intelligence for researcher Advertiser Perceptions. The writers’ strike, which has entered its third week, is also injecting a new element of uncertainty for ad buyers, at a time when television viewership is declining and the possibility of recession looms. While the TV networks have long contended with splintered viewership amid the rise of social media and streaming, the writers' strike puts content production at risk, said Rishad Tobaccowala, a former executive at advertising and public relations giant Publicis Groupe and advisor on business transformation. Last year, NBC’s upfront presentation emphasized star power as the network returned to a live event after a COVID-19-imposed hiatus. Ahead of the upfront presentations, media executives sought to reassure investors about the strike’s impact.

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