Carriage disputes between cable companies and media companies are nothing new. They happen regularly around big events like the Super Bowl, FIFA World Cup or the Oscars. However this time Charter Communications, the second largest cable operator in the United States, has pulled all of Disney’s 19 networks from its service, refusing to pay the […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 629: Disney vs. Charter Feud Could Finally Unbundle Cable appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Sep 05, 2023•1 hr 25 min
The recent success of the television series “Suits” on Netflix has shined a spotlight on how much money writers make on a cable or broadcast hit versus one on a streaming service. Last week one of the show’s writers revealed the vast difference in residual payments he received between linear and streaming underscoring why the […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 628: An Inside Look at Streaming’s Microscopic Residual Payments appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Aug 30, 2023•1 hr 27 min
The number of households in the United States subscribing to traditional pay television services has dropped below 50% for the first time in the two years Nielsen has been tracking such metrics. And it’s not that viewers are cutting the cable cord, they’re just watching their favorite television shows and movies on streaming services more […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 627: Linear TV Drops Below 50% In U.S. For First Time appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Aug 23, 2023•1 hr 16 min
Though Disney had previously dismissed the idea of venturing into sports betting, saying it didn’t fit the company’s image, the media giant signed a billion dollar agreement this week with a little known online gambling company. The move comes as Disney’s linear television revenue is declining with no end in sight and losses for its […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 626: Will Disney’s Big Wager On Sports Betting Pay Off? appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Aug 15, 2023•1 hr 15 min
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 […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 625: SAG-AFTRA Concerns Over AI Are Justified appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Aug 08, 2023•1 hr 19 min
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 […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 624: Hollywood Is Bungling Its Barbenheimer Momentum appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Aug 03, 2023•1 hr 31 min
Film and television production ground to a halt last week in Hollywood (and elsewhere) when actors joined the already striking writers on the picket line. This marks the first time in 63 years that the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild has been on strike at the same time and it is […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 623: Actors Join Writers In Historic Dual-Strike appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Jul 19, 2023•1 hr 44 min
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 […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 622: Actors and Writers Agree That AI Ain’t So Smart appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Jul 12, 2023•58 min
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 […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 621: Summer Box Office Is Much Cooler Than Expected appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Jul 04, 2023•1 hr 28 min
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 […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 620: This Year’s Tony Awards Were Unscripted, Yet Predictable appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Jun 14, 2023•1 hr 7 min
The Directors Guild of America reached a deal with studios, networks and streamers on a new three-year contract avoiding what some believed would be the first true strike in its 87 year history. Entertainment and technology attorney Jonathan Handel joins us to explain the proposed agreement the directors negotiated with producers. He wrote the book […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 619: Directors Strike Deal for New Contract With Producers appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Jun 06, 2023•1 hr 5 min
The 76th annual Cannes Film Festival wrapped up over the weekend handing out prizes to some of the 21 official selections appearing in competition this year. Justine Triet’s film “Anatomy of a Fall” took home the Palme d’Or though that was one of many deserving titles programmed at what many festival goers felt was one […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 618: The 2023 Cannes Film Festival Lives Up to the Hype appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
May 31, 2023•1 hr 24 min
There are few people that know more about labor issues in the entertainment business than attorney and journalist Jonathan Handel. So when members of the Writers Guild of America went on strike last week, grinding most television production to a halt, we asked him to join us to discuss all the nuanced details. Handel not […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 617: Why the Writers Strike Will Last for Months, Not Weeks appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
May 09, 2023•1 hr 49 min
Movie theater operators from around the world gathered in Las Vegas last week for CinemaCon. Though the last two pandemic suppressed editions of the conference were filled with artificial optimism about the business, this year’s event showcased an industry that had survived and is indeed thriving thanks to a robust release schedule with plenty of […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 616: Movie Theaters Celebrate Recovery at CinemaCon appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
May 03, 2023•1 hr 29 min
Warner Bros. Discovery had long promised to merge its two major streaming services HBO Max and Discovery+ into a single, combined offering. This past week the media giant unveiled the name of the new service to the public; Max. Despite having decades of positive brand recognition, HBO will be dropped from the name. The company […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 615: Warner Bros. Takes Streaming to the Max appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Apr 18, 2023•52 min
When the recording industry first moved online in the early 2000’s piracy was driven by fans illegally downloading music through services like Napster. These days piracy is being committed by the music industry itself through streaming fraud. Artists and/or record labels are generating millions of fake automated streams to pump up playback numbers with the […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 614: Streaming Fraud Is Costing Musicians Billions appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Apr 11, 2023•1 hr 14 min
James Patterson has been a perennial presence on the New York Times best seller list after his most recent book failed to make the list, he accused the newspaper of “cooking the books” in the way it compiles its lists. According to BookScan, which uses actual sales figures, Patterson’s latest book should have made the […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 613: Author James Patterson Questions New York Times Best Seller List appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Apr 04, 2023•1 hr 4 min
Everyone from fans of popular music groups to Broadway regulars are still facing angst and high prices when buying tickets. When the English rock band The Cure decided to forego dynamic pricing and charge only $20 to verified fans for tickets to their upcoming tour, the service fees and facility charges added up to more […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 612: No Easy Cure for Concert Ticket Troubles appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Mar 28, 2023•1 hr 23 min
As everyone expected, the big winner at this year’s Oscars was “Everyone Everywhere All At Once,” taking home seven of the 11 awards it was nominated for. Anne Thompson of Indiewire was at the ceremony and joins us to give us the scoop on what happened behind the scenes at this year’s Academy Awards, including […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 611: This Year’s Oscars Were Everything Everyone Could Have Asked For appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Mar 15, 2023•1 hr 38 min
The current Writers Guild of America contract with signatories ends on May 1st of this year. Television networks and studios are bracing for what feels like an inevitable writers strike. The guild, which represents TV and movie writers, recently settled on a list of demands it is seeking during upcoming contract negotiations. Meanwhile AMC is […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 610: Hollywood Writers Prep For A Contentious Strike appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Mar 07, 2023•1 hr 25 min
According to Digital Entertainment Group, consumers in North America spent $37 billion on home entertainment in 2022. That includes not only spending on streaming services, but also DVD, Blu-ray and digital sales. Not to mention physical and digital rentals. And none of these figures includes spending on cable television. Meanwhile, awards season is in full […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 609: Consumers Are Spending A Fortune on Home Entertainment appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Mar 01, 2023•1 hr 12 min
Major television networks, cable channels and even streamers are all reeling from all of the changes the industry has been undergoing recently. New shows are being canceled before they air. Others disappear after only a single season with all their episodes yanked from streaming libraries. Ratings for linear and cable are way down causing every […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 608: The Television Landscape Is Changing FAST appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Feb 22, 2023•1 hr 20 min
AMC Theatres, the world’s largest cinema chain, announced plans to start charging moviegoers based on where they sit in an auditorium. Preferred seats will cost a few dollars more than standard seats and those in the first two rows will cost less. At a time when movie theaters are having trouble attracting patrons back into […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 607: AMC Sets Sights On Upending Movie Ticket Prices appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Feb 15, 2023•1 hr 14 min
Though Beyoncé led the 2023 Grammy Award nominations with nine nods, in the end she did not win the top prize for Album of the Year for “Renaissance.” Much to the dismay of some, that honor went to Harry Styles for “Harry’s House,” though Beyoncé did break the record for the most Grammy wins ever. […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 606: Beyoncé Makes Grammy History As Harry Styles Wins Album of the Year appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Feb 08, 2023•1 hr 24 min
This year’s Sundance Film Festival came to a close over the weekend marking the first time the event has been held in-person since 2020 due to the pandemic. This year’s Sundance was considered light on acquisitions, raising the perennial debate over the viability of the festival’s official selection whether it be theatrically or on streaming. […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 605: The Future For This Year’s Sundance Movies appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Jan 31, 2023•1 hr 21 min
As we get deeper into this year’s awards season we’re finally hearing from groups whose opinions mean something. For instance, the guilds for directors, producers and cinematographers have all nominated their top picks from last year’s movies. In other instances however, awards are handed out in so many different categories, it seems like every film […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 604: Which Awards Actually Matter? appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Jan 17, 2023•1 hr 8 min
With 2022 now officially over, Nielsen announced the 100 highest rated primetime broadcasts of the year and sports programming dominated the list. Football was a big winner taking the top nine spots. The Oscars telecast was the only non-sports broadcast in the top 31 programs. “60 Minutes,” “NCIS,” “NCIS Hawaii,” “FBI” and other similar fare […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 603: Sports Programming Rules The Ratings In 2022 appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Jan 03, 2023•1 hr 4 min
Filmmaker James Cameron delivered his long-awaited sequel to “Avatar,” the highest grossing movie of all-time and it delivered the blue Christmas movie theaters were hoping for. “Avatar: The Way of Water” is getting mostly glowing reviews for its visuals, less so for its story, and opened to huge admissions figures around the world. Whether it […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 602: Avatar Sequel Makes A Splash at the Box Office appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Dec 20, 2022•1 hr 10 min
The second Red Sea International Film Festival just came to a close in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a country which didn’t even have movie theaters until four years ago. In fact, several Saudi films premiered at the event which put an emerging Middle East film industry on full display. Meanwhile there is no debating that we […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 601: Middle East Film Industry On Display at Red Sea Film Festival appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Dec 15, 2022•1 hr 20 min
We were just as surprised as everyone else to hear that The Walt Disney Company was firing their CEO Bob Chapek and replacing him with their longtime former head, Bob Iger. Iger is returning to a markedly different media company than the one he left less than a year ago and his second stint as […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 600: The Return of Bob Iger at Disney appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox ....
Nov 29, 2022•1 hr 25 min
