In Hollywood, nothing is more dangerous than an original idea. These days, it's nearly impossible for studios to justify greenlighting a big-budget movie and sending it out into the heat of summer battle without the armor of a film franchise. It's too hard to find the right marketing hook to explain a film's premise in a 30-second ad, particularly when so many people are skipping the multiplexes in order to settle in with Netflix. To combat the u... Full Story on Variety.com →
Wanda's $1 Billion Bet to Transform Legendary Into Global Media Giant
Give the Dalian Wanda Group this much: It is nothing if not brash. Much of Hollywood did a double take when the Chinese conglomerate shelled out $3.5 billion for Legendary Entertainment last year. Jaws dropped further when Wanda announced it was paying $1 billion for Dick Clark Prods. — …
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ESPN's Cut Talent Could See Big Rebounds at Other Outlets
The latest corporate restructuring at ESPN has flooded the sports media market with some very recognizable talent. When Walt Disney's sports media juggernaut pink-slipped 100 anchors, writers and analysts last week, it made available some of the medium's most durable names: "SportsCenter" sta …
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Growing Volume, Shifting Schedules of Peak TV Challenge VFX Houses
Many have christened this a new golden age of television, and many critics agree that today's small-screen programs exhibit a quality seen in the medium at few other times. But unlike the early 1950s, another highly regarded era for TV content, the present day features quantity as well as qua …
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