Top News:
Denis Villeneuve / Variety:
Dune director Denis Villeneuve says AT&T decided to sacrifice Warner Bros' 2021 slate “in a desperate attempt to grab audience attention” for HBO Max — I learned in the news that Warner Bros. has decided to release “Dune” on HBO Max at the same time as our theatrical release …
Discussion:
The Playlist, @swimiller, @michaelsderby, Variety, The A.V. Club, UPROXX, The Ringer, @vikyair, @lizrenzetti, ComingSoon.net, Vanity Fair, Engadget, @msmlroberts, @richardlnewby, @richlightshed, Collider, @variety, @ljwr_, @chris_osborn, @jesabelraay, IndieWire, The Wrap, IndieWire, The A.V. Club and The Verge
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Kara Swisher / New York Times:
Interview with Jason Kilar on the decision to release 2021 movies on HBO Max: “If we...focus on the customer, we're going to be sitting on a very big future” — Depending on who you ask, Jason Kilar is either the most hated or most beloved man in Hollywood right now.
Discussion:
CNN, Variety, The Playlist, @mlcalderone, @benmullin, Protocol, @nytopinion, @nytopinion, @antovolk and Business Insider
Jill Goldsmith / Deadline:
In an SEC filing, AMC Entertainment says it has raised $100M ; as of November 30, AMC had more than $400M in rent obligations deferred to 2021 — Struggling AMC Entertainment said it risks running out funds in January. — In its latest warning cry, it said it needs $750 million “to remain viable” through 2021.
Discussion:
Variety, Forbes, The Streamable, @filmupdates, The Playlist, TheStreet, @filmupdates and Hollywood Reporter
Jay Peters / The Verge:
Disney+ will get 10 Star Wars series, “roughly” 10 Marvel series, and more from Disney live-action, Disney Animation and Pixar “over the next few years” — The company also plans to bring many Disney Animation and Pixar movies and shows to the service
Discussion:
CNBC, Variety, Variety, Variety, The Wrap, The Streamable, The Wrap, Variety, @cityofthetown, Variety, Variety, The Wrap, The Wrap, The Wrap, Sports Business Daily, Variety, /Film, Variety, Variety, /Film, Variety, /Film, The Wrap, Variety, @yashar, @teanah, @briankoppelman, @tommycsftp, @kelseymsutton, @natjarv, @natjarv, @kelseymsutton, @natjarv, @frankpallotta, @frankpallotta, @frankpallotta, @tvmojoe, @annecomics, @harrisj, @thewrap, @zeitchikwapo, @natjarv, @benmullin, @darrenrovell, @deadline, @ourand_sbj, Los Angeles Times, TV Insider, Hollywood Reporter, Android Central and CNBC
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Julia Alexander / The Verge:
As of December 2, Disney had 137.1M DTC subscribers, comprising 86.8M for Disney+, 38.8M for Hulu, and 11.5M for ESPN+ — Giving Disney confidence to pursue more streaming — Disney Plus has amassed more than 86 million subscribers since launching in November 2019, CEO Bob Chapek announced.
Discussion:
@disney, Axios, New York Times, The Streamable, Variety, The Illuminerdi, @drajchristian, The Streamable, The Streamable, @xpangler, @rkylesmith, The Week, @sree, @drajchristian, Advanced Television, The Ringer, @devanaltman, @variety, @kelseymsutton, @robert_hiltz, @ign, @sarahgranger, @wilgafney, @thedailybeast, @natjarv, @jbflint, @cityofthetown, @zeitchikwapo, @wesleysmorgan, @xpangler, @starfire2258, @id4ro, @sdkstl, @lucas_shaw, @kelseymsutton, @kelseymsutton, @variety, @lucas_shaw, @loudmouthjulia, The Verge, The Walt Disney Company, The Daily Beast, FierceVideo, Protocol, Variety, CNET and Cord Cutters News, more at Techmeme »
Julia Alexander / The Verge:
Disney will raise the cost of Disney+ to $7.99 per month, up from $6.99, in the US starting in March 2021, as the company heavily invests in content offerings
Discussion:
The Wrap, /Film, @jdroege, Broadband TV News, @trengriffin, @loudmouthjulia, @xpangler, @loudmouthjulia, @sherman4949, @markberman, @sherman4949, @sherman4949, @loudmouthjulia, ScreenRant, Adweek, Polygon, Broadcasting Cable, Deadline, The Streamable, Vox, CNET and Business Insider, more at Techmeme »
Bloomberg:
Chinese authorities detained Bloomberg News staff member Haze Fan, a Chinese citizen, on Monday on suspicion of endangering national security — Chinese authorities have detained Haze Fan, who works for the Bloomberg News bureau in Beijing, on suspicion of endangering national security.
Discussion:
Business Insider, CNN, @quicktake, Hong Kong Free Press HKFP, @jerrydunleavy, @fanyiyi33, @rover829, The Guardian, @mccarrennews, @wilfredchan, @srussolillo, @vwang3, @niubi, @suilee, @reuters, @niubi, @stephenmcdonell, The Desk, @gerryshih, @hillelneuer, @letahong, @schorselysees, @lthometafp, @alykhansatchu, @chrdnet, @dktatlow, New York Post, The Hill, Committee to Protect … and Boing Boing
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Kayleigh Barber / Digiday:
Axios plans to launch Axios HQ in Feb. to help companies write internal memos styled like Axios newsletters, with real-time feedback and “Smart Brevity” score — This coming February, Axios's first software-as-a-service product, AxiosHQ, will hit the market.
Discussion:
@jz, @imkialikethecar, @thekendallbaker, @noahchestnut, @bmorrissey and @glennf, more at Techmeme »
Sarah Ellison / Washington Post:
Political journalists question the value of reporting anonymous concerns by Republicans who publicly support Trump as he tries to overturn the election — During his decades on the congressional beat, John Bresnahan has spent countless hours listening to the private concerns of his congressional sources.
Discussion:
Forbes, @jayrosen_nyu, @heatherscope, ABC News, Raw Story, @joshmankiewicz, @amyargetsinger, @sbassopb, @sulliview, @froomkin, @seungminkim and Washington Monthly
Mehul Srivastava / Financial Times:
Al Jazeera's Ghada Oueiss sues Saudi prince, UAE leader, and others, alleging her phone was hacked and photos leaked to stifle her reporting on Saudi Arabia — Ghada Oueiss alleges she was targeted in attempt to silence her and other critics of Saudi government
Discussion:
The Hill, @aaschapiro, @ghadaoueiss, @courtneyr, Miami Herald, Riyadh Bureau, Columbia Journalism Review and @ghadaoueiss
Debbie Weinstein / The Keyword:
Google says it will let users limit the alcohol and gambling ads they see, starting with YouTube in the US — Building tools that provide transparency and control has always been a top priority for us, and over the years, we've empowered people to shape their ads experience through user controls.
Discussion:
Ad Age, @stshank, @megancgraham, @pernod_ricard, MediaNama, TechCrunch, The Verge, The Guardian, 9to5Google and Engadget
Edward Ongweso Jr / VICE:
Three Spotify unions, at Gimlet, The Ringer, and Parcast, stopped working for two hours on Friday, demanding fairer contracts and better workplace conditions — Spotify has only recognized one union, but they've all been fighting for a better contract this past year. — EO
Rick Edmonds / Poynter:
Gannett is outsourcing 485 business process jobs like payments, invoicing, and accounting to Hyderabad, India, early next year — Those being laid off will be notified by Jan. 15 but can stay on until April to ‘transition’ their work, a company FAQ document says.
Discussion:
@poynter, @brettkelman, @poynter, @dankennedy_nu and The Hill
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