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Monday, March 20, 2023

Welcome to the new week! Rupert Murdoch is getting married again, right-wing media is out in full force defending Donald Trump, Dominion is readying to face off with Fox News in court, Amazon is axing its workforce yet again, and a key Marvel executive is out of the company. But first, the A1.

THE A1

The Writer's Block

CNN Photo Illustration/Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

Hollywood is holding its breath.

The Writers Guild of America commenced high-stakes negotiations with studios on Monday over a contract set to expire on May 1 — which could lead to the first strike in nearly 15 years, a prospect that would cause massive disruption to television and film projects across the industry.

The guild is heading to the Sherman Oaks bargaining table seeking higher compensation for writers, a boost in contributions to pension and health funds, and better workplace standards.

Most notably, the guild wants to factor in the streaming economy into compensation packages for its members. Residual fees — or money paid when a film or series is rerun or aired on broadcast — has helped pad the wallets of writers for years. But those fees are vanishing in the streaming era, which is where a great deal of projects ultimately land these days.

Additionally, with the rise of streaming, there are often fewer episodes in a show's season than before. Shows that run on broadcast networks typically include more than 20 episodes in a season. That's not the case with shows that are ordered by Netflix and others.

"It's like seeing a bunch of Ubers on the road and thinking it's a good time to be a taxi driver," one entertainment lawyer told the FT's Christopher Grimes on Monday. "Being a working writer is much harder than it used to be. The level of compensation, the treatment and expectations are all fundamentally different than they were."

And with the artificial intelligence revolution being set into motion, the guild is also asking for studios to establish standards around the use of the technology. It wants the use of A.I. regulated, in terms of material created for the studios.

Of course, it's unclear what precisely the powers that be in Hollywood will agree to and there are a number of hurdles the WGA will have to overcome to deliver its objectives to members.

The guild has advised members that the initial round of talks will last two weeks. At that point, there will be a break, during which it plans to update its members on progress. Negotiations would then resume with the aim of striking an agreement before May 1. The guild did not respond to a request seeking further comment on Monday.

For its part, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, a trade organization that represents the Hollywood studios, said it is approaching the negotiations "with the long-term health and stability of the industry as our priority."

"We are all partners in charting the future of our business together and fully committed to reaching a mutually beneficial deal with each of our bargaining partners," the AMPTP said in a statement. "The goal is to keep production active so that all of us can continue working and continue to deliver to consumers the best entertainment product available in the world."

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

CNN Photo Illustration/Scott Olson/Getty Images

Defending Donald: The right-wing media machine is in overdrive defending Donald Trump. Top outlets and personalities are attacking a potential indictment against the former president and laying the groundwork to cast him as an effective political prisoner. Right-wing media is steeped in rhetoric suggesting the American justice system has been compromised and is full of corrupt partisan hacks wrongfully wielding their power to attack a political opponent. There is even some talk of civil war — the same type of worrisome rhetoric that we saw in advance of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. It's unclear, of course, what will ultimately happen in the case. But it's not hard to see how things could get ugly if an indictment is handed down, given the narrative that has fallen into place among the outlets and figures Republicans trust for their news.

► The latest state of play: A person close to the Trump team told CNN's Paula Reid on Monday that they do not expect any initial appearance to happen before next week, if Trump is in fact indicted.

THE BUSINESS

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Fifth Time's the Charm?: It's HBO versus reality — yet again. On Monday night, the premium cabler hosted VIPs for the premiere of the fourth and final season of "Succession." But hours earlier, Rupert Murdoch broke some "Succession"-worthy news of his own: that he's getting married for the fifth time. The 92-year-old right-wing media mogul is engaged to Ann Lesley Smith after dating for several months. "I dreaded falling in love — but I knew this would be my last. It better be," Murdoch commented to Cindy Adams, who broke the news. "I'm happy." The wedding is scheduled for the summer, per Adams. CNN's Toyin Owoseje has more here.

IN THE INDUSTRY

Shane Smith made more than $100 million from Vice, Maxwell Tani reports. (Semafor)
Jen Psaki made her debut as an MSNBC host over the weekend. Tom Jones writes that it was a solid start for the ex-White House press secretary. (Poynter)
Speaking of Sunday lineups: CNN announced "Inside Politics Sunday" will move to the 11am time slot, which was formerly occupied by "Reliable Sources." (Twitter)
First in Reliable | PBS correspondent Jane Ferguson's book, "No Ordinary Assignment," which was announced last year, has just received its artwork and a publication date of July 11. (Mariner Books)
Joe Bel Bruno has launched an outlet called The Intersect, which is billed as a publication covering how the entertainment industry intersects with Wall Street. (Talking Biz News)
Netflix's ad tier has "reached about 1 million monthly active users in the U.S.," Lucas Shaw reports. (Bloomberg)
Warner Bros. Discovery is passing on iSpot and opting to use Comscore and VideoAmp for audience measurement, Brian Steinberg reports. (Variety)

MEDIA MOVES

The NYT poached Joy Robins from WaPo as its chief global advertising officer. (NYT)
MSNBC hired John Kasich as a contributor. (Twitter)

THE INFO WARS

CNN Photo Illustration/Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images

Dominion Day in Delaware: Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News are set to meet in court on Tuesday after filing motions asking a Delaware judge to rule in their favor and avert an expected trial next month. Lawyers from Fox and Dominion have offered dueling arguments to the judge in thousands of pages of court filings, seeking a decision on the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit from the bench without the need of a trial. We'll see what ultimately happens, but most legal analysts I've spoken to expect the landmark case to advance to trial next month. While the judge may issue some rulings based on the motions, it's unlikely the entire case will be outright dismissed (as Fox wants) or that the full damages will be awarded (as Dominion wants). TPM's Josh Kovensky has a walk up here.

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

Could Fox and Dominion settle the suit after Tuesday's hearing? Some experts believe Fox will ultimately pay to make the case go away. (THR)
Fox News is "taking legal action against one of its top producers in an effort to silence her amid the ongoing Dominion lawsuit," Lachlan Cartwright, Andrew Kirell, and Justin Baragona report. The right-wing channel said the producer "has threatened to disclose Fox's attorney-client privileged information and we have filed a temporary restraining order to protect our rights." (Daily Beast)
"Are they pure pundits or opinionated journalists?": Jeremy Barr writes about Fox News' stable of prime time stars and how their precise roles are "key" in Dominion's suit. (WaPo)
Regardless of what happens in the case, Allan Smith and Natasha Korecki note that Republican presidential hopefuls are not giving up on the network. "The Fox primary is just as competitive this year as it's ever been," GOP operative Alex Conant told them. (NBC News)
Switching gears: Elizabeth Williamson and Emily Steel reported over the weekend how Sandy Hook families "are fighting Alex Jones and the bankruptcy system itself." (NYT)

THE VALLEY

CNN Photo Illustration/Daniel Bockwoldt/picture alliance/Getty Images

Amazon Swings the Axe: Big Tech keeps bleeding. Amazon on Monday became the second tech titan to undergo another round of significant layoffs, announcing that it will cut 9,000 more workers. The cuts will impact Twitch, advertising, and the company's web services divisions, CEO Andy Jassy said in a memo. "This was a difficult decision, but one that we think is best for the company long term," Jassy wrote, adding that the layoffs were not announced as part of the previous cuts because "not all of the teams were done with their analyses in the late fall." CNN's Catherine Thorbecke has more here.

TOO MANY TABS

Racial bias has emerged in Amazon's package delivery reviewing system as BIPOC drivers consistently get worse feedback, Spencer Soper and Matt Day report. (Bloomberg)
"Google was beloved as an employer for years," Clare Duffy and Catherine Thorbecke write. "Then it laid off thousands by email." (CNN)
💩 Elon Musk has taken his hatred of the media to the sewer — literally. The Twitter boss announced that anyone who emails the company's press address will get an auto reply consisting of a sole poop emoji. (Gizmodo)
The BBC has urged its employees to delete TikTok from corporate devices. (Bloomberg)
Double standard? A transparency group argues that TikTok is not alone in posing security and mental health risks. (Bloomberg)
After ChatGPT, A.I.-generated text-to-video might be the next big thing. (The Verge)
Microsoft's OpenAI app will automatically transcribe notes from health care visits. (CNBC)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN Photo Illustration/Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

Marvel Mayhem: It's endgame for one of the most prominent executives at Marvel Studios. THR's Borys Kit and Aaron Couch scooped Monday that Victoria Alonso, who has worked on every Marvel project dating back to the very first "Iron Man," has exited the company. "The reasons for the exit are unclear, but she parted ways with Marvel on Friday," the duo reported. Notably, her departure comes on the heels of "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's" less-than-ideal performance. And it also comes after Disney boss Bob Iger offered some light criticism about the number of sequels for certain superheroes that have come to fruition under the Marvel banner. More here from Kit and Couch.

OFF STAGE

Lauren Sanchez is working on a film that was "secretly shot last summer and includes a cameo by [Jeff] Bezos's ultra-private daughter," Matt Belloni reports. (Puck)
LA's famed United Recording studio — which helped shape the albums of top recording artists — has laid off almost all of its 16-person staff, Kenan Draughorne reports. (LAT)
LIV Golf is really struggling to attract an audience. (Mediaite)
Netflix will release 40 video games this year. (TechCrunch)
The cast of "Ted Lasso" visited the White House to discuss mental health and promote wellbeing. (The Wrap)
Jason Sudeikis will also sit down with Jake Tapper for a one-hour special on mental health airing on Friday at 9pm. (Twitter)
A Florida jury has convicted three men in the 2018 murder of rapper XXXTentacion. (CNN)
"Dancing with the Stars" will welcome back Julianne Hough, this time as a host. She'll replace Tyra Banks who recently announced she'll leave the show. (Variety)
Jordan Peele's untitled fourth film is slated to drop on Christmas Day 2024. (The Wrap)
Eva Longoria's "Flamin' Hot" film is set to debut on both Hulu and Disney+, the first time a new movie has splashed onto both platforms at once. (Deadline)

Thank you for reading! This newsletter was edited by Jon Passantino and produced with the assistance of Liam Reilly. Have feedback? Send us an email here. We will see you back in your inbox tomorrow.