Weekly Journal #132

Industry News

Disney’s Price Hikes Usher in Era of the Not-So-Cheap Ad Tier (Hollywood Reporter)

That Was My Idea! How Hollywood Is Avoiding Story Theft Claims (Hollywood Reporter)

Walmart to Add Paramount+ to Retail Chain’s Subscription Service (Hollywood Reporter)

Subscribers Resist Idea Of Trading Down From Ad-Free To Ad-Supported Tiers (Deadline)

Diversity Requirements For CA’s $330M Annual Film & TV Tax Credits Poised To Become Law (Deadline)

Why Warner Bros. Discovery’s Issues Are Beyond ‘Batgirl’ (Hollywood Reporter)

Film

Amazon Seeks Top Film Executive Amid Expansion of Entertainment Arm (Wall Street Journal)

Farewell to Wolfgang Petersen, and to a Generation of Hollywood Action (Vulture)

Television

Nexstar Seals Deal to Buy 75% Stake in The CW, Reshaping Broadcast Landscape (Hollywood Reporter)

The Big Ten’s New Deal Makes Sports Streaming Rights More Confusing Than Ever (Verge)

Streaming Viewership Has Surpassed Cable TV Tune-In For The First Time, Per Nielsen (Deadline)

Television Academy to Hold an Industry-Wide Summit on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (Variety)

‘Virgin River’ Hits Series High, Dethrones ‘Stranger Things’ (Hollywood Reporter)

Digital

The End of Social Media and the Rise of Recommendation Media (Every)

Social Media Was a C.E.O.’s Bullhorn, and How He Lured Women (New York Times)

In Other News

Call Us When He Kills You (Esquire)

Hunting the Lonely Heart (Oxford American)

Link to Weekly Journal #132

John Wells