☀️AI Expands; SAG-AFTRA Authorizes Video Game Strike
Discover more from The Ankler.
☀️AI Expands; SAG-AFTRA Authorizes Video Game Strike
Taylor Swift pic goes global / STARZ cancels several series / DISH latest to raise price
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LinkedIn here if ya like), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on TUESDAY Sept. 26, 2023.
Where Taylor’s going global - The Eras Tour will now hit theaters in more than 100 countries on Oct. 13.
AMC THEATERS is handling the deals with global exhibitors, adding about 3,500+ int’l locations to the 4,000 U.S./CAN locations already set, including the ODEON chain in EUROPE.
Too bad the CHIEFS-DOLPHINS game in GERMANY isn’t until Nov 5, coulda done some nice cross-promo.
THEN: Any writers whose healthcare was set to expire Oct. 1 - their policies have been extended to Dec. 31 by the WGA.
AND: SAG-AFTRA members authorized a strike against 10 major video game companies, as their performers look to set a new deal.
Companies include all the biggies naturally - such as TAKE TWO, EA, ACTIVISION and… DISNEY & WBD.
AI protections are a huge factor here, as are increased safety for those who do stunt performing, and more customary rate increases.
Negotiations pick up again on Tuesday, a strike could be authorized anytime after that.
About 2,600 folks work under this SAG Interactive Media contract, with several thousands more having done work covered by it in their careers.
IN TODAY’S EDITION
Pretty quiet Yom Kippur as expected - a few things to note but this’ll be quick (and free for all!)
TODAY IN AI
SPOTIFY is testing the use of AI to do automatic translations to SPOTIFY podcasts into foreign languages. Good luck on keeping up with how fast I talk, OpenAI 😬.
ChatGPT is giving 5 “human” voice options for folks to interact with, à la a souped-up ALEXA (no word if ChatGPT is also listening to your conversations when it’s not on).
Or “Hal” really is probably a better analogy here. It’s also still rather slow (this isn’t Her by any stretch of the imagination), but uh, yeah give it 2-3 years…
I JUST FOUND THESE HELPFUL THIS MORNING:
If you’re single/sans-spouse in N.Y. State and have car insurance - you’re now being charged an extra fee by your insurer automatically as if you have one. The NY Times laid out details to stop paying it.
The U.S. gov’t is offering free Covid tests again, this time four shipped to your house by the U.S. Postal Service next week - sign up here if inclined to save $40 (well, with NYC prices).
📽 THE SILVER SCREEN
IN TV & MOVIES
STARZ canceled three shows after two seasons each - Heels, Run The World and Blindspotting, all produced by LIONSGATE TV 👀.
ALSO: The first season of The Venery of Samantha Bird will not pick up production, post-strikes. /Variety
WHAT’S LEFT: The Power universe & BMF, P-Valley, Shining Vale (also entering season 2), The Serpent Queen got a season 2 renewal last fall, and… TBA if Minx gets a season 3.
PLUS: Outlander is entering its final season - although it is getting a prequel.
FOX’s Krapopolis premiered to 3.6 million viewers at 8 p.m. on Sunday… episode 2 at 8:30 p.m. fell to 1.8 million. /Variety
CONTEXT:
The 8 p.m. airing was right after the post-game show for the KC / BEARS game.
The 8:30 p.m. episode was also up against the start of the Sunday Night Football game on NBC.
IN THE HOLLYWOOD EXECUTIVE SUITE
BLUMHOUSE hired former SK Global & PAR TV exec Jeannie Koeningsberg as its new Head of TV Physical Production. /Deadline
RANGE added boutique sports agency STOKE MANAGEMENT GROUP, founded by Lowell Taub. It mainly represent Olympic and action sports athletes.
STOKE’s five employees are coming over, and Taub will be Chief Revenue Officer of RANGE’s sports division. /THR
💻 THE MEDIA BIZ
JUST A FEW THINGS
DISH is raising prices on packages by $5 a month on Oct. 12. Between DISNEY and DISH… man, October’s gonna be expensive. /Cord Cutter News
Morning Brew fired its COO and CRO, reportedly based on differing visions for the company’s future within AXEL SPRINGER. The company had layoffs in Nov. last year, and again this past March. /Axios
LIBERTY MEDIA is proposing a combination of SIRIUSXM stock, with its own tracking stock.
LIBERTY owns 83% of SIRIUS, whose value is in a tracking stock, LSXM.
The remaining 17% trades under the SIRI stock on the exchange.
This proposal would combine the two essentially into a public “New SIRIUSXM” company, with Jennifer Witz still at the helm as CEO (i.e. this is mainly a stock clarity/simplification thing).
LIBERTY also has tracking stocks for its F1 business interest, and LIBERTY LIVE (ie LIVE NATION).
If you were forwarded The Wakeup, get it as part of your subscription to The Ankler:
Hits your inbox weekdays by 9am (ish) East Coast time
👩💻 NEW TO WATCH:
HULU Love in Fairhope docuseries
NETFLIX The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar short film
NETFLIX Forgotten Love
NETFLIX Encounters
🎥 TRAILER HOUSE
NETFLIX May December trailer - New pic from Todd Haynes, nice cut! About an actress who moves in with the… unconventional subject of her next film to prepare for the role - a woman who slept with a teenage boy, who became a couple after the woman serves her prison term. PREMIERES DEC. 1
NETFLIX Yellow Door: ‘90s Lo-fi Film Club docu trailer - Looks cool, about the early ‘film club’ days of major names in Korean cinema including Bong Joon-ho. PREMIERES OCT. 27
APPLE TV+ The Enfield Poltergeist docuseries trailer - About the case that inspired The Conjuring. PREMIERES OCT. 27
NETFLIX Life on Our Planet series trailer - PREMIERES OCT. 25
ADULT SWIM Rick and Morty season 7 trailer - PREMIERES OCT. 15
🎤 PLAYING ME OFF
It’s been raining here for 5 days now, I’m into my chill R&B music phase - and doesn’t get much better than H.E.R. to enjoy with a morning coffee.
Email me anytime at seanmcnultynyc@gmail.com or connect here on LINKED IN.
-SEAN MCNULTY
@theseanmac on TWITTER
@TheWakeupNews on INSTAGRAM