Distribution

Starz Lost Access to Pay-One Rights for Major Studio Films

Starz’s access to third-party content was severely diminished when it lost Pay-One rights to films released by Sony Pictures after Netflix swopped in last year. Starz only has Pay-One rights to films released by its sibling company, Lionsgate, which HBO and FX previously held.

Distribution

Universal’s Unique Deal Bifurcates Pay-One Rights Between Multiple Streamers

Universal Pictures bifurcates the 18-month Pay-One Film Licensing Window for its streaming service Peacock and Amazon. After four initial months on Peacock, Universal’s live-action films will stream exclusively on Amazon’s Prime Video for ten months before returning to Peacock for the final four months.

Exhibition

Regal Shutters All 663 Theaters

British exhibitor Cineworld, the parent company of Regal Cinemas in the US, said on Monday that it would shutter all 663 of its theaters in the US and the UK starting October 8th.

Exhibition

Coming Soon to a Living Room Near You

Day-and-date and other alternative film releasing models have been around for over a decade. Still, most major studios have avoided a strategy that skips the theater altogether, that is, until now.

Exhibition

The Reemergence of the Studio Cartel System

A Federal Judge ended the Paramount decrees that ceased Hollywood’s monopoly on producing, distributing, and exhibiting films citing the move would “serve the public interest in free and unfettered competition.”

Streaming

The Paradox of Choice

The major studios sabotaged the dream of a la carte programming and are now attempting to transform streaming into cable television via an ethernet connection instead of coaxial.

Broadcast & PayTV

Cord-Cutting Gains Momentum

In the fourth quarter, two million US subscribers cut the cord on traditional television packages from AT&T, Comcast, Charter, and Verizon, up from 1.7 million in the third quarter.

Streaming

Disney Aims At Netflix

Disney+ nearly triples its subscriber base since launching in November. Through January, the streaming service has 28.6 million subscribers, up from 10 million weeks after it debuted.

Distribution

UPDATED: Sundance Heats Up

After a slow start to the 35th annual Sundance Film Festival, the weekend produced a handful of sizable deals, including from Amazon Studios, Searchlight Pictures, and Lionsgate.

Streaming

Netflix Results Are In

Netflix missed its subscriber forecast in the US and Canada. Despite that, the streamer beat its overseas estimate of 7 million by adding 8.33 million.

Distribution

Will Sundance Boom or Bust?

After a lackluster Sundance in 2018, last year was full of mega-deals, especially by Netflix and Amazon. Buyers spent over $120 million acquiring rights to some 40 films.

Production

Production Battle of Britain

There is a mad rush by the most significant content creators, especially streaming services, to utilize the production infrastructure in England as a base of European operations.

Distribution

Box Office Declines

The box office in North America was down almost 5% from 2018 even after rising ticket prices, and despite a slew of mega-budget franchise films being released.