In today’s Global Bulletin, Time’s Up U.K. publishes safety guidelines for auditions, reporting and working with intimacy; Discovery U.K. posts its 10th consecutive record Q1, and RAI and Amazon team on the winning bid for World Cup 2022 rights in Italy.
GUIDELINES
Time’s Up U.K. has published the “Time’s Up Guide to Working in Entertainment,” a collection of three guides constructed as a reference material for arts and entertainment workers to stay informed of their rights, industry-specific norms and practical ways they can help to ensure their safety in the workplace. All three guides are available, free to download at the Time’s Up U.K. website.
Developed in collaboration with Time’s Up in the U.S., Time’s Up U.K. also reached out to key British industry organizations including BAFTA, BECTU, BFI, the Casting Directors’ Guild, Directors’ U.K., Intimacy On Set and Spotlight.
The set of guides cover a wide range of specific circumstances in which industry workers have historically been preyed upon, including auditions and nude, intimate and simulated sex scenes, and includes avenues available to workers for reporting sexual misconduct and harassment as well as nudity and simulated sex rider basics and an incident report template.
“The entertainment industry is not a typical workplace,” Time’s Up U.K. chair Heather Rabbatts says in the release accompanying the announcement. “Figuring out your rights and options around workplace harassment, discrimination and misconduct can be confusing. We have developed these resources together with our sisters in the US, for people in the entertainment industry who find themselves in situations that are at best awkward, or at worst, dangerous.”
“I absolutely welcome these guides, which have been created by my sisters at Time’s Up,” says actor Naomie Harris (“Moonlight,” “28 Days Later”). “They demonstrate that no matter your situation, you have options. These guides help arm people with the resources and information needed to determine the best path forward.”
“Our industry is a truly wonderful one but one that has existed without necessary safeguards,” adds “Luther” star Ruth Wilson. “These Time’s Up safety guides offer a detailed, step-by-step set of tools and advice for all those in the industry. Whatever the experience, whether negotiating a sex scene for the first time or witnessing abusive behavior on set, these guidelines are there as an essential resource. Everyone deserves to feel safe at work, and these offer a huge step towards that becoming a reality.”
RATINGS
Discovery U.K. had its strongest first quarter ever this year, marking ten years of consecutive Q1 growth for the broadcaster. Over the first quarter of the year, Discovery grew its share of adults by 7% year-on-year, and its launch of Discovery Plus and rebranding of the Home network have proved to be boons for the company.
Following a rebranding from Home to HGTV in January 2020, the channel leads the pack in Q1 growth in share of adults, up 41% from the last year. Similarly, Quest, Quest Red, Food Network and ID each enjoyed their strongest first quarters on record. The Discovery Channel posted its strongest quarter in five years, up 3%, and February was Eurosport 1’s largest month over that same period, bolstered by the Australian Open and Welsh Open snooker.
SPORTS
Pending approval from FIFA, the tournament’s organizing body, RAI and Amazon in Italy have secured the rights to next year’s World Cup 2022, controversially set to take place in November and December in Qatar.
According to Italian paper Corriere della Sera, 25 of the tournament’s 64 matches will be broadcast free-to-air on RAI, which reserves the right to first pick of which games it will air. Presumably, the network will air all of Italy’s games in the likely event that they qualify. Amazon will pick up 36 matches, including the semi-finals and final, which it will stream as pay-per-view.
RAI will pick up €130 million ($154 million) of the €180 million ($213 million) tab for the games, with Amazon covering the remainder.