Television

March 17, 2020 2:44PM PT NBA superstar Kevin Durant is among four Brooklyn Nets players to have tested positive for the coronavirus. The identities of the other three players are unknown. Durant revealed the news to reporter Shams Charania of The Athletic. “Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine,” Durant said Monday. “We’re

Disney’s decision on Tuesday to pull the theatrical release of Marvel Studios’ “Black Widow” is the latest — and biggest — sign that the most lucrative and successful film franchise in Hollywood history is also uniquely vulnerable to the coronavirus epidemic’s widespread effect on the entertainment economy. Along with “Black Widow,” Marvel Studios already suspended

Actor Stuart Whitman, an Oscar nominee for his role as a convicted child molester in the 1961 movie “The Mark,” died on Monday of natural causes surrounded by his family at his ranch house in Montecito, Calif., his son Justin told Variety. He was 92. Whitman had more than 200 film and television credits. His

Lyle Waggoner, who starred on “The Carol Burnett Show” and in the 1970s “Wonder Woman” series, has died at 84, Variety has confirmed. In a statement released by Waggoner’s family it was revealed that the “loving husband, father, grandfather, entrepreneur, and actor passed away peacefully at home on March 17th at the age of 84 with his

The U.K. government has set out a series of major interventions to bolster the economy and business in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, including support for theaters and cinemas — but questions still remain on the fate of the freelance workforce. “We must act like any war-time government and do anything it takes to

March 17, 2020 9:47AM PT ABC said it would temporarily suspend its “Strahan, Sara and Keke” early-afternoon talk show in favor of a news program led by anchor Amy Robach focused on the coronavirus crisis, the latest example of news programming supplanting entertainment and opinion shows as the nation grows more concerned about the contagion’s

Stephen Colbert surprised viewers by delivering fresh material — from his bathtub — at the top of Monday’s “Late Show” rerun. “Late Show” was expected to be all encores this week after CBS and other networks hastily suspended production on most late-night shows to comply with coronavirus protection guidelines. Decked out in his usual dark

The Euro 2020 soccer tournament is to be postponed until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, confirmed the delay of its flagship national team competition after holding an emergency video conference Tuesday involving major stakeholders. The 24-team tournament was due to take place from June 12-July 12 this year at

March 17, 2020 6:36AM PT NFL superstar Tom Brady is leaving the New England Patriots, ending an era for the quarterback and the team that Brady lead to six Super Bowl championships since he signed on in 2000. Brady disclosed that he will move on from the team in a tweet sent early Tuesday. He

German broadcaster Sat.1 has decided to inform contestants of its latest “Big Brother” production of the ongoing coronavirus crisis that has put Germany into lockdown. The first group of contestants has been living in the “Big Brother” house in Cologne since Feb. 6, sealed off from the outside world. The show, which premiered on Feb.

The U.K. government is facing mounting criticism from creative industries about the financial impact of its advice to the public to stay away from theaters and cinemas. Because the government did not announce a formal ban on mass gatherings or instruct venues to close, as other countries have done, it has left many venues in

Disney Plus is one of the few bright spots in the Mouse House’s business portfolio amid the global coronavirus pandemic. Since Disney Plus’ launch in the U.S. in November 2019, approximately 50% of American households with children under 10 have already subscribed to Disney Plus midway through the first quarter of 2020, according to consumer

U.K. broadcasters and studios have begun enforcing bans on on-site audiences as the coronavirus outbreak continues apace. The BBC will prevent external visitors and audiences from accessing its buildings from Wednesday onwards, while Elstree Studios, where Netflix’s “The Crown” and Channel 4’s popular comedy show “The Last Leg” is filmed, has also pulled the plug

U.K. broadcaster Channel 4, which airs “The Circle” and “Five Guys a Week,” has warned its production suppliers that some commissions may need to be canceled as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Acknowledging the ‘unique and dynamic’ situation caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, C4 director of programs Ian Katz emailed producers Monday with advice

In one of the first concrete instances of a new virtual TV marketplace building in Europe as a response to the COVID-19 crisis, Series Mania, which cancelled its 2020 edition in Lille, is instead launching Series Mania Digital Platform. The Platform will feature video pitches of the 16 selected projects in the Co-Pro Pitching sessions,

Pop pop! Netflix has sealed a multi-year, non-exclusive global deal with Sony Pictures TV to start streaming all six seasons of the fan favorite comedy “” starting April 1. As part of the deal, Sony has also extended its license with Hulu for the show’s entire 110-episode library, but now on a non-exclusive basis. Since

Some of the nation’s biggest media outlets and the White House are readying a blitz of public-service messages aimed at getting Americans to take as many steps as possible to fight the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. In a campaign orchestrated by the Ad Council, the non-profit organization that has helped to craft some of

With film and television productions shutting down, concerts and other major events being canceled, and venues from amusement parks to select movie theaters closing their doors temporarily amid coronavirus concerns, there is one tried and true place to which to turn for entertainment and escapism: books. From Stephen King’s “The Stand” in 1978 to the

March 16, 2020 4:40PM PT NBC News will feature taped segments during the 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. hours of “Today,” according to a person familiar with the matter, while co-anchors Al Roker and Craig Melvin remain at home, the latest change to some of TV’s best-known news programming in the wake of the spread

Leaders of the Directors Guild of America have told the 18,000 DGA members that they are working on a variety of initiatives amid the coronavirus crisis, such as financial relief legislation and speeding up residual payments. “We will weather this storm together,” said president Thomas Schlamme and national executive director Russell Hollander in a message

March 16, 2020 4:19PM PT WWE’s flagship pay-per-view, WrestleMania, will take place without an audience this year. The pro wrestling promotion announced Monday that the upcoming WrestleMania 36 will now take place at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida instead of in Tampa Bay as originally planned. “In coordination with local partners and government

March 16, 2020 4:04PM PT In today’s tv news roundup, Variety obtained an exclusive clip of “Torn From the Headlines: New York Post Reports” and AMC released a new promo for “The Walking Dead: World Beyond” Season 2.  DATES Netflix announced the premiere date of “The Midnight Gospel,” streaming April 20. The story follows Clancy,

The 21st Annual Newport Beach Film Festival has been postponed amid concerns about COVID-19, Variety has learned exclusively. Eugene Levy was set to receive the first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award from the festival on April 24. The festival, in partnership with Variety, was also prepping its first-ever TV Showcase during this year’s event. Originally scheduled for April

March 16, 2020 2:45PM PT An ABC News employee who works out the division’s Los Angeles bureau has tested positive for having coronavirus, the latest in a series of TV-news personnel to be stricken with the virus as it spreads across the United States. ABC News President James Goldston told employees in a memo Monday

Kristofer Hivju, best known for playing the formidable, bearded Tormund on “Game of Thrones,” is the latest actor to test positive for the coronavirus. Hivju revealed the diagnosis in an Instagram post, saying that he is currently self-quarantining with his family in Norway. Sorry to say that I, today, have tested positive for COVID19, Corona

Amazon Studios has pulled the plug on “Love Island France,” which was shooting outside of Cape Town, as the coronavirus pandemic that has disrupted production across the globe spreads to the South African film and TV industry. The decision comes just two weeks into the show’s run, and follows a televised address by South African

A continent mad about sports has gone mad without sports. This past weekend was the first in which nearly all public sporting events across Europe were canceled or postponed in an effort to mitigate the spread of Covid-19. Cancellations left rightsholders in the lurch with hours to fill from a normally packed weekend schedule, while

March 16, 2020 6:39AM PT Trading in U.S. equities markets was halted moments after the session began on Monday as a plunge in the S&P 500 index triggered a circuit breaker designed to slow another panicky selloff. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 2,200 points at the start of trading at 9:30 a.m.

March 16, 2020 6:29AM PT Two of the U.K.’s most popular scripted shows, “Peaky Blinders” and “Line of Duty,” have postponed production in light of the coronavirus outbreak. World Productions’ “Line of Duty” is in its sixth season, as is Caryn Mandabach Productions and Tiger Aspect Productions’ “Peaky Blinders.” A BBC spokeswoman confirmed the delay

Keshet Productions has suspended filming in the U.K. on its Uma Thurman-starring “False Flag” adaptation for Apple TV Plus, “Suspicion,” Variety has confirmed. The Israeli media group’s U.K. production arm has paused shooting on the show for an unspecified amount of time. “Suspicion” was not part of the batch of shows confirmed by Apple on Friday