Of the many businesses laid flat by the coronavirus pandemic, small and independent music venues are among the most greviously impacted. They were among the first to close and will be among the last to reopen, and despite the $10 billion “Save Our Stages” act currently languishing before Congress and the efforts of organizations like
European media conglomerate RTL Group has sold its entire stake in BroadbandTV, the digital media and tech company, for $120 million. RTL’s sale of its holding comes as BBTV launched an initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange, and under which BBTV founder and CEO Shahrzad Rafati (pictured above) has become the controlling stakeholder.
For many people, the 2020 presidential election isn’t a game. At least one company thinks it could be. After giving users of a mobile-gaming app a chance to win $50,000 if they chose the right outcomes of six different elements of the recent presidential debate between President Trump and Joe Biden, Fox Bet is offering
After a rough first fiscal quarter, Sony Music saw its recorded music division post an 11% year-over-year revenue boost — a record $1.16 billion — driven by a 19% surge in streaming (in dollars). Streaming brought in $742.3 million for the quarter. The division saw a 6.5% overall gain in revenue (in dollars) and even
Scopely continues to attract buckets of bucks for its free-to-play mobile games business. And after banking $340 million in fresh capital, the company is renewing the hunt for new acquisitions to continue its growth trajectory. With the new funding, L.A.-based Scopely now has a $3.3 billion post-money valuation, nearly doubling the valuation in just under
After consolidating the content catalogs across its holdings earlier this year, Russia’s National Media Group is ready to shore up its international sales through Art Pictures Distribution, the exclusive distributor of content produced across the group’s media properties, including a range of terrestrial and satellite broadcasters, the production company Art Pictures Studio (“Sputnik,” “Invasion”), and
In a milestone move, production-distribution powerhouse Fremantle has unveiled its first fully-financed high-end factual original, “Arctic Drift,” the story of Mosaic, the biggest Arctic climate research expedition. A two-hour documentary, described by Fremantle international CEO Jens Richter as “a scientific adventure film,” “Arctic Drift” is being launched on the market this week as Fremantle drives
For an industry that relies on theatrical releases for up to 80% of its revenue, it was perhaps inevitable that 2020 would be a challenging year for the Russian film biz, as the coronavirus pandemic shuttered cinemas throughout the spring and summer, and theaters subsequently reopened at reduced capacity. But Evgenia Markova, head of the
Munich-based world sales company Global Screen has picked up worldwide distribution rights to adventure movie “The School of the Magical Animals,” based on the bestselling kids’ book series by Margit Auer. Global Screen will present a teaser trailer and begin presales on the movie at the upcoming American Film Market. The live-action film with CGI
Russian production and distribution company Central Partnership is hoping for a scorching run at the box office with the upcoming release of “Fire,” a big-budget, high-octane actioner about heroic smokejumpers racing against disaster. Variety has been given exclusive access to the first trailer for a film slated to hit Russian theaters on Christmas Eve. Central
Slovak documentarian Tereza Nvotova, who has confronted corruption and politics in past films such as 2017’s “The Lust for Power,” found herself beached in New York during the COVID-19 outbreak in the spring, unable to return legally to her home in the Czech Republic with her partner, American actor Jacob Pitts. Then she got an
Faye Dorn is joining Merman Television in the newly created role of head of drama. She joins from Fifty Fathoms and Tiger Aspect, where she has been executive producer of “Domina” for Sky Studios. Dorn will work alongside Merman co-founders Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford, with a remit to oversee the development and production of
Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” predictably dominated the Asian Film Awards. The dark comedy, which won Cannes 2019 and four Oscars, added four further prizes on Wednesday, including best film and best screenplay. The AFA event this year shifted from its previous base in Hong Kong and Macau to Busan. And it moved its dates from March
Slovak director and artist Tomáš Rafa, whose documentary “Refugees Are Welcome Here” has its world premiere in Ji.hlava Film Festival’s Between the Seas section, will also bring his new project “Polish Rainbow” to the festival’s East Silver Market. “Polish Rainbow,” which is focused on Poland’s conservative stance on reproductive and sexual rights, couldn’t be more
“Spell” adds to the significant recent growth of African American horror cinema, though really only in casting terms. Otherwise, this reasonably suspenseful if implausible tale is just another variation on the familiar formula of “city folk” making a big mistake going to the country, where every primitive peril awaits them. Here, instead of homicidal hillbillies
While expanding a short film into a feature may not be a new invention, what matters is how the filmmaker innovates, fashioning a full garment out of the scrap of existing cloth. In “Come Play,” writer-director Jacob Chase takes the titular creature of his five-minute short “Larry” and imagines him as the primary instigator in
Nearly a quarter-century has gone by since cult horror classic “The Craft” tapped into a pre-Harry Potter fascination with witches, giving teenage audiences a sense of how empowering it might feel for four young women, persecuted by date-rapey D-bags and openly racist prom queens, to invoke a little black magic in their desire to get
Tayshia Adams has essentially been confirmed as the new star of “The Bachelorette,” replacing Clare Crawley. The news was revealed in a promo that aired on Tuesday night teasing next week’s episode, which will finally reveal everything. Despite rampant rumors about the unprecedented casting shakeup, up until now, ABC has remained silent on whether Adams
The Los Angeles Dodgers have won their first World Series title since 1988. The Dodgers won Game 6 of the World Series tonight against the Tampa Bay Rays with a score of 3-1. The Dodgers had previously led the series 3-2, winning Game 1, Game 3 and Game 5 of the series. Mookie Betts ensured
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched the October 27 episode of “The Bachelorette.” Red flags or red roses? The beginning of Tuesday night’s episode of “The Bachelorette” brought its fair share of both, as contestant Yosef Aborady kicked off the night by verbally attacking Bachelorette Clare Crawley before the rose
Tencent Pictures, the film-making arm of Chinese tech giant Tencent, has the potential to be hugely influential on its home turf due to parent company’s domination of social media and gaming. Tencent’s massive scale – market capitalization over $700 billion makes it one of the world’s largest corporations – means it has the potential for
President Donald Trump’s campaign website appeared to be temporarily seized on Tuesday night and replaced with a message threatening to expose him and his relatives. According to the Associated Press, Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh said that the website was “defaced” and their camp is working with law enforcement authorities to investigate the source of
The Creative Coalition debuted a new public service announcement zooming in on the untold stories of obesity and its ties to COVID-19. The new announcement unpacks that obesity is the greatest risk factor for developing a severe case of coronavirus for people under the age of 60, according to the PSA. “We’re using our voices
As the lights dimmed in the Grand Theatre Lumiere in Cannes on Tuesday evening, and the opening notes to Camille Saint-Saëns’ “The Carnival of Animals” echoed over the loudspeakers, one could almost imagine themselves back in the normal swing of things. In some respects, the opening night of the three-day ‘Special Cannes’ program felt very
MGM has delayed “Respect,” the Aretha Franklin biopic starring Jennifer Hudson, by seven months from Jan. 15 to Aug. 13 in the latest shuffle of a major title amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The studio also announced Tuesday that it has removed “Tomb Raider 2,” starring Alicia Vikander, from its March 19 release date. “Respect,”
As an openly gay actor, Ryan Spahn was determined to tell his story. “Nora Highland” was originally developed to be an Off-Broadway play, but when the pandemic forced a shutdown, Spahn had to rethink. The story explores the casting process surrounding an iconic gay character in a new Broadway revival. A fundraising event with actors
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has emerged victorious from Nickelodeon’s 2020 “Kids Pick the President” Kids Vote — but even the mock election was not free of outside interference. According to a statement from Nickelodeon, cheating was first detected on Oct. 21 after online forums were found to be discussing how to fraudulently vote on
In today’s TV news roundup, Showtime announced the release date for “Couples Therapy: The COVID Special,” and Starz cast German actor Alicia von Rittberg as young Queen Elizabeth in “Becoming Elizabeth.” CASTING Starz cast Alicia von Rittberg as the lead in the network’s upcoming project, “Becoming Elizabeth.” The eight-episode series tells the story of Queen
When CBS announced the second-ever “All-Stars” season of “Big Brother,” fans had hoped the unscripted series will brighten up their summer in quarantine. But new seasons of the long-running show have never come without controversy, most often centering on the lack of representation across its cast and specific houseguests’ use of derogatory speech. And this
“Borrego,” a survival thriller starring Lucy Hale, Nicholas Gonzalez (“Good Doctor”) and Leynar Gómez (“Narcos”), has just started shooting (pictured) in Almeria in Spain. Nancy Cartwright (“The Simpsons”) also stars in “Borrego” and is producing the film with Monica Gil-Rodriguez through their banner Spotted Cow Entertainment. “Borrego” is based on Jesse Harris’s critically acclaimed short,