Business

ViacomCBS has struck a deal to acquire Some Good News, the digital series created and hosted by John Krasinski during the COVID-19 shutdown. Under terms of the deal, the web series will air on CBS All Access, with Krasinski aboard to executive produce. He will no longer host the show, however, according to press…

With many TV commercials still being shot using actors working from home during the coronavirus shutdown, SAG-AFTRA is advising members and their agents to negotiate additional compensation if asked to perform non-acting duties such as self-filming, editing, directing and hair and makeup. "During the COVID-19 global…

Universal Orlando is looking to start a phased reopenign on June 5, according to plans presented Thursday to the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force. The plan must be approved by Orange County and state officials. The goal is to reopen to employees for testing on June 1-2. On June 2-3, the park would open to…

As the industry prepares to reopen, the DGA is telling its members that they should not sign any COVID-19 liability waivers before first contacting the guild. "If you are asked to sign any document releasing the employer from liability, you should contact us immediately and refrain from signing such document until…

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg envisions 50% of the tech giant’s employees working from home in the next five to 10 years, in a shift dramatically accelerated by COVID-19. “We’re going to be the most forward-leaning company on remote work at our scale,” Zuckerberg told employees in his weekly staff Q&A…

EXCLUSIVE: We began hearing news last night about some noise at longstanding, venerable PR firm Baker Winokur Ryder. What we know now from a source is that BWR’s senior-ranking publicists are forming their own bicoastal entertainment and corporate lifestyle public relations company, apart from parent BCW. It has yet…

The Happiest Place on Earth wants you back but knows it’s a different world after all. Disneyland has given an update on its post-shutdown plans but offered no timeline for reopening, saying, “We will continue to carefully evaluate this complex and fluid situation.” The Anaheim park and other Disney resorts have been c…

EXCLUSIVE: In-demand young talents Emma Mackey (Sex Education), Joe Alwyn (The Favourite), Fionn Whitehead (Dunkirk) and Emily Beecham (Cruella) will star in Emily, Golden Globe-nominated actress Frances O'Connor's (Mansfield Park) directorial debut about the early life of Wuthering Heights author Emily…

EXCLUSIVE: Jesse Collins Entertainment, the production company behind BET’s critically-acclaimed miniseries, The New Edition Story, has signed a multi-year overall agreement with ViacomCBS Cable Networks. Under the terms of the agreement, the Jesse Collins-led company will provide production services for the ViacomCBS…

Live events like concerts, baseball games and car races will remain a healthy and viable business over the long term despite the 2020 impact of COVID-19, in the view of Liberty Media chairman and billionaire media sage John Malone. “The thesis of live events is still a good one,” Malone said at his company’s annual…

The Atlantic, the public affairs and cultural magazine and publisher that dates to 1857, announced that it will lay off 68 employees as the coronavirus crisis has diminished their events business. In a memo to staff, chairman David Bradley wrote that even though they have had “exceptional growth” in print and digital…

EXCLUSIVE: An emerging startup called VUniverse is setting out to answer an increasingly vexing question in the go-go streaming age: How do you find something to watch? While most viewers rely on a patchwork of digital solutions, VUniverse, which has just concluded a beta release, aims to be a more approachable and…