New TF1 Boss Rodolphe Belmer Steps Down From Netflix Board

EXCLUSIVE: The new iteration of The CW is starting to take shape.

Faith Penhale, decorated TV drama producer and CEO of Gentleman Jack indie Lookout Point, is leaving the BBC Studios-backed outfit to head up Pathe Productions.

Amazon Studios’ is shaking up the leadership of its TV programming operations under Head of Television Vernan Sanders, I have learned. Marc Resteghini is stepping down as US/Global Head of Development, sources said. He is negotiating a producing deal with Amazon Studios. Nick Pepper, Head of Studio Creative Content, and Laura Lancaster, Head of Series, are expected to divvy up Resteghini’s responsibilities and co-run development and production of TV content, reporting to Sanders. MGM TV’s operations remain separate and do not factor into the current executive changes. A rep for Amazon Studios declined comment.

EXCLUSIVE: A five-part video and podcast series celebrating the life and career of Broadway composer Lucy Simon – one of the final projects the sister of Carly Simon worked on prior to her death last week – launches today on YouTube and the Broadway Podcast Network.

A new mountain bike trail network and skills area is being proposed for Balloch Park.

Broadway is going Back to the Future this summer when the Olivier Award-winning musical stage adaptation of the 1985 film begins previews at the Winter Garden Theatre. Making the trip stateside will be Roger Bart and Hugh Coles reprising their West End performances as Doc Brown and George McFly.

Forty-two years after first joining Disney Imagineering Bob Weis, the current Global Imagineering Ambassador and former President of Walt Disney Imagineering, announced today that he will retire at the end of the year.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Just over three years ago, Netflix unequivocally shot down the idea that it would ever roll out an ad-supported streaming service. “When you read speculation that we are moving into selling advertising, be confident that this is false,” the streamer said in its second-quarter 2019 investor letter. “We believe we will have a more valuable business in the long term by staying out of competing for ad revenue and instead entirely focusing on competing for viewer satisfaction.” Clearly, Netflix’s thinking about advertising has changed. Both Netflix and Disney+ are launching ad-based tiers this fall, seeking to broaden their addressable markets and tap into a new revenue stream as subscriber growth has slowed — in Netflix’s case, it lost 1.2 million in the first half of 2022, compared with a net gain of 5.5 million in the prior-year period.

EXCLUSIVE: Michelle Rejwan is leaving her post as SVP Live Action Development & Production at Lucasfilm. She is transitioning back to being a full-time producer and has signed an overall deal with Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Studios. She will continue to be based out of the Lucasfilm office and will develop for both Lucasfilm and Disney.

Netflix co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos tossed cold water on hopes that the streamer’s recent deal with major cinema chains for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery could be the start of something bigger.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Following a quarter that saw Netflix release several of its most popular titles of all time — per the streamer’s self-reported internal measurements — and subscriber growth after two straight quarters of losses, co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos is feeling “better and better” about the company’s $17 billion content spend budget. “Both the scope and scale, as well as the range and cadence of hits is improving,” Sarandos said during Netflix’s prerecorded Q3 earnings interview with his fellow execs, which was released Tuesday afternoon following the announcement of the third-quarter results. “So I feel better and better about that $17 billion of content spend because what we have to do is be better and better at getting more impact per billion dollar spent than anyone else. And that’s how we’re focusing on it. So I think we’re spending at about the right level. And as we re-accelerate revenue, we’ll revisit that number, of course. But we’re a pretty disciplined bunch about that.”

Netflix is spending around $17B on content this year and next but has hinted that it may boost this after a strong quarter.

Netflix may not be in the live sports business but it certainly wants viewers to know that it’s got some content around the edges.

An enthusiastic rendition of Happy Birthday rang through the auditorium at the world premiere of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio as the London audience was informed Gregory Mann, the film’s lead voice actor, had just turned 13. 

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, D, has reportedly ordered an investigation into a Long Island high school, after the administration asked a math teacher take down her "Progress Pride" flag.

Netflix’s ad-supported tier will be missing certain series and movie titles at launch, the company conceded today in announcing details about the rollout.