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Prime Video and Amazon Studios will see layoffs affecting several hundred workers, according to an internal memo this morning from SVP Mike Hopkins.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Chris Brearton is exiting Amazon MGM Studios after a long career at MGM to pursue other opportunities, the company announced on Wednesday. In a memo to staff, Amazon Studios and Prime Video senior vice president Mike Hopkins revealed that Brearton “has decided to leave Amazon to pursue a new opportunity outside the company.” Brearton had most recently served as vice president of PVS Corporate Strategy at MGM+ and MGM Alternative Television.

Naman Ramachandran Prime Video has unveiled a 69-title 2024 slate of new and returning series and original and licensed films. The slate was revealed at a star-studded event in Mumbai on Tuesday hosted by Indian media personality Karan Johar. Amazon executives present at the event included Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, Kelly Day, VP Prime Video International, ⁠James Farrell, VP, international originals, Gaurav Gandhi, VP, APAC and MENA, Sushant Sreeram, country director, India, Aparna Purohit, head of originals, India and Southeast Asia, Manish Menghani, director, content licensing, India, and Nikhil Madhok, head of Hindi-language, India.

Prime Video is to change its content strategy in Southeast Asia from a model based on original productions to one focused instead on licensing. As a result it has cut some jobs in the region. The move follows last week’s announcement of a restructuring and several hundred job cuts in North America at Prime Video and the Amazon-owned MGM. “Today we have made the decision to discontinue some programs and initiatives, and rebalance our international organization to focus on the countries and regions driving the most growth for our service.

EXCLUSIVE: Amazon Prime Video Southeast Asia is cutting its originals team in Singapore and moving to a “leaner operating model,” as part of the globe wave of redundancies announced earlier this week.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Amazon is laying off “several hundred” employees at Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. “This is a difficult decision to make and one that my leadership team and I do not take lightly,” the company’s entertainment chief Mike Hopkins wrote in an email to staff Wednesday.

EXCLUSIVE: Dan Berger, Amblin‘s EVP of Marketing and Communications, is heading over to Amazon as their VP of Global Media and Entertainment Communications, Deadline has learned. Berger will start in the New Year.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The studios told SAG-AFTRA on Saturday that they have made their “last, best and final” offer, as they seek an end to the 114-day actors strike. The offer includes an enhanced residual bonus for high-performing streaming shows. Under the proposal, actors who appear on the most-watched shows on each platform will see their standard streaming residual doubled.

Naman Ramachandran Cory Shields, VP global media and entertainment at Amazon, has stepped down, according to reports. Shields joined in 2020 and was in charge of publicity for Amazon’s original films and series, working closely with Mike Hopkins, senior VP of Prime Video and Amazon Studios. Variety understands that Amazon has not yet revealed a replacement for Shields. Prior to the Amazon role, Shields spent some 20 years at NBCUniversal, where he held various prominent positions across two stints. Shields’s first stint at NBC began in 1997 and concluded in 2004 with the title senior VP corporate communications. He held the same position at Sony BMG Music Entertainment after that.

Cory Shields has stepped down as Amazon’s VP Global Media and Entertainment after more than three years at the streamer. There will be In the interim replacement. All of Shields’ direct reports will report to Drew Herdener, SVP Worldwide Communications at Amazon.

As rival motion picture studios were becoming intoxicated on theatrical day-and-date releases tied to their streaming platforms during Covid, and big streamers like Netflix completely sidestepping wide theatrical releases, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav believed in the economics of the big picture.

The power of a wide theatrical release was realized this weekend by streamer Amazon in its pivot back to the big screen with MGM/United Artists Releasing’s Creed III. It easily minted the best opening ever for the Seattle-based parent, as well as for the Rocky franchise, with $58.6M domestic, $100.4M worldwide.

EXCLUSIVE: In its latest corporate realignment, Amazon has created a single unit for third-party living room device business development and partner marketing for Prime Video, MGM+ and Freevee. Leading those activities will be company veteran Andrew Bennett.

Jeff Blackburn, a 25-year Amazon veteran, who was the prime architect of the company’s expansion into streaming, will be retiring in January. Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy and Blackburn made the announcement in emails to staff this morning, copies of which were obtained by Deadline.

MGM COO Chris Brearton, who was just named VP, PVS (Prime Video Studios) Corporate Strategy, MGM+ and MGM Alternative, has unveil his team.

It’s official – Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios, will also oversee MGM, the venerable film and TV studio, which was acquired by Amazon earlier this year for $8.5 billion. Additionally, MGM’s COO Chris Brearton will take on a new role, VP, PVS Corporate Strategy, MGM+ and MGM Alternative Television. Mike Hopkins, SVP, Prime Video and Amazon Studios, just made the announcement internally in a memo (You can red it under the post.)

Mark Burnett, Chairman of MGM’s Worldwide Television Group, is exiting after the company’s $8.5B acquisition by Amazon.

Amazon has promoted Albert Cheng from COO and co-head of Television at Amazon Studios, to the newly created role of vice president of Prime Video, US.Prime Video & Amazon Studios senior vice president Mike Hopkins SVP, Prime Video & Amazon Studios announced the news in an email sent to staffers. “Albert will become the single-threaded leader overseeing our Prime Video business in the United States, with responsibility for the P&L and revenue growth, and for driving and improving performance.

Selome Hailu Albert Cheng has been promoted to vice president of Amazon Prime Video U.S. He most recently served as chief operating officer of Amazon Studios. The news came Wednesday in a staff memo written by Mike Hopkins, senior vice president of Prime Video and Amazon Studios. Cheng enters the newly created position effective immediately and will report to Hopkins. 2022 has been a banner year for Amazon’s studio and streaming service, especially with the launch of “The Rings of Power,” the latest entry into the “Lord of the Rings” franchise. According to Hopkins, responsibilities under Cheng’s purview will include revenue growth, brand strategy, marketing operations and customer acquisition.

Albert Cheng is moving up at Amazon.

Ukonwa Ojo, who arrived at Amazon Studios and Prime Video close to two years ago as Chief Marketing Officer, is exiting.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaUkonwa Ojo has stepped down as chief marketing officer of Amazon’s Prime Video and Amazon Studios, the company announced to staff on Tuesday. During her time at the streamer, Ojo led the marketing campaigns for movies like “Coming 2 America” and “Being the Ricardos,” as well as the series “The Boys,” “Wheel of Time,” and “The Underground Railroad.” “For nearly two years, Ukonwa has supported the Prime Video brand and its broad and growing content slate with focus, passion, and commitment,” Mike Hopkins, SVP Prime Video & Amazon Studios, wrote in a note to staff.

Variety, which first reported the news, part of the terms of them joining would be having access as producers to DC Entertainment with the rights to develop characters and properties, with DC a major priority for Warner Bros. Discovery under its new leadership from CEO David Zaslav. However, any new agreement with De Luca and Abdy would not be completed until they’ve officially exited Amazon.

As Deadline first told you, Warner Bros. was always in the cards as a landing spot for former MGM Chairman Michael De Luca and President Pam Abdy in either an executive or producer capacity. Their move to the new Warner Discovery isn’t happening immediately as the two have kept their word to Mike Hopkins, SVP Prime Video & Amazon Studios, that they’ll stay through the summer at MGM.

Streaming today is a free-for-all, with major companies jockeying for position as they try to catch up with Netflix. In the early days of the online video revolution, though, one pioneer was not a solo act but instead a collective: Hulu. In their new book, Binge Times, which will be published Tuesday, Deadline business editor Dade Hayes and Reuters correspondent Dawn Chmielewski explore the current race but they also trace the origins and path of Hulu. The joint venture has many ties to today’s landscape and offers many lessons 15 years after its launch. As the existential threat of YouTube loomed, this was one case when rivals at the box office and in the Nielsen ratings tried to work together to defend their turf against Big Tech. Here is their story.

last week Amazon closed its deal to acquire MGM and placed MGM’s film group chairman Michael De Luca as part of an interim leadership structure reporting to Amazon Studios and Prime Video SVP Mike Hopkins. “Bones and All” is a story of first love between Maren, a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee, an intense and disenfranchised drifter, as they meet and join together for a thousand-mile odyssey which takes them through the back roads, hidden passages, and trap doors of Ronald Reagan’s America.

After holding two separate town hall meetings for Amazon Studios/Primetime Video and MGM employees earlier today, Mike Hopkins, SVP Prime Video & Amazon Studios, sent a followup memo to MGM employees Friday afternoon. In it, he shared more details about the interim organizational reporting changes that will be implemented as Amazon prepares to start the integration process following the close of its $8.5 billion acquisition of the stories Hollywood studio.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaA few key details were revealed about what life will be like at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer now that its $8.5 billion sale to Amazon has closed. In a town hall at Amazon’s Culver City lot, Mike Hopkins, Amazon Studios and Prime Video SVP, unveiled an interim leadership structure.

Amazon bought MGM for its history — but not necessarily its standalone future.The e-commerce giant surprised Hollywood on Thursday by announcing the completion of its $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM, an iconic Hollywood brand whose presence in the modern entertainment industry has diminished over time and numerous changes in ownership since the mid-1980s.The Federal Trade Commission had suggested it might object to Amazon’s purchase of MGM, raising the prospect of a long fight. On the heels of Thursday’s closing announcement, the FTC still raised the threat of a future challenge to the combination.Analysts expect the tech company to try and exploit MGM’s best-known pieces of intellectual property for future gain — but don’t believe the studio has a long path ahead as a separate, influential entity.

EXCLUSIVE: We hear that Amazon Studios and Prime Video SVP Mike Hopkins sent a warm, welcoming email to MGM staffers this morning about the streamer’s acquisition of the near-century old studio, telling them that “we look forward to working with you as we create the next phase of MGM’s rich history together.”