Negotiations between the Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have ended this week without a deal. According to reports, both parties plan to resume discussions in mid-September to reach a new three-year contract. These talks, which began on August 12, have yet to yield an agreement, and with the current Master Agreement set to expire on Friday, extensions will likely be needed during the interim. The Animation Guild (TAG), representing approximately [...]

Hollywood's summer movie season of 2024 was a mix of successes and disappointments, revealing important trends and lessons for the industry. Although the domestic box office saw a 12% decline compared to the previous year, global figures show a slight growth compared to 2022, suggesting that the much-anticipated recovery of cinema may already be underway. One of the highlights was the continued importance of the international box office, which proved capable of saving films that had disappointing performances at home. [...]

As more companies develop AI models for generating videos, the need for high-quality video content is growing rapidly. These AI models require vast amounts of video data—sometimes millions of hours—to train effectively. While some developers are still scraping content from the internet, this doesn't always provide the best quality. Therefore, there’s an increasing interest in licensing video content from film and TV archives, especially content that isn’t easily accessible online. Although major Hollywood studios haven’t yet fully embraced licensing their [...]

Forget Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, and Coco Gauff. The real gold medal winner for Team U.S. at the Paris Olympics was Comcast and NBCUniversal. The media giant is celebrating a major triumph with its coverage of the 2024 Games. The two weeks of sports on the Seine attracted a combined average of 30.6 million viewers across NBCU’s platforms, marking an impressive 82% increase in viewership compared to the Tokyo Games. This achievement makes this year's Olympics the most-streamed Games of [...]

Paramount Global is moving forward with plans to slash approximately 15% of its U.S. based workforce, a decision disclosed by co-CEO Chris McCarthy alongside the company's second-quarter financial results. The impending layoffs are expected to affect around 2,000 employees, focusing primarily on eliminating redundant roles in marketing, communications, and streamlining corporate functions such as finance, legal, and technology. McCarthy emphasized that these workforce reductions are part of a broader strategic initiative to adapt to the evolving media landscape. "We have [...]

The 81st Venice International Film Festival lineup is gradually being unveiled, with the Venice Immersive XR – Extended Reality section now announced. Scheduled to run from August 28 to September 7, the festival's Venice Immersive program will feature all types of creative XR expressions: 360° videos, virtual and mixed reality experiences of any length, including installations, haptics, and virtual worlds. The 81st edition’s Venice Immersive section is supported by VRChat. Launched in 2017, this section represents the first competition and [...]