As David Ellison's Skydance Media prepares to take the reins at Paramount Global after the companies merge in the first half of 2025, active discussions are already being held with potential streaming partners for Paramount+.
Ties with another company could take a lot of different forms, though Ellison has affirmed Skydance's plan to "rebuild" the outlet, which has 68 million subscribers. Other companies bidding for Paramount Global might have taken the route some Wall Street skeptics have advised, which would have involved shutting Paramount+ down entirely.
One scenario that could be considered is a full merger with another service, with Warner Bros. Discovery's Max a possibility. WBD and Paramount have both struggled with linear TV declines and significant debt on their balance sheets, making them a potential match, sources say.
Marc DeBevoise, who spent nine years at CBS Corp. in a top digital role, sees more potential in a tech rollup with Amazon, Apple or Google. "That’s potentially a lot of work, functionally and technologically, to do something you could do with joint pricing or with one of the big aggregators unless you simply contribute the content from one to the other," the exec, now CEO of streaming tech firm Brightcove, tells Deadline in an interview. “Taking two big media co-streaming apps and trying to make them one is actually a little challenging, given the complexity of the rights, but it’s possible." >>> "Lots Of Interest" |
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A Mess At Mattel - The shockwaves from the sudden departure this week of Michelle Mendelovitz from running Mattel Television Studios are continuing. Mendelovitz has engaged the services of bare-knuckled attorney Bryan Freedman to negotiate her exit. It's a situation that could be heading towards the courts. >>>Others Might Follow
'Apprentice' Film Still On Track For U.S. - The controversial movie Donald Trump doesn’t want people to see is still poised for a pre-election release in the U.S. The Apprentice , which made waves at the Cannes Film Festival and is set for international bows in several international markets in October, is due to come out Stateside via Briarcliff. October 11 has been the target date indicated by sources, but the outlook has been clouded by a dispute with financier Kinematics. The company is backed by Trump supporter Dan Snyder, who reportedly objected to the film’s depiction of the former POTUS. The players have been inching towards a resolution and hopes are that it will be resolved in short order. >>>Telluride Slot Rumored
'Hollywood Squares' Showrunner Is Out - Vincent Rubino, executive producer/showrunner of the Hollywood Squares revival on CBS, has been let go for allegedly making a racially insensitive comment to BIPOC members of the production staff. According to a source close to the matter, the veteran game show producer is accused of raising his arms and saying “don’t rob me” to three persons of color. >>> Jesse Collins Entertainment Producing
Jolie An Early Frontrunner - Angelina Jolie just staked her claim to inclusion in the Best Actress Oscar conversation at the Venice Film Festival following her well-received performance in Maria. >>>Critics Enthusiastic
Bigfoot Lives! - STX Entertainment and Citizen Skull Productions are behind new creature feature, Bigfoot. In this latest addition to sasquatch cinema, a beast terrorizes a modern housing development in a small mountain town. >>>Casting In Process
BAFTA Tea Party Is Back - After four years, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts‘ TV Tea Party is coming back to Los Angeles. BAFTA announced the standalone event will return from a four-year hiatus on Sept. 14, followed by its inaugural New York Tea Party on Oct. 6 amid the New York Film Festival. >>>"An Exciting New Chapter" |
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Filmmaker Malcolm Washington tells Deadline that his screen adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Piano Lesson honors his family’s history, especially that of his mother, Pauletta Pearson Washington.
Washington's company of actors includes -- in addition to Danielle Deadwyler and his older brother John David -- Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Fisher, Corey Hawkins, Michael Potts, Stephan James, his mother and his sister, Olivia Washington. He says each was “opening up a portal into ourselves and up into the heavens, into our ancestors and trying to let them come through us.”
Washington sees a question inherent in that process: “How best do we honor legacy? Do we build on it or do we put it on a shelf and look at it and admire it from a distance?” >>>Baz Bamigboye's Column |
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Exclusive
Elliot Stabler’s reconciliation with his once estranged older brother Randall is taking hold. Dean Norris, who recurred as Randall Stabler last season, has been promoted to a series regular for the upcoming fifth season of Law & Order: Organized Crime, which is moving to Peacock after four seasons on NBC.
Exclusive
With production on Season 2 of Peacock's Twisted Metal currently underway, the series has added Saylor Bell Curda (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series), Michael James Shaw (The Walking Dead) and Lisa Gilroy ( Interior Chinatown) in recurring roles. They join leads Anthony Mackie and Stephanie Beatriz. |
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BY THE NUMBERS
0 - The number of originals in the July 29-August 4 Nielsen Streaming Top 10, the first time such a shutout has happened |
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More News 🕯️ NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed Thursday night when an SUV struck them as they were riding on bicycles in New Jersey. Johnny Gaudreau, who played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, was 31 and his brother was 29. The accident occurred on the eve of their sister's wedding.
🤖 Tom Hanks denounced recent AI-created ads "promoting miracle cures and wonder drugs" featuring his likeness without his consent. The Academy Award winner shared a “public service announcement” on Thursday, warning fans not to "be fooled."
🗣️ Vice President Kamala Harris told CNN on that she has little time for her opponent’s race baiting. "Same old tired playbook,” Harris told Dana Bash of the ex-POTUS’ odd assertion earlier this month that the VP only recently claimed to be Black.
🚨 Dancing With the Stars pro Artem Chigvintsev was arrested in Northern California on Thursday and taken into custody after a domestic violence incident. |
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Obituaries 🕯️ Julián Ortega, an actor who starred in Netflix‘s recently wrapped Spanish hit Elite, has died after reportedly collapsing on a beach. He was 41. 🕯️ Betty A. Bridges, who guested on dozen of popular TV series during a 40-year career ranging from Good Times and Charlie’s Angels to Lou Grant and Hill Street Blues to ER and 2 Broke Girls and later was a prominent acting coach, died August 27. She was 83. 🕯️ Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2024: A Photo Gallery |
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On the Radar
Fri - Telluride Film Festival opens
Mon - Labor Day
Thur - TIFF begins; NFL season kicks off |
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Well Suited - Disclaimer executive producer and star Cate Blanchett and Tim Cook attend the Venice International Film Festival cocktail reception for the Apple TV+ limited series. |
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