ACORN TV
Programming from several countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Ireland, New Zealand, and UK. AMC Networks chief Josh Sapan told The Hollywood Reporter that Acorn TV has "among the lowest churn" among major services owing to its focus as well as viewers' "dedication and affinity" for its content.

With a plethora of new movies hitting theaters, like Marvel’s most recent release Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, AMC Theatres is implementing an unprecedented strategy to convince audiences to return to theaters post-COVID. According to CNBC, AMC Theatres will roll out a multimillion dollar ad campaign starring Oscar winner Nicole Kidman. CEO Adam Aron explained the change with these words: “With all the change occurring in these uncharted waters in which we now navigate, we believe it is high time for an industry leader like AMC to go on television to remind today’s audiences of the magic that can only be found in a movie theatre and at AMC, with our big seats, our big sound, and our big screens.”...

With strong financial backing at home and a thriving tech sector, Taiwanese filmmakers are dominating the immersive format: "No other country manifests such a commitment in VR.” Ting Hsiao-ching, chairwoman of the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), a well-funded industry support organization established in June 2019 by Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture, cites several overlapping factors driving the territory’s success in immersive content creation. “Taiwan is the largest semi-conductor producer in the world and a leader in hardware manufacturing, so our creators really embrace technology — they’re not afraid to experiment,” Ting says. She also points to Taiwan’s artistic freedoms as a keen advantage over the vastly larger mainland Chinese creative industry. “Since our democratization started in the late 1980s, we have seen changes throughout society, and that has given a lot of freedom for creativity, so we can tell a lot of different stories — whatever an artist wants.”...

Lloyds Classic Car Auctions is featuring 13 iconic vehicles from the 2015 “Mad Max: Fury Road” post-apocalyptic action film in an upcoming auction Sept. 25 and ending Sept. 26. The auction features vehicles used in shooting the George Miller film including The War Rig: Prime Mover Inc. Tanker and Ball Pig-Trailer; Razor Cola: 1973 XB Falcon Coupe (The Interceptor Reborn) and The Doof Wagon, known in the film as the “morale machine” of Immortan Joe’s militia party, used to rally the troops and shown with mounted drummers and a fire-breathing electric guitar...

If Gov. Gavin Newsom is recalled next week, the entertainment industry will lose a valuable ally in Sacramento. The industry’s top concern at the Capitol is the film and TV tax credit, which provides a 20-25% discount on eligible production spending in the state. Radio host Larry Elder, who has led in the replacement polls since entering the race in July, has long been against giving tax credits to Hollywood. He sees the program as “hypocritical,” In July, the state Assembly voted 66-4 to increase the tax credit program from $330 million to $420 million for the next two fiscal years, and to create a separate $150 million incentive for soundstage construction...

IATSE, the major labor union for film, theater, and television workers, is mulling a possible strike amid ongoing negotiations with the AMPTP. The union, which represents 150,000 workers across 13 Hollywood locals, released a statement to members Tuesday indicating a vote on a strike could be forthcoming. The union’s major priorities include living wages, reasonable rest (turnaround between shoot days), better meal breaks, and sustainable benefits (e.g. pensions that reflect cost of living increases). The major sticking point in the latest round of negotiations is over rates and/or benefits for streaming projects, which are currently slated at a lower rate under the “New Media” classification. IATSE argues that after 13 years, streaming can no longer be considered “New Media,” preferring the term “Not So New Media.”...