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.

US streaming platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ are to face greater regulation in the UK, following the introduction of new rules by the government. The government will now give Ofcom – the UK broadcasting regulatory body – powers to draft and enforce a new Video-on-Demand (VoD) Code, similar to the Broadcasting Code and in line with its standards, to make sure VoD services are subject to stricter rules protecting UK audiences from harmful material....

The Royal Shakespeare Company Is Adapting My Neighbor Totoro For The Stage. Though not their first film, "My Neighbor Totoro" is considered by many to be the first masterpiece by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. The film, which tells the story of two young sisters who befriend wood spirits in rural Japan, is endearing and delightful while exploring some complex themes. Not only did Hayao Miyasaki give his blessing to the project, but the project counts legendary composer Joe Hisaishi himself as a collaborator, executive producing the show with the RSC in partnership with Studio Ghibli. The "My Neighbor Totoro" stage play will open at the Barbican Centre theater in London on October 8, 2022 with the show running for 15 weeks until January 21, 2023. "...

IMAX has been a staple of the big-screen experience for decades teased what's to come in the future. According to the company, they are moving into their so-called "third act" and it will be more "experiential" than what has come before, offering something beyond a typical night at the movies. IMAX explained that the company's first act was documentaries, whereas the second act was blockbuster movies. And that phase has been quite successful, even in the post-pandemic blockbuster landscape. But this third act is going to involve more movies actually filmed in IMAX, not just movies presented in the premium format. To help make that happen, the company is building four new cameras to meet demand from the studio and filmmaker side of things. "People want to make memories, and IMAX is all about experience," the company stated...

Many Hollywood CEOs saw their paydays increase in 2021, but a few — Endeavor mogul Ari Emanuel, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav and Amazon chief Andy Jassy — ended up in rarefied air by joining the nine-figure club. Zaslav oversaw the recently closed merger that created Warner Bros. Discovery. Emanuel received $293.7 million in stock awards as Endeavor went public last April. Jassy saw nearly all of his $212.7 million pay package arrive via a stock grant tied to his elevation to CEO in July...

Paramount Global has launched further initiatives for Ukrainian refugees with a focus on providing them with free Nickelodeon kids’ content on various platforms in Europe and beyond. In addition to a $1 million donation to support humanitarian relief organizations, which the entertainment giant previously unveiled, children and their families who have fled Ukraine to neighboring regions will get access to various Nickelodeon content in the Ukrainian language via free, advertising-supported Pluto TV channels, linear TV, as well as on the Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. channels on YouTube...

Virtual sets that replace traditional green screens can use 2D playback of photographic footage on LED walls, or 3D tracking that moves with the camera so the image changes like it would on a real set. For instance, ILM’s cutting-edge StageCraft LED wall technology, which surrounds the actors with realistic scenes, was used for roughly half the scenes in “ The Mandalorian.” Disney also brought a StageCraft array with 700 LED panels to its new Infinity virtual production stage in Burbank, allowing Hilary Duff to stroll across a virtual Brooklyn Bridge in “How I Met Your Father.” Not only are productions saving a significant amount of money, they are also reducing their carbon footprint. And it’s not only Disney and Marvel that benefit from virtual productions — the expansion has paved the way for independent features and smaller TV shows...

Movies can earn better reviews and millions more at the box office, if their cultural depictions are authentic and free from stereotypes, a new report from the University of California, Los Angeles and Creative Artists Agency found. The joint study, helmed by UCLA’s Center for Scholars and Storytellers and the Full Story Initiative at CAA, researched the impact of authentic inclusive representation (quantified as AIR scores) on box office performance and critical and audience reception. The study found that each AIR point increase meant a $18.8 million revenue bump for films with a budget of $159 million and more. All told, high-budget films could earn an additional $75.2 million by increasing their AIR scores, and audiences and critics responded more favorably to studio films with higher AIR scores...