- The UK is readying a COVID-19 insurance plan, which could include a fund to cover production suspensions (Variety)
- WarnerMedia is sending some of its HBO Max originals to HBO Go in Asia (TBI Vision)
- Well, that was fast…Paramount is developing a sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog (The Verge)
- Paul Feig and Netflix are heading to class with an adaptation of fantasy novel The School For Good and Evil (Deadline)
- Disney+ is heading to Japan through a deal with the country’s top mobile operator (Deadline)
- …Meanwhile, Walt Disney World sets a plan to reopen its Orlando theme parks in July (Variety)
- The pandemic will accelerate cord-cutting, but these financial losses may not spell the end of cable (The Hollywood Reporter)
- Microsoft is upping its efforts to manage the digital habits of kids with a new app for Xbox consoles (Engadget)
- Accio, HBO Max! The streamer launches today with a bit of Harry Potter magic, adding all eight movies to its lineup (Deadline)
- Netflix is getting into the groove with its first-ever director of music for original series (Variety)
- Disney+ is growing quickly in Australia, with two million subscribers in four months (Digital TV Europe)
- Finally, police have arrested a suspect in the Kyoto Animation arson, after waiting 10 months for him to recover from injuries (The Guardian)
- J.K. Rowling is launching a new children’s book online for free—and it’s not a Harry Potter spinoff (Rolling Stone)
- Kids could be putting a major strain on families’ broadband as they spend more time gaming and streaming (Digital TV Europe)
- Indie cinemas in the UK are unlikely to open before September, and when they do it won’t be business as usual (Independent)
- Should the Oscars recognize streaming films? Critics break down how the Academy could change (Variety)
- No more open casting calls and daily temperature checks required—Georgia has outlined its rules for film sets (LA Times)
- Netflix’s second original animated film raked in more than 37 million views, and it isn’t even part of a large franchise (Variety)
- Sterile studios and sealed fortresses are becoming the norm for unscripted during COVID-19 (The Hollywood Reporter)
- Pixar has come out with its first short featuring a gay main character, but will the progress reach further? (Deadline)
- Netflix’s VP of publicity for film is stepping down (Variety)
- TikTok really needs to win over the US government…will hiring a CEO from Disney help? (CNN)
- Some insight from influencers: How much is a million views on YouTube really worth? (Business Insider)
- Ahead of its launch next week, HBO Max has been busy behind the scenes preparing the tech of it all (The Hollywood Reporter)
- Alan Menken to score Skydance Animation’s Spellbound (Deadline)
- TikTok’s parentco Bytedance is reportedly worth more than US$100 billion (Yahoo Finance)
- Amazon has released a new game that it hopes will be just as fun for people to watch as it is to play (BBC News)
- To woo advertisers back, ViacomCBS is promising that it won’t show viewers the same ad over and over…and over (Digiday)
- Mark your calendars! California is rolling out guidelines for restarting production on May 25 (The Hollywood Reporter)
- Hollywood has plans to restart production, but it’s going to get very pricey (Variety)
- …Meanwhile, the UK industry has put together industry guidelines for producing live-action content during the pandemic (Realscreen)
- Edgar Wright has launched a production company, and its first project is a supernatural kids mystery for Netflix (Deadline)
- CNN and Sesame are going back into the studio to host a second COVID-19 townhall for kids (CNN)
- Kids appear to be swearing more in quarantine…and that’s probably OK (The New Yorker)
- US theaters are slowly reopening…but what will they play? (Screen Rant)
- Amazon and Netflix are looking to begin shooting again in France very soon (Comicbook)
- Apple is reportedly picking up library content, reversing its initial originals-only strategy (Bloomberg)
- ViacomCBS isn’t acquiring anything, but is starting to see some advertising return, said CEO Bob Bakish at the company’s AGM (Variety)
- Kids may need forts more now than they ever have before (The Washington Post)
- Disney has started putting plans in motion to reopen more of its theme parks (CNBC)
- …Meanwhile, Disney+ is in development on a Percy Jackson TV series (Entertainment Weekly)
- Amazon Prime Video is picking up big Indian releases while the country’s cinemas remain closed (Tech Crunch)
- Why some movies may be able to crush the box office, even with limited capacity in theaters (The Hollywood Reporter)
- Kids are struggling with virtual friendships (The New York Times)
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