- Disney+ doesn’t have a robust library like Netflix, and now with COVID shutdowns, it may never catch up (Wall Street Journal)
- Edtech has some serious momentum right now, but will anyone make any money from it? (Tech Crunch)
- NBCUniversal’s earnings were hit by a drop in ads and a lack of theme park attendance (The Hollywood Reporter)
- ViacomCBS staff are dealing with merger layoffs, but there is no word on whether Nickelodeon is affected (Variety)
- TikTok is testing a “shop now” button (Digiday)
- Trolls 2 has made more money in its three weeks on demand than the original did over five months in theaters (Wall Street Journal)
- …Meanwhile, AMC has banned Universal’s films because it’s mad about Trolls (CNN)
- The Academy has decided that streamed films are eligible for the Oscars this year (The Hollywood Reporter)
- Hollywood’s Great Depression: A look at all the people left jobless by COVID-19 (Variety)
- YouTube’s advertising revenue, despite some reports to the contrary, grew by a third in the first quarter (Digital TV Europe)
- Four in 10 buyers in Asia are looking to kids content to replace cancelled or postponed programming (ATF Market)
- What does a coronavirus-era film fest look like? Chic red carpet masks and Zoom Q&As seem likely (The Hollywood Reporter)
- …Meanwhile, YouTube is hosting a free digital film fest in partnership with Cannes, Tribeca and Sundance (Variety)
- An unexpected upside to the pandemic is that a lot of kids are actually happier now (CNN)
- Disney is dropping the latest Star Wars movie on its SVOD two months early, appropriately on May 4 (BNN)
- Digital film piracy is climbing to “unprecedented” levels during lockdown (Variety)
- The UK’s creative industry bands together and urges the government to support the arts (The Hollywood Reporter)
- Forget about giant stadiums and over-priced drinks—the future of concerts is…Fortnite? (TechCrunch)
- YouTube’s CEO breaks down what audiences are watching now (Tubefilter)
- Gen Z is coming of age during coronavirus, and it will shape them for years (Wunderman Thomspon)
- You know Ryan ToysReview, but have you heard of Nastya, the little Russian girl getting 100 million views daily? (Bloomberg)
- WiFi is getting its biggest update in 20 years, which is probably good since we’re all stuck at home anyways (The Verge)
- A look at the changing face of employment law during the pandemic (Tech Crunch)
- Distributors are rolling out their own digital events and more updates (Kidscreen)
- How will Hollywood make it safe on movie and TV sets once lockdowns lift? (Variety)
- Borderless storytelling is evolving kids production models, according to Nickelodeon’s Nina Hahn (TBI Vision)
- Did you know that NBCUniversal’s Peacock had launched? Neither did most people, but that might be a good thing (Digiday)
- New financial aid announced out of Canada and Australia (Kidscreen)
- Remember when Magic Leap was the next big thing? Now, it’s laying off 1,000 employees and shutting down headsets (The Verge)
- A lot of streamers are giving the goods away for free…but will those users turn into paying customers when lockdowns end? (Variety)
- …Meanwhile, Netflix is looking to raise another US$1 billion (Deadline)
- After the success of Trolls World Tour, Warner Bros. is eyeing a digital release for its new animated feature Scoob (The Verge)
- Why Disney is furloughing employees, and other media giants aren’t (CNBC)
- This probably won’t come as a surprise: The numbers are in, and Animal Crossing dominated game sales in March (Business Insider)
- Prix Jeunesse is looking for info on what COVID-19 has meant for kids media companies—check out the survey (Prix Jeunesse)
- Marvel has used force majeure to terminate some overall deals, which could happen to more Disney creators (The Hollywood Reporter)
- So much for Walmart running a streaming service: The retail giant has sold Vudu to NBCU-owned Fandango (AdWeek)
- Twitch users have streamed two billion hours of video gameplay during the pandemic (Quartz)
- Facebook wants in on the gaming action with its own app (The New York Times)
- Disney+ was delayed in a few countries, but that may have given it a leg up (Digital TV Europe)
- Venice Film Festival still plans to take place in early September…but we’ll keep an eye on it (Variety)
- Even without new releases, drive-in movie theaters are thriving (The Hollywood Reporter)
- The US federal government has released some information on when and how movie theaters could reopen (Variety)
- The influencer economy is hurtling towards its own recession (WIRED)
- …Meanwhile, YouTubers are opening up about their declining ad dollars during the pandemic—and it’s not good (Tubefilter)
- As TikTok grows in popularity during lockdown, the app maker is introducing new parental controls, including disabling DMs (Tech Crunch)
- Are electric skateboards going to be the next big thing? One of the companies behind the e-scooter craze is hoping so (The Verge)
April 30, 2020
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