Good afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here as the week draws to a close. Read on for all the insight. Sign up here.
UK Riots Reckoning
Being kind: We’re supposed to be in the midst of the sleepy summer months, yet a combination of the Paris Olympics and wild unrest in London have made this week feel anything but in Europe. Here in London, riots have shown off the worst of humanity, and the best, and have given us an opportunity to reflect on how the latter can overcome the former while the ripple effects, as ever, touch the sides of the TV and film industry. The riots were triggered by the tragic Southport stabbings, which left three young girls dead, and the wave of misinformation that followed, which incorrectly pinned the blame on a Muslim person acting for Islamist purposes. In fact, the perpetrator was not Muslim and there was no connection. Elon Musk has been central to all this, tweeting misinformation incessantly on his own platform and emboldening others, leading to this angry reaction from Armando Iannucci. Riots broke out in pockets across the UK earlier this week and four were planned in London on Wednesday. At that point, we started getting wind of serious concerns from employers and broke the news that Sky had sent home its West London staff early due to a planned ‘protest’ near its sprawling campus, while ITV and the BBC sent all-staff emails urging anyone with concerns to remain at home. However, a series of counter-protests helmed by thousands of anti-fascist protestors took place instead, leading to this sea of wonderful newspaper front pages from across the political spectrum and a feeling that the best of humanity had won out. I was present at one, in Walthamstow, and ‘heartwarming’ was the word. There was no trouble in sight and the crowd of thousands joined in a wave of chanting for hours.
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Reckoning: The TV and film industry is never immune from these ructions and the riots have been no exception. We have been speaking with producers over the past couple of days who see this as a reminder that the sector has a responsibility to protect minorities and speak out. A LinkedIn post from Meet the Richardsons producer Sohail Shah, a former BBC exec who is of South Asian descent, said it is “our job in the creative industries to highlight what it happening and to stand up together.” One indie boss I spoke with is concerned that TV commissioners’ continued desire to platform voices such as Nigel Farage, who was beamed out to millions on a daily basis last year on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and has since become an MP for the divisive Reform UK party, is problematic. The situation will hopefully make people sit up and listen.
Watch on Deadline
Swift cancelations: As counter-protests were finally putting smiles on people’s faces, the news in Vienna for Taylor Swift fans was less good. The world’s biggest superstar bar none had to cancel her trio of Austrian shows after learning there was a terrorist plot that would have targeted the Eras tour. Two people were detained and arrested. The news is chilling when you consider how close things got to total disaster. As it stands, Swift’s UK dates at Wembley are going ahead with police on high alert, and we hope these come off without a hitch. Over here at Deadline Towers, we are beaming out the ‘be kind’ message loud and clear.
Disney ❤️ Europe
Content dash: Following a strong set of financials, Disney is ready to splash the cash in Europe. EMEA boss Jan Koeppen sat down for a rare FT interview published in the wee hours of this morning in which he revealed a planned $5B spend over the next five years on TV and movies from the continent. Set in context, the figure isn’t as impressive as it first seems, given that Koeppen revealed a few weeks back that Disney had spent $4.5B over five years in the UK alone. But a splashy number it is nonetheless, coming as Deadpool & Wolverine, which was filmed in the UK, tears up the global box office. And it’s been a good week for Disney. Revenues were on the up and Disney+ turned a profit ahead of schedule, a fact that Mouse House boss Bob Iger along with the rest of his C-suite were not willing to let us forget.
Mixed bag: It was of course earnings week in the States (and for some European countries) and it was a mixed bag from the other U.S. majors, which will no doubt have ripple effects on their international hubs. The strife continued at Warner Bros. Discovery, where shares plunged to new lows following disappointing quarterly earnings that included a massive $11.2B write-down and charge after David Zaslav’s outfit lost the NBA coverage. It was the same old story at soon-to-be-Skydance-owned Paramount, with another tranche of layoffs unveiled upon Q2 results that will once again have employees in the U.S. and far beyond fearing for the future. The end of the ‘go shop’ period during which Paramount is still technically up for sale is almost over and the $8B Skydance deal closes August 21. Meanwhile, in Germany, one of the companies that had the toughest 2023 is showing more green shoots, with ProSiebenSat.1 saying “measures to increase efficiency are taking effect” after profits rose 14% and turnover grew slightly. And in Luxembourg, where Fremantle owner RTL is headquartered, the super-indie’s half-year revenues were down €55M as it continues to build towards that €3B target. RTL Group figures were a mixed bag, but TV ad market revenues are improving, finally. All happening in the earnings world and we have it all for you on deadline.com.
Locarno Kicks Off
“Diverse world”: Zac is at Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival this week, which kicked off with a screening of Neapolitan filmmaker Gianluca Jodice’s latest feature The Flood, a historical drama about the last days of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette’s reign. The film was a dud with audiences in Locarno but, don’t get us wrong, there is still a palpable buzz around the fest. Highlights across the packed schedule include a centennial retrospective of Columbia Pictures, honorary awards for Alfonso Cuarón, Shah Rukh Khan and veteran producer Stacey Sher (Pulp Fiction), the latter of whom we spoke to here. In competition, there are also new works by Hong Sang-soo and Wang Bing. Earlier this week, Zac sat down with fest boss Giona A. Nazzaro, who spoke about embracing the “diverse world” with Bollywood star Khan’s honor in mind. Locarno runs until August 17. Coverage can be found here.
Olympics Closes Out
Noah’s ark: It was our flagship one to watch Noah Lyles who first lit things up during the closing week of the Paris Olympics, with the sprinter taking 100m gold, but then falling short in the 200m, winning just a bronze before it emerged that he had Covid-19. We wrote before the games started that there could be a lack of real superstars heading to Paris, but my god has Noah tried to prove us wrong. Also see Léon Marchand. Lyle’s races have likely been the highlight of another fascinating few days in the French capital and I, for one, have barely turned off the TV (speed climbing is my sport of choice, for anyone who cares). In DeadlineLand, we were all over the Vatican’s eventual response to the rumbling ‘Last Supper’ controversy, have brought you the latest from the knotty row involving boxer Imane Khelif and have been predicting what you may or may not see during Sunday’s closing ceremony. Oh and give this a read — our business guru Dade Hayes headed down to the NBCUniversal Olympics production hub in Stamford. “With Stamford as its heartbeat, the Paris Games have turned out to be an impressive feat of technology, internal communication and a potent symbol of the strategic plan of NBCU and its corporate parent Comcast,” writes Dade. Full Olympics coverage here.
Prince Baz Meets Prince Philip
Born to play the part: “He’s someone I’ve lived with all my life,” legendary Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce told our man Baz when mulling over his role as Prince Philip in Netflix’s now-completed royal saga The Crown. Pryce, who was Oscar-nominated for 2019’s The Two Popes, told our roving International Editor-at-Large that when the call came five years ago for him to embody Queen Elizabeth’s consort he was more than ready. He is up for two Emmys, one for The Crown and the other for Apple TV+’s Slow Horses. It makes for fascinating reading to dive deep into the Philip role now that some time has passed since he was called into action. He discusses playing opposite Dominic West’s Prince Charles (“It was a lot of fun being horrible to him”), observing the difficulties that William had with his father, and acting with Gary Oldman in Slow Horses. Come on, you know you want to.
The Essentials
🌶️ Hot One: Queen Charlotte star India Amarteifio and Maxton Hall’s Damian Hardung have boarded coming-of-age romance Into the Deep Blue. Sabrina Carpenter is off the project.
🌶️ Also Hot: Dwayne Johnson MMA fighter pic The Smashing Machine landed some weighty deals for A24.
🌶️ More heat: Sky is making a documentary on Hammer Films, the historic UK studio behind Dracula.
🖊️ Signed up: UTA will now represent Banijay’s new branded content arm in an intriguing European first for the U.S. agency.
🏪 Setting up shop: Media vets Jeff Bewkes, Howard Stringer and Jeremy Fox will be mining real life stories for podcasts via Thoroughbred Studios, per Stewart.
💵 Buyback: Geek Girl producer Aircraft’s owners returned themselves to majority control, buying back shares from troubled Canadian outfit Corus.
🖼️ Slate: From Netflix Argentina, where Oscar-winning director Juan José Campanella is adapting iconic comic strip Mafalda.
🏕️ Festivals latest: Kate Winslet will be feted with Zurich’s Golden Icon Award.
🍿 Box office: Deadpool & Wolverine has now topped a whopping $900M global.
🎥 Trailer: For The Frog, a Netflix Korea series that is, you guessed it, dark and disturbing.
Zac Ntim contributed to this week’s International Insider.