Category: media

Disney is cutting 650 jobs, reducing the jumber of movies it makes, and putting a new production team in place. “The restructuring will cut Disney’s output from about 18 films a year to about a dozen. Of those, about 10 will be released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner, a proven family-friendly brand that includes the successful “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise.”

Hollywood movie studios have made a deal to allow downloading and burning of DVDs of their movies. “Four major studios struck a deal with online movie service CinemaNow Inc. to offer more than 100 mainstream titles that can be copied to a disc and played on almost any DVD player or television set. Prices will start at about $9 a movie.”

“TV is being filtered, analyzed and debated on the Internet like never before, resulting in savvier viewers who feel fully invested in even the smallest of programming decisions. In an attempt to keep up, networks and studios are developing new levels of fan interaction using a variety of digital platforms.”

The BBC is reorganizing. “The way the BBC makes programmes will be streamlined, with a show’s output across TV, radio, internet and mobiles all considered at the same stage. The changes are part of BBC plans to ensure it survives in the digital age.”

This year’s Emmy nominations process changed, and many critics were perplexed by some of the nominations. But Emmy spokemen say the experiment was a success. “Historically, the biggest criticism of Emmy nominations has been that they’re a popularity contest because they’re chosen by a popular ballot. Lower-rated networks like FX and the WB weren’t getting a fair shake, so we gave them their day in court.”

“In 2004, 688 films were made in Canada, down from 728 in 2001 and production revenue over the three years fell 10.6 per cent to $1.49 billion, the agency reported on Tuesday. However, total revenue for film and video production rose 10.9 per cent to $2.9 billion because of growth in non-production activities such as broadcasting and film distribution.”

Gloria Steinem says the male-dominated radio industry is producing programming women don’t want to hear. “Female listeners are down in almost every music and talk format, a seven-year decline that spans all ages and ethnic groups, she said. ‘Only public radio has shown a 25 percent increase in women’ during the past six years, she added.” Steinem sits on the board of GreenStone Media, a radio network owned by and aimed at women.

“The iPod, like the cellphone, is invaluable in the everyday lives of millions. We name our iPods, coddle them, buy cases for them, insure them and sing their praises – until they break down. Then we curse them, throw them, mock them and spread the bad word – before buying our next one. And the cycle repeats.”

“Movie and song copiers beware: use an Internet discussion site in Hong Kong to violate copyrights and you may be turned in to law enforcement authorities by an 11-year-old Boy Scout. Starting this summer the Hong Kong government plans to have 200,000 youths search Internet discussion sites for illegal copies of copyrighted songs and movies, and report them to the authorities.”

Why are the judgments of movie critics so often at odds with those of the movie-going public? “Are we out of touch with the audience? Why do we go sniffing after art where everyone else is looking for fun, and spoiling everybody’s fun when it doesn’t live up to our notion or art? What gives us the right to yell ‘bomb’ outside a crowded theater?”