NETFLIX DOMINATES GOLDEN GLOBES NOMINATIONS
WEEKLY FILM INDUSTRY NEWS DIGEST, SUNDAY FEBRUARY 7.
Netflix’s Golden Globe Domination Grows Amid Pandemic With A Third Of All Film & TV Nominations
Last year, Netflix became the first outlet ever to lead both the film and television nominations at the Golden Globes. The streamer did it again this year in an even more dominating fashion, earning a staggering 42 nominations across film and TV, a new record and more than half the total of all other distributors combined (83).Netflix is the most nominated film distributor with 22 noms, led by Mank and The Trial of the Chicago 7, and the most nominated TV distributor with 20 noms, paced by The Crown and Ozark. In a sign of its current power in the market, Netflix scored three-times more film nominations than the second-most nominated distributor, fellow streamer Amazon, which tied its record 10 Globe nominations across film and TV.Even without the pandemic, streamers dominated the 2020 Golden Globes TV field with 30 nominations total among Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+. Their share went up to 34 noms this year, with the four incumbents all keeping their names on the list of nominees, joined by Golden Globe newcomers HBO Max and Disney+ landing their first noms for The Flight Attendant and The Mandalorian, respectively. https://deadline.com/2021/02/netflix-golden-globes-domination-film-tv-2021-1234686231/
The New Copyright Law That Finally Catches Up To Streaming Reality
Gale Anne Hurd, a producer of films and television shows including the Terminator trilogy, Aliens, Armageddon and The Walking Dead, writes about the recent passage of a new copyright provision that targets streaming piracy, making it a felony to operate a large-scale, for-profit service. Piracy has been around forever, and I have been dealing with it, in one form or another, for my entire career – starting when bootleg VHS copies of my original Terminator film were being sold on street corners. But the amount of harm we suffered from bootlegs was peanuts compared to today’s internet- driven piracy. Multinational criminal enterprises now push monthly subscriptions to streaming services with names like Lazer IPTV and Pegasus, selling stolen content libraries that are as easy to use as Netflix – but vastly larger – and they include live channels from all over the world.
Even before the pandemic, streaming piracy was costing the U.S. economy each year at least $29.2 billion, 230,000 to 560,000 jobs, and $47.5 billion in reduced GDP every year. Now, as the global population has been sheltering in place for more than 10 months, streaming piracy has unfortunately become more popular than ever. Between February and March, according to UK-based analytics firm MUSO, there were nearly one billion visits to piracy sites in the U.S. alone, representing a 60% increase from the beginning of the year. https://deadline.com/2021/02/piracy-streaming-law-felony-gale-anne-hurd-guest-column-1234684872/
Beijing Cinemas Cut Capacity to 50 Percent Ahead of Chinese New Year Holiday
Cinemas in Beijing were ordered Thursday to limit seating capacity to 50 percent during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday. The decision adds to local industry worries that recent flareups of COVID-19 cases could dampen earnings during what is usually the biggest period for China’s box office by far.Beijing has introduced a number of policies designed to discourage travel over the holiday this year. Those returning home will be required to undertake two-week quarantines and get COVID-19 tests at their own expense. How those restrictions will affect filmgoing is unclear. Typically, old school friends and families flock to the multiplex to catch the buzziest local movies of the year — a rare group activity outside the home over the long holiday break, when many other businesses are closed. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/beijing-cinemas-cut-capacity-to-50-percent-ahead-of-chinese-new-year-holiday
Lionsgate Grows Streaming Subscribers to 14.6M
Lionsgate on Thursday posted a smaller third-quarter loss on lower overall revenue as the Hollywood studio continues to drive into the streaming space with Starz. The studio saw its global streaming subscriber base for Starz, Starzplay Arabia and Pantaya grow to 14.6 million, up another 900,000 subscribers compared to the end of its second quarter. "With 28 million global subscribers at quarter’s end, we are well on our way to our goal of 50 to 60 million global subscribers by 2025, the vast majority of which will be high-value streaming subs," Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer told analysts about Starz during a conference call on Thursday. Feltheimer added that the studio expected streaming revenue from Starz to surpass traditional linear TV subscriber revenue for the first time at the end of the current fourth quarter. Internationally, Lionsgate has got Starz into 55 countries, including via its StarzPlay Arabia joint venture, with launches spanning 10 partners and 20 countries during the third quarter alone. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lionsgate-grows-streaming-subscribers-to-14-6m
U.S. Streamers Bulk Up With Non-English-Language Shows
In a rush to build libraries with originals — and with an eye to rolling out services worldwide — platforms are increasingly buying finished shows off the shelf…Matt Creasey, an international sales and production executive with European production outfit Banijay: “Platforms know they can get the quality they need on the international market.”…For international producers, this increased demand can mean major paydays. Creasey admits doing U.S. deals for international shows "that were bigger than the show's original budget" https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/u-s-streamers-non-english-language-shows
U.K. Exhibition Sector Eyes Cautious Return as Cases Drop, Vaccinations Soar
Though the country began 2021 under lockdown with cinemas closed — a situation that’s unlikely to ease in the near future — a combination of decreasing case loads and a robust vaccination rollout is raising hopes.“We are starting to consider reopening dates,” BFI chief executive Ben Roberts told Variety. “In terms of everyone forecasting, May feels reasonable. Could be earlier, could be later.”In a liquidity announcement in late 2020, Cineworld had said that they are operating on the assumption that sites will reopen no later than May 2021, and Variety understands that this continues to be the case.“The pent-up demand for out-of-home entertainment is huge, and we have an unprecedented line up of movies that awaits cinema goers later this year with three years’ of movies in the space of 18 months,” a spokesperson from multiplex chain Vue told Variety….“We know how much communities and local economies depend on cinema doors being open and we are looking forward to welcoming back our staff and film lovers as soon as we are allowed,” the spokesperson added.England’s plans to ease lockdown will be announced around Feb. 22, with the devolved nations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also expected to reveal their plans in that time frame. https://variety.com/2021/film/global/uk-cinema-reopening-vaccination-2021-1234901576/
Local Titles Cushion Nordic Box Office Plunge in 2020
Due to COVID-19 cinema lockdowns or restrictions, box office in the Nordic region plummeted in 2020 year-on-year by 64% in Sweden, 57.6% in Iceland, 57% in Norway, 54% in Finland, and 47% in Denmark. The dearth of new U.S .tentpoles, combined with strong domestic titles such as “Another Round,” allowed homegrown movies to punch all-time record market shares in Denmark (50.4%), Finland (41.1%) and Norway (35.6%).https://variety.com/2021/film/global/local-titles-cushion-nordic-box-office-plunge-2020-1234901298/
