When it passed in 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act failed to renew a provision contained in 2004’s Jobs Creation Act, known as Internal Revenue Code Section 181, which allowed film, television and media producers to immediately expense costs that would otherwise need to be capitalized and deducted over the course of ten years.…
It looks like a ray of light has started to shine through the stubborn conflict between the Writers Guild of America and the major talent agencies. The results appear to hinge on a conditional deal that involves hard but significant concessions on both sides. Packaging deals, the practice at the heart of the conflict, offer…
Hollywood union leaders have recently issued industry-wide guidelines that recommend motion picture studio production changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to those who have drafted the protocols, if reopening is to happen safely, actors, crew, and everyone who participates in the process will need to be protected from infection, and these guidelines are…
How Studios are Choosing Release Dates During the COVID-19 Outbreak As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, movie theaters have closed for the time being, but consumers have not lost any appetite for the movie-viewing experience. So with streaming services temporarily taking over as the primary option for movie watching, how can the concept of…
Esports (real-time multiplayer video games) are a relatively new entrant to the sports entertainment industry. And as a newcomer, the credibility of the esports enterprise has been subject to no shortage of scrutiny and controversy. People continually debated the primary question: Are esports “real” sports? But the COVID-19 outbreak may have made that question moot.…
Streaming services overall tend to demonstrate a preference for animation over live-action productions, especially when it comes to children’s content, primarily because of lower production costs. Without production and sets, the cost difference is wide enough to appeal to streamers. Among shows for children, animation makes up about 62% of streaming service content, versus 32%…
The COVID-19 pandemic is bringing epic shake-ups to various aspects of our lives, changes that are rapidly making their presence known in every corner of almost every industry. The world of TV production has not been spared, of course, and one of these changes may affect—even end—a storied institution: pilots. Pilot season typically runs throughout…