New Projects Casting - Production Numbers - Artios Award Noms - Netflix Q3 Numbers
By Abigail Hardin, October 25, 2022
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Happy Halloween Week, UTD!
I hope you have some fun plans for this coming spooky weekend. 🎃👻 Even if those plans are simply to binge-watch all of the scary programming before it disappears immediately. It's not even November and already holiday line-ups have been released. And has anyone noticed there are already Xmas themed commercials?!?! Too soon! Too soon!
Be safe, have fun, and let your creativity fly!
Create a great week! ☮ï¸
Production Numbers
Los Angeles Production Dips
According to a FilmLA report, Los Angeles production dipped in the third quarter by 10% from last year and roughly -1.7% from 2020. The modest decline is thought to be a sign of production returning to a pre-pandemic level. Last year saw a boost in production as the cycle was interrupted and many productions were filming year-round to make up for lost time. While Film and Commercial production saw the greatest decline across all metrics, TV (while still down 10.5% compared to the same period in 2021) remained 4.7% above the five-year average.
Northern Ireland Investing in Local Talent
Northern Ireland is seeing a production boom, in part thanks to GAME OF THRONES calling the region its production home for almost a decade. International productions have been flocking there in recent years and the country is looking to bolster its skill sector and support the next generation of local storytellers. "The global boom in production is a big, big strain everywhere," says Andrew Reid, Head of Production at Northern Ireland Screen. "We have been growing our crew base for the last 15 years or so and we have a very deliberately structured training program, which we are expanding."
Artios Award Nominations
Last week, the Casting Society announced their 38th annual Artios Awards Nominations for TV, theater, short films and shortform series. Nominations in the film category will be announced on November 1st. For the first time in two years, the ceremony which honors casting professionals will be held in-person March 9 at the Beverly Hilton.
As we mention every year around the Artios Awards, this is a great opportunity to reach out to the nominated casting directors and wish them congratulations on their recent nomination.
On another awards note, despite war and the recent Russian attack on Ukraine's power infrastructure, the fifth edition of the Ukrainian National Film Critics Circle Award, dubbed Kinokolo, was held last Thursday in a bunker in Kyiv. The ceremony was broadcast live on national public TV channel Suspilne Kultura from the underground studio. The Ukrainian people are a testament to resilience in the face of complete brutality. 💙💛
Content Is King
Do you TikTok? (Did I say that right? 🤦ðŸ»â€â™€ï¸ Did I just show my age??) Well if you do, you could be one of NBCUniversal's newest TV content creators. The company has launched a Creator Accelerator that features 11 social media creators. The creators, who have over 10M followers on social media, have signed development deals with Universal Studio Group to create original series as part of the program. Over the next twelve months, the creators will each have their own NBCUniversal content development mentor to help develop both scripted and unscripted content and they will go through a greenlight process that includes help with pitches.
Original Italian film and TV shows drew a record €1.4b ($1.38b) in investment in 2021, according to a new study by local producer body APA. The report, which was unveiled at Italy's MIA Market last week, suggested there was between €1.42b to €1.47b ($1.38b-$1.43b) in investment in original Italian TV and film productions last year. Mambo Italiano! 🇮🇹
Netflix Prospects Looking Up
After two consecutive quarter losses, Netflix is reporting a 2.4 million subscriber increase in the Q3 and projecting a strong Q4. While they don't expect much from their new Ad-Tier plan, the streamer did not release concrete evidence as to where the projected 4.5 million new subscribers would come from in Q4.
However slightly conflicting, it seems the execs at Netflix view the new ad-tier as a way to attract "a whole new audience" and are not concerned with current subscribers switching to the new cheaper plan. Any resulting loss of subscriber revenue could offset gains from advertising. The new Basic with Ads plan will cost $6.99 a month, compared with $15.49 for the most popular ad-free plan. "We don't see a lot of members switching plans," Peters said. "Oftentimes, when they come in for a specific feature, let's say 4K resolution, we see that to be a fairly sticky choice." If those patterns hold true in the new advertising phase, he added, the company anticipates "unit economics being neutral to positive."
Part of the company's focus on increased revenue is to capture new users from previous illegal profile sharing. Netflix has begun the global rollout of a feature that allows users to transfer profile data to a new account. In other words, if you're using a shared account that contains your profile with its rich viewing history and saved settings, Profile Transfer will let you move that data to a new account — one that you pay for. "People move. Families grow. Relationships end. But throughout these life changes, your Netflix experience should stay the same," Netflix's blog post announcing the feature reads. 🙄
The last little take away from Netflix's Q3 report, Netflix has no plans to stop their binge-friendly release model. "We think our bingeable release model helps drive substantial engagement, especially for newer titles," Netflix said in its Q3 shareholder letter, as part of announcing quarterly results Tuesday. "This enables viewers to lose themselves in stories they love." The company's comments come after the Puck newsletter last month reported that Netflix execs were mulling a change to binge strategy and release major titles on a weekly schedule.
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
A new study, titled "Boxed In" found that in the 2021-2022 TV season, streaming companies put more women in positions of creative power and featured more female main characters than on broadcast television. This comes as a shift from the year prior when broadcast still featured more female main characters than streaming. Read more for more breakdowns and analytics from this study on representation.
Last week, 16,000 SAG-AFTRA members (including Kerry Washington, Zoë Kravitz, Rosario Dawson, Don Cheadle and Niecy Nash-Betts) sent a strongly worded letter to the U.S. Senate urging senators to pass the CROWN Act. "The CROWN Act is a huge step in ending discrimination based on hair in public education and work spaces," said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher. "People should feel free to style their hair how they feel most comfortable without the threat of prejudice and unequal treatment. The CROWN Act will protect and positively impact the lives of many Americans at school and work, but there is still more work to be done to ensure private institutions adopt the protections the CROWN Act provides. We should celebrate all hair styles NOT discriminate!"
Around the Country
New York City 🎲
The Broadway theatre community is split in it's support of a new proposed Caesar's Casino in Times Square. The casino would be located at 1515 Broadway and is expected to include a hotel, restaurants, and more, right above the LION KING's Minskoff Theatre. Concerns include its impact on the theatre industry, the neighborhood's economy, and whether it would usher in a return to the Times Square of the 1970s and 1980s with increased safety concerns.
While Actors Equity (AEA) is supporting the proposal, saying a casino would bring enhanced security to the area, The Broadway League issued a statement against the plan. "The addition of a casino will overwhelm the already densely congested area and would jeopardize the entire neighborhood whose existence is dependent on the success of Broadway. Broadway is the key driver of tourism and risking its stability would be detrimental to the city."
There is a competing bid for the casino to reside in the newly developed Hudson Yards. State Senator Brad Hoylman, who represents the district which includes Times Square, was quoted by The New York Times as saying, "The Broadway League's influence and clout and understanding of what theatergoers want is crucial to the future of Times Square, and if they're opposing this proposal, I don't see how it proceeds." Only time will tell.
Washington D.C. ðŸ¿
Alamo Draftouse has opened a new location in Washington D.C.. The Crystal City location is the fourth Alamo Drafthouse in the D.C. metro area and incorporates an aviation theme in honor of the nearby historic Washington National Airport. The Alamo venues all serve food and drink, with Crystal City offering 25% off select items in a soft opening through October 30. Other new Alamo theaters are planned for Boston, Chicago and St. Louis.