Festivals
DEI Score: A New Initiative To Improve Film Festival Accessibility
Filmmaker and former International Documentary Association executive Cassidy Dimon has developed an “Accessibility Scorecard” based on data gathered from festival participants and attendees with the aim to raise awareness and help event organizers improve future festivals. The scorecard was created in collaboration with the Film Festival Alliance and FWD-Doc, a collective of documentary filmmakers with disabilities. According to Dimon, there is currently no straightforward way to provide feedback on these events, so “part of this initiative is about making it as easy as possible for people to provide feedback without giving so much of their time and labor, which they’ve already given so much of.” With this initiative, a new online questionnaire will be sent to all participating festivals asking a series of questions that assess event accessibility (from in-person screenings to website accessibility). The scorecard’s goal is to be used as a tool for audiences to openly share their experiences with festival alliances and the specific festivals. This scorecard will be available starting July 22. The initiative encourages all festivals to take immediate action by opening the line of communication and adding an accessibility contact to their website. This launch arrives after recent complaints of inaccessibility regarding the Cannes Film Festival. Hollywood disability activist group 1IN4 has already made several demands that Cannes’ 2023 festival accommodate those with disabilities.
Movie Theaters
Can a New Slate of Hollywood Films Bring Back Theater Subscriptions?
Time is proving that the subscription model is not limited to streaming. Since theaters have fully reopened and the global box office is thriving (thanks to films like Top Gun: Maverick), people are starting to look at the model in relation to the movie theater experience. MoviePass, a service that offered unlimited movie tickets for a monthly fee, became infamous in the industry when it shut its doors less than three years ago after its parent company filed for bankruptcy. After eight years of operation, the company demonstrated that their specific business model was not sustainable. However, similar cinema subscriptions are now gaining popularity. Cinemark, the third-largest theater chain in the U.S., announced this week that its Movie Club subscription has reached 1 million active users. Many theaters are developing plans of their own, including AMC’s Stubs A-List and Regal’s Unlimited Plan. These subscriptions were created to inspire loyalty and combat the long-term decline in moviegoing that was worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic. Sean Gamble, Cinemark’s President and Chief Executive, believes that a big driver in the growth of their subscription service is the overall value of the program. Movie Club makes up 20% of all theater attendees, a 4% increase from 2019. According to Gamble, “As we get into the summer, for the first time, we’re going to have more of a regular cadence of movies coming out every week.” For people to get back into the habit of going to the theater, a steady stream of content needs to become available.
Television
Measuring “Bingeability”: Nielsen’s Gracenote To Offer New Data on TV Viewers
In the current market, there is perhaps no more valuable characteristic for a show to possess than its ability to be “binged.” Certainly, you know the feeling of sitting on the couch and watching a whole season of television over a weekend! Gracenote, the media data arm for Nielsen, wants to translate this trait into data for platforms and networks. This data will be incredibly helpful to companies fielding a variety of licensing and acquisition deals. Available under their Distribution Dynamics program, Nielsen promises that this offering will “provide the content marketplace insights into characteristics of programming that drives consumption and historical availability enabling data-driven decision-making.” To evaluate how content is consumed, the company will look at “bingeability” (measured by the average number of episodes watched per day), loyalty (measured by available minutes of content compared to the percentages of content viewed per month), and program similarity (which will identify the number of shows with similar themes and performance). Another Gracenote program, the Availability Archive, will focus on content placement and movement across streaming services, allowing buyers to see program release scheduling and removal so companies can more easily develop future content strategies. These novel solutions were unveiled at the National Association of Television Program Executives conference that took place this past Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Sports
Digital Alternative: Regional Sports Networks Start Streaming
Boston is about to become a hot digital destination. NESN, a local cable network known for its sports content, recently shared its plans for a streaming service that would make it the first regional sports network to enter the streaming wars. The network currently airs all Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins games. The new service, called NESN 360, will cost $29.99 a month, letting people sign up to watch live games without a cable subscription. Other offerings include a promotional first-month price of only one dollar and an annual subscription of $329.99 (which will include eight tickets to a 2022 Red Sox game). Currently, the platform is only available to people in New England, as MLB owns out-of-market streaming rights to these games. In a statement, NESN’s President and Chief Executive Officer Sean McGrail said, “We believe the direct subscription option will build on NESN’s reach in the region.” NESN, owned in majority by Fenway Sports Group, believes this new streaming tactic will entice a younger audience who do not have cable subscriptions. But the service is setting a high bar, as the monthly cost is high compared to other popular streaming services in the U.S.
Streaming
Talent Pay Cuts: Former Entertainment Executive Speaks Out Against Streaming
Not everyone is impressed by the streaming (or “cost plus”) business model. This week at the National Association of Television Program Executives Hollywood conference, producer and media investor Jeff Sagansky shared that the now-ubiquitous model has had a negative effect on profit participation. This is referring to an industry standard that allows above-the-line talent to be rewarded with a cut of the income that content continuously generates (also known as “residuals”). Sagansky also detailed the danger of this shifting paradigm, which will cater to buyout premiums and eradicate bigger deals. With all of this, Jeff stated that “the producer-studio bond … has been irrevocably broken.” The creative community has expressed dissatisfaction with the current system, which has gotten rid of traditional backend deals that ensure people get paid fairly for their work. Currently, writers, directors, producers, and actors are looking to sign deals that allow new shows to be licensed and relicensed for 50+ years, though they only get paid once upfront. While this type of payment is 20% bigger than traditional fees, this does not account for the billions of views and additional revenue from advertising that the companies who own the content are now able to make. Sagansky finished his speech with a look at the history of TV content profit sharing, the Financial Interest and Syndication (fin-syn) Rule passed by the FCC in 1970, and studios’ current attachments to streaming services.
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