If current polls are to be believed, American voters are looking with a sense of dread at a rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Yet, widely anticipating the most expensive election in the nation’s history, another cycle of bitter and polarized politics perversely may be exactly the bottom-line boost TV broadcasters and cable networks need.
Facing ongoing labor uncertainty as striking SAG-AFTRA negotiates with Hollywood studios, and battered by eroding ratings, rumors of potential sales or consolidation, and the perception of inevitable decline, linear TV is looking with confidence at a contentious battle for the presidency next year. That, plus lucrative campaigns for control of the Senate and the House and a bevy of state races, could result in something akin to a well-timed bailout.
Nexstar, the largest station owner in the U.S., also talked up political spending in a recent earnings call, noting political ad spending projections of up to $11 billion for the 2024 cycle, compared with $9 billion during the 2022 midterms. >>>"Going To Be Like The Super Bowl" |
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Deadline's Contenders London |
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| Deadline Exclusives & Originals |
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'Frasier' Review - In an industry awash with alternative timelines as plot points almost as much as it is with creatively barren reboots and reunions, perhaps it would be better to peg the Frasier revival not as something new at all, but neither something old. Perhaps a more crystalline perspective would be to view this Frasier on Paramount+ as simply the charmingly chugging-along 30th season of the beloved Cheers spinoff. >>> Dominic Patten's Take
Gotta Have Faith - Great American Media is making a change to its Great American Living cable channel. The linear channel that was acquired by GAC Media in 2021 will be renamed Great American Faith & Living. The decision follows Great American Media’s recent merger with the Sony-owned Pure Flix and represents the company’s latest move to expand its faith footprint in the linear space. >>>"Void In The Marketplace"
Out Of Range - Range founding partners Susie Fox, Mackenzie Roussos and Chelsea Mckinnies are departing the management company they were involved in launching more than three years ago. The trio resigned Friday, sources tell Deadline. >>>Likely Destination
Dispatches From The Picket Lines - A themed picket that focused on first responder TV shows attracted the likes of James Pickens Jr, Jason George, Caterina Scorsone, Harry Shum Jr, Chandra Wilson and Kim Raver to Warner Bros. Friday in Burbank. >>>"Without Us There Would Be No Warner Bros."
Layoffs In Glendale - DreamWorks Animation is slashing four percent of its staff. We understand that the cuts are due to the downward cyclical turn in the business, rising production costs and the strikes. >>>Impact Felt Across Company
Strike Talk Podcast - Host Billy Ray implores SAG-AFTRA to remember negotiations aren't about who drew first blood, but who sticks the landing. And for actors, that means safeguards against AI. >>>Listen
Blumhouse Exits - Chris McCumber is departing Blumhouse Television after three years as President. The unit’s President of Production, Jeremy Gold, will step into the top role on an interim basis. A search is underway for a new head of the TV group, which is getting downsized, with several people — believed to be fewer than 10 — being laid off. >>>Creative & Business Affairs Hit
The Film That Lit My Fuse - Airplane! writer-directors David Zucker, Jim Abrahams & Jerry Zucker sat with Deadline to reminisce about their inspirations and how they got away with making the seminal raucous comedy 43 years ago and watched it become a timeless hit. >>>Watch |
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Kathryn Bernardo, known as the Queen of Philippine Cinema, and Triangle Of Sadness star Dolly de Leon are both almost unrecognizable in their new movie, A Very Good Girl, which ABS-CBN and Star Cinema opened in the U.S. this weekend. Bernardo, who is famous for her roles in romantic dramas, sought out something different, and she got it. The screen queen plays a woman hell bent on revenge against a former employer who sacked her – a glamorous retail tycoon called Mother Molly, who is played by De Leon. >>> Read The Interview |
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More News
💰 In the latest headache for Disney, activist investor Nelson Peltz has amassed a large stake in the media giant. The Wall Street Journal first reported that Peltz is expected to seek multiple board seats, including one for himself.
🚨 In an address carried by all three big news networks, President Joe Biden stressed that “Israel has a right to defend itself,” this weekend as the Jewish state is under a full-scale attack from Hamas. The major networks all have correspondents dispatched in the region, as Israel formally declared war against Hamas on Sunday.
🤖 The Blade Runner TV series is the latest big-budget product to announce changes to its shooting schedule this year, with the series no longer set to be filmed in Northern Ireland. Blade Runner 2099, commissioned by streamer Amazon Video with original film director Ridley Scott on board as an executive producer, was due to be filmed on location in Belfast.
💰 Film Development Council of the Philippines has tweaked its incentive schemes for both international co-productions and offshore production, with the latter cash rebate being increased to 25% with the addition of a cultural bonus. |
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Trending  A24’s Dicks: The Musical had one of the best limited openings of the year, grossing $220,867 on seven screens in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The film, developed and co-produced by Chernin Entertainment (The Greatest Showman) and based on a stage show by comedians Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson, caught a wave with a solid per screen average of $31,552 including sold out Q&As in NY and L.A.
🔻 Not even the devil himself could help Universal and Blumhouse this weekend with the opening of The Exorcist: Believer. After the studio bought the franchise rights for a trilogy from Morgan Creek for $400M, the Exorcist sequel took in just $27.2M stateside. |
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OBITUARIES
🕯 Terence Davies, the director of The Long Day Closes and Distant Voices, Still Lives, has died at 77, according to his official social media pages. Davies directed several films that were considered among the best of the craft in his lifetime. They ranged from The Deep Blue Sea starring Rachel Weisz, to his debut feature, Distant Voices, a look at hs own working-class British upbringing. 🕯 Shawna Trpcic , an Emmy-nominated costume designer best known for her work on several Star Wars series on Disney+ and her collaborations with Joss Whedon, has died, her agency Gersh and Lucasfilm confirmed. She was 56. 🕯 Nick Wilkinson, a casting director for ABC Television and Theatre Communications Group, died Sept. 29 on Kauai from a heart attack at age 69. Wilkinson was the longtime director of casting for Theatre Communications Group in New York City, which was known in the 1980’s as "Central Casting" for most of the regional theaters across America. 🕯 Michael Chiarello, a celebrity chef and a former star of Food Network, has died at the age of 61. Chiarello died following an acute allergic reaction that caused him to go into anaphylactic shock, Gruppo Chiarello announced. 🕯 Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries |
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On the Radar
Mon - Columbus Day / Indigenous Peoples' Day; WGA membership vote on tentative agreement closes; Deadline’s For the Love of Docs series kicks off
Tue - NHL season opens
Wed - Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour world premiere in L.A.
Sat - Academy Museum Gala; SNL returns |
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Never Forget - The Empire State Building was lit up this weekend in the colors of the Israeli flag after that country suffered terror attacks that killed upward of 700 people.
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