10 Stories You Should Know: 10/11/2022

I am back...sort of...

It’s not your imagination, there was not a morning newsletter last week. I had COVID and let’s just say my overall health was a bit of a hit-and-miss. But I am recovering now and hopefully everything is moving back towards normal.

Disney Warns France That Future Blockbusters Could Bypass Cinemas (Financial Times)
Disney will release Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in French cinemas next month but has warned that its biggest movies may go straight to streaming in 2023 unless what it calls the country’s “anti-consumer” distribution rules are fundamentally reformed. The decision ends months of debate at Disney over whether to use the blockbuster Marvel movie, an important highlight of the box office calendar for the cinema industry, to take a stand over France’s highly restrictive “windowing” regime.

Sports Media: Manfred ‘Digging Our Feet In’ On Diamond Sports Talks (Sports Business Journal)
MLB is no closer to working out a streaming deal with Sinclair than it was a year ago, and that’s not good news for the Bally Sports regional sports networks.

Baseball still hasn’t struck a deal, and when I asked MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred why he was dragging his feet on it, he corrected me.

“I don’t think of it as dragging our feet. I think of it as digging our feet in,” Manfred said at last week’s CAA World Congress of Sports.

UK Households Cancel Streaming Services To Cut Costs, Report Says (Deadline)
The rising cost of living in the UK has led almost 1m British households to cancel their subscriptions to streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+, a new report by market research firm Kantar Worldpanel has found.

The Crown Bosses Spark Fury With Plans To Recreate Princess Diana’s Final Tragic Moments In Paris (The Sun)
Bosses are also under fire over soon-to-be aired scenes suggesting Prince Philip had an affair with a female friend.

But even more graphic and harrowing scenes are now being worked on.

A set source said: “To be going back to Paris and turning Diana’s final days and hours into a drama feels very uncomfortable.

Qatar Restricting Media With ‘Chilling’ Rules Ahead Of World Cup (Arab News)
TV crews from international news channels will be subject to “chilling” restrictions while reporting from Qatar for the FIFA World Cup, a human rights organization has warned.

The Gulf state has barred film crews from conducting interviews in residences, migrant worker accommodation sites, government buildings, universities, religious sites and private businesses.

BBC Studios Acquires Full Ownership of ‘Killing Eve’ Producer Sid Gentle Films (The Hollywood Reporter)
BBC Studios has taken full ownership of Killing Eve producer Sid Gentle Films, adding another major U.K. production company to the growing stable now entirely under the control of the BBC’s commercial production-distribution arm.

Steve Ballmer Drives Los Angeles Clippers Into Direct-to-Consumer Future With ClipperVision Streaming Launch (Variety)
The Clippers today are launching ClipperVision, a regional subscription streaming service that offers six channel options for watching the vast majority of the team’s home and away games – more than 70 out of 84 regular season games. The service will cost $199 per season and is available largely in Southern California. The service’s first live stream bows Oct. 22. with an away-game against the Sacramento Kings.

Vaishali Takkar Death: TV Celebs Speak Up About The Actress’ Sudden Demise, Say, ‘It’s Really Disturbing’ (Outlook India)
Television actress Vaishali Takkar, known for her work in shows like 'Sasural Simar Ka', 'Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai' and 'Super Sisters', passed away at her Indore residence on Sunday. She was 30 years old.

ZDF, MBC, France TV, Hulu Japan Team Up For Surveillance Drama Concordia (C21 Media)
Created by Mike Walden (The Frankenstein Chronicles, U Want Me 2 Kill Him) and Nicholas Racz (The Burial Society, The Real Thing), the world of Concordia is powered by artificial intelligence to ensure a freer and fairer society. However, as the community nears its 20th anniversary, with cities around the world lining up to replicate its success, the secret behind its creation is revealed, threatening to undo what its creators have achieved.