10 Stories You Should Know: 11/18/2022

Here are the stories that should be on your radar

Here are the stories that should be on your radar for Friday, November 18th, 2022:

U.K. Government Considers Merging, Updating Film and TV Tax Reliefs (Variety)
In terms of the merger, the government suggests the film tax relief, animation tax relief, high-end TV tax relief and children’s TV tax relief should be combined in order to simplify the process. The proposals stress that the criteria companies must meet to access the reliefs will not be changed. Nevertheless, the government is keen to ensure there are no “unintended consequences” arising from the merger and are requesting feedback from the industry.

Canal+ In Exclusive Talks To Buy Orange’s Film And TV Operations (Screen Daily)
A deal would see Orange Studio’s film catalogue combined with StudioCanal, making Canal+ more competitive against US streaming giants like Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ which have swept into the country in recent months, challenging windows and investing in local production.

Paramount+ Offers Tulsans Free Month Of Service, Free Beer As Part Of 'Toast' To City (Tulsa World)
Between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20, Paramount+ will be partnering with 11 establishments in the Tulsa area to screen the first episode and buy patrons a beer to toast the city.

‘Sonic The Hedgehog’ Creator Naka Yuji Arrested In Japan For Alleged Insider Trading (Variety)
According to an official announcement by investigators, Naka allegedly obtained sensitive information regarding a new game for smartphones in the popular “Dragon Quest” series in January 2020, while employed by major game maker Square Enix. The game was being developed by Square Enix and online game production company Aiming.  

Prior to the announcement of the information, Naka allegedly purchased 10,000 shares of Aiming stock for approximately JPY2.8 million ($20,000), a violation of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law.    

Netflix Phishing Emails Surge 78% (Info Security Magazine)
Security researchers are warning that corporate accounts could be at risk after noting a 78% increase in email impersonation attacks spoofing the Netflix brand since October.

If employees use the same credentials for personal accounts like Netflix as their work accounts, campaigns like this may imperil corporate systems and data.

British Independent Film Awards: ‘Aftersun’ Tops Craft Winners (The Hollywood Reporter)
Aftersun, the debut feature from Charlotte Wells that stars Paul Mescal, has topped the craft categories at the 2022 British Independent Film Awards. The drama, which became a breakout sensation in Cannes, where it was nabbed by A24 and Mubi, won three awards, including in the best cinematography category for Gregory Oke.

Starzplay To Invest In Arabic Content For Younger Audience (Digital TV Europe)
Dubai-based Starzplay is on the lookout for Arabic scripted shows skewing towards a younger adult demographic as it pushes into original content. Starzplay co-founder and CEO Maaz Sheikh said that that the MENA streamer is particularly looking to appeal to the “17 to 35-year-old segment.”

Netflix To Make Series And Films Splash At Goa’s IFFI (Variety)
Netflix is poised to unveil several of its series and two of its movies at the International Film Festival of India. The festival gets underway on Sunday and runs to Nov. 28.

WBD Bans Russian TV channels From Airing Films (The Desk)
The edict was issued against the privately-held National Media Group, which operates several linear channels in Russia, including Channel One, Channel Five, CTC, Domashny and Ren TV.

The prohibition comes despite a licensing agreement between WarnerMedia — which was operated by AT&T until earlier this year — and National Media Group that allowed the media company to broadcast Warner Bros films across its channels through the end of 2023.

Jamie Kennedy Gets His Own Channel On Allen Media Group’s Local Now (Deadline)
It’s all Jamie Kennedy, all 24/7 on the new Jamie Kennedy Channel on Allen Media Group’s digital platform Local Now. The streaming service for local news and entertainment has teamed up with the comedian and actor to provide a home to what’s termed “a vast library of his best comedy content.