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Documentary Makers Lead the AI Regulation Charge

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 While documentary filmmaking may not be the first genre you think of when the special effects potential of AI is raised, it is a genre where trustworthiness and veracity are key watchwords. So it should come as no real surprise that one of the first pushes to codify guidelines for the use of Generative AI have come, not from the blockbuster arena, but from this cinematic niche. Brandon Blake, our entertainment attorney in Los Angeles from Blake & Wang P.A. takes a closer look at their suggestions. Brandon Blake Primary Source Material First Created by a group of documentary filmmakers, producers, and archivists through the Archival Producers Alliance, the new guidelines seek to create a baseline for AI’s use in their niche of the industry. The use of ‘fake’ footage generated through AI has already crept into the documentary arena. While it opens up some wonderful doors for bringing the stories they tell to life, there is also considerably more potential for misfires and misle
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Amazon Dominates Both Theaters and Home Viewing

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 Amazon has been something of an underdog in the streaming and production market until recently. Despite the immense size of the Amazon Prime platform, their streaming service has always been incidental to the wider business of shipping people the goods they want fast and cheaply, and it is frustratingly unclear how many of Prime’s subscribers actually use the streaming platform. With two top-performing films this week, one controversially headed direct-to-streaming and the other with a stellar theatrical release, however, Amazon is making a splash on the PVOD lists. Brandon Blake, the entertainment lawyer at Blake & Wang P.A., unpacks the irony of two so different release strategies both paying off. Brandon Blake The Beekeeper : The Little Hit That Could The Beekeeper , which secured Amazon the Number 1 spot on both iTunes and Fandango, was a low-key $40M production Amazon MGM acquired for the US market. It secured itself a stellar $66M theatrical run and managed to sell itse
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Is Paramount Global Finally Going Under the Hammer?

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  Paramount Global has to take the 2024 record for the most intriguing will-they, won’t-they debate we’ve seen in the M&A space. However, it looks like we could finally be seeing a serious deal on the table for a major stake in National Amusements, Paramount Global’s parent company. Could we be close to a real deal? Brandon Blake, for your entertainment industry law advice entertainment attorney at Blake & Wang P.A. unveils the latest tantalizing details.                                                                           Brandon Blake A Skydance Deal It looks like the honor of taking over the Paramount mantle is set to go to Skydance Media chief, David Ellison, as has been widely anticipated. Both sides have now enacted a 30-day exclusive negotiation period to see if a final deal for National Amusements can be reached.   Under the auspices of the Redstone family, National Amusements controls over 75% of Paramount’s voting shares, and the industry has also been
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Hulu on Disney+ is Officially Here

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While the Hulu on Disney+ Beta bundle has been live since last year, we have officially reached the point of full integration. Intriguingly, much of the executive focus on the new bundle has been around the technical advancements needed to unite the two platforms. You could take a look at entertainment lawyer Brandon Blake, from Blake & Wang P.A., looks in more depth at the united offering.                                              Brandon Blake Technical Advancements While few viewers are likely to know (or care, frankly) about the backstage technology that powers their viewing experience, Disney executives have been keen to hammer home the potential for happier, healthier subscriber engagement and retention with the new tech shift. They have gone as far as to call it the “most extensive technical advancement” since launch. At this point, it is clear that they are also hoping a more advertiser-appealing platform with better metrics can be leveraged to boost their highly su
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How Much is Too Much? Streaming Price Hikes and Customer Impact

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 Last year was certainly a year of consolidation for the streaming space. Alongside the rise of ad-supported streaming tiers, we also saw significant impacts on plan pricing. In some ways, this was a necessary readjustment after the post-pandemic boom, but what is the wider impact on viewer’s pocketbooks? Are customers fed up with these pricing increases yet? Entertainment lawyer Brandon Blake, of Blake & Wang P.A., breaks down the findings of a recent Deloitte survey for us. Brandon Blake What Consumers are Spending on Streaming On average, American households who use streaming services are splitting the bill over 4 platforms, with an average monthly spend of $61. That’s a steep 27% rise from last year’s $48 a month.   So far, so good. The whole point has been to evolve streaming into a profit-generating entity, instead of a profit-eating black hole. However, some worrying takeaways from Deloitte’s survey will need careful consideration.   Of the consumers surveyed, j
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It’s Official: Younger Audiences Want Fresh Content

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  It’s Official: Younger Audiences Want Fresh Content It may be odd for a demographic that’s already crossed the boundary into the dreaded 40s to consider themselves ‘young’, but for some things, it still counts. According to a recent survey from Tubi, Fox’s FAST streaming service, one thing is resoundingly clear— Millennials and younger theatergoers want something from their cinema experience that distributors have been reluctant to provide in the post-pandemic era. Fresh, original storytelling, not “safe” franchise fare. Brandon Blake, our skilled entertainment attorney Los Angeles from Blake & Wang P.A., explores this new finding in more depth.                                                                       Brandon Blake A Values Dissonance 2023’s box office heyday demonstrates that perfectly. Barbie, Oppenheimer, Super Mario, and even the indie flick The Sound of Freedom — the only thing they share in common with each other, or what has been released before, is
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Is Kung Fu Panda 4 the Key to a Reinvigorated 2024 Box Office?

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 With Dune: Part Two having finally powered up the 2024 box office, it's time to build on that impetus if the wider box office recovery is to continue. There could be another strong contender lurking in the wings for this weekend’s releases- but it will doubtless surprise you to learn that this hope lies with the fourth installment of the animated Kung Fu Panda saga! Blake & Wang P.A. entertainment attorney Los Angeles , Brandon Blake, has more on this ironic twist for us.                                                                          Brandon Blake Two $40M Grosses on the Cards For the first time since July 2023 and the Barbenheimer dual release, we have a chance at not one, but two, films grossing over $40M this weekend. In fact, those figures may top $50M! While Dune: Part Two has had the benefit of massive hype and anticipation, Kung Fu Panda 4 may well turn out to be the more profitable production. Dune: Part Two has already grossed over $100M globally,
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