Hollywood Breakdown

Facebook has banned President Trump, at least until his term is over. Twitter issued a 12-hour suspension of his account on Wednesday. It’s a fraught time for social media companies as their platforms were used to organize the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol. 

Nearly seven months after WarnerMedia launched HBO Max, Roku users finally have access to the streaming service. Roku has 46 million users, so WarnerMedia was desperate to make a deal with the digital media player before the release of “Wonder Woman 1984” on Christmas Day. 

When WarnerMedia announced all of its 2021 movies would stream on HBO Max the same day they open in theaters, Hollywood was completely blindsided. Now the industry is starting to speak out. Christopher Nolan blasted Warner Bros. Then the Directors Guild of America and the powerful agency CAA both sent angry letters to the studio. 

WarnerMedia announced all 17 of its 2021 Warner Bros. movies would debut in theaters and stream on HBOMax at the same time. This shatters the traditional window between theatrical release and streaming that is the foundation of the movie theater business. 

Mark Burnett is best known for reality TV hits like “Survivor,” “The Voice,” and “The Apprentice,” which gave Donald Trump a national audience. Five years ago, he joined MGM Studios as the chairman of worldwide television. His management style hasn’t won him many fans as it’s proved to be much like the outgoing president he once promoted.

Throughout the pandemic, movie studios have struggled to decide whether to move big films to streaming services or risk putting them in theaters. With “Wonder Woman 1984,” WarnerMedia is going to try doing both. The superhero sequel will open in theaters (those that are actually open, that is) on December 25, 2020 and also be available to stream on HBOMax the same day.

Fox News flourished under a Trump presidency, but trouble in paradise began on Election Night, when the network made an early call for Joe Biden to win Arizona. The call ended up being correct, but Trump was upset that their announcement changed the momentum. Now the President’s most hardcore fans are turning to Newsmax, a network that’s even further to the right than Fox. 

Broadcast news ratings were down this year compared to 2016. Cable news ratings remained stable compared to the last election, led by a strong showing from Fox News viewers.

Netflix increased pricing for its standard and premium plans to $13.99 and $17.99, respectively, as it continues to position itself as the streaming frontrunner.

Quibi announced it’s shutting down next month, and Hollywood is trying to pinpoint what went wrong.