The Hollywood Reporter reports: “Negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers did not commence as scheduled Monday due to the coronavirus prohibition on nonessential meetings and the recommendations against air travel.”
TechCrunch reports: “Disney+, the streaming service from the Walt Disney Company, has been rapidly ramping up in the last several weeks. But while some of that expansion has seen some hiccups, other regions are basically on track.”
The Verge reports: “For many, the cancellation of major sporting events was the moment that made the coronavirus pandemic feel real for the first time. But while fans of baseball, basketball, soccer are left wondering when they’ll see players back in action, racing fans don’t have to wait — because many of their favorite drivers are already competing in online sim racing competitions that were spun up in the days since the first real world races were canceled.”
VentureBeat reports: “The New York Times has acquired Audm, a subscription audio platform that uses professional narrators to transform long-form written articles into the spoken word. Audm, which had only raised a small seed round of funding after graduating from Y Combinator in 2017, already worked with major publications including Rolling Stone, the New Yorker, and Vanity Fair.”
Gamesindustry.biz reports: “As a publisher of indie games, Devolver Digital has always made events an important part of its strategy.”
Billboard reports: “Amazon, Facebook, its Instagram and Apple have joined Netflix, YouTube and Disney+ in complying with government requests in Europe to temporarily reduce online video bitrates as streaming demand surges during the coronavirus crisis.”
Variety reports: “Over-the-top TV provider FuboTV is getting a lifeline in the form of a proposed merger with virtual entertainment company FaceBank Group. Following the closing of the merger, expected by the end of March, FuboTV will become a wholly owned subsidiary of FaceBank, and FaceBank will be renamed FuboTV Inc.”
The Hollywood Reporter Reports: “The Supreme Court is tightening the standard for discrimination lawsuits. In an opinion Monday, the nine justices unanimously decided that plaintiffs in bias suits must show at the pleading stage that racism is the but-for cause of injuries.”
Variety reports: “Hello? Welcome to the new owner of Moviefone — whoever that is. Moviefone, the once-popular movie listing service that was left stranded after the Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing of its parent company, has been sold — for the low, low price of just over $1 million. But the identity of the buyer is a question mark.”
The Verge reports: “Esports leagues all over the world have been significantly affected by the ongoing spread of the novel coronavirus. Many have been briefly suspended as the organizers have shifted matches from in-person LAN events to online formats to help prevent the spread of the virus.”
