Greg Peters, the product chief at Netflix who was promoted to the additional role of COO last year, views the shrinking of theatrical windows as inevitable. “It’s what consumers want,” he said. “It’s hard to buck that trend for too long and I think that’s eventually where things go.” Long before Covid-19 forced an industry
Business
The chancellor will promise to utilise his “fiscal firepower” to protect the jobs and livelihoods of Britons when he delivers his budget on Wednesday. Rishi Sunak will tell the Commons that he will do “whatever it takes” to help business and people through the “moment of crisis” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a lunchtime
Disney CEO Bob Chapek said Monday that despite how rotten it was to have theme parks closed for so long, the forced downtime was also an opportunity to tinker with technology and data to reopen better than before, for both guests and for shareholders. Speaking at a Morgan Stanley media conference, Chapek was cautious about
The booming online fashion empire Boohoo and many of its suppliers are facing the possibility of a United States import ban because of widespread allegations over the use of slave labour. US Customs and Border Protection has seen sufficient evidence to launch an investigation after petitions from a campaigning British lawyer. Duncan Jepson who runs
“You can’t reopen your economy unless you get your schools reopened,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom at the top of his press conference with legislative leaders on Monday to announce a multibillion-dollar deal aimed at enticing schools to resume in-person instruction for young students by April 1. The agreement, however, may end up penalizing districts
Rishi Sunak should use this Budget to ditch the government’s pensions triple lock, lift taxes on older voters and should be wary of raising corporation taxes, according to former chancellor Ken Clarke. The intervention from Lord Clarke carries some weight, since he was the chancellor who introduced tough spending limits and tax rises in the
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo apologized if comments he’s made to female aides were interpreted as “unwanted flirtation” but denied he ever touched or propositioned anyone. In a statement issued Sunday evening, he asked for an outside, independent review of allegations by two women. Last week, a former aide Lindsey Boylan in a blog post
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has been told by MPs that “now is not the time for tax rises” – though a moderate hike in corporation tax could help the government without damaging growth. A report from the Treasury select committee acknowledged that the public finances are on an “unsustainable” path long term but argued that it
Screenwriter Nick Schenk has signed with Management 360 for representation. His next project, Cry Macho starring and directed by Clint Eastwood, wrapped production in December. Schenk is the first writer to pen three projects for Eastwood, his previous screenplays, Gran Torino and The Mule ranking as the veteran star’s #1 and #2 highest box office (in films with him
Rail fares in England and Wales are going to rise above inflation for the first time in seven years – with the government accused of “pricing the railways out of existence”. Increases had been based on the Retail Price Index since January 2014, but this policy has been axed because of the “unprecedented taxpayer support”
Coronavirus cases in Los Angeles county continue to climb down from the record-breaking highs of the fatal holiday surge. On Saturday Los Angeles Public Health recorded 1,730 new confirmed cases – a significant decrease from the 6,917 cases reported exactly a month ago. While the falling case statistics and rising vaccination rates seem to be
A £5bn grant scheme to help pubs, restaurants and retailers hit hardest by lockdown restrictions is set to be unveiled by the chancellor in Wednesday’s budget. Rishi Sunak is also planning to support first-time buyers by incentivising lenders to accept deposits of just 5% for properties up to £600,000. The chancellor has warned hard decisions
UPDATE: The House of Representatives early on Saturday passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, a Covid-19 relief and recovery bill that would be Joe Biden’s first legislative achievement if it reaches his desk. The massive piece of spending legislation now goes to the Senate. The bill passed narrowly in the House, 219-212. Two Democrats,
Britain’s second-richest family is exploring plans to join a wave of “blank cheque” mergers in a move that could see another major UK electric vehicle manufacturer going public in the US. Sky News has learnt that Ashok Leyland, the Indian-listed group controlled by the Hindujas, is working with bankers on a potential merger of Switch
With the Golden Globes just about here, Twitter erupted with shock and dismay Friday that the ceremony’s founding organization, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, has no Black members and hasn’t for the past 20 years. After the weak acknowledgement of the problem put out yesterday by the HFPA, the reality of the situation did not
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has warned that Britain’s public finances will face “enormous strains” in the wake of the latest national lockdown. Ahead of Wednesday’s Budget announcement, Mr Sunak told the Financial Times a bill for the government’s £280bn investment in coronavirus support will eventually have to be paid, with low interest rates leaving the nation’s
Leaders of the DGA, SAG-AFTRA and IATSE have sent a letter to congressional leaders urging them to work with President Joe Biden to pass the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, saying that it will provide “much-needed relief for the current crisis and address long-standing vulnerabilities in our economy.” The House Rules Committee held a
European Union leaders are divided over developing vaccine passports to open the continent up to tourism this summer. Some countries want an EU-wide approach instead of individual nations having their own certificates, while others are concerned such documentation could result in discrimination. Leaders of the EU’s 27 countries met online on Thursday to start a
UPDATED with details from analysts’ call: WarnerMedia parent AT&T has clinched hotly anticipated deal to sell a significant minority stake in satellite broadcaster DirecTV to private equity group TPG in a deal that will net the telecom giant $7.8 billion. The deal, expected to close in the second half of 2021, values DirecTV’s video business
The parent firm of British Airways has called for the introduction of digital health passes to help reopen the skies while revealing a €7.4bn (£6.5bn) annual loss as a result of coronavirus pandemic disruption. International Airlines Group (IAG) demanded a global approach, with common testing standards, as the travel industry reels from a disastrous 12