For the next week, we’re matching all new paid subscriptions with a donation to the Wildfire Recovery Fund at the California Community Foundation. ☀️2024 L.A. Production #s Show Exodus is Very RealFOX gets LIV / AMAZON brings back Tom Green / NBA & NHL ratings slide continuesMornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LinkedIn here if ya like), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on THURSDAY, January 16, 2024. Where Main Street will be free of cars at Sundance this year, so Richard — leave the PRADA loafers at home and please wear sensible footwear! But wait, how are we supposed to know who the important people are? AND: TUBI is getting the Super Bowl! Well, it’s still on FOX — but it’ll also stream for free on TUBI (and air on TELEMUNDO). ALSO: Here are your WGA Award nominees. Winners to be announced on Feb. 15 (as of now). HMM: Nearly 100M of the 202M songs available on popular music streaming services were listened to less than 10 times in 2024 according to LUMINATE. WELL: One of the 15+ advertisers waiting for a slot in the Super Bowl got a break — STATE FARM will no longer be advertising in the big game this year. The company has been dropping home insurance policies in California over time, including 1,600 in the Pacific Palisades in July alone. THEN: Gotta love that TIKTOK’s CEO Shou Chew will be hobnobbing on the dais at the Inauguration on Monday along with Elon, Zuck, Jeff, and Sam. Can’t wait to see what dance they all do together!
YUP: MICROSOFT and GOOGLE are “changing the ways” they charge for AI according to The Information (Hollywood — have you considered this term as a swap for #PriceHikes?).
PHEW: Don’t worry everybody, major U.S. banks are doing great! But yeah . . . those Biden years were really terrible for business folk, huh? Ahem. 🙄 MEANWHILE: On the, uh, other side of the country’s economic spectrum — (mostly) lower-income Americans paid $39B in “junk fees” in 2024 alone on payday loans.
OH BOY: Deaths in the U.S. are expected to surpass births by 2033 according to a new CBO report. Yeah, that’s not good.
BUT: Good news — Red No. 3 coloring is finally being banned for use in food by the FDA due to cancer-causing concerns. Er, well, it’ll be banned in 2 years . . . so eat up while ya can folks!
THEN: CVS, CIGNA and good ol’ UNITED HEALTHCARE jacked up the price of medications to the tune of $7.3B over 5 years according to a new FTC report (including those for cancer and HIV). Can’t wait for the PR retort trying to convince folks that no, these middlemen companies are actually saving you money . . . a sentiment I’m sure every American would agree with. FINALLY: I found some good advice in these 35 simple physical & mental health tips from medical and academic professionals in the NYT about things they incorporate in their daily lives, so I figured I’d share here as well (the thing about teeth brushing is 100% a smart habit to change!). The Great L.A. Production Exodus, QuantifiedSubscribe to The Ankler. to unlock the rest.Become a paying subscriber of The Ankler. to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content. A subscription gets you:
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