ViacomCBS directly tackles the Disney+ Market with Paw Patrol: The Movie

Is ViacomCBS attempting a gentle turf war with Disney? With the new Paw Patrol movie hitting the big screen, we asked entertainment lawyer Brandon Blake to unpack the ramifications for us.

Paw Patrol will be accompanied by a marketing campaign that’s stretched into 8 figures and 1,800 TV ads. Partnerships with over 200 companies will come to fruition, be it through tie-in toys or other products, including free trials of Paramount+. And none of it is accidental. ViacomCBS is openly gunning to cut in on some of the childhood streaming market by leveraging franchises like SpongeBob, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and iCarly as well as, of course, Paw Patrol. To date, childhood is an arena heavily dominated by Disney.

ViacomCBS has been somewhat lacking in the streaming wards to date, avoiding the game-changing revolutions we’ve seen at WarnerMedia and Disney. In fact, this marks the first time they will have a film released to streaming alongside a theatrical release this year, citing worries around the Delta variant and their young audience. The Paw Patrol campaign represents one of the largest they’ve ever distributed, too. It’s also the first time they’ve aggressively positioned Paramount+, the streaming service they fused from the CBS/Viacom merger, as part of those efforts.

It’s ambitious, at a time when consumer buy-in is not guaranteed and parental concerns about venturing out the home will be the highest they have been in ages. Unlike Marvel and other pieces, there’s a very limited audience pool for Paw Patrol and most of them are not the familial decision-makers. ViacomCBS can also only front 42 million streaming subs, in comparison to Disney’s 174 million.

Yet it’s only part of ViacomCBS’s many-pronged attempt to carve itself a latecomer’s streaming niche. We’ve seen them actively pursue organic growth as well as partnerships to echo the Amazon/MGM and Discovery/AT&T assets over the last few months, too, as well as the launch of their joint streamer, SkyShowtime, with Comcast.

Will they be able to leverage Nickelodeon’s childhood appeal to secure some of the Disney+ market? Only time will tell, but we will be watching closely.

Disney+ heads into Asian territories

We’ve looked in greater depth at the stir surrounding the Quarter 3 Disney earnings this week, but with so much news for investors to drink in, one exciting addition to the Disney+ slate could be easily overlooked. Luckily, we have Brandon Blake’s expert eye watching the entertainment business news for us. Here’s everything you need to know about this new Disney development.

Disney+ will be expanding into Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea as of November 2021. The existing Japanese streaming service will also be expanded with greater general content from October. Alongside their existing presence in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Indian subcontinent, as well as New Zealand, this will catapult their Asia-Pacific market share to new heights.

What’s driving the sudden expansion? The existing Disney+ services have been incredibly well received by viewers seeking ‘diverse entertainment content’ who are ‘drawn to (their) portfolio of brands and franchises’, in the words of Luke Kang, the president for their Asia Pacific services. In hard figures, there’s been booming subscriber growth in the area. For Thailand, Disney+ has topped app store charts since its June launch. For Indonesia and Malaysia, it’s a leading SVOD service. Demand is high, and they would be foolish indeed not to leverage it.

While we don’t have any further firm facts on the matter, we’ve been promised full details will follow soon. Disney+ currently operates in 61 countries and offers services in 21 languages globally. In addition to the North American and European markets, it also has a thriving Latin American presence and the booming Asia Pacific division to capitalize on.

While Disney was a relative latecomer to the streaming market, in its short existence Disney+ has become a dominant part of both their balance sheet and brand strategy, with the company reforming around streaming and digital formats earlier this year. Expansion into the Asian market will doubtless serve them well over time. This entertainment lawyer will be keeping a careful eye on further news for the expansion. Of course, we’ll keep you in the loop when it does.

Improved working conditions during the pandemic may have stalled union negotiations

This week we see IATSE and AMPTP fall into an awkward hiatus with no resolution in sight. While talks will resume on July 6th, far in advance of the 31st July contract expiration, it’s still a strained situation. BLAKE & WANG P.A entertainment law firms Los Angeles examines one potential factor behind the failure to meet common ground.

Union reps have stated that there seems to be no meeting in the middle on key aspects they wish to address, hence the reason for the deadlock. Our industry contacts suggest some of this could well be linked to the swift and decisive response to the pandemic that allowed many sets to reopen and continue working throughout the troubled past year.

This, it is claimed, demonstrated that safe and thoughtful workplace management is possible, and thus the union feels that key changes to what it claims are ‘dangerous working conditions’ can easily be made. Think meal breaks and rest periods, as well as better handling of ‘Fraturdays’, long shoots that extend late in the night on Friday and Saturday.

Brandon Blake– Managing Partner at Entertainment Attorney Blake & Wang P.A.

The news isn’t all gloomy, however. IATSE leaders have told members that good progress has been made on diversity and inclusion matters. The primary hitch seems to lie in economic matters, including funding for the Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plan. Companies want greater cost-sharing from workers, while the union is pushing for funding from streaming residuals.

Overall, it’s not been looking good, and it’s easy to see why the talks have stalled to the extent they have. Let’s hope that with the break until July 6th, cooler heads can come back to the negotiating table and a better set of compromises can be found. As the contracts in question expire on July 31st, there will be time pressure to consider when talks resume. BLAKE & WANG P.A one of the best entertainment lawyers in Los Angeles will, of course, be watching the situation carefully.

The Oscar Race for Beast Picture Hots Up

In a year like no other, who will take the ultimate Oscars crown? That’s the question that BLAKE & WANG P.A one of the top entertainment law firms Los Angeles alongside everyone else in the entertainment industry, is asking. After all, even this close to the ceremony, it’s near impossible to tell. Have we ever seen an Oscar race so hotly contested, yet with so little indication of who will reach the shortlist? It’s certainly a fascinating phenomenon to watch.

Tenet was an undeniable big splash in a difficult year, yet we see it actively avoided for the AMPAS site shortlists. Warner doesn’t seem to be campaigning for it, either- at least not as hard as The Way Back, The Little Things, and Judas and the Black Messiah. Are they hoping for a last-minute theatrical release to blast it to prominence?

Or will it be left off the list? No one seems sure. In a year we have Borat Subsequent Moviefilm as a serious contender, how likely are our guesses to be valid at all? Mank, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Promising Young Woman, Da 5 Bloods, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Soul, Nomadland, Minari… the list of potential hopefuls goes on, with no clear contender yet emerging. Nomadland is currently occupying a lot of attention, but that seems to shift almost weekly. Will it pay off with a spot on the list?

This may be a first for the industry, with the ceremony date almost on us. While each of these unique films is definitely worthy of consideration, the fact the field remains this wide opened is an Oscar first. With that in mind, we’re still perched on the edge of an ever-fluctuating sea of potential. Even Academy voters don’t seem sure where to cast their nets.

If nothing else, it’s a fascinating time to be watching the Oscar Race. Which is your favorite pick?

What caused the demise of North Carolina as a Popular Filming Venue?

Entertainment Lawyers

North Carolina has seen a resurgence as a location shooting venue in recent years. After a boom in popularity in the early 2010’s, changing tax legislation and other restrictions saw the area lose popularity as a filming location. With 2019 and 2020 figures suggesting a strong new upswing in the state’s popularity as a film and TV hub, what setbacks occurred to kill the industry here in the first place?

2014 saw the state end legislation providing incentive funding to film crews shooting in the area. This included the Film Tax incentive, offering 25% reduction and tax credits up to $20,000,000 to productions. This was the primary cause of death for North Carolina’s reputation as ‘Hollywood on the East Coast’. It was claimed the incentive did little to benefit the state, but the jury is out on the exact figures.

The introduction of HB2, the ‘bathroom bill’, in 2016 was also seen as an unattractive rollback of diversity and equality, plunging the state into the dogbox among many industries. Estimates as high as 4 billion dollars lost to the bill over time have been floated. The bill is finally set to repeal at the end of 2020, although some argue the floated repeal is still not good enough.

So what’s bringing business back? While the devastation of the Coronavirus is not to be ignored, the way North Carolina has chosen to handle the crisis has created a space where production can continue fairly easily. Whilst urban enough to remain relevant, big cities like Charlotte are also less crowded than other production centers like NYC and Chicago, keeping crews safer. Additionally, they’ve recreated some grants and incentives that, while not quite as appealing as the original offerings, and a little more select in who they choose, have also set the stage to ensure a resurgence in the state’s popularity as a filming venue.

Blake & Wang P.A.

Blake & Wang P.A well-renowned entertainment lawyers are assisting award-winning producers and directors in various phases from production to distribution. If you are looking for the best entertainment attorney services then you could visit the Blake & Wang P.A website.