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BIGGEST TV DEAL OF THE YEAR, AND FOX'S RICHEST ACQUISITION YET, COULD ALSO BOOST AD REVENUE & CREATOR DIVISION |
On its surface, the deal for Fox to acquire Roku will not cause an immediate shift in Fox’s programming strategy for either its broadcast network or its free streaming service Tubi, but inside the Rupert Murdoch-owned company, executives are excited that it will be a major boon for its overall business.
The move is, on one level, a rather unsexy one: Fox Corporation is buying an operating system. However, the deal has been hailed by one source as the “biggest TV deal of the year” given that Roku surpassed 100 million streaming households in April, giving Fox a much bigger “front door” into the world of streaming than it previously had.
Instead of acquiring or launching a streaming service, Fox has gone one bigger, making the company, once the deal closes next year, a much more digital one than it is today.
This will give Fox executives access to incredible amounts of data on its own shows and others’ titles that it can use from a programming perspective, as well as an advertising one. Consultancy Madison & Wall estimates that it would mean Fox receives around 14% of all spending on U.S. television with $9 billion of advertising revenue. >>>Promotion For Fox Shows
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Deadline Exclusives & Originals
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Sean Penn's Directing Plan - Coming off his third Oscar win for One Battle After Another, Sean Penn has been quietly setting up a passion project. The currently untitled film, acquired by Warner Bros as a negative pickup, will follow the early life of a cop who goes on to be caught up in the January 6th Capitol riots. Penn has scripted and will direct the movie, which has five-time Oscar nominated actor Bradley Cooper in talks to star in the lead role. >>>Deal Not Final
An AI Content Alliance - A new content-focused coalition, The Alliance for Responsible Innovation in the Arts & Media, has launched with Disney, the New York Times Co. and Adobe among its initial members. The new Los Angeles-based group says its mission is to “ensure that AI is developed and deployed responsibly, sustainably and for the betterment of all society.” >>>BBC, FT & More
SPT Lands True Crime Series - Kristil Krug’s story is now set to be the subject of a true-crime docuseries from Sony Pictures Television’s Maxine Productions. The company, which is behind ID’s Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV and The Fall of Diddy, has secured exclusive access to Krug’s family for the docuseries. >>>Studio Beat Out 30-Plus Competitors
Par Deal A Political Football - In a tough and rough election year for incumbents, Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery has become a political football across the nation. “The Ellisons’ haste to get their deal done by Trump has a lot of enemies,” an individual close to power players in Sacramento told Deadline. “They may think they’re home free, but that’s wishful thinking and not political reality.” >>>AG Plans
Spinning A Webb - Bari Weiss‘ interest in British journalists extends beyond CBS News‘ surprise hire of Sky News presenter Trevor Phillips, according to UK industry sources. Weiss has spent time in London in recent months, where she has met with other presenters. Deadline hears that Weiss has had lunch with Justin Webb, the longtime BBC journalist, who hosts Radio 4’s Today show and the Americast podcast. >>>Weiss Seeking 'Free Thinkers'
Thorne Visits 'Unity Farm' -Geoffrey Thorne has signed on to adapt VR video game Events at Unity Farm into a TV series, working with Titan1Studios on the project. He will write and exec produce alongside his partner at The Winterman Project, Todd Sharp. Titan1 originally released the game in 2023, with the PCVR mystery puzzle shooter seeing players step into the shoes of Ruth Bowie, a reserved teenager descended from a matrilineal line of witches. >>>Part Of 'Multipocalypse' Universe
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Imperfect Women star and executive producer Kerry Washington knows how rare it is to have a dream project greenlit in an industry that is struggling. “This is a challenging time in a lot of ways,” says Washington, who insisted that production of Apple TV’s psychological thriller series take place in Los Angeles.
Being able to work with two female collaborators is equally a testament to Washington’s ability to create the working environment of her choosing. “I feel so blessed to be able to do what I love to do,” she tells Deadline in this interview. “I want to do it with people I think can make me better and who I can make better.” >>>Q&A
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Anya Taylor-Joy is joining the cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum from New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures. In the Andy Serkis-directed film, Taylor-Joy will play the role of Seren, a Sindar Elf of the Woodland Realm, a trusted and lethal agent of King Thranduil.
Mark Hamill is now a part of the recurring cast of Peacock and Sony Pictures Television’s video game TV adaptation Twisted Metal, for Season 3. Deadline can reveal exclusively that Hamill will play Pope Charlie Kane, the leader of the Eastern Sovereignty and estranged father of Sweet Tooth (Joe Seanoa/voice of Will Arnett).
Exclusive
Emmy winner Alex Borstein has attached to star in Turn the Lights Back On, a comedic family drama marking the feature debut of writer-director Dave Pantano that remains in development.
Exclusive
Oliver Stone's new movie White Lies will include actress and social entrepreneur Stephanie Suganami. Suganami will play Chika.
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MORE NEWS
🧸 Paddington The Musical, the seven-time Olivier Award-winning West End musical, is heading to Broadway: Previews begin Tuesday, March 30, 2027, at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, with an official opening on Sunday, April 18.
🪄 Sony Pictures Entertainment will handle the international theatrical release of Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew. The film will be released in Imax and in theaters worldwide on February 12, 2027, and will debut on Netflix on April 2, 2027.
🖥️ iHeartMedia and Netflix have announced the next phase of their exclusive video podcast partnership with the addition of a new collection of iHeartPodcasts featuring Martha Stewart, Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson and Lele Pons.
🏆 Guillermo del Toro has been elected for the first time to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors in the Directors branch. Another director, David Leitch, who was instrumental in pushing for the new Stunts category, also will be joining the board for the first time, but in the newly expanded Production and Technology branch.
⚽ Even the microdrama world is catching World Cup fever. In a eye-catching move, Brazilian football star Neymar Jr. has scored a strategic partnership with COL Group’s vertical entertainment platform, FlareFlow, for his likeness. This will lead to a 16-title, AI-powered live-action microdrama franchise featuring the global soccer icon.
📖 Celebrity Autobiography, the Broadway specialty production in which bold-face names read the read the published memoirs of others to more or less comic effect, will play its final performance at the Shubert Theatre on Sunday, June 21, about two months earlier than previously expected. The show has been struggling to find an audience after opening to poor reviews, or, at many publications, no reviews at all.
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ON THE RADAR
Tue - J.D. Vance on The View
Wed - Outside Tonight with Julian Shapiro-Barnum premieres on YouTube
Fri - Juneteenth; U.S.- Australia World Cup match
Sun - House of the Dragon S3 premiere
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'Bear' Hug - Matty Matheson, Liza Colón-Zayas, Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri and Lionel Boyce feel the love at the Final Family Meal Event red carpet for FX’s drama The Bear.
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