Europe Gives Internet Providers Right to Throttle Online Traffic Amid Virus Crisis

Australian pay TV giant leader Foxtel, which is majority-owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, has laid off 200 employees and put 140 additional staffers on leave until June amid the new coronavirus pandemic. The company's sports unit, which has been lacking fresh content amid the novel coronavirus' spread that has led to sports events being postponed or canceled, was hardest hit.

"This is an opportunity that’s born from chaos." So says Ben Kusin, co-founder and co-CEO of VENN, a new network focused on the video game and streaming industries and cultures, of his newly-formed company's decision to move up its launch from this fall to July amid the coronavirus pandemic."VENN is the nexus of gaming and media and, while most industries have stagnated, these two have taken off," he tells The Hollywood Reporter.

China's television networks and streaming platforms benefited from an explosion of viewers after the world's most populous nation began practicing social distancing in late January to contain the new coronavirus, says a new report published Thursday by Beijing-based ticketing company Maoyan. The surging television and streaming consumption came amid reduced filmgoing, according to Maoyan.

U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 has unveiled a raft of budget-cutting measures to deal with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

WarnerMedia owner AT&T on Tuesday said it has struck a deal for a $5.5 billion loan, boosting its liquidity amid the coronavirus crisis. It also said it expects to be "sizing our operations to economic activity," a sign of possible layoffs or reduced investment amid the crisis.

Both the BBC and ITV on Monday unveiled measures aimed at assisting the U.K. independent production sector suffering from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, a few laughs could do the world good — and comedians including Adam Sandler, Howie Mandel, Whitney Cummings and more are offering just that during the Laugh Aid live stream. The six-hour charity event on Saturday focused on gathering donations for Comedy Gives Back's COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund, which aims to assist comedians struggling during the virus crisis.

Leah Koch has been shipping packages on her own every day since The Ripped Bodice — a romance-only bookstore co-owned with her sister Bea — was temporarily closed down in mid-March. "It's been like 10 days, but it feels like it's been 14 years," she tells The Hollywood Reporter while packing shipments.

U.K. TV giant ITV said Friday that CEO Carolyn McCall and other management board members and directors will take salary and other compensation cuts amid the new coronavirus pandemic.

Numerous furloughed workers at Hollywood's iconic TCL Chinese Theatre and adjoining multiplex were terminated on Wednesday amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has led to unprecedented cinema closures across the U.S. The historic movie palace, along with six smaller adjacent auditoriums, have been shut for business since March 16.

The novel coronavirus is not only expected to cause a recession and wreak havoc on entertainment industry earnings, the pandemic has also had an impact on mergers and acquisitions, with several planned asset sales in the sector delayed amid the crisis.

Phillip Schofield said he was celebrating a “weird” birthday that was “lacking in hugs” amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The global crisis surrounding the Coronavirus is making a strong impact on the sports world. With the majority of matches and games placed on hold until further notice, several sport institutions have suffered a decrease in incomes, putting their economic situation at risk. For this reason, two of the world's most famous soccer players, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, have accepted a noteworthy reduction in their salaries.

SAG-AFTRA has adopted a program to provide dues relief for its members during the COVID-19 global pandemic, the union said Monday. Under the program, members experiencing financial hardship resulting from work stoppages related to COVID-19 will be granted a due date extension and an installment plan for those payments.

ViacomCBS on Friday said it has raised $2.5 billion with an eye to reducing its debt obligations. The Hollywood studio, led by CEO Bob Bakish, is the latest entertainment industry company to raise fresh cash amid the fallout from the coronavirus crisis.

With the new coronavirus shutting down film and TV productions across the world, many entertainment industry companies are bracing for a financial hit. Naturally, it doesn't seem like a great time for new product and service launches.

On average, SAG-AFTRA processes 90,000 to 100,000 residuals checks a week, intaking, scanning and remailing to members or their agents the vital funds that help sustain working and middle-class actors between gigs. And in an extraordinary week, with acting jobs nowhere to be found and national unemployment filings across all industries spiking sixteen-fold to an unprecedented 3.3 million, those monies are all the more essential.

Calling the fallout from the novel coronavirus pandemic "unprecedented," the advertising research firm Magna Global predicts that U.S. TV advertising will drop by 13 percent in 2020, revising its earlier forecast of a 1 percent decline.

The U.K. government has unveiled a financial support package for the self-employed and freelancers impacted by the ongoing coronavirus crisis, answering — partially — a call from all corners of the hard-hit creative sector.