SAG-AFTRA Processing 100,000 Residuals Checks Weekly Even Amid Virus Crisis

Even though Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently moved to the United States, the couple is still supporting the United Kingdom. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex recently donated some of the proceeds of their royal wedding broadcast to charity Feeding Britain, which helps feed families struggling during the coronavirus pandemic, Fox News can confirm.

The WWE says that it is taking significant steps to reduce costs amid the coronavirus pandemic. While the company resumed its live wrestling matches this week on USA and Fox, like most media companies it is expecting the pandemic to impact its financial outlook.

Pay TV giant Dish Network has decided to cut an undisclosed amount of jobs and evaluate its business strategy amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. The company had 16,000 employees as of the end of 2019 and didn't say how many of them were affected by the job cuts.

Amid an unprecedented crisis, Bob Iger's hopes of finally stepping away from the Walt Disney Co. were all but totally dashed.

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.

Kilmarnock entrepreneur Marie Macklin CBE has donated £100,000 to help people in need during the coronavirus outbreak.

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.

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 SAG-AFTRA Health Plan has cut 50% from the cost of premiums for the second quarter in response to the coronavirus crisis.

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.

The Walt Disney Co., through its parks division, has donated more than 100,000 N95 masks for medical professionals in New York, California and Florida amid the coronavirus crisis, the company said Wednesday. In addition, Disney has donated more than150,000 rain ponchos to the humanitarian aid organization MedShare for distribution to hospitals, according to the parks' official blog.

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.

By Denise Petski