STX-Eros Merger Closes, Creating Global Content and Streaming Player

Vivienne Chow Mainland Chinese streaming giants iQIYI and Tencent are set to be banned from operating in Taiwan from next month, following the revision of an existing law that will bar their local partners from providing services for them.Companies and individuals in Taiwan will be banned from providing services for OTT operators from mainland China, Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs said in an announcement on Tuesday.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorIt’s not so much mischief managed as it’s magic managed: Warner Bros’ reissue of Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone has become the second film in the franchise to cross $1B worldwide. The film, originally released in 2001, counts a global cume of $1,001,260,000 after debuting in a remastered 4K 3D version in China this weekend.

Rebecca Davis editorChinese tech firm ByteDance, the owner of social media app TikTok, censored content critical of China’s government on its news aggregation app BaBe in Indonesia from 2018 to mid-2020, according to a new report from Reuters citing six people with direct knowledge of the issue.Local Indonesian moderators for the Baca Berita (BaBe) app were told by Bytedance’s Beijing headquarters to delete “negative” news about Chinese authorities, Reuters reported on Wednesday.BaBe admitted

Vivienne Chow Taiwan’s ambition to ramp up production for overseas Chinese-speaking audiences has been given another boost by Studio76, a newish firm with expanding plans.The Taipei-based company has had a busy two-year history producing original web shows and short dramas. It is now planning a slate of new titles with hybrid storytelling, both on-screen and in manga format.Studio76 told Variety that it is planning to produce four titles in the second half of 2020 and eight in 2021.

In little under two years, The Kid LAROI – aka 16-year-old Charlton Howard – has gone from success in Triple J’s coveted Unearthed talent competition to a global name resonating with teens across the globe.In the last few months alone, the teenage superstar has been trailblazing through the charts in his native Australia, the US, as well as success here on these shores with  ‘F*CK LOVE’ an emotive, angsty debut mixtape that shows that old scars still sting a bit.He’s brought along some friends,

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorCould a Twitter-TikTok tie-up transpire?The social network and TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, have engaged in “preliminary” discussions about merging TikTok’s U.S. operations with Twitter, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing anonymous individuals.Twitter declined to comment.

Porsha Williams shared a video featuring her baby girl, Pilar Jehna McKinley, who is eating on her own. Fans cannot have enough of the sweet baby girl, and you should check out the video below to see her as well.

Naman Ramachandran China/U.S. content aggregator Cinedigm has announced a partnership with Fantawild, one of China’s largest theme park operators and a leading children’s animation producer, to launch a new global streaming channel featuring thousands of hours of the company’s animated series.The Fantawild channel will launch in the second half of 2020 and will be available worldwide for linear and AVOD platforms.

Porsha Williams shared a clip featuring her and Dennis McKinley‘s daughter, Pilar Jhena. The cutie pie could not be sweeter, but, of course, haters found something to pick on.

LaTesha Harris The rising tide of programming for the small screen, along with a greater push for diversity in Hollywood, has increased the number of roles for actors of color overall in recent years.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChina’s Huanxi Media has struck a deal with All3media International to license 110 hours of factual content, that will play on its Huanxi.com SVoD platform.

Porsha Williams shared a photo of her baby girl, Pilar Jhena in which she’s wearing a pair of glasses, and she looks really sweet. Check out the pic below.

Dade Hayes Finance EditorEros International and STX Corp. have formally closed their merger and said the combined firm plans a listing on the New York Stock Exchange in September.The combined entity, which blends the film and TV operations of large-scale indie STX with the production and streaming assets of India-based Eros, will trade under the symbol ESXI.

Naman Ramachandran The merger of STX Entertainment and Indian studio Eros International, first announced in April, is now complete.The newly minted Eros STX Global Corporation is planning a brand and website launch in September 2020, accompanied by a bell-ringing event at the NYSE to launch a new ticker symbol.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefIndian streaming platform Zee5 Global is poised to launch its first Pakistan-made original series, “Churails” at the beginning of next month. It will play on Zee5’s Zindagi world cinema strand.The 10-part show, consisting of 55-minute episodes, will be uploaded from Aug.