From the Bachelor mansion to the driving range! Michelle Money and Mike Weir have been going strong since 2016.
21.03.2023 - 15:03 / variety.com
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Tencent Music Entertainment grew its 2022 profits by 21% to $533 million (RMB3.68 billion), helped by cost cutting and a growing subscription base. It achieved this despite a 9% decrease in revenues to $4.1 billion (RMB28.3 billion). The group, which is backed by Chinese tech and entertainment giant Tencent and has stock market listings on the New York Stock Exchange and in Hong Kong, is China’s largest digital music outfit and controls large equity stakes in Spotify and (in a consortium with Tencent) Universal Music Group. Tencent Music’s own operations divide loosely into two clusters: mass market music streaming, with paid-for and free tiers; and “social entertainment,” including karaoke and other derivative products.
After a period of reengineering, the group said 2023 is the year that it finally “expects [..] quarterly revenues from online music services will exceed those from social entertainment services.” “Revenues from online music services for the full year of 2022 increased by 8.9% year-over-year to RMB12.48 billion ($1.81 billion). The increase was driven by strong growth in music subscription revenues, supplemented by growth in revenues from long-form audio, despite a decrease in sublicensing revenues and advertising revenues. Revenues from music subscriptions were RMB8.70 billion (US$1.26 billion), representing an 19% year-over-year growth, primarily due to the 23% increase in the number of paying users,” Tencent Music said in a filing. Average revenues per music subscriber fell slightly as a result of promotional efforts in the first half of the year. It ended 2022 with 88.5 million music subscribers, up from 76.2 million at the end of 2021. The social side was weaker.
From the Bachelor mansion to the driving range! Michelle Money and Mike Weir have been going strong since 2016.
The Princess of Pop may have some new music on the way?? Be still, our heart!
Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Neon’s “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” is perhaps best described as part heist thriller, part climate change documentary. Helmed by Daniel Goldhaber, the film, in theaters April 6, follows a fictional crew of young environmental activists who execute a daring mission to sabotage an oil pipeline. Cast members include Ariela Barer, who also produced and co-wrote the film; “Euphoria’s” Lukas Gage, Kristine Froseth, Forrest Goodluck, Sasha Lane, Jayme Lawson, Marcus Scribner and Jake Weary. As soon as composer Gavin Brivik began working on the film, he flew out to the set and recorded music samples that included banging on oil drums in the desert.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Cinedigm has acquired all North American rights to the Japanese sci-fi horror film “New Religion.” “New Religion” is a surrealist body horror film written, directed and produced by first-time feature filmmaker Kondo Keishi. It stars Seto Kaho, Nunami Daiki, Oka Satoshi and Ryuseigun Saionji. After her daughter’s death, divorced Miyabi begins working as a call girl. One day, she meets an unsettling customer who wants to take pictures of her body parts. Soon, she realizes that every time she allows her body to be photographed her daughter’s spirit gets closer. She must decide how far she is willing to go to connect with her daughter once again.
Nothing brings people together like music. The 2023 CMT Music Awards will be a star-studded event — not only for the show’s nominees and performers, but also for its presenters.
Thania Garcia Myke Towers, Anuel AA, Edén Muñoz, and Prince Royce are among the first round of confirmed performers for the 2023 Latin American Music Awards taking place on April 20 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Towers will be performing “Mi Droga,” the second track from his newly released “La Vida Es Una,” while Anuel will perform “Más Rica Que Ayer”; newlyweds Guaynaa and Lele Pons will treat audiences to a medley including “Abajito” from their upcoming album “Capitulations”; and Royce will be singing an unreleased song. Elsewhere, rising acts Bad Gyal and Muñoz will make their Latin AMAs on-stage debut. Bad Gyal will be singing her female-empowerment anthem “Chulo,” while the Mexican producer and singer-songwriter will perform his catchy hit single, “Chale.” Muñoz is also nominated in the new artist of the year category alongside Bizarrap, Blessd, Grupo Frontera, Los Lara, Luis Figueroa, Luis R Conriquez, Quevedo, Santa Fe Klan and Yahritza y Su Esencia.
Elon Musk has defended his Twitter subscription plan after it was criticised by Star Trek actor William Shatner.After acquiring the social media platform in late 2022, the billionaire introduced Twitter Blue, a service that allows anyone to purchase a blue tick/verified account for a monthly subscription fee.Previously, blue ticks were typically given to notable accounts, such as high-profile figures, celebrities, major companies, politicians and members of the media.However, as part of his new plan, Musk has warned that these “legacy accounts” – those who received blue ticks before his takeover – will lose their verified status unless they pay the monthly subscription fee.“Hey @elonmusk, what’s this about blue checks going away unless we pay Twitter?” Shatner tweeted Musk on Saturday (March 25).“I’ve been here for 15 years giving my [time] & witty thoughts all for bupkis. Now you’re telling me that I have to pay for something you gave me for free? What is this-the Colombia Records & Tape Club?”In defence of his new program, Musk wrote: “It’s more about treating everyone equally.
Twice-impeached former president Donald Trump hasn’t been arrested yet, but Jimmy Fallon is pretty sure he’s starting to feel the heat. During Monday night’s episode of “The Tonight Show,” Fallon joked that the location of Trump’s first official 2024 campaign rally was the clearest sign of that.On Saturday, Trump stopped in Waco, Texas to make his first official campaign bid to the people and, as always, his speech was full of lies and gripes about how he’s being treated unfairly.
Shawn Mendes has an emotional response to the fan support he received at an event celebrating the launch of his Tommy Hilfiger collaboration.
Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Is Elon Musk’s move to grant verified blue check-marks only to paying Twitter users designed to prop up the company’s revenue — or is it supposedly to democratize the social network? After actor William Shatner groused about Twitter’s plan to revoke legacy blue check-marks as of April 1 and force users to pay for the privilege, the multibillionaire tech baron claimed the subscription-based verification program is about fairness, not lucre. “It’s more about treating everyone equally,” Musk tweeted Sunday evening in replying to Shatner. “There shouldn’t be a different standard for celebrities imo.”
A new season, a new love triangle (or two… or three… or...). Season 4 of kicked off on Friday and tensions were high both in the pods and in the couples' romantic getaway to Mexico.After contestant Micah connected with both Kwame and Paul in the pods, she ultimately cut Kwame loose in favor of the environmental scientist.Kwame went on to link up with Chelsea and both Kwame and Micah exited the pods engaged to separate people.
The Masked Singer is back for season nine!
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief It is becoming harder not to perceive Tencent, China’s tech and entertainment giant and the world’s largest games firm by revenue, as a utility. It is now too big to be a growth stock darling and too widely-spread to escape the gravity of China’s underlying economic trends. Revenues in calendar 2022 flatlined at RMB554 billion, while net profits dropped 16% to RMB188.2 billion ($27.0 billion). The decrease reflected China’s economic reversal that began in the second quarter of the year with the arrival of a new COVID strain and stricter government measures to combat it. Tencent’s advertising revenues fell slightly, costs rose somewhat, and subscriber number were mixed – rising in music, but falling in video.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The theatrical release of low-budget slasher movie “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” in Hong Kong has been abruptly canceled just two days before its scheduled outing. No explanation has been offered, but suspicions that the film may have crossed one of Hong Kong’s increasingly complicated political red lines are certain to be raised. That is because the Winnie the Pooh character is unflatteringly perceived to have a physical resemblance to China’s president, Xi Jinping. Online search for Winnie the Pooh is heavily censored within mainland China and Winnie the Pooh products are not distributed. China did not permit the import and release of Disney’s 2018 Winnie the Pooh film “Christopher Robin.”
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Indonesian horror feature “Losmen Melati” (aka “Motel Melati”) has set theatrical releases in Malaysian and Singaporean cinemas on April 6, and April 13, respectively, following its release in Indonesia on Thursday. The film is co-directed by Mike Wiluan and Billy Christian. It tells the story of a secluded and enigmatic guest house, run by its mystifying owner, Madam Melati. As she lures in unsuspecting visitors to the guest house, they are confronted with their worst nightmares, never to be seen again. The movie features a cast of Alexandra Gottardo (“Tanah Air Beta”), Kiki Narendra (“Perempuan Tanah Jahanam”), Fandy Christian (“Letters for You”) and Samuel Panjaitan (“Ghost also Selfie”). Presented by streamer Catchplay and Infinite Studios, “Losmen Melati” is co-distributed by Clover Films and Golden Village Pictures in Singapore.
‘Scream VI’ actress Melissa Barrera is no stranger to a whirlwind romance.
Ed Meza @edmezavar Paramount+ is launching its first-ever mobile-only streaming subscription plan in Mexico and Brazil. Paramount+’s Basic Plan, described as “competitively priced,” will be available from April 18. It will allow subscribers to stream content on one mobile device or tablet at a time, uninterrupted and without ads. “This new offering is part of our broader strategy to scale Paramount+,” said Marco Nobili, executive vice president and international general manager for Paramount+. “With multi-tier pricing options, Paramount+ will reach even more subscribers by fitting diverse customer choices and grow our global direct-to-consumer distribution. With mobile entertainment consumption increasing around the world, a mobile-only option will make our slate of programming more accessible to our audiences in mobile-first countries.”
Latin American Music Awards is a month away on April 20th. The list of nominations is here, which are based on “key fan interactions with music, including streaming, sales, airplay, touring, and social activity tracked by Billboard through its data partners Luminate for data covering the periods of Feb 12, 2022, to Feb 4, 2023.” Bad Bunny is leading the nominations with 11, while Daddy Yankee and Becky G follow with 9.
Thania Garcia TelevisaUnivision has revealed the full list of nominees for the Latin American Music Awards with Bad Bunny leading the list at 11 nominations, followed by Becky G and Daddy Yankee with nine each. The big show is set to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 20. The awards show will also honor Colombian singer-songwriter Carlos Vives and ranchera music champion Pepe Aguilar during the awards show’s eighth iteration and with a pre-ceremony special titled “Latin AMA’s: Legacy” on April 4 via UniMás. They will each sit down for an interview and perform remotely from their respective homes in Bogotá and Mexico City.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Despite a barnstorming address celebrating the re-opening of Hong Kong and China by Bona Film Group COO Jiang De Fu, it is clear that the film industry in China is still suffering its own version of long-COVID, with box office tracking at around half of 2018 levels. “The Chinese box office was RMB60.7 billion ($8.89 billion at current rates of exchange) in 2018. And 83 films made over RMB100 million. 16 films that made over RMB1 billion. Post-pandemic, in 2022, China’s box office was RMB29.9 billion. [Just] 41 films made over RMB100 million. [And] 8 films made over RMB1 billion. We are now only at 50% of the level in 2018,” said Jiang aty a presentation on the first day of Hong Kong’s FilMart.