The Fall of Vice, NBCU Streaming Chief Talks the Strike and the AI Takeover

[A Vice Media office in Los Angeles in 2019.]( [Vice’s Bankruptcy Filing Was Inevitable – and Still Managed to Surprise | Analysis]( By Owen Thomas Vice was the quintessential digital media business, if by “quintessential digital media business” you mean an elaborate project that involved taking money from investors, paying journalists and leaving everyone poorer, as the media group’s bankruptcy filings revealed. The company owes a lot of people money, starting with a consortium led by Fortress Investment Group, which plans to buy Vice after it goes through a prepackaged bankruptcy process. Vice owes the Fortress group approximately $475 million. The consortium has agreed to pay another $225 million for Vice, whose brands include Vice News, Refinery29, the Virtue advertising studio and i-D magazine. [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Mark Lazarus, NBC Sports speaks during the Leaders Sport Business Summit 2018 on May 23]( [NBCU Streaming Head 'Grateful' to Writers as WGA Strike Continues: 'We Will Eventually Get Through This']( By Kayla Cobb NBCUniversal started its upfront session by addressing the elephant lurking in every room in Hollywood: the WGA strike. “We are grateful for the contribution writers make to our company and respect their right to demonstrate it may take some time, but I know we will eventually get through this and the result will be a stronger foundation on which we can all move forward together,” NBCU streaming head Mark Lazarus said during the New York event. [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [AI vs writers' strike]( [The Hollywood Writers’ Strike May Actually Be Aiding AI’s Takeover]( By Robert Carnevale Artificial intelligence isn’t coming for Hollywood: It’s already here. Striking writers have their bot replacements clearly in sight, with signs saying “AI could never,” “AI has no soul” and “AI this sign wrote.” The studios, for their part, have shown little willingness to negotiate, offering only annual discussions about emerging technology in their counterproposals to the Writers Guild. But AI is already being incorporated into some entertainment processes. And while some believe its best use is as a tool for writers, experts say the longer the writers’ strike lasts, the more studios will be tempted to expand the use of AI into the writing process. [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Queen Charlotte (Netflix)]( [Netflix’s ‘Queen Charlotte’ Rules the Rankings]( [Peabody Awards Ceremony Canceled]( [Microsoft-Activision Deal Cleared in EU]( [9-1-1 (Credit: Fox)]( [Why Fox Axed ‘9-1-1’]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Wrap Pro logo] Discover why entertainment executives and professionals rely on the WrapPRO platform daily for exclusive coverage, analysis, deeper reporting, and access to VIP events & screenings throughout the year. [Subscribe Today]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( TheWrap | 2034 Armacost Ave Los Angeles, CA 90025 [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](