Scouting Hollywood: Oct. 19-25

A roundup of news, gossip and history of the entertainment business brought to you from Hollywood, Calif.

The Writers Guild announced that 99 percent of its voting members agreed to a new three-year contract, officially ending the longest strike in the Guild’s history. Only 90 out of over 8,900 voters opposed the new deal. Still on the picket lines is the Screen Actors Guild whose strike is now approaching 90 days. Talks were held this week but the Guild walked out claiming the studios refused to budge on the core issues of salaries, residuals, increased pay for streaming services, and a ban on the use of actors’ likenesses using artificial intelligence. No new talks have been announced.

Meanwhile in Latin America, Netflix’s crackdown on password sharing appears to be a smart move for the streamer. After an outcry and reports that subscribers would be canceling their subscriptions, Netflix announced an additional 1.2 million subscriptions in the second quarter of 2023. The company forecast gaining more than 900,000 in the third quarter. Password sharing was a big business utilizing Facebook Marketplace in the region and the changes appear to weed out the small and medium players in the activity. The big players remain, often using stolen credit cards to pay for subscriptions that are then offered at discounts.

Navigator's failed project could create opportunity for South Dakota's other planned pipeline