MICHAEL'S MUSINGS - June 2025
Fat cats beware! We’re here to burst your apocalyptic bubble with more than an AI fantasy escape like this commercial produced by RSA Films with local film support by PSN Romania.
The reality is that recent boosts to film incentives in territories from Jordan to Ireland to Thailand provide a welcome handout for producers under relentless pressure to produce more for less. This could be your ticket out of development limbo.
Producers of film and television, like those attending this month’s Production Guild of Great Britain Happy Hour – with our new UK Production Liaison Jo Rudolphy in attendance – openly strategize to tap into soft money around the globe. More than 50 countries jostle to one-up each other’s film incentives to attract the cash injection their features and TV series bring.
PSN Liaisons at industry gatherings in NYC and London
Commercial producers have shown more discretion. Competing claims to the windfall generated by their commercial productions has quieted the interest of many brands, agencies, and production companies, until now.
Between AICP Week and Cannes Lions, AICP CEO Matt Miller turned up the volume by calling out unions, vendors, and lawmakers to include commercials in the film incentive boost California is expected to pass into law. Click here to watch the ABC7 news report explaining the ties that bind commercials with film and television production.
At present, only a fraction of U.S. States and countries lure commercial productions with incentives. Our latest blog delves into their mixed success as it identifies where little-known opportunities await producers of commercial projects. Read it here:
Continue scrolling for my curated (and clickable!) selection of industry developments. Newly released PSN Partner work includes scripted series Alien Earth, unscripted series Bachelor, and a series of commercials for Expedia. We’re facilitating filming worldwide for producers working across the content spectrum so reach out to us for comprehensive local support for your next shoot abroad.
FILM AND TELEVISION
Midjourney Sued by Disney and Universal
“The lawsuit challenges one of the AI industry’s fundamental assumptions: that it should be allowed to train upon copyrighted materials under the principle of fair use. How the case gets resolved could have major implications for both AI and Hollywood going forward.” (Time)
Vertical “Micro-Drama” Refuge For Los Angeles Film Industry
“With Los Angeles production levels in a sorry state, underemployed workers are flocking to a format that’s faster, shorter, cheaper and quite literally overturns film and TV norms.” (THR)
Netflix Ups the Ante With 1 Billion Euro Investment in Spain
“What sets Netflix Spain apart from most of the U.S. streamer’s international operations is its ambition, based not on quixotic dreams of grandeur but on the record-breaking first decade of generating key titles which perform well on home ground but break out spectacularly abroad.” (Variety)
Feast Or Famine In UK Film And TV Industry
“This bust for U.K. production is taking place alongside a boom in U.S.-backed films and series that have crossed the pond in search of the country’s generous subsidies and legendary soundstages.” (Variety)
Netflix lands ‘First-of-Its Kind’ Deal to Carry France TFI Channels
“The TF1 deal could prove a litmus test ahead of similar arrangements globally as Netflix strengthens its power over traditional broadcasters and looks to become a one-stop-shop for TV audiences.” (Variety)
Moves to Follow Warner Bros. Discovery Split
“The number one revenue driver at Streaming & Studios will be streaming. The WBD plan means that potential buyers – and observers have suggested Apple may be one of them – will be watching closely.” (ScreenDaily)
Costs of Living and Film Permitting Cited By Study As Pain Points for California Industry
”Policymakers and business leaders alike need to understand that the decline of filmed entertainment in California is not only real but at significant risk of being irreversible as workers and companies flee both the industry and the state.” (THR)
UK Industry Consolidation and Care for Creatives in Government Plan
“We must take active steps to ensure our domestic broadcasters can adapt to this changing market and continue their support for independent producers of all sizes so that IP remains in the UK.” (Deadline)
Layoffs in Disney Entertainment, Finance As New Jobs Are Created in Experiences
“This is the fourth — and largest — round of layoffs in the past 10 months that has affected various Disney television operations. They are part of an ongoing cost-cutting process at the traditional media companies as they reshape their business to focus on streaming while facing economic headwinds.” (Deadline)
U.S. Streaming Surpasses Cable And Broadcast Combined in TV Use
“YouTube and Netflix alone command almost as much viewing time as over-the-air networks in May.” (THR)
Movies And Sports Take Lead In Upfronts
“While companies are all about showing off their entire portfolios to advertisers, it’s still jarring to see that TV is only a portion of the upfronts experience now.” (Variety)
INCENTIVES
Unscripted TV Productions Qualify For 20% Tax Credit in Ireland
“This is a first in Europe, and a recognition that the creative unscripted sector in Ireland has the potential to emulate the success of our scripted colleagues.” (IFTN)
Romania Refund Reboot Aims For 40% in 2026
“We managed to pay 85% of the outstanding debts. We then relaunched the scheme, starting with an app that digitizes all applications. You now get [shooting] certificates within 30 days. We’ve had a lot of progress, and some trust has been regained.” (Variety)
Albania Welcomes Hollywood Execs. As It Ramps Up Film Hub Potential
“This initiative marks a significant step in positioning Albania as a rising European destination for film production, highlighted by ongoing efforts, including fiscal incentives, legal reforms, and investment in infrastructure and talent development.” (Euronews)
Texas To Tell Own Stories With Incentive Boost
“At $150 million a year, Texas will not be in the same league as California, New York and Georgia. But it will occupy a second tier of states, including Louisiana and Pennsylvania, where subsidies are significant enough to consistently attract production.” (Variety)
Global Content Bubble Burst Despite Incentives
“Runaway production is not new. What is different now is that we are experiencing a tremendous global contraction in film and television production.” (Variety)
Halting Erosion of Hollywood Workforce With California Incentive Boost
“‘We know we’re facing Depression-era levels of job losses. This is not a panacea. But it will stem the steep slide in jobs, and bring some of the jobs back.'” (Variety)
ADVERTISING
Strategy To Drive Imaginative Execution Wins at Cannes Lions
“The campaigns that triumphed this year were smarter, more authentic, and deeply rooted in purpose and planning. In a landscape increasingly defined by fragmented attention and cultural intricacies, the brands that will lead are those that treat strategy not merely as a framework but as a creative form in itself.” (BW Marketing World)
Personalisation and Short Form On Minds of Entertainment Execs. At Lions
As short-form content continues to grow, brands are also taking user-generated content seriously as a way to boost engagement. ‘It’s not just about passively consuming content. Actually, if you really want to motivate a fandom, you want them out there doing stuff as well.’” (Variety)
Celebrating Brazilian (Under The Radar) Creativity at Cannes Lions
“It’s risky when you start looking at how the digital industries can be focused on metrics and KPI’s. We need to connect technology solutions we have right now in digital advertising to spotlight the importance of creativity, to connect people while adapting to different cultures.” (The Drum)
R&D Key for Independent Production Companies to Survive and Thrive
“Independent production companies can take a big “risk” on new creatives or ideas which makes independent production companies more competitive. Making exceptional work… is imperative to the survival of your business.” (LBB)
Amazon and Disney Share Ad Data to Open Up New Opportunities for Streaming Buyers
“We’re creating advertising that works better for everyone – brands reach the right audiences, publishers maximize their inventory value, and viewers see more relevant ads.” (Deadline)
Yahoo DSP Helps Netflix Build Out Ads Tier
“Netflix is once again beefing up its ad-tech partnerships. It’s the latest integration in a long line of programmatic partnerships that Netflix has struck for its ad-supported tier, which it said last month had 94 million monthly active users.” (Marketing Brew)
Being Human
Underrepresentation Amongst Directors and Writers of Streaming Films Lingers
“The latest evidence from 2024 continues to underscore America’s preference for diverse content in streaming film releases. Eight of the top 10 streaming films and 14 of the top 20 streaming films (ranked by total household ratings) featured casts that were more than 30 percent BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color).” (UCLA)
Osaka World Expo Turns Spotlight on Refugee Stories
“I sincerely hope that by cultivating and nurturing the ability to empathise with the pain of refugees, rather than thinking of these things as something happening in a faraway country, the world can become a place where everyone can truly live in harmony.” (IFFR)
AI Impact On The Attention Economy
“The amount of attention humans have is finite, but what attention can be turned into is infinite. Ability to build trust and cultural relevance in the new attention economy will determine the potential for personal, commercial and political brands going forward.” (Human Ventures)
Loneliness Driving Poor Mental Health at UK Screen Industry Cost of £400M A Year
“These feelings were strongly influenced by work-related factors including a culture of long and irregular working hours, the transient nature of project-based employment, industry issues of bullying, harassment, and discrimination, and a persistent stigma around loneliness and mental health at work which prevents people from speaking up and seeking support.” (Screen Global Production)
A Band Member Salute to Brian Wilson
“I’ve always felt that it was through his struggle, his yearning, his reaching to find a better place, that we were given such beautiful music. How lucky are we to have been alive while he walked this earth?” (Variety)
We hope you enjoyed catching up with us and our ever-evolving industry. Click here to reach back into blogs for industry insights as they’ve unfolded. More to come next month!
Michael
