KCRW Hollywood Breakdown

AT&T has appointed former Hulu CEO Jason Kilar as the new head of WarnerMedia. That means he’ll oversee HBO, HBO Max, CNN, Warner Bros. and other WarnerMedia properties. It’s a bold choice. Kilar is known for being a visionary in the streaming world, but is not as well known in the old-school Hollywood circles. 

With a lot of people now stuck at home, TV viewing across the country continues to spike. Viewers may be eager for new content. But for upcoming streaming services such as HBO Max, Peacock, and Quibi, there are questions as to whether they’ll be ready to launch, and if viewers will be willing to pay for them.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, TV production has almost entirely shut down. Now the industry is scrambling to see if there’s any way to save the big fall season for the broadcast networks. On the movie side -- in an unprecedented move -- some big films like the newest “Trolls” installment are coming directly to streaming, but don’t expect that to be the case for every new movie. 

Disney has announced that its Anaheim-based theme park will close from March 14 until the end of the month. Elsewhere in Hollywood, more movies continue to delay their release dates, including “A Quiet Place Part II” and “Fast & Furious 9.” 

As anxiety over coronavirus increases, Hollywood has already lost $5 billion from a diminished international box office and production stoppages. That’s likely just the beginning. Disney is in an especially tough spot. The company has already closed some theme parks in Asia. Will it do the same in the U.S.?