Facebook and YouTube might be giants in technology and media, but they have both decided to sit out the streaming wars. Sure, they’re spending $1 billion per year producing original content but pales in comparison to what the Apples and Amazons and Peacocks and HBO Maxes of the world are shelling out for new content. So, Facebook and YouTube have decided to keep their video offerings free and ad-supported.
As 2019 comes to a close with one of the biggest movie-going weeks of the year it looks as if the industry will end a semi-happy note, with record international box office, perhaps a new worldwide box office record and the second biggest North American haul in history.
Meanwhile, China added another 8,800 movie screens this year, bringing the country’s grand total to a titch under 69,000 in all. And most of the hits playing on those screens are Chinese films and that’s just the way the government wants to keep it.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why Universal Pictures may have released a new version of “Cats” after it was already in theaters, live news and sports dominates the year’s basic cable ratings and Spotify gets out of politcs.

Comscore Worldwide Box Office Rankings
https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Rankings#tab_worldwide_box_office
‘Little Women’ and ‘Uncut Gems’ Ride High Over the Five Day Holiday Weekend
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/article/ed3413115908/
‘Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker’ Climbs To $725M Global; ‘Jumanji: The Next Level’ Rocks Towards $500M WW – International Box Office
https://deadline.com/2019/12/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-jumanji-the-next-level-frozen-2-spies-in-disguise-cats-china-global-international-box-office-1202818158/
International Box Office Estimated to Top $30 Billion for First Time Ever
https://www.thewrap.com/international-box-office-estimated-to-top-30-billion-for-first-time-ever/
A Bollywood Film About Getting Away with Murder Got a “Harmonious” Remake in China
https://qz.com/1772567/bollywood-cop-film-drishyam-gets-telling-remake-in-chinas-wu-sha/
Cable Ratings 2019: Fox News Tops Total Viewers, ESPN Wins 18-49 Demo As Entertainment Networks Slide
https://deadline.com/2019/12/cable-ratings-2019-list-fox-news-total-viewers-espn-18-49-demo-1202817561/
Equity Firm Agrees to Buy OverDrive
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/industry-deals/article/82066-equity-firm-agrees-to-buy-overdrive.html
Elton John, Olivia Newton-John Named to Queen’s New Year’s Honours List
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/elton-john-olivia-newton-john-queen-new-years-honours-list-931818/