Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Monday, April 28th 2025:
PRESIDENT HUGH FORREST PUSHED OUT AT SXSW, AS P-MRC IMPOSES ITS VISION ON THE LONG-RUNNING FESTIVAL
If there has been a face of Austin's South by Southwest over the past 35 years, it has been Hugh Forrest. The former editor and journalist joined the then-two-year-old festival in 1989. He became the festival's chief programming officer in 1994, was appointed as co-president in 2022, and then president of the festival in 2024. And now he has been fired by new festival owners P-MRC, a joint venture between MRC Media & Info and Penske Media Corporation.
SXSW had been owned by the festival's original founders until the pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 event. Facing substantial financial challenges, the owners decided to sell 50% of the festival to P-MRC in 2021, which would have given P-MRC a voice, but not a controlling interest in the festival.
But P-MRC was able to acquire an additional 1 percent of the festival from an unnamed private investor in August 2023, and that change allowed the company to begin remaking the festival into another part of the Jay Penske ad-friendly entertainment industry flywheel.
Costs have reportedly been cut substantially since the P-MRC takeover, with 23 SXSW employees being laid off last June, as part of what P-MRC described as part of a "new vision" for the festival's future. And now another round of layoffs seems to have taken place, with the exit of Forrest and what sources told me was another 10 or so other festival employees, including several other senior staffers and several employees in the comedy division.
It's not clear what led to the decision to remove Forrest, but he released a statement to the press over the weekend explaining that "leaving South by Southwest was definitely not my decision. I put my heart and soul into this event for more than 35 years, and I was looking forward to leading several more editions. To this end, I will be rooting big time for the Austin team as they go forward. The city, the country, the world needs the positive energy South by Southwest has traditionally provided and needs it now more than ever."
Current and former SXSW employees I spoke with since his removal described the decision as part of an overall effort by P-MRC to change the cultural mission of the festival. There was a push to make the editorial slant of the events more politically "balanced," which insiders described as meaning more conservative, "mainstream" panelists and events.
But more troubling to most people I spoke with has been the P-MRC effort to wring the quirky, unpredictable chemistry out of the festival as it seeks to make it more of a predictable synergy machine. SWSW has been expanded to London and Sydney, with a reported Middle East SWSW in the planning stages. And along those lines, the most recent SWSW included an increase in international sponsors and panels.
Some independent press outlets also complained of being pushed out of prime festival coverage opportunities, as PMC-owned outlets including Variety, Billboard, Rolling Stone and others increased their visibility and their often exclusive access to talent. According to several people I spoke with, Forrest had expressed his frustration with the situation but didn't seem to think he would forced to exit SXSW entirely.
All of this turmoil comes at a time when South by Southwest is facing other headwinds. In March, the festival announced it would shift from a nine-day schedule to a seven-day event. Its longtime home - the Austin Convention Center - is also being demolished and replaced. Which means running SXSW for at least two years at a new location. A location that has yet to be officially announced.
It is a tough time for festivals in general. And while it's difficult to imagine SXSW going away - especially as long as it can be franchised worldwide - it is possible to imagine a future where it won't be as important to the industry. Which would be a real loss for the American entertainment community.
THE UNDERREPORTED SIDE OF SHOOTING IN HUNGARY
The Ankler's Elaine Low has a really informative interview with MRC TV president Jenna Santoianni. MRC Television was responsible for House Of Cards, Ozark, Ted, The Terminal List and Poker Face, among others.
She talks a lot about the state of production, including the importance of production rebates. She notes that the existence of the rebates aren't enough to stimulate television production. They also need to be structured in a way that is predictable for production companies:
EL: What would need to change to have more production in L.A.?
JS: Part of it has to do with how the incentive works and which companies are eligible to get it. So, you know, you go to a lot of these places, and if you have a certain amount of spend, you’re going to get it. It’s not a lottery system. As long as you qualify, depending on the qualifications, you know what the spend is going to be, so you can plan on being there. Historically, the California tax credit program — what’s been difficult about it is it’s more of a lottery in some ways, and there’s no guarantee that if you apply for it, you’re going to get it. So it’s very hard to plant your flag.
While it doesn't come up in this conversation, in many countries all or a majority of the production credit is prepaid to the production company before the first day of shooting. Which means less deficit financing and a reduction in various interest and financing charges.
Santoianni also had some thoughts about shooting in Hungary:
Budapest has an excellent tax incentive and a lot of really wonderful production services companies that have been there for a long time. Great crews, great locations — it’s starting to get very busy in that part of the world because the incentives are so good. So I would say the major challenges to shooting there are: Can you find your crew? Can you find locations that look like they haven’t been shot before? Because so many shows like Jack Ryan and others in this genre have shot in these countries before. But the other thing that’s great about Budapest is you can very easily go to Croatia, you can go to Slovakia. You can go to a lot of different places. And the incentive, depending on which country you’re going to, a lot of times, the incentive will follow you, because you’re bringing your crew with you.
As I have mentioned before, while shooting in Hungary is certainly an attractive option for Hollywood companies, the work environment in Hungary can be problematic for the local crews.
Hungarian crew members do not have an official trade union, a situation which is described by one Hungarian production service as making shooting in the country "extremely production friendly."
The typical work week for crew is six 12-hour days, with an hour off for lunch. While overtime pay increases progressively, the rate only rises every two hours. The majority of crew members are self-employed, eliminating additional costs such as healthcare, welfare, and pension contributions.
So yes, aside from the production incentives, crew costs are much lower in Hungary. But that is because productions have access to highly-trained, non-union workers who don't receive any benefits.
(BTW, here is a paywall-free link to a PDF of the Elaine Low interview. Although I would recommend subscribing to The Ankler)
NO, I'M NOT PROMOTING NETFLIX'S TUDUM FESTIVAL
I love a lot of what Netflix is doing. But I have been very vocal about my loathing of its decision to bypass the press and promote its products primarily directly to subscribers. They pitch it as some effort to connect with "the people." But what it really means is that Netflix has the opportunity to market its programming without any filter or anyone asking pesky questions.
There are a number of problems with this approach. If you're producing something for Netflix, then the promotion for your project becomes largely dependent on its relative importance to Netflix's executives and marketing people. And that's why I am being contacted more frequently by independent publicists who have been hired by showrunners or producers worried the streamer won't adequately promote their projects.
But it's also a disservice to subscribers. House news outlets treat every project as if it's the best thing that has ever been created. Want to know if something is worth watching? You won't find out by reading the Netflix-owned entertainment web site Tudum.
Netflix also has a live annual Tudum event, which is generally packed with star appearances, a bunch of trailers and some premiere announcements. However, what you won't see is any direct coverage in the entertainment press with any element of the Tudum Festival. Outside of some "exclusive" interviews on Tudum's web site.
Netflix revealed more details on Monday about its upcoming Tudum Festival, which will take place this year at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. It's notable that this will be the first year the festival will be available for streaming on Netflix, instead of on Netflix's YouTube channel.
But I am going to provide as little free marketing to the Tudum Festival as I can. Because of paragraphs like this, which are included in today's Tudum Festival email blast from the streamer:
Tudum.com remains a year-round destination for exclusive content, behind-the-scenes access, and deeper connections to Netflix’s most beloved titles.
Jesus, you're the world's biggest streamer, a multi-billion dollar company. Is it necessary to grind down every independent news outlet in order to provide an unfiltered PR stream to your subscribers?
TWEET OF THE DAY
ODDS AND SODS
* Older Hotter Wiser, a seven-episode scripted comedy series starring Serena Kerrigan, will premiere Monday, May 19th on Peacock.
* FCC chairman Brendan Carr told reporters Monday that he has not yet reviewed public comments in the agency’s investigation of the way that a CBS 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris was edited.
* Diarra From Detroit has been renewed for a second season by BET+.
* Prime Video has picked up the "mind-bending horror thriller" Stillwater, based on the Skybound comic book series by Chip Zdarsky and Ramon K. Perez. Greg Berlanti and Carly Wray (Watchmen) are adapting the project, with Berlanti co-writing all the scripts.
WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW
MONDAY, APRIL 28TH:
Chef's Table: Legends (Netflix)
Hollywood Demons Season One Finale (Investigation Discovery)
The One That Got Away Series Premiere (Acorn TV)
Yes, Chef! Series Premiere (NBC)
TUESDAY, APRIL 29TH:
Castle Impossible Series Premiere (HGTV)
Pati Jinich Explores Panamericana Series Premiere (PBS)
Polyfamily Series Premiere (TLC)
Red Bull Soapbox Race Series Premiere (Discovery)
Wear Whatever The F You Want Series Premiere (Prime Video)
SEE YOU ON TUESDAY!