Tencent Renews Growth Path in Music and Games, But Loses Ground in Streaming Video

Jamie Laing's sister Emily has bravely opened up about her struggles with alcohol addiction, in a deeply personal letter addressed to "the sober curious & to my life." In the letter, Emily detailed how she had struggled with alcoholism for a number of years but had not realised how bad it had gotten until she hit her "breaking point" at the end of 2021. Publishing the letter on JomoClub, a subscription service for alcohol free drinks, Emily wrote: "New Years Eve 2021 was my breaking point.

News broke this week that Taylor Swift and Matty Healy are no longer seeing each other.

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Los Angeles Times.“I’m going to f–king gay bash you, fa—t,” the man yelled, forcing the actor to bolt toward the store in fear.Employees at the Pink Dot escorted a terrified Page into the shop, but the man allegedly followed him and stood at the store’s doorway.“This is why I need a gun,” the maniac reportedly yelled at Page through the glass door.Page — whose deadname was Ellen Page — revealed he was transgender in 2020. Now, he says he no longer feels safe in Los Angeles.“Now when I’m in Los Angeles, I don’t feel comfortable like I used to going for walks,” The Canadian-born entertainer said.The ordeal may have shaken the actor, but he acknowledged that he has the privilege to stay in safer hotels and hire security if needed, unlike most people living in LA.“Doesn’t mean it’s not traumatic, but I have resources that, in every instance that is difficult, protect and can shield me from these things,” Page told the outlet.The “Juno” star’s recounting of the alleged verbal assault and threats comes in the wake of another story she recently shared in his upcoming memoir “Pageboy,” about when a “famous a–hole” told him being gay “doesn’t exist.”Page, who came out as gay in February 2014, claims that an unnamed A-list actor told him he was going to “f—k you to make you realize you aren’t gay,’” at a birthday party in Los Angeles shortly after coming out.He “purposely” did not name the accused high-profile celebrity but said they would “hear about this and know it’s him.”The actor added that another celebrity, whom he describes only as an “acquaintance,” insisted, “‘You aren’t gay.

A Greater Manchester transport chief has apologised to passengers who were reportedly left stranded at the weekend following a series of high-profile events.

Drew Barrymore maintained she "never" said she wished her mother, Jaid Barrymore, was "dead," and the actress has accused the media of twisting her words."I have been vulnerable and tried to figure out a very difficult, painful relationship while admitting it is difficult to do while a parent is alive. And, for those of us who have to figure that out in real time cannot wait, as in they cannot wait for the time, not that the parent is dead," Drew said in a passionate Instagram message. "Don't twist my words around or ever say that I wish my mother was dead.

It was revealed last year that King Charles is planning the largest ever series of official tours in the UK, the Commonwealth and to other countries around the world to "extend a hand of friendship and support.” While it has been understood that the monarch will prioritise visits to the United States, Australia, New Zealand and a number of Commonwealth realms in the Caribbean, there are a number of countries that will also be high on the agenda such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.The King and Queen undertook their first visit to Germany before the Coronation, but are expected to make several more trips in the coming few years. While Their Majesties will carry out many of the visits themselves, they are ably supported by key senior royals, such as The Prince and Princess of Wales, who are thought to be instrumental in The King's plans for future foreign tours.

Every parent’s worst nightmare is losing their child when out and about – and Helen Flanagan knows exactly how that feels. Following a fraught trip to the supermarket, the former Corrie star tells new she’s taking extra precautions when it comes to her children’s safety. Helen shares Matilda, seven, Delilah, four, and Charlie, two, with their footballer dad Scott Sinclair, who she has split from after 13 years together.

Cruel Summer, that is. from executive producer Jessica Biel is with a new cast, a new mystery, and a new location. This time Sadie Stanley (The Goldbergs), (Little Fires Everywhere), and Griffin Gluck (Red Band Society) are the new kids on the block, but they more than hold their own in this complex and twisty drama.

A Crazy new twist has developed in the Kyrie Irving/LeBron James reunion plot. As reported by BleacherReport.com, NBA sources have said that Kyrie Irving has asked the Dallas Mavericks to explore the idea of trading for LeBron James this offseason. Irving wants to create a new big three with LeBron, Luka, and himself. At this point in time, it is no secret that LeBron and Kyrie are open to playing with each other once again.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor The most traditional purveyor of golf and the upstart that hoped to take away its business have agreed to merge, In a stunning development. the PGA Tour agreed to combine its commercial and business rights with the golf-related operations of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which includes the upstart league LIV Golf as well as Europe’s DP World Tour. The two sides had been locked in litigation for months. “After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love,” said Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour Commissioner. “Going forward, fans can be confident that we will, collectively, deliver on the promise we’ve always made — to promote competition of the best in professional golf and that we are committed to securing and driving the game’s future.”

Former head of news at ITV's This Morning, Emily Maddick, has spoken out about the allegedly “toxic, sexist and homophobic” atmosphere she experienced while working on the show, which she claims created a “climate of fear”. Emily, who worked on the show for three months, is now the Glamour Magazine assistant editor and has shared her experience along with her exit interview with ITV’s HR.

Nikki Haley is under fire for what some are calling “outrageous and fact-free,” and “unserious, untrue, and hateful” statements during her CNN town hall Sunday night, where at least one of her more attention-getting remarks is drawing anger and upset.Asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper to define the term “woke” as conservatives see it, Haley, according to Mediaite, replied: “There’s a lot of things,” which seemed to define her responses to several of the questions she was asked.“You want to start with biological boys playing in girl sports,” said the former Trump Ambassador to the United Nations, referring to transgender girls. “That’s one thing.

Coronation Street fans were over the moon when villainous acid attacker Justin Rutherford was finally caught and faced trial over his terrible crimes. Justin was eventually convicted for his heinous behaviour and found guilty on Monday, leaving fans totally over the moon and full of praise for Andrew Still’s thrilling portrayal of the villain.The actor, 29, only joined the soap in 2022 but has already soared to fame thanks to the harrowing storyline. Fans of the show can't wait to see what will happen to Justin next, but what about the man who brought him to life? Here's everything to know about actor Andrew Still...

Andy Cohen is opening up about his experience with surrogacy.

Eva Mendes is breaking the stigma of women shaving their faces.

EXCLUSIVE: Former NFL player Andrew Hawkins and his Parks Tower Studios banner have entered into a co-production agreement with RTG Features, the sister studio to basketball-focused media company Slam, to develop and produce a slate of cross-platform scripted and unscripted projects that spotlight sports and culture. 

Veteran MasterChef judge Melissa Leong will judge the series alongside world-famous French-Swiss pastry chef Amaury Guichon. 

A Lanarkshire MSP is emphasising the disproportionate impact of the COVID19 pandemic on unpaid carers at the start of Carers Week 2023.

Bombshell Zachariah Noble entered the Love Island villa on Monday night in the first twist of the series and quickly caught the attention of viewers. Love Island returned on Monday 5 June bringing us eight weeks of reality TV dating drama and the islanders were all coupled off after fans were given the chance to vote on the app of who they wanted to see paired together.

Manchester United are 'interested' in signing highly-rated Chicago Fire midfielder Brian Gutierrez ahead of this summer's transfer window officially opening for business next Wednesday.

BreAnna Bell The “Angry Birds” universe just became one series bigger. Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Kids+ has picked up “Angry Birds Mystery Island” to series from Eric Rogers (Futurama) and Titmouse. “We’re excited to work with Amazon to add a new chapter to the Hatchlings’ story in ‘Angry Birds Mystery Island,’” said Rovio’s head of Brand Licensing, Hanna Valkeapää-Nokkala. “I’m sure fans of the Hatchlings will be eager to see them in their own series, with speaking voices for the first time.” The 24-episode first season will follow three new hatchlings — Mia, Rosie, and Buddy — and a foreign-exchange piglet named Hamylton on their all-expenses-paid island getaway, where they find themselves mistakenly catapulted onto an uncharted island. Left to explore the exotic sights, smells, and unexplained phenomena of their new environment without any adults around, the ragtag bunch quickly learns that, in order to survive and make it back home, they will need to unlock the mysteries of the island together.

Is Miguel teasing a new era?

EXCLUSIVE: HBO Sports Documentaries has picked up North American TV and streaming rights to the sports documentary The Lionheart, directed and produced by Laura Brownson (The Rachel Divide), ahead of its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Festival. No word on a release date yet.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Irish screen legend and BAFTA-award winner Patrick Bergin (“Sleeping With the Enemy,” “Patriot Games”) and Francis Magee (“Kin”) have joined true-crime thriller, “Kiss of the Con Queen,” being directed by Tom Waller (“The Last Executioner,” “The Cave”). The pair join real-life victim Eoin O’Brien (“The Last Full Measure”) who plays an actor duped by an impersonator into traveling to Indonesia on the promise of auditions for a leading role in a DC origins series. There he discovers that he had been scammed by the infamous Con Queen of Hollywood. Ravi Patel (“Transformers,” “Meet the Patels”) plays the fraudster.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Wilfredo Manalang, who was one of the producers of last year’s Cannes’ Japanese hit “Plan 75,” has come on board Vietnamese film project “Don’t Cry, Butterfly.” Manalang (aka Will Fredo) and partners in his Philippines-based Fusee consortium will join as an executive producer. Written and to be directed by Duong Dieu Linh, “Don’t Cry, Butterfly” follows a Vietnamese housewife who finds out that her husband is cheating on her. Instead of confronting him, she uses voodoo on him so he falls back in love with her. Production of “Don’t Cry Butterfly” is by Tan Si En at Singapore-based Momo Film Co. The company was founded in 2018 by Tan and writer-director Kris Ong. In 2021, Beach House Pictures, part of Canada’s Blue Ant Media, acquired a majority stake in Momo.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Taiwan-based Screenworks Asia is using the Cannes Market to launch international rights sales on “Lost in Perfection.” The film, previously titled “Love is a Bitch,” is a female-led psychological thriller that marks the live-action debut of Sung Hsin-ying, who is already established as an award-winning animation director. The story follows a TV anchor, played by Shao Yu-Wei, whose apparently perfect life unravels when she discovers that her father may have become the victim of a romance scam. To make matters worse, the scammer is accused of murdering men she dated. In an attempt to protect her family, the woman partners with the local prosecutor to investigate the crime. Yet, she quickly finds herself lost in the twists and turns while uncovering the truth.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Returning as an in-person event after cancelation last year, the Shanghai International Film Festival has set out an agenda with a clear focus on China. The festival (June 9-16) will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s economic outreach and development program. With a series of press conferences and film culture roundtables, the SIFF’s Belt and Road Film Week will “bring together old friends of the alliance from previous years and new friends made this year [..] and announce an action plan for the future.”

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The premium end of the streaming video sector in India is poised for shake-up, with Reliance Industries’ JioCinema challenging the SVOD dominance of Disney+ Hotstar, new research suggests. “The India Online Video Report: Analysis of Consumption, Content & Investment Trends,” from Singapore-based Media Partners Asia, shows total consumption across the online video sector reached 6.1 trillion minutes for the 15-month period from Jan 2022 to Mar 2023. Within that period, the SVOD, AVOD and freemium platforms accounted for some 12% of viewing time, up from 10% in 2021. Social services such as YouTube and TikTok accounted for 88% of viewing time.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Net profits at Tencent Music Entertainment, China’s largest digital music operation, grew by 89% in the first quarter of the new year, hitting RMB1.15 billion ($167 million), even as revenue progressed by only 5% to RMB7.0 billion ($1.02 billion). The group, which is backed by Chinese tech and entertainment giant Tencent and has stock market listings on the New York Stock Exchange and in Hong Kong, controls large equity stakes in Spotify and (in a consortium with Tencent) Universal Music Group. Its own music operations divide loosely into two clusters: mass market music streaming, with paid-for and free tiers; and “social entertainment,” including karaoke and other derivative products.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Distribution Workshop has picked up international sales duties on “A Legend,” the Jackie Chan -starring film.As previously reported, the film is now in production. “A Legend” is now pitched as a $50 million sequel to the 2005 action romance “The Myth” that involved both Chan and director Stanley Tong. In previous communication, producer Bona Film Group said that the film was inspired by the earlier film. The new picture will be the tenth time that Chan and Tong have worked together, following other titles that include “Police Story 3,” “Supercop” and “Vanguard.”

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Hong Kong Disneyland theme park managed a 22% increase in visitor numbers in its most recent financial year allowing it to modestly reduce its annual losses. The park, which is jointly owned by the Hong Kong government and Walt Disney, with the government holding a narrow majority, reports a financial year to the end of September – and does so more than seven months in arrears. It has been loss-making for the past eight financial years and has made profits in only three years since its opening in 2005. The 2021-2022 financial year was again complicated by the city’s strict anti-COVID restrictions. It was fully closed for three and a half months (longer than the previous financial year) and operated under other social distancing and pandemic measures. Additionally, inbound tourism was heavily curtailed, especially from mainland China. That meant that during the reporting period, the park and hotels were largely visited by locals only.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Sarah Snook is pregnant in real life — and in HBO’s “Succession” — but in “Run Rabbit Run,” she plays a mother and fertility doctor who is frightened by her young daughter’s inexplicable memories of a past identity. The Australian thriller from director Daina Reid and writer Hannah Kent released its first trailer as the film is confirmed to screen at next month’s Sydney Film Festival. “Run Rabbit Run” made its world premiere as the opening title of the Midnight section of the Sundance festival in January. The film will launch on Netflix on June 28. Emmy-nominated Snook stars alongside Damon Herriman and Greta Scacchi. Variety’s review from Sundance called the film an “effective if familiar mommy-issues chiller.”

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Australia, already one of the world’s biggest hubs for international film and TV production, has increased and streamlined the ‘Location Offset’ scheme that is at the heart of its ability to attract runaway productions. The Location Offset will be increased from its current 16.5% rebate of Australian qualifying production spend, to 30%. At the same time a discretionary 13.5% grant scheme will be merged into the offset system. Both changes are effective from July 1. The moves were announced on Wednesday as part of the 2023-24 national budget by federal treasurer Jim Chalmers. His decision involves the injection of an additional A$112 million ($76.2 million) into the system over the next four years.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Prime Video has set May 18 for the global release of its upcoming Indian anthology series “Modern Love Chennai.” This is the third Indian adaptation of “Modern Love,” the internationally acclaimed original anthology directed by John Carney, following “Modern Love Mumbai” and “Modern Love Hyderabad.” Produced under the banner of Tyler Durden and Kino Fist, with Thiagarajan Kumararaja as the creator, the six-episode anthology presents a bouquet of love stories set in the city of Chennai that explore relationships, push boundaries, and open minds.  “Love stories and rom-coms have never been my cup of tea. Thus, ‘Modern Love Chennai’ was an interesting challenge,” said Kumararaja, creator of the series and writer-director of one of the episodes. “With these stories, we have explored and celebrated the old-world charm of the city, which remains rooted in a distinct blend of tradition and modernity.” 

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” made $28 million of gross box office on its opening weekend in mainland China. That was a solid result in present circumstances, rather than an overwhelming one. The film easily displaced two of the weaker Chinese titles that had been released a week earlier to take advantage of the five-day May Day holiday season. “Born to Fly,” a patriotic action adventure about Chinese test pilots, nose-dived by 75% as it fell from a $40 million first place debut to a $11.2 million third-placed second flap. Its cumulative after two weekends is $77.3 million, according to weekend data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.