Jay Chiat, founder of Chiat/Day, now TBWA/Chiat/Day, has died after a long bout with cancer. He was 70….At press time, there seemed to be an uneasy status quo between actors and talent agents following the rejection last week (4/19) by Screen Actors Guild (SAG) members of a proposed pact between SAG and the Association of Talent Agents (ATA). Nearly 55 percent of those SAG members who voted gave a thumbs down to the tentative agreement, which would have allowed advertising agencies and small to mid-sized independent producers to buy a limited ownership stake in Hollywood talent agencies. The defeat of the agreement means that for the first time since 1939, talent agencies are no longer bound by SAG rules governing commissions and other aspects of business. For the moment, there don’t seem to be any dramatic moves in the offing, such as agents unilaterally raising commissions or selling pieces of their firms. Meanwhile, ATA and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) have reached a tentative agreement, subject to AFTRA board and membership approval. Details of that proposed pact had not yet been released as SHOOT went to press…..Diane Flynn, who most recently served as a freelance producer, has been named executive principal/director of broadcast production for Publicis, New York. Prior to freelancing, she was senior VP/director of broadcast production/creative director at Merkley Newman Harty, New York. Previously, she was senior VP/director of broadcast production/ associate creative director at FCB Chicago….Preston Lee, formerly of Venice, Calif.-based Play, has joined Area 51 Films, Santa Monica, as executive producer. He will work closely with Area 51’s managing director, Mark Thomas….Colorist Tim Masick has joined Company 3, New York. He comes over from Moving Images, New York…. Kandoo Films, a Los Angeles shop specializing in entertainment advertising, has launched a commercial production division, signing director Brent Loefke. The move comes on the heels of Kandoo’s opening of feature and music video divisions….
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More