Hollywood news banter: TV productions shut down, some new movies go to streaming

As social distancing measures go into place to slow the spread of coronavirus, Hollywood has come to a standstill. Writers’ rooms can still meet virtually, but actual television production has ceased, leaving a big question mark for what comes next in the TV industry.

It seems unlikely that new shows will be ready in time for the big fall season on broadcast TV. Some executives believe that January will be the new September, in terms of the arrivals of new shows, which networks depend on to bring in big advertising dollars.

On the movie side, Universal made an unprecedented move when it announced that the new “Trolls” movie will be available to stream in April, skipping a theatrical release entirely. As movie theaters remain shut down for the foreseeable future, don’t expect every big movie to go the streaming route. For franchise films like the new “Minions” movie or “Fast & Furious 9,” those properties are worth more than $1 billion, and Universal has already poured too much money into them to risk an at-home release.

Matt Belloni, editorial director of The Hollywood Reporter, joins Kim Masters to discuss these news stories of the week.