What's news: The coronavirus pandemic speeds up pay-TV's decline, WME to cut or furlough 20 percent of staff, the Emmys make an Oscars-inspired eligibility change, Disney's theme parks prepare to (slowly) reopen, Cannes' two virtual markets hope for the best, the pandemic won't stop the planned movie theater mega-merger. Plus: A+E Networks upfront slate, Fox News journalists are tired of being asked about Sean Hannity, and why the NFL's new schedule "isn't about predicting the future." --Alex Weprin

 Pay-TV Collapsing Amid The Pandemic

►Pay TV subscriber losses hit record amid pandemic, while virtual services "implode." "In the context of over 30 million unemployment claims and estimates for minus 40 percent gross domestic product, it would be unseemly to resort to hyperbole to describe the carnage in pay TV in the first quarter," MoffettNathanson analysts Craig Moffett and Michael Nathanson wrote in a Friday report entitled "Pay TV Catches COVID." "Better that we simply report the numbers. Traditional pay TV subscriptions fell by a record 1.8 million in the first quarter, the worst quarterly result on record, bringing the annual rate of decline to 7.6 percent, also a record." The story.

►WME to lay off and furlough 20 percent of staff amid coronavirus crisis. “WME is reducing its workforce by approximately 20% as a result of COVID-19’s impact on our business. We appreciate the contributions of our former colleagues, and out of respect for their privacy, we will not be commenting on the status of specific employees," an agency spokesperson said Thursday. "While we are making these difficult decisions now to safeguard our business, we believe in the resilience of our team and our industry.”

--Endeavor executive chairman Patrick Whitesell is said to be now taking on a more hands-on role in overseeing WME, sources say. Whitesell, an affable counterpoint to high-voltage CEO Ari Emanuel, is tasked with calming waters roiled by the agency’s failed IPO last fall, followed by the unforeseeable crisis of the pandemic. The story.

 An Oscars-Inspired Emmys Rule Change

Oscar-winning projects banned from Emmy competition starting in 2021. This move, which coincides with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' recent announcement that some streaming films will be eligible for the 2021 Oscars, is more of a blow to the documentary space than any feature. For the last several years, the overlap of accolades for non-fiction projects has been significant — but it's never been an issue for scripted endeavors. The story.

+Analysis from Scott Feinberg: The TV Academy was smart to ban Oscar nominees from the Emmys, but should go further. "[W]hy is the TV Academy agreeable to accepting any project that entered another contest first? Rather than disqualifying from the Emmys only projects that have already received an Oscar nomination, it should disqualify from the Emmys any project that even went through the process of qualifying to receive an Oscar nomination — that project clearly wants to be seen as a film as much as one that was nominated." The column.

►Cannes virtual film markets "selling hope" amid global crisis. Two complementary events will run online in June, one screening completed projects and the other pitching packages, both navigating multiple time zones as they avoid on-demand offerings. One is run by the official Cannes Marché du Film and the other is organized by the film sales divisions of the top four agencies — CAA Media Finance, UTA Independent Film Group, ICM International and Independent Group and Endeavor Content — as well as several indie production and sales operations, including STX Entertainment, AGC Studios and Sierra/Affinity. The story.

►The pandemic isn't going to stop the movie theater mega-merger. Canadian exhibition giant Cineplex on Thursday said its U.K.-based suitor, Cineworld Group, which also owns the Regal Entertainment Group, remains committed to completing a $2.1 billion acquisition to create one of the world's largest cinema companies with over 11,200 screens globally.

--Cineworld's proposed takeover of Cineplex in late February secured approval from respective company shareholders, but that was before the coronavirus pandemic shuttered their movie theaters in mid-March. The story.

In other business news...

+Roku streaming rises amid pandemic as active users grow to 39.8 million. The company, which makes set-top boxes and connected TVs, saw "an acceleration of growth" in both new accounts and streaming hours during the first quarter of the year. Despite the streaming growth, Roku has seen higher than normal advertising cancellations due to the industrywide pullback in ad budgets. Even so, the company is forecasting that it will deliver year-over-year revenue growth for the year due in part to ad spend moving from traditional TV budgets. The story.

+Univision targets $125 million in cost cuts as pandemic hits advertising. The Spanish-language media giant posted an 8 percent revenue gain for the first quarter driven by carriage and licensing business gains, but an 8 percent core ad drop, with the second quarter to "materially weaken." More.

+What's driving ViacomCBS stock to jump? The combination of better-than-expected first-quarter financials, the YouTube Live streaming service bringing channels like MTV, BET, Comedy Central, TV Land and Nickelodeon to its offering and the streaming boom caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic impressed investors as Viacom touted April as its expanding streaming platforms' "best month" ever, Etan Vlessing and Georg Szalai report. More.

+Discovery raises $1.5 billion in new debt amid pandemic. The cable giant, led by CEO David Zaslav, joins other Hollywood players, including Walt Disney and Comcast, who have turned to the debt market. More.

+Liberty Media details Formula One losses. The company on Thursday reported stable first-quarter overall revenues, but a steep 84 percent revenue loss from its Formula One race car division. Revenue during the latest quarter was driven by a 5 percent gain at SiriusXM to $1.95 billion, while revenue tumbled 84 percent at the Formula One Group to $29 million. More.



^Here's a story for the Disney theme park Kremlinologists: Disneyland's website was updated Wednesday, notifying would-be guests (and those who needed to change their plans since the park's closure) that reservations are available beginning July 1. The previous note on the website said the resort would be closed "until further notice," which has also been modified to read, "a reopening date has not been identified" and "we will continue to carefully evaluate the complex and fluid situation." More.

+The demand is clearly there: Tickets for the first days of the Walt Disney Co.'s Shanghai Disneyland re-opening sold out almost instantly on Friday as the theme park gets ready to next week end a three-month shutdown in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Shanghai Disney Resort is scheduled to have its grand reopening on Monday.  More.

+Meanwhile at Disney Springs in Orlando. In a post on its official theme parks blog, Disney said the outdoor shopping, dining, and entertainment complex at the Walt Disney World Resort will reopen on May 20. "Following the guidance of government and health officials, a limited number of shopping and dining experiences that are owned by third-party operating participants will begin to open during this initial phase," according to the Disney blog post. More.

►Czech Republic re-starts production under coronavirus guidelines. Shooting will soon be able to resume on major international productions in Prague after the Czech government gives the go-ahead to re-open film and TV shoots, Scott Roxborough reports. Here are the rules that will be in place.

►How I'm Living Now: Beanie Feldstein, How to Build A Girl star. Fresh off of a pair of breakout roles in Booksmart and Lady Bird, Beanie Feldstein is now promoting her next film, How To Build a Girl, from her childhood bedroom. The star of the film, which is being released on demand May 8, has been waiting out the pandemic at her parent's Los Angeles home, where she's quarantined with mom, dad and English bulldog Jackie. She spoke to THR about her new new normal, which includes tap dancing and costumed trivia nights (via Zoom, of course). The interview.

►The downside of being a Fox News journalist? getting asked about Sean Hannity. News anchors Chris Wallace and Bret Baier have faced frequent questions about the network's powerful opinion hosts and their commentary, Jeremy Barr writes. Former Fox News political correspondent Carl Cameron said that Baier, Wallace and the network's other straight-news folks are "absolutely" in "a tough spot to be in."

--"They're trying to present facts and the opinion people often bend them if not just discard them, so that's awkward," said Cameron, who left the network in the summer of 2017 after 21 years at the network. The story.

 A+E Networks Makes its Virtual Upfront Pitch

►A+E Networks execs bullish on upfront market with Bill Clinton, Betty White and 160 new Live PD episodes. Group president Paul Buccieri tells THR his company's portfolio is set with a full slate of originals through late 2021 — regardless of when normal production can resume. Among the new shows: A documentary series about the U.S.presidency, produced by Bill Clinton, and a Jeff Foxworthy-hosted show called What's it Worth? Live, which will give viewers across the U.S. the chance to bid on and purchase rare items on live TV. The story.

+Speaking of upfronts, here's THR's guide to the virtual events the major TV networks have planned.

Other significant TV projects...

+Love in the Time of Corona comedy series set at Freeform. The four-part limited series, which hails from Joanna Johnson, is described as a funny and hopeful look at the search for love, sex and connection during this unprecedented time of social distancing. The series will premiere in August and will be filmed using remote technologies while using talents' real living spaces as the backdrop for the stories. The story.

+ABC revives Wonderful World of Disney banner for movie series. The four films will run on Wednesday nights for four weeks beginning May 20. ABC is following in the footsteps of CBS, which started its own Sunday movie night on May 3 with Raiders of the Lost Ark. Disney's films will include Moana and Up. More.

+Jerry Bruckheimer is ready to go on a new National Treasure adventure. The prolific producer has revealed that he is prepping a TV series based on the action-adventure film franchise for the streamer Disney+ with an entirely new cast attached. More.

+Taylor Swift City of Lover Concert special set for ABC broadcast. The special will air Sunday, May 17, immediately following the season finale of American Idol. The special will be made available the following day on demand, on Hulu and Disney+. More.

+R.L. Stine horror-comedy anthology a go at Disney+. The streamer has given a series order to Just Beyond, based on Stine's graphic novel series of the same name. Seth Grahame-Smith will adapt the BOOM! Studios books and executive produce. More.

+The story of Jan Broberg — who as a child was abducted twice by the same person — has already been the subject of a feature documentary, and now it's getting a scripted treatment. In a competitive situation, Universal Content Productions (part of NBCUniversal Content Studios) has landed the rights to Broberg's story. More.

+Saturday Night Live sets at-home season finale. NBC has set a third SNL at Home episode for May 9, which will be the 18th of the season and serve as the finale for season 45. There's no word yet on a host or musical guest. More.

►A portal between digital and physical worlds? It's close to reality. Development of mirror worlds is accelerating during COVID-19 as Hollywood increases its virtual production, says Magnopus co-founder and CEO Ben Grossmann. “Right now, people go on the internet and they play games with everybody around the world. Well, let’s just do the same concept. Let’s put the movie together and then everybody from their homes can log in and play their part, all in real time, working remotely.” The story.



^Let's talk about the NFL schedule. The league released its 16 week schedule during a special on NFL Network Thursday night, kicking off Sep. 10 with the Houston Texans at the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. But... will the season actually debut as planned? If it does, will fans be able to attend? “If the last two months have taught us anything, it is that none of us have a crystal ball,” Fox Sports evp Mike Mulvihill says. “Releasing this schedule isn't about predicting the future, it is about preparing for the future.”

 Jerry Seinfeld has convinced an appeals court that a dispute about who created Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is a lawsuit about nothing. On Thursday, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals preserved the comedian's victory over Christian Charles, who directed the pilot and later sued Seinfeld for allegedly copying his work without compensation. The story.

►Critics notebooks: Inkoo Kang writes that network TV's working-class sitcoms are timelier than ever... Daniel Fienberg writes that now's the time to set aside these common TV prejudices...

Revolving door: Duncan Millership is joining management company Anonymous Content, exiting WME, where he was a partner... Rolin Jones (Friday Night Lights), Gina Mingacci (Killing Eve) and Ray McKinnon (Rectify) have all inked separate overall deals with AMC Networks' Entertainment Group... Patton Oswalt will return as the host of the 2020 Webby Awards... ShivHans Pictures has named former HBO Films and Miramax exec Julie Goldstein as president of production... Video game publisher Annapurna Interactive revealed Thursday that indie games veteran Nathan Vella is joining the company in an executive leadership position...

►TV ratings: The Masked Singer stayed on top of Wednesday's 18-49 ratings, but the Fox show drew its smallest numbers in two months. CBS' Survivor and ABC's comedy block also declined a little as TV usage — while still above its pre-pandemic level — continues to come down slowly from its peak in late March. The numbers.

TV's Top 5 podcast: During this week's podcast, hosts Daniel Fienberg and Lesley Goldberg welcome Dead To Me's Liz Feldman for a showrunner interview while Henry Winkler previews ABC's tribute special to the icon who launched his career, Garry Marshall. Listen.

In other news...

--Scandal will have a new streaming home starting this month. Hulu has acquired the Kerry Washington-led political fixer soap created by Shonda Rhimes. The former ABC drama will make its debut on Disney-owned streamer on May 20, when it will move from its current home on Netflix.

--Media mogul Rupert Murdoch will give up 100 percent of his cash bonus in the current fiscal year at News Corp.

--Filmmaker David Ayer has found a new project to tackle for Netflix. Ayer will write and direct an adaptation of the novel Six Years for the streaming service.

--David Rooney reviews the jukebox-musical remake of the 1983 cult rom-com Valley Girl.

--Alamo Drafthouse Cinema — one of the country's leading independent movie circuits — announced Thursday it is teaming with ScreenPlus and Vista Cinema to launch a new VOD platform that it will curate with both newer and classic titles.

--Megyn Kelly has landed an on-camera interview with Tara Reade, a former Senate staffer for Joe Biden who has claimed that the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee sexually assaulted her. The attorney Douglas Wigdor, who now represents Reade, said that former NBC News producer Richard McHugh produced the Kelly interview.

What else we're reading...

--"What happened to Val Kilmer? He’s just starting to figure it out" [NY Times Magazine]

--"Podcasts from Steve Austin and Shaquille O’Neal are big draws. Why this L.A. company wants in" [LA Times]

--"Sports-starved advertisers flock to Turner Sports’ The Match golf sequel" [AdWeek]

--"TikTok is coming after Snapchat with a new augmented reality ad format" [Digiday]

Today's birthdays: David Attenborough, 94, Enrique Iglesias, 45, Alex Van Halen, 67, Martha Wainwright, 44, Bill de Blasio, 59.

And finally: Lockdown through a lens: 6 cinematographers document the pandemic's effects on Hollywood. Trailblazers and Oscar winners share images of the ongoing process, from packing up a production to following stay-at-home directives: "COVID-19 casts a long shadow over all of us." The photo gallery.