Breaking News
‘Days of our Lives’ Producer Files Lawsuit Against Sony Pictures Television
In a breach of contract and fraud complaint filed this morning, Corday Productions, the Producers of Days of our Lives, is seeking 20 million dollars in damages from its producing partner, Sony Pictures Television, as well as its Columbia Pictures and Screen Gems divisions, and to significantly take back control of the show.
In the 33-page court filed document this morning, Deadline.com noted some of the key points contained within. Corday Productions is alleging that Sony has treated the show unfairly skewed in favor of its Sony-owned daytime drama series, The Young and the Restless. The complaint indicates that, “While the domestic ratings for Days of Our Lives have remained largely constant, Sony’s distribution receipts have decreased by over 50%. This dramatic decline is directly attributable to a decision at the highest levels of Sony management to eliminate any competition to its own wholly-owned series The Young and The Restless also distributed by Sony.”
Sony Pictures Television distributes Days of our Lives in overseas territories, and in ancillary markets such as digital streaming. The DAYS suit alleges that Sony has failed to sell the show in key territories including: Great Britain, France, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Canada, France, Zambia, and South Africa.”
In the lawsuit, the producers also claim that Sony has stiffed them by forcing the production company, Corday Productions, to absorb budgetary deficits . The filing also claims that Sony is “imposing solely on Corday the burden of absorbing the multi-million dollar annual operating deficits due to an inadequate NBC license fee and mandating an inefficient, costly production schedule.”
The complaint filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, also alleges that Sony has provided Corday with inaccurate accounting and has failed to pay millions of dollars in profits.
Make sure to read more on the lawsuit click here.
So, what do you think about some of the key points that the Days of our Lives producers bring up in their lawsuit against Sony? Comment below.
I think the producers need to learn some basic geography/history: “… including Great Britain, Scotland, Wales…” A little redundant, much, LOL?
“sonniorsolita”…I just wanted to say how much I love your screen-name & how much I miss my all-time favorite show, GUIDING LIGHT.
–LujackLvr
What I think is that the last time there was a lawsuit filed against a daytime soap, it was a disaster. Does Prospect Park ring a bell? Hopefully DAYS doesn’t face the same fate as the AMC & OLTL revivals did because of this. Especially since it was just renewed for another year.
And who is writing Days right now? The guy who killed OLTL (and tried to kill General Hospital after that)
Ive been finding it very suspicious as of late that a show of days magnitude could operate on such a obvious shoestring budget. ..i mean most if not all scenes for example take place in 4-5 sets at any given time. The reused office set with the window in the corner is the most glaring. Pretty sad theres a lack of investment from the top. The acting and writing quality is firing on all cylinders but the show still looks budget.
I suspect that the network has always wanted to get rid of DOOL. That is the reason the network has made production so difficult.
True, this lawsuit confirms that Sony starved Days to feed Y&R.
I don’t believe the office is used nearly as much as the stone garden place that they come in one side and leave the other way.
When I was a youngster, I remember watching a Feed the Children program about starvation in Africa. One segment had a new mother of twins. She had to starve one baby in order to feed the other baby enough food to survive.
Sony is starving DAYS to feed Y&R.
It’s important to realize the soaps can’t survive on US viewership alone. They need overseas viewership, too.
Sony owns more of Y&R than DAYS. Sony distributes DAYS and Y&R to other countries for a percentage. Sony is able to keep most of the Y&R overseas money, but has to split the DAYS overseas money with Ken Corday, owner of DAYS.
Sony is squashing DAYS’ chances of making money (little of which goes to Sony) in order to distribute Y&R (and receive most of the money).
At the very least, DAYS and Sony should part ways, so DAYS can try to feed itself instead of allowing Sony to slowly starve DAYS to death.
The conflict of interest is too big to ignore and should be just cause to end the contract between DAYS and Sony.
I hate you, Sony!
SHUCKS ; this give me lots of pause for concern… along with that “no understanding” of how much SONY holds over Corday Production. AND what’s in it for NBC to air the show ? how much of commercial airtime is divided .
argh ! are we upsetting the apple cart as it were ?
is this the case of don’t bite the hand that feeds ?
WHICH , along w/James R. post below : is my first thought… “oh no, we could be cancelled”
as I’ve long posted… BUILD BUILD BUILD (like CBS ) around your serial… make that daytime block attract viewership AND higher commercial revenue
I can feel the dread rising …
I can only hope that TPTB just leave well enough alone… and surmise that , tho not a profit margin it once was.. is still a mainstay @NBC daytime arena.. because without a serial in its lineup… will only spiral that much quicker.
okay .. whatever… HELP ?!?!
keeping the faith…
I can only imagine that @DAYS is a part of a whole legion of entertainment, and is merely another asset on their balance sheet… and that if @SONY was truly going under AND had to trim the budget that much… how much back and forth happens each year when it’s renew time?
A big amen to this!
hi, again; was needing to vent … scared for my show, PLUS
having read the full article: I am so hoping ??? @DAYS can find another distributor
TAKEN from article : “…While the domestic ratings for Days of Our Lives have remained largely constant, Sony’s distribution receipts have decreased by over 50%,” the 33-page complaint asserts as it seeks of damages of over $20 million and significantly taking back control of the show.”
for me the OPERATIVE word: “…and significantly taking back control of the show”
I am so hoping this
DAYS would be an asset for any corporate balance sheet to offer along with any and all other package deals.
I hesitate to wonder just what the bottom lines are. seeing as how in our lifetime we had upwards of 15 shows at one time or another… AND looking for another conglomerate… COME ON SONY !!! WHAT GIVES ? AND/OR where is OUR proctor and gamble… General electric …
daytime is continually retooled with… looking at all the talk shows and cooking shows… @DAYS has shown an incredible , for DAYS , an indelible respectable increase in viewership… absolute !
okay I like long winded when I have the passion
LOL Salute !
Impeccable comment, 4ever!! And, your analogy made me do a double-take– Love, love, love the line, “Sony is starving DAYS to feed Y&R.”— eye-opener!!❤️
You’re absolutely right. Days deserves to be awarded every dollar of that 20 million.
Something bad is going to come out of this and while I don’t feel good admitting this, I am thinking only one word: cancellation.
Yep. If they don’t win the suit, DAYS is history.
Sounds reasonable. I do think if they get 100% of something, they’ll promote that over something they only get 50% of.
Very true Momo.
Not sure how this will turn out but hopefully Days isn’t hurt in some way in the end…it is now the only soap i faithfully watch…i plan to stop watching GH once the Ryan story ends!!!
Days is the only soap I watch now also Jimh. None of the other soaps interest me, so if Days is done I’m done with daytime soaps. And that’s very sad. I pray it doesn’t come to that!
Isn’t the only soap with any overseas distribution to speak of B&B? And that has a lot to do with its 30 minute runtime.
Is Corday saying it’s Sony’s mandate to film 6 months in advance?
It must be on Sony, there’s an article on Daytime Confidential from two years ago that says NBC demands that Days is filmed more recent and not months in advance.
Well if Sony is taking profits from Days and investing them into Y&R they have a right to peeved– but whether a big corp like Sony cares– not likely. My feeling is if Corday wins, Days will lose, if Sony wins, Days will lose. When P&G went out of the soap production business it left a big gap– if Sony pulls out its partnership with the Cordays- I don’t know if there will be another large company willing to take up the mantle of soap production, when the genre and daytime television is it’s dying days. My feeling, NBC won’t step in as producer– so this makes me nervous.
I’ve been riding the @DAYS wave of resurge AND top tier
this has put the angst back in… “OUR” show is still being celebrated !
I do know that I’ve read in SOD… that @DAYS was pulled from parts of Canada AND France… not certain of all the specific… outside of low viewership.
taken from article: “…”In the annals of Hollywood television, it is difficult to identify a distributor more guilty of blatant conflict of interest, deceit, perfidy, and abuse of market power. The only effective remedies are massive compensatory and punitive damages and immediate termination Sony’s exclusive, perpetual distribution agreement,” says Corday Productions. ”
LAST SENTENCE : “…and immediate termination Sony’s exclusive, perpetual distribution agreement,” says Corday Productions ”
it seems Corday Productions isn’t willing to work with SONY ? AND now what? that Ken Corday can in fact find another “distributor”
it occurred to me that Ken Corday would likely cash in on this “right” if he won this legalese… AND just venture in to his online internet ventures. thereby , that simply, letting go all that his parents have done for this genre.
SALUTE to September 2020 AND BEYOND
Great news, I hope Corday and DOOL win because the show deserves better than this. To starve Days to feed Y&R….NO! DOOL’s cast and crew have been doing really outstanding work, especially the past year and a half. And with the ratings up? They definitely deserve more money for better and more sets as well as cast and crew. I really pray that they win this. Sony deserves this for what they’ve done having Days to axe a lot of actors due to budget, same with Y&R as we’ve seen with the actors who played Ashley and Hilllary.
I MISS Valerie w/Abe… at the very least , lets see more of Sheila
I am going to miss big time : Chloe, this was thee opportune time to get her back involved with Brady… she was more relatable , little to no fuss and or muss… yet all the passion , like Kristen, Theresa, Nicole. Chloe IS FIRE. By the way… who didn’t see the electricity AND spark with Stefan… when he was in Dougs Place AND he was teasing and tantalizing Chloe… HOT ME OUT
same goes for my little spotlight, Belle daughter, granddaughter to John and Marlena.. altho you would never know the latter , that much. Olivia Rose Keegan’ Claire !!!! she’s a spitfire. you know.. they couldn’t tango with the same threesome… since Ben returned for Ciera… What was left for Tripp ? let alone, for Claire… she’s been emmy nominated from the start.. she’s worthy.
FINER POINT :
I am so loving the easy banter with flair flash flummoxed… just do it already !!! Jack and Eve. hit it… the sheets.. forget about these plot points that he’s about to put out… AND he has this flash memory of being faithful to another women !!!!! argh. how staid. it’s been a good time watching Jack get in and around Salem… I like the easy slow transition they’re taking with JJ and Abs.
Here is an explanation as to what this is all about: Corday is fed up with Sony over the above mentioned issues. Corday wishes to terminate it’s current contract with Sony since it has secured a new distribution partner with better terms as a replacement. However, due to the current terms of the contract (perpetual, does not expire) with Sony, Corday is taking legal action which is required in order to terminate the contract. NBC is not involved in this in anyway. Corday packages and produces the content then Sony distributes it to NBC domestically and also to foreign markets. The license fees paid by NBC are used to cover the costs of production and the profit is made from lic. fees generated from selling the content abroad.
I want to add a few more things…The contract with Sony actually dates back to in 1965 when perpetual contracts were commonplace. They are virtually nonexistant today. Nowadays contracts are terminally based with an option for renewal which is better for all parties involved. When this contract began no one could conceive a TV show being in production for 55 years so it wasn’t a big deal to enter a perpetual contract as long as it favored both parties. Also, a lot has changed in 55 years…Screen Gems was acquired by Columbia who was later acquired by Sony. Sony owns Y&R unlike Days which Corday owns. Sony doesn’t have to split the profits from Y&R like they do with Days so it makes more sense to them to push Y&R and make 100 percent of revenues vs. 50 percent they make from Days. When Sony acquired Y&R Corday should have sued the next day because it immediately put Days at a disadvantage.
“Thank You” for the “laymens” edition w/step by. appreciate it
as long as the distributor is in fact
whew
catch
What a shame.
Over the past year or two, I’ve been grateful that it’s become legally possible to enjoy watching current episodes (with commercials) in high-definition via an Internet website.
It would be wonderful if they could go back and similarly make all episodes from the past 10 years or so ALSO available in the same high-definition format, even if it required paying a fee. Of course, such flexibility seems impossible, given the contractual handcuffs the producers seem to have placed themselves under.
Unfortunately Days didn’t start airing in high definition until November 8, 2010 and that’s as far back true HD is possible. They could however stretch it to fit and digitally enhance the content but there’s a cost associated with that and it would be difficult to convince TPTB that the profitability would exist.
Breaking News
Jacob Martinez is ‘Days of Our Lives’ New Javi Hernandez Replacing Al Calderon in the Role
Finally! The casting has been revealed as to just who would be Al Calderon’s successor in the role of Days of our Lives, Javi Hernandez. On Friday, April 30, the long-running soap opera revealed Jacob Martinez is taking on the part and he will first be seen this coming June 30th and then on all-new episodes streaming on Peacock.
As previously reported, the popular Calderon exited the soap opera last year to join the cast of the NBC primetime medical drama, Brilliant Minds as nurse Nico Silva, who in May will air the remainder of their second season. The series has been on the bubble for renewal by the network. His last episodes as Javi will also air this May on DAYS.
Since DAYS tapes ten months ahead of streaming, Martinez has been secretly ensconced in all the drama in Salem for quite some time. When viewers see the new Javi in story, we should learn what will happen in Javi’s relationship with Leo Stark played by Emmy winner, Greg Rikaart, plus his continued relationship with his relatives in the Hernandez clan. Currently, when Javi returned to Salem after taking care of his ailing father, and after the bust-up of his marriage to Leo thanks to Dimitri (Peter Porte), he claimed he had moved on with someone else while he was away from Salem.
Photo: JPI
Like Calderon before him, Martinez is a multi-talented actor and singer. Jacob’s resume is impressive having appeared in the musical In Pieces: The Musical at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater and he was hand-picked by Joey Contreras to play the role of Grey. Other credits include: the short film, Memory Swim and the play Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage.
Martinez hails from Norfolk, Nebraska and appeared when he was very young at the Johnny Carson Theatre, and as DAYS fans know, Jacob is now working at the Days of our Lives studios, right where the “Tonight Show” is filled. In addition, Jacob Martinez is a graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA).
Taking to his Instagram on Thursday, April 30 once the news of his casting was revealed, Martinez, expressed, “Way too many people to thank in one post, so I’ll just say THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART to each and every person who continues to pour into me and encourage me to chase my dreams. I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am. I already feel beyond blessed, supported, and loved. See you all in Salem ⏳”
Jacob Martinez appeared on Friday on the Days of our Lives Instagram account announcing his casting. You can check it out below. Deadline was the first to report the casting switch.
So, excited to learn who is the new Javi Hernandez? Please welcome Jacob Martinez to the role and be on the lookout for his debut on June 30. Comment below.
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This week starts with heartbreaking news. Patrick Muldoon, best known for his roles as the original Austin Reed on Days of Our Lives and later as Richard Hart on Melrose Place, died on Sunday, April 19, at the age of 57. Reports indicate his death was sudden following a heart attack.
Muldoon’s sister, Shana Muldoon-Zappa, told TMZ on Monday more details on her brother’s death, “Patrick went to take a shower Sunday morning after drinking coffee with his girlfriend in their Beverly Hills home. His girlfriend decided to check on him after he was taking too long and found him unconscious on the bathroom floor?” Shana added that paramedics rushed over and tried to revive Patrick, but there was nothing anyone could do.
Soap fans first saw Muldoon as Kate’s (Lauren Koslow) son on DAYS back in 1992, where he quickly became a fan favorite during the on-screen love story between Austin and Carrie Brady (Christie Clarke). Patrick left the series in 1995. He later made comeback for appearances in 2011 and 2012.
Photo: JPI
On Melrose Place, he played bad buy Richard Hart from 1995-1996. Patrick launched his acting career while in college landing the role of Matt in the 1990 sitcom Who’s The Boss? alongside the likes of Judith Light (ex-Karen, OLTL) and Tony Danza. Following his graduation, Patrick nabbed a recurring role as Jeffrey Hunter in Saved By The Bell by 1991.
Throughout his decades long career, Muldoon also starred in several motion and TV series including his leading roile in Starship Troopers (1997). He also had parts in Deadlock (2021), Vanquish (2021), Dakota (2022), Marlowe (2022), and Murder At Hollow Creek (2023).
Photo: JPI
Not only was Patrick an actors, but a producer and a musician and singer. He often made appearances and put out music with his band, The Sleeping Masses. Muldoon was the band’s lead singer and guitar player. Patrick was also a producer of TV and film projects.
At the time of his death, Patrick was also an executive producer on a the movie “Kockroach,” which is currently in production.
Taking to his Instagram, just a few days before his death, Muldoon expressed,“So excited to be a part of this amazing project KOCKROACH directed by Matt Ross starring Chris Hemsworth, Taron Edgerton, Zazzie Beetz And Alec Baldwin. Filming now in Australia,” he captioned his post.
Sadly, on April 24, Muldoon can be seen in his 2025 film Dirty Hands also festuring Denise Richards (ex-B&B, RHOBH), which will be released on digital streaming platforms on VOD.
Muldoon is survived by his partner, Miriam Rothbart; parents, Deanna and Patrick Muldoon Sr.; his sister and brother-in-law, Shana and Ahmet Zappa; and their children, Muldoon’s beloved niece Halo and nephew Arrow Zappa.
Share your remembrances and condolences on the loss of Patrick Muldoon via the comment section, which is followed below by the trailer Dirty Hands due out later this week on digital platforms.
All My Children and Hallmark alum, Jonathan Bennett has been cast in the newly-created role on General Hospital as Joe Fitzpatrick.
Look for Bennett to make his debut on the ABC soap opera next month in May. Bennett is very familiar to daytime fans for his work as JR Chandler on All My Children from 2000-2001. Later, he landed the part of Aaron Samuels in the motion picture, Mean Girls in 2004 starring Lindsay Lohan, which would become his breakout role.
Jonathan would go on to star in seven Hallmark Channel movies and then hosting and producing the network’s reality competition show Finding Mr. Christmas, Bennett has also appeared as a contestant on Season 19 of Dancing with the Stars, plus Celebrity Big Brother in 2019, and he starred on Broadway in Spamalot.
Courtesy/ABC
Frank Valentini, the executive producer of General Hospital shared to Deadline who first reported the casting news, “We’re so excited to have Jonathan joining our cast. He’s a tremendous talent and will be a fantastic addition to ‘GH.’
After the news broke, Bennett took to his Instagram and shared, “There’s a new guy in town…” Meanwhile, the official General Hospital account shared a pic and expressed, “He’s already tired of us telling him his hair looks sexy pushed back. Welcome to the family, Jonathan Bennett.
Bennett is married to Jaymes Vaughan. Back in 2022, they became the first gay couple to appear on the cover of the wedding magazine, The Knot.
So, what do you think of the casting of Jonathan as Joe Fitzpatrick? Is he the new man for Lucas? Share your thoughts via the comment section.
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