Amazon Studios is the latest big name to drop out of this year’s SXSW over coronavirus concerns, according to a new report from Deadline. The move comes just days after Twitter and Facebook also exited the 2020 edition of the festival in Austin. While Facebook has a major outpost in the Texas capitol, the absence of Twitter and now Amazon is likely to have a more profound affect on SXSW, which has generated over $300 million in annual revenue for the city of Austin in recent years. TikTok, the popular video-sharing social network, also nixed its SXSW plans this week due to the coronavirus, officially dubbed COVID-19 by the World Health Organization.
Amazon Studios was set to premiere two new series as part of SXSW’s episodic program: the sci-fi comedy series Upload from The Office vet Greg Daniels, and Tales From The Loop from Matt Reeves and Nathaniel Halpern. The studio had also partnered with Entertainment Weekly for a marketing activation, as well as a Saturday night party; both have been canceled. Other brands and individuals have pulled out of SXSW, including Intel and Mashable, as well as Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey (who was scheduled to give a speech).
As of now, SXSW will continue on as planned. In an official statement released earlier this week, organizers for the annual fest said they are “working closely on a daily basis with local, state, and federal agencies to plan for a safe event.” Over 300 films are planned to screen at the SXSW film festival this year, while 288 acts have been announced for the music festival—a number that does not include the myriad indie musicians that participate in showcases in and around the fest in the hopes of attracting interest from labels. The 2020 SXSW film festival runs from March 13-21; the music festival is scheduled to begin on March 16 and conclude on March 22.