Disney in Clash Over Covid Tests as Florida Parks Reopen
Orlando Sentinel: The Actors' Equity Association has filed a grievance against Disney, accusing the company of retaliating against its members after the union argued that its theme park performers should be regularly tested for Covid-19 because it's difficult to wear...
Comcast’s Universal Denies Covid Shutdown of ‘Jurassic’
Screen Rant: "Jurassic World: Dominion" reportedly stopped filming on its very first day back, due to crew members testing positive for the coronavirus. But Universal Pictures has denied the shutdown: "Any reports [of a] halted production are categorically...
Fox Corp’s News Hosts Differ from Pundits on Face Masks
Daily Beast: Fox News contributor Dan Bongino declared this week that he "will not comply" with mandatory mask orders. The network that employs him as a paid pundit, meanwhile, has recently been airing ads urging viewers to wear face coverings to stem the spread of...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia Expects to Hire New Ad Sales Chief
Adweek: Friday marks the one-year anniversary of the abrupt exit of Donna Speciale as WarnerMedia ad sales chief. But even more astonishing than the timing of her departure — just after she had wrapped 2019’s upfronts — is the fact that a full year later, the job...
Comcast’s MSNBC Announces Reid as Evening Show Host
Associated Press: Joy Reid says she wants to bring some different perspectives to MSNBC's evening lineup — lots of them. As anticipated, the host of MSNBC's weekend "AM Joy" show was appointed to succeed former "Hardball" host Chris Matthews in the 7 pm ET time slot...
Discovery Plans Martha at Home Show with Virtual Guests
Broadcasting & Cable: Martha Stewart will host "Martha Knows Best" on HGTV starting July 31, as she takes on outdoor projects at her home in Bedford, NY. Guest stars virtually popping up in these pandemic times include Jay Leno, Snoop Dogg, Richard Gere, and...
ViacomCBS Enters Deal to Lock Down Creator of ‘Younger’
World Screen: ViacomCBS has struck up an expansive overall production and development deal with Emmy-winner Darren Star. Star is the creator, executive producer and writer of TV Land's "Younger," in addition to iconic shows such as "Sex and the City" and "Beverly...
Comcast’s Peacock Likely to Debut Without Amazon, Roku
CNBC: NBCUniversal subscription video service Peacock is unlikely to reach an agreement with Amazon or Roku before it launches nationally on July 15. Without a deal, Roku and Amazon Fire TV users won't have access to Peacock...
Google’s YouTube Isn’t Required to Report on Film Pirates
Reuters: YouTube is not required to hand over the email or IP address of users who upload films illegally to its video platform, Europe's top court ruled, saying there must be a balance between protecting personal data and copyright. Rights holders may have access to...
Quibi: We Didn’t Lose 92 Percent of Our Early Subscribers
Bloomberg: Quibi says a report that it lost 92% of paying subscribers after their free trials expired is "incorrect by an order of magnitude." The company said 5.6 million people downloaded the Quibi app and that it is "seeing excellent conversion to paid...
Sony Invests $250 Million in ‘Fortnite’ Creator Epic Games
Bloomberg: Sony invested $250 million in Epic Games, owner of the popular video game "Fortnite" and the widely used "Unreal Engine" for game development. The PlayStation maker didn't disclose the new value of the games...
McClatchy Faces Duel of Hedge Funds in Bankruptcy Court
New York Times: A battle of the hedge funds is brewing in the McClatchy bankruptcy auction, pitting Chatham Asset Management and Brigade Capital Management, both debt holders in the chain, against a newcomer to the proceedings, Alden Global...
News Corp Exec to Elevate Diversity at Wall Street Journal
Talking Biz News: Brent Jones is taking on a new newsroom role as editor of culture, training and outreach at the Wall Street Journal. "Brent is both realistic and optimistic about the work to be done." Jones joined the Journal in 2018 as assistant managing editor for...
Conde Nast’s Vogue Covers Biles Amid Diversity Criticism
Daily Mail: Gymnastics superstar Simone Biles has landed the cover of Vogue's August issue, photographed by Annie Leibovitz. Biles's cover shoot and interview come amid mounting criticism of Vogue's lack of diversity, which has led to an apology from editor-in-chief...
Meredith’s InStyle Cover Star Photographs, Styles Herself
Fashion Week Daily: Drew Barrymore not only shot herself for the August cover of InStyle, she was her own "glam team" doing her own hair and makeup. Inside she has a candid conversation about what her upcoming CBS daytime talk show, "The Drew Barrymore Show," is going...
Hearst Unveils $2-a-Month Memberships for Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan: "Cosmopolitan has been in the magazine biz since 1886. But we've never had an exclusive club of VIP readers. And that's why we're excited to announce the launch of Cosmo Unlocked, our first-ever membership program designed to give you even more of the...
Maven in Spat with Owner Over Future of Sports Illustrated
Daily Beast: Authentic Brands Group is examining The Maven's rights under the license to operate the Sports Illustrated media business— potentially removing the legendary sports brand entirely from the hands of the controversial Seattle-based media...
Casa Magazines Seeks Savior for Beloved NYC Newsstand
New Yorker: The most recognizable newsstand in Manhattan's West Village needs a large investor to come in as a benefactor. "We are surviving, but now it's bad,” says Mohammed Ahmed, the owner of Casa Magazines, regarded as a "living shrine in print culture in New York...
Disney Keeps Streaming Viewer Data a Secret for ‘Hamilton’
Associated Press: Disney+'s streaming of "Hamilton" was surely the biggest event on television screens over the holiday weekend. Just how big, however, remains a mystery. Disney knows, but it's not telling. Data is coming in to Nielsen, too, but won't be released...
ViacomCBS Inks Deal to Stream European Soccer Matches
CNBC: ViacomCBS will become the exclusive English language streamer of UEFA Champions League games in the U.S. beginning in August, in time for the conclusion of the 2019-20 season. Previously, ViacomCBS's rights agreement began in...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia Taps Exec for HBO Max International
World Screen: WarnerMedia has appointed Johannes Larcher, currently the managing director of digital at MBC Group, as head of HBO Max International, set to join the company in August. Larcher will be responsible for the international rollout and management of...
Comcast’s Universal Shuffles Film Slate as Covid Worsens
CNBC: Universal Pictures is pushing a number of its upcoming horror films to new release dates as the coronavirus pandemic continues to worsen in the US. "Candyman," originally slated for release Sept. 25, is moving to Oct. 16. "The Forever Purge," set for release...
Lionsgate, Oprah to Partner with New York Times for ‘1619’
Associated Press: Oprah Winfrey and Lionsgate are partnering with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones to adapt "The 1619 Project," a New York Times project examining the legacy of slavery, for film and television. The partners aim to develop a...
AT&T-ViacomCBS’s CW Casts Black Actress as ‘Batwoman’
Reuters: A Black woman will star in the television series “Batwoman,” a first for the superhero in live-action television or film, the CW network said. Javicia Leslie, who is also bisexual, will take on the cape and cowl for the CW show when it returns for its second...
Fox Corp News Host in Talks for Rush Limbaugh Radio Job
Vanity Fair: Laura Ingraham, the Fox News Channel host, said she's been in talks to take over for Rush Limbaugh, who recently revealed his Stage 4 lung cancer might force him off the radio. "Laura's really interested in Rush's job," a person close to Ingraham...
Comcast Hiring of Shepard Smith Irks Employees at CNBC
@CGasparino: "People inside CNBC aren't too thrilled with the hiring, and it's not because they dislike Shep. CNBC employees were asked to take a pay cut because of the pandemic recession. Now they're reading the network signed someone to what has to be a...
IAC’s Diller Predicts Return to Normal After Pandemic Ends
Bloomberg: Barry Diller is predicting that life pretty much returns to normal once there's a coronavirus vaccine. Families will again take vacations and managers will send employees to conferences. He'd better hope so, because one of his companies, Expedia, depends on...
Twitter Job Posting Hints of Plan for Subscription Platform
CNBC: Twitter posted a job listing saying it was building a subscription platform under the code name "Gryphon." The company revealed little about the new platform: "We are building a subscription platform, one that can be reused by other teams in the future. This is...
Google, Amazon Said to Funnel Money to Conspiracy Sites
Bloomberg: Digital advertising platforms run by Google, Amazon and other tech companies will funnel at least $25 million to websites spreading misinformation about Covid-19 this year, according to a newly released study. Google's platforms will provide $19...
ByteDance’s TikTok Unveils Ad Platform Amid Challenges
Reuters: TikTok's launch of a new platform to court small business advertisers is fraught with challenges, especially after the Trump administration's threat to impose a ban on China-based social media apps. The new ad platform is key to TikTok's ability to become a...