Disney Former Exec Tells SEC Media Conglom Inflated Revenue
MarketWatch: A former Disney accountant says she has filed a series of whistleblower tips with the Securities and Exchange Commission alleging the company has overstated revenue for years. Sandra Kuba alleges that employees in parks and resorts overstated revenue by...
Viacom, CBS Top Execs to Take Home Big Bucks in Merger Deal
Wall Street Journal: The merger of Viacom and CBS will be lucrative for the top executives of both companies. Bob Bakish, who will become president and CEO of the combined company, has signed a new contract listing salary, bonuses and other incentives worth about $31...
Lions Gate, ViacomCBS Final Two Bidders for Stake in Miramax
Bloomberg: The race to acquire a stake in Miramax, the once-groundbreaking studio behind films such as “Good Will Hunting” and “Pulp Fiction,” is down to two major bidders. Lions Gate and the soon-to-be-merged ViacomCBS are going toe-to-toe in pursuing the...
Sony to Acquire ‘Spider-Man’ Video-Game Developer Insomniac
CNET: Sony has announced its acquisition of Insomniac Games. Insomniac, which has made games including Marvel's Spider-Man for the PS4, Spyro the Dragon and Ratchet and Clank, will join PlayStation's Worldwide Studios at Sony Interactive...
Verizon to Shutter Fios1 News Channel, Lay Off 150 Employees
Crain's New York Business: Options for hyper-local news will be cut in the metro New York City area as Verizon Fios shutters its Fios1 News channel this fall. The telecom, which had a 10-year contract with RNN, opted out of renewing its contract, and in turn will lay...
Apple Plans $6 Billion on Streaming Shows, Debut in November
Financial Times: Apple has committed more than $6 billion for original shows and movies ahead of the launch of its new video streaming service. Bloomberg: Apple plans to roll out the Apple TV+ subscription service by November, part of a drive to reach $50 billion in...
AT&T Launches $60 Online Package of TV Channels in 10 Cities
Bloomberg: AT&T launched a new online TV product in 10 cities Monday -- a package of channels and fees that look a lot like conventional offerings, including the company’s own DirecTV. The service is a pilot of what AT&T calls its future “workhorse” TV...
Disney Plots Streaming Unveil in Canada, Netherlands, Australia
World Screen: Disney’s direct-to-consumer and international unit has revealed the global launch dates and pricing for Disney+ in Canada, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand. November 12 marks the beginning of the global rollout of...
Roku Channel Unveils Ad-Supported Kids, Family Programming
CNET: Add the Roku Channel to the long list of places to find kid-friendly screen time. A new tile in the channel, called Kids & Family, leads to a curated collection of TV shows and movies, all free and available to stream immediately, no sign-in...
Twitter Bans Ads from State-Run Media After Flap in Hong Kong
Fast Company: Twitter stated Monday that it wants to “protect healthy discourse.” To that end, Twitter is no longer accepting advertising from state-controlled news media entities. This comes on the heels their discovery of 936 accounts inside China that were...
Fox News Says Network ‘Has Not Changed’ Amid Trump Bashing
Mediaite: Fox News’ Bret Baier took a moment during Monday night’s "Special Report" o directly rebut President Trump‘s criticisms of his network. “Fox has not changed. We have a news side and an opinion side. Opinion folks express their opinions. We do...
Sinclair TV Stations Help Sell Campaign Merchandise for Trump
Daily Beast: Local broadcasters affiliated with the Sinclair Broadcasting Group ran stories that promoted a Trump reelection campaign fundraising effort. At least 20 Sinclair-owned network news broadcasters posted items on their websites hyping a new “Keep America...
Tegna TV-Station Group is Circled by Private-Equity Firm Apollo
Wall Street Journal: Apollo Global Management has approached broadcasting company Tegna about a deal as the private-equity firm looks to bulk up its ownership of television stations. Apollo first contacted Tegna about a potential transaction at the beginning of the...
Conde Nast’s Finance, Human Resources Chiefs to Step Down
Business of Fashion: When Conde Nast CEO Roger Lynch announced leadership changes last week, he expanded the roles of key leaders, including Anna Wintour. Two other execs, however, will be leaving: CFO David Geithner and JoAnn Murray, head of human...
News Corp Plans Rollout of Local Digital News Sites in Australia
News & Tech: News Corp. Australia has launched a digital-only newspaper for the Newcastle region, called the Newcastle News. It follows in the footsteps of other digital-only community titles launched recently. Further digital-only masthead launches are expected...
G/O Media Former Deadspin Editor Resurfaces at Wired Website
Talking Biz News: Wired editor in chief Nicholas Thompson announced Monday that Megan Greenwell has been hired as editor of Wired.com. Greenwell joins Wired from Deadspin, where she served as editor in chief. “Megan is one of the most brilliant editors and managers in...
Vaulter Isn’t Real, But ‘Succession’ Plotline is Very Real-World
Polygon: The second episode of "Succession’s" season 2 arrives in post-pivot-to-video world. Kendall and Roman are sent to investigate Vaulter, the online media company that Waystar spends most of season 1 trying to buy. The site’s traffic has been down ever since the...
Air Mail Newsletter: A Misplaced Nostalgia for Glossy Magazines
The Nation: Back in 2010, there were rumors that Daily Beast founder Tina Brown had the website's stories printed out so she could read them. Nine years later, Brown’s Vanity Fair successor Graydon Carter's new e-mail newsletter, Air Mail, is like a magazine uploaded...
AT&T’s New Streaming Plans in Peril as Exec Clashes with HBO
New York Post: Plans by HBO’s new parent company to launch a Netflix rival are coming under fire from insiders — many of whom are pointing the finger at new boss John Stankey. The new head of WarnerMedia reportedly yelled at HBO execs: “I know more about television...
ViacomCBS to Lean on ‘Old’ TV as Viewers Migrate to Streaming
Barron's: New technologies have enabled consumers to ditch expensive cable bundles in favor of streaming services. That remains problematic for ViacomCBS, since almost 60 percent of its combined profits will come from their traditional TV networks. And, in streaming,...
Comcast’s Universal Wins Weekend Box Office with ‘Good Boys’
Associated Press: The R-rated comedy, left for dead by some Hollywood studios, again reached No.1 at the box office thanks to the raunchy coming-of-age tale “Good Boys,” about a trio of 12-year-olds on a crude misadventure. “Good Boys” surpassed expectations to debut...
Disney is First with Five Films Grossing $1 Billion in Single Year
Fox Business: Disney’s “Toy Story 4” was a major milestone for the studio. The movie made Disney the first studio to ever have five pictures gross more than $1 billion in a single year. And with high-potential sequels due later this year, Disney has a shot at having...
Fox is Making ‘Big Mistake’ with Changes in News, Trump Says
Mediaite: President Trump went on a tear against Fox News on Sunday afternoon and singled out two of the network’s most notable Democratic pundits as he bemoaned what's happened to the network. "Fox has changed. There’s something going on at Fox. I think they're...
Apple CEO Dines with Trump on Friday, Warns of China Tariffs
Reuters: President Trump said he was having dinner on Friday with CEO Tim Cook of Apple, a company the president has criticized. Trump said on Sunday that he had spoken with Cook about the impact of U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports as well as competition from South...
Google’s YouTube Original Series, Films Go Free in September
Engadget: Earlier this year, YouTube promised to make its original shows available to the public as ad-supported programming. Now, the Google subsidiary is staying true to its word and making all original series, movies and live events released on Sept. 24 and beyond...
Quibi Eyes Talent from Snap, Netflix in Aggressive Hiring Spree
Business Insider: As it gears up to take on the video-streaming market with a 2020 launch, Quibi is going on an aggressive hiring spree. Jeffrey Katzenberg's planned mobile streaming-video service has posted 48 new job listings on LinkedIn in the past few weeks. Quibi...
Facebook Threatens Business Model of Instagram’s Influencers
Wall Street Journal: Social-media influencers are akin to huge businesses in their own right. Companies pay some $2 billion annually to individuals who promote their brands on Instagram alone. But Facebook's plan to make changes to focus on privacy and safety could...
Twitter CEO Hopes to Sell Hollywood Hills Home for $4.5 Million
Dirt: Back in August 2018, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey forked out $4.225 million for an uber-contemporary home set near the very top of the Hollywood Hills. Scarcely a year later, the tech titan’s award-winning property has popped back up for sale with a nearly $4.5...
Spotify, iHeartMedia CEOs Exchange Barbs Over Listener Stats
Digital Music News: iHeartMedia CEO Bob Pittman fired shots at Spotify when explaining a difference between streaming and radio platforms. Pittman said that 75% of iHeartMedia’s listening comes from 34% of its audience. He contrasted that against Spotify and Pandora,...
Vice Media’s Cable TV Network Lands HBO’s Punted ‘Vice News’
Deadline: Nightly newsmagazine "Vice News Tonight" is returning to TV on Viceland, the basic cable network joint venture of Vice Media and A+E Networks. "VNT" had been looking for a new home after HBO in June opted not to renew the program after also ending Vice’s...