Fox Corp, AT&T Promise Restraint on Election Coverage
Reuters: This will be the first presidential election in which the major TV networks will get data from different providers, raising the potential for divergent perspectives on election night returns. "You don’t want to be wrong on something like this," says Fox News...
ViacomCBS Nabs Rights to Drama ‘Narcos’ from Netflix
Bloomberg: One of Netflix's biggest hits is about to be available free on Pluto TV, part of a dash by streaming rivals to grab binge-worthy shows. Pluto, a free online service owned by ViacomCBS has acquired the rights to "Narcos," the popular drama about the Latin...
Netflix Chief Expresses Shock Over Censorship Debate
Deadline: Ted Sarandos has voiced shock that a censorship debate has sprung up around the controversial film "Cuties" after a Texas grand jury indicted the streamer over the feature. The Netflix Co-CEO says "Cuties" was misunderstood in America after the indictment...
Facebook Reverses Stance on Content About Holocaust
CNBC: Facebook says it will now ban content that "denies or distorts the Holocaust," reversing its earlier policy. "Our decision is supported by the well-documented rise in anti-Semitism globally and the alarming level of ignorance about the Holocaust, especially...
Alphabet Fails to Block Controversial Pundit on YouTube
Bloomberg: Steven Crowder, a popular "satirist" on YouTube, was blocked from running ads on his channel in June 2019 following accusations of homophobic harassment. Crowder, however, has been again making money from YouTube ads since August. He's gained nearly a...
Twitter to Benefit from US National Brand Ad Resurgence
TheStreet: Twitter is well positioned to "benefit from a big event landscape in 2021," according to a Deutsche Bank analyst, who upgraded the microblogging platform to buy from hold. "We are starting to pick up signs of a resurgence in US national brand advertising in...
News Corp Payout Claims Continue Over Phone Hacking
Press Gazette: ITV "Coronation Street" actor Michael Le Vell has settled a court claim against the publisher of the now-defunct News of the World over phone-hacking. The 55-year-old took legal action against News Group Newspapers in May, claiming its journalists...
New York Times Says ‘Work from Home’ Until July 2021
Free Press Journal: The New York Times has asked employees to work from home until at least July 6, 2021, according to a tweet by journalist Ken Vogel. "Though we had hoped to begin a broader return to the office in the new year, it's clear that the continued...
WNET Staffers Seek CEO Ouster at Public Broadcaster
New York Times: More than three dozen employees at the WNET Group, the parent company of New York’s public television stations, have called for the resignation of longtime CEO Neal Shapiro, saying he had not done enough to improve working conditions for employees,...
Hearst New Editor Taps Lieutenants at Harper’s Bazaar
WWD: After three months in the top job, Harper's Bazaar editor in chief Samira Nasr is rounding out her team with some new hires. Kaitlyn Greenidge is joining as features director across all platforms. Laura Genninger will be magazine’s first creative director since...
The Economist Touts US Election Coverage in New Ads
MediaPost: The Economist is launching a new digital ad campaign to drive US readers to its 2020 election coverage. Though a global campaign called "Word Play, the ads primarily target an American audience and will run across social media and The Economist's owned...
Vox Media Relaunches Curbed with New York Magazine
New York: Curbed, the pioneering site that has covered real estate, architecture, design and urbanism since 2004, officially relaunches as part of New York, continuing the magazine's core mission of the original city magazine. "We are launching the new Curbed at this...
Group Nine Launches Live Events Franchise at NowThis
Hollywood Reporter: NowThis, the mobile news brand owned by Group Nine Media, has decided the time is right to launch an events franchise of its own. The inaugural event, NowThis Next, is scheduled for October 18, and, for obvious reasons, it will stream live online,...
Air Mail Helps Transform Newsstand Into Culture Space
WWD: Graydon Carter's online magazine Air Mail can be read for free on the iPads dotted around a London newsstand that has been reopened and reimagined as a "culture concept store." The newsstand has added a coffee and pastry bar, salon, reading room and event...
Report: Media to Rely on Digital Subscriptions, Paywalls
WNIP: "Digital subscriptions and paywalls are rapidly emerging as the primary revenue driver for many media businesses," says James Hewes, president and CEO of FIPP. "The phenomenon of digital subscriptions and paywalls is global. There is not a country on earth where...
Apple, Amazon Ready to Kick Off Big Events on Tuesday
CNET: Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 12 at its Oct. 13 event, and ship the new phones sometime in October or even November. CNET: There's no rule book for how to throw a giant, company-invented sales event during a pandemic, but Amazon is making a go at it,...
Alphabet Offers Sneak Peek at New Campus for Google
CNBC: Google has released a first look at its next massive campus — and it looks nothing like those before it. More than half of the “Downtown West” 80-acre project in San Jose will be allocated for residential and public space and include childcare centers, outdoor...
Google Seeks to Turn YouTube Into a Hub for Shopping
Bloomberg: YouTube recently started asking creators to use its software to tag and track products featured in their clips. The data will then be linked to analytics and shopping tools from parent Google. The goal is to convert YouTube videos into a vast catalog of...
Facebook, Twitter Brace for Possible US Election Chaos
Bloomberg: Facebook and Twitter have rolled out new policies as they brace for a complicated and possibly chaotic election night, in which results may be unclear or delayed. Both companies updated their rules last week, a sign that they're still fine-tuning their...
Netflix Original Content VP Departs After Big Shake-Up
Deadline: Channing Dungey has stepped down as Original Content VP and head of drama at Netflix after 20 months at the company to pursue another opportunity. It's the latest sign of a game of musical chairs that is playing out as major media companies and streamers...
Fox Corp Former CEO Explains Exit Amid Rumor of Coup
New York Times: Murdoch watchers across media say James is aligned with his sister Elisabeth and his half sister, Prudence, even as he is estranged from his father and brother. When Rupert, 89, finally leaves the stage and his elder children take over, that could make...
News Corp Faces Petition for Media Inquiry in Australia
Sydney Morning Herald: Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd says he was motivated to launch a petition calling for a royal commission into Rupert Murdoch's media empire after coming to the conclusion that News Corp was running a "protection racket" for the...
Google to Freeze ‘Unworkable’ News Effort in Australia
Engadget: Google has decided to freeze plans to launch its curated News Showcase in Australia over claims the draft News Media Bargaining Code is "unworkable." The internet giant still objected to what it called a "must include, must pay" approach in the...
Comcast Hit with Staff Gripes on Covid Testing at NBC
New York Post: Employees at NBC's local news station in New York City claim they're being treated like second-class citizens when it comes to the company's coronavirus testing policies. Staffers at WNBC are demanding they receive Covid-19 tests like their colleagues...
Disney’s ‘Worst Fears’ About Virus Aren’t Coming True
New York Times: Attendance has been low since the July reopening of Walt Disney World, but health officials and worker unions also say safety protocols have kept the coronavirus at bay. "We have no issues or concerns with the major theme parks at this...
ViacomCBS Rethinks CBS’s Eye Logo in New Strategy
AdAge: The iconic CBS eye is getting a facelift, as the broadcast giant pivots from its identity from a traditional broadcaster to a multiplatform brand. The goal is to unify and differentiate the CBS brand in an increasingly crowded media landscape, on the heels of...
Lionsgate TV Exec Exits After Bringing Gun to Meeting
Next TV: Lionsgate executive Jared Goetz has left the company after bringing a gun to a company meeting. Goetz was named president of North American Television Distribution at the company in 2017. According to his attorney, Goetz "had plans to go to the shooting range...
Quibi’s Sales Pitch Gets Rejections from Media, Tech
The Information: Over the past few weeks, Jeffrey Katzenberg has pitched several tech and media executives about buying Quibi, only to be turned down. Among those he approached was Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of internet software and services, and...
Hearst Says Magazines Surpass Video for Inspiration
MediaPost: Magazines are the top media source of pandemic-era inspiration for cooking, more than YouTube or food sites, according to a new report from Hearst Magazines. The findings reflect what Hearst audiences want from food-related content, editors said in a summit...
Meredith Staffers Judge Rom-Coms Set at Magazines
InStyle: Many favorite rom-coms feature lead characters that work at women's magazines. But which ones are the good, the bad, and the horrifically inaccurate in the town car-riddled world of the fictionalized women's publishing...