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...
New York Times Under a Shadow Amid Podcast Probe
New York Times: "Caliphate" marked a major step toward the New York Times's realization of its multimedia ambitions. The presentation carried an obvious, if implicit assumption: the central character of the narrative wasn't making the whole story up. That assumption...
Philadelphia Inquirer to Cut 500 Staffers in Printer Sale
Philadelphia Inquirer: The Philadelphia Inquirer will close its printing plant and shift production of its newspapers to a New Jersey contractor. The cost-cutting move will put as many as 500 employees out of work, but is aimed at ensuring the survival of the media...
Analysis: Media’s Pandemic Reckoning is Far from Over
Vanity Fair: Just as new embers of coronavirus transmission are flaring up, so too are fresh signs of media peril. The two publications that found themselves, unfortunately, in the headlines last week aren't exactly the most major players, but they are noteworthy and...
Facebook Dominates Social Media Rivals in Political Ads
CNBC: Google has dramatically limited targeting for political ads and Twitter banned them altogether, leaving Facebook as the only game in town for many campaigns. "For better or worse — mostly worse — Facebook is the de facto place you go." Vice News: Facebook has...
Apple Extends Free Streaming TV Trial for Three Months
CNBC: Apple will extend some Apple TV+ subscriptions on a free one-year trial for three additional months. When Apple TV+ launched last fall, Apple bundled a free one-year subscription with the purchase of an Apple product, immediately boosting the number of people...
Disney Snubs Theaters with Streaming Release of ‘Soul’
Reuters: Pixar animated movie "Soul," which had been set to hit theaters in November, will instead debut on the Disney+ streaming service on Christmas Day. Disney is testing new ways to release first-run movies while the coronavirus pandemic limits attendance at...
AT&T to Lay Off Thousands of Staffers at WarnerMedia
Wall Street Journal: WarnerMedia is restructuring its workforce as it seeks to reduce costs by as much as 20% as the coronavirus pandemic drains income. Thousands of layoffs are expected. Variety: Jean-Paul Colaco, a veteran of Hulu and Apple, has been named head of...
ViacomCBS: CNET Cuts Staffers Ahead of Closing Sale
Gamesindustry.biz: Multiple employees have tweeted about being laid off from CNET, with some tying the job losses to the group's pending acquisition by Red Ventures. The new CNET owner says it will "retain a vast majority of CNET Media Group employees," but "cannot...
Fox Corp Adds TV News Offering to Free Streamer Tubi
Cord Cutters News: The free streaming service Tubi has announced the launch of "News on Tubi," bringing live, premium news content to viewers for free. The new section will include content from FoxTelevision Stations, Bloomberg TV, NBC News Now, PeopleTV, CBC,...
Comcast’s NBC Drops Performer Over Covid Protocols
Associated Press: Morgan Wallen has been dropped from performing on "Saturday Night Live" after breaking the show's Covid-19 protocols. The country singer posted a two-plus minute video on social media Wednesday about the show's decision. He apologized after he was...
Disney Veterans Team for Investments in Media, Tech
Wall Street Journal: Tom Staggs, Kevin Mayer and Salil Mehta, all former high-ranking Disney executives, are teaming up with basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal and one of Martin Luther King Jr.'s sons to make acquisitions in media and technology. The group created a...
ICM Enters Sports with Buy of English Soccer’s Stellar
Bloomberg: Hollywood talent agency ICM has agreed to buy London-based Stellar Group to move into the lucrative world of English soccer. While many of its peers are firing staff and slimming down due to the pandemic, ICM is using $150 million it raised last year to...
Sirius XM’s Howard Stern Has No Plans to Join Spotify
New York Post: Howard Stern's team reportedly had "preliminary talks" to join Spotify, which didn't get very far. Sources close to Spotify confirm that the Swedish streaming giant is not in a bidding war for Stern and has no plans to poach him. "There was never a...
iHeartMedia’s Rush Limbaugh Plans Trump Radio Rally
Mediaite: Conservative radio king Rush Limbaugh announced Thursday that President Trump will be holding a "virtual radio rally" on the Friday edition of his show. "It will be special, and I am really looking forward to it." Limbaugh says listeners will have the...
Hearst Offers ‘Hard Truth’ Forum Across Media Brands
WCVB: The urgent conversation about race, equality and justice will be the focus of a live, multimedia, interactive forum across many of America's most familiar media brands, with the debut of "The Hard Truth About Bias: Images and Reality," a one-hour digital program...
Conde Nast Plans First Guest-Curated Box of Products
MediaPost: GQ is partnering with NBA star Kevin Love on its first guest-curated product box. The quarterly box product offering launched in January 2018. It is sent to readers for $50 each or $190 a year. Every box is valued at over $200 and ships free, with GQ...
Meredith, Hearst Plot Reinvention of Fashion Magazines
Business of Fashion: As Covid-19 rippled around the world this year, fashion's top editors faced a new challenge: how to remain relevant. That fashion magazines continue to play a crucial role in the cultural landscape is not up for dispute, says InStyle...
Forbes to Drop the Word ‘Minority’ from News Coverage
Forbes: Forbes will no longer use the word minority to identify or classify races of people. "This wasn't a hard decision. First, non-whites are already a majority of the world's population. Second, people of color will compose a majority in America. Finally, as any...
New York Times to Help Advertisers in Pivotal Moments
Adweek: The New York Times is rolling out a new platform for marketers highlighting the publisher's research and consumer insights. The platform will be centered around six main categories: race, climate, tech, gender, sex and money. Each category will be backed by...