ByteDance’s TikTok Wins Reprieve as Judge Halts Ban
CNBC: A judge has temporarily blocked an order from the Trump administration that would have banned TikTok from being downloaded from US app stores. The judge, however, did not block a much broader ban set to come into effect on Nov. 12 in the U.S., which could make...
Fox Corp Taps ‘Nerd’ to Call Election on News Channel
New York Times: Fox News will face pressure to call the US presidential election for Donald Trump. The outcome rests on little-known 65-year-old wonk Arnon Mishkin, who will declare the winner. Law360: Most viewers do not expect "actual facts" from Fox News host...
Discovery to Invest in New TV News Channel in Britain
Deadline: Discovery is getting into the news game in the UK by backing a new right-leaning, 24-hour news channel, which will be led by BBC presenter and ferocious political interrogator Andrew Neil. Named GB News, the channel will launch in Britain next...
Comcast Ready for Launch of Shepard Smith on CNBC
Associated Press: Two weeks shy of a year after abruptly quitting Fox News with a declaration that “truth will always matter,” Shepard Smith returns to television this week at his unexpected new home. He begins a general interest nightly newscast Wednesday at 7 p.m....
AT&T’s WarnerMedia ‘Tenet’ Stays Atop US Box Office
Bloomberg: The movie industry's path to recovery from Covid-19 is grinding to a halt, with the Warner Bros. feature "Tenet" ruling the box office for a fourth week because it has no major competition. The sci-fi thriller sold an estimate $3.4 million in tickets in...
Liberty Media Appoints New President for Formula One
CNBC: Formula One racing will move CEO Chase Carey "to the role of non-executive chairman," replacing him with Stefano Domenicali, the former Ferrari team principal. Carey, who had been CEO since 2017, previously held executive roles with News Corp and 21st Century...
Netflix Stands Firm on Its Plan to Adapt Chinese Novel
Bloomberg: Netflix stood by its decision to adapt an award-winning Chinese science-fiction novel, after five Republican senators asked the streaming service to consider the implications of providing a platform to the book's author for his political...
Quibi to Face Uphill Battle as Talks Loom for New Ads
Adweek: Nearly six months since its debut, Quibi is still looking to find its groove. The streamer is already evaluating a possible sale. Under-deliveries for advertisers and an ad sales climate centered on flexibility are both likely to affect next year's advertising...
Wondery Podcast Firm Explores Sale for $200 Million
Bloomberg: Wondery, the company behind hit podcasts “Dr. Death” and “Dirty John,” has hired financial advisers to explore strategic options, including a potential sale, hoping to cash in on growing interest from technology and media firms. Wondery is expected to...
Conde Nast Explores ‘Body Positivity’ in Latest Vogue
New York Post: Rizzo fronts Vogue's October issue in a red-hot frock by Valentino, and models looks from Gucci, Moschino Couture and LaQuan Smith inside the issue. The hitmaker's interview covers topics ranging from Black Lives Matter to the body positivity...
Hearst British Operation Girds for Covid Cash Crunch
Press Gazette: Covid-19 losses at Hearst UK will eat up a "large proportion" of the magazine publisher's cash resources. But the publisher said its US parent company Hearst Communications has confirmed continued financial support if...
Gannett Looks to Sell Newspaper Building in Missouri
Springfield Business Journal: Gannett has put on the market the building that houses the daily News-Leader in Springfield, Mo. The newspaper will continue in operation. Springfield Business Journal: The News-Leader's printing operations were moved out of town earlier...
McClatchy Editors Out Following Racist Flap in Florida
Miami New Times: After several scandals at the Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald involving racist comments and inflammatory content, the newspaper has shuffled the top of its masthead. El Nuevo Herald managing editor Nancy San Martin has resigned from her...
New York Times Releases Bombshell on Trump Taxes
Mediaite: President Trump dismissed a bombshell New York Times report published Sunday afternoon that held the self-proclaimed multi-billionaire paid only $750 in federal income taxes in 2016, the year he was elected president. "That is fake news," Trump...
Los Angeles Times Apologizes for ‘History of Racism’
TheWrap: Los Angeles Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong vowed to increase diversity in the newspaper's coverage and staff in a letter published Sunday along with a series of sweeping, introspective reports into the Times's long history of...
Apple’s Tech Critics Unite in Fight Over App Store Fees
Reuters: Spotify, Match Group and Epic Games have joined a nonprofit group that plans to advocate for legal and regulatory action to challenge Apple's App Store practices. The Coalition for App Fairness plans to advocate legal changes to force Apple's...
Disney Streaming Veteran Seeks to Join Private Equity
New York Times: Kevin Mayer, who resigned as CEO of TikTok in August after three months on the job, is in advanced talks with RedBird Capital, which has holdings in sports and entertainment. Previously, Mayer was Disney's top streaming...
ViacomCBS Probes CEO After Allegation of Misconduct
The Information: ViacomCBS has investigated an charge of sexual misconduct by CEO Bob Bakish. The investigation comes less than a year after Viacom merged with CBS, whose former CEO Les Moonves resigned after women accused him of ...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia Pitches Big Deal for Pro Baseball
New York Post: Major League Baseball's new seven-year deal with Turner Sports is for nearly $3.7 billion at $535 million per season, according to sources. TBS will create a Tuesday game of the week that will be preceded by its reconfigured...
Comcast Elevates Executive to Chairman of NBC Sports
Sports Business Daily: NBC Sports has made Pete Bevacqua the third chair in its history, following Dick Ebersol and Mark Lazarus. Bevacqua's promotion comes two years after he joined NBC Sports Group after a stint as CEO of the PGA of...
Fox Corp Under Fire for Reporting Covid Misinformation
MEL: One woman says she felt powerless against "the barrage of information coming out of Fox News" that her father consumed. "I have no doubt that President Trump and Fox News have caused people to die." Mediaite: Fox News has earned designation as a 2020 Great Place...
Chernin Eyes TV, Film Projects from Podcasts at Spotify
Reuters: Spotify has signed a deal with Chernin Entertainment to adapt the music streaming firm's podcast shows for films and television and sell them to other outlets. The deal will unite Spotify with media mogul Rupert Murdoch's former right-hand...
Spotify CEO to Invest $1 Billion on Start-Ups in Europe
CNBC: Spotify CEO Daniel Ek says he will commit 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) of his own resources to invest in European start-ups. Ek says he will use the funds to make "moonshot" bets, focusing on health, education, machine learning and...
Amazon Unwraps Echo Redesign, New Gaming Service
USA Today: Amazon unleashed a slew of new products Thursday, including an indoor security drone, car security products, a redesigned Echo speaker with a spherical look and a gaming service. The "all-new" Echo is in a different, ball...
Quibi Founder to Buy Lauder Chief’s California Home
Wall Street Journal: Jeffrey Katzenberg is in contract to buy the Beverly Hills property of Estée Lauder executive chairman William Lauder for close to $30 million. The deal isn't expected to close for a few weeks. Katzenberg recently sold his Beverly Hills home for...
Microsoft Looks Beyond Jobs in Redesign of LinkedIn
TechCrunch: LinkedIn, which built its popular businesses largely around recruitment, is rolling out a redesign that pushes engagement in other ways as it waits for the job economy to pick up. Among other features, LinkedIn is launching its own version of...
Scripps in Deal to Acquire ION Media for $2.65 Billion
Wall Street Journal: EW Scripps has agreed to buy ION Media for $2.65 billion in a move to significantly expand the TV station owner's reach with the backing of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. Berkshire plans to make a $600 million preferred-equity investment in...
New York Times CEO Sees 100 Million Paying for News
Press Gazette: Meredith Kopit Levien, the CEO the New York Times, has predicted that 100 million people will have digital English-language news subscriptions in ten years' time. Levien believes that her company can command as much as a quarter of this market....
Conde Nast Operating Chief to Exit Amid Consolidation
WWD: After five years on the job, Wolfgang Blau is waving goodbye to Conde Nast, the latest in a string of high-profile departures from the organization, which has been consolidating its US and UK operations and resizing the business...
Hearst Faces Lawsuit from Former Executive at Esquire
Business Insider: Former Esquire ad executive Lauren Johnson has sued parent company Hearst for sex and age discrimination. MediaPost: Hearst is planning a big investment in larger formats and more editorial pages in its print...