Facebook Threatens to Depart Europe Over Regulations
Vice News: Facebook is threatening to pack up and go home if European regulators don't back down and let the social network get its way. Facebook says a decision by Ireland's Data Protection Commission would force the company to leave 410 million people who use...
Microsoft Buys Game Publisher ZeniMax for $7.5 Billion
TheStreet: Microsoft says it has agreed to the takeover of video game publisher Bethesda Softworks that values the maker of "Fallout" and "The Elder Scrolls" at around $7.5 billion. Microsoft will purchase ZeniMax, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, for $7.5...
Hollywood Studios, Unions Agree to Rules for Pandemic
Los Angeles Times: Hollywood studios and entertainment unions are agreeing to a new set of safety protocols and pay for television and film crew should they become infected with Covid-19 while working. All union employees will receive 10 days of Covid paid sick leave,...
Fox Corp News Show Returns to Studio with Distancing
Forbes: For the first time since mid-March, the hosts of Fox News Channel's "The Five" are all in the same place at the same time, rather than arrayed across the scene in five separate boxes from five different locations. "We're excited to be back together...
Comcast’s New Activist Investor Talks with Management
Wall Street Journal: Trian Fund Management, a hedge fund known for pushing big companies to make operational and other changes, is launching an activist campaign against Comcast. in a bet that the cable-TV and entertainment giant's stock is undervalued....
Disney’s ABC Sees Record Low Ratings for ‘Pandemmys’
Associated Press: The novelty of television stars getting Emmy Awards delivered to their homes wasn't enough to keep the annual show from slipping further in popularity. Nielsen says 6.1 million people watched the Emmys on Sunday night, down from 6.9 million in...
ViacomCBS Makes Shift in ‘Schitt’s Creek’ After Emmys
Deadline: On the heels of its history-making Emmy wins Sunday, "Schitt's Creek" is heading to Comedy Central. The Pop TV series will premiere October 2 on its sister ViacomCBS network. Pop and Comedy Central are both part of ViacomCBS's Entertainment and Youth...
Fox Corp Eyes $2 Billion Spend to Keep Sunday Football
Bloomberg: Fox Corp is willing to spend as much as $2 billion a year to maintain its rights to National Football League games on Sundays, a huge increase from its current contract. Fox has to fend off other broadcasters, which also want to air high-profile...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia Promises a ‘New Chapter’ at ‘Ellen’
Associated Press: Ellen DeGeneres is addressing allegations of a toxic work environment at her daytime talk show, apologizing for things "that never should have happened." "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" started its 18th season in Los Angeles with the host on stage for the...
Comcast’s Peacock Goes Live on Roku After Dispute Ends
Philadelphia Inquirer: Comcast's Peacock streaming service is now available on Roku devices after months of wrangling that spilled into public view last week. The agreement gives the fledgling Peacock access to a market leader in streaming media players....
Quibi Meets Potential Buyer as Streamer Mulls Fire Sale
Wall Street Journal: Streaming service Quibi is exploring several strategic options including a possible sale, as the company struggles to sign up subscribers in a competitive online-video marketplace. Recode: Quibi already pitched at least one potential acquirer in...
ByteDance, Oracle at Loggerheads Over Deal for TikTok
Reuters: ByteDance and Oracle are issuing conflicting statements on over the terms of an agreement they reached with the White House over the weekend to allow TikTok to continue to operate in the United States, casting doubt on President Trump's preliminary blessing...
Nexstar Lands Trump for WGN America’s ‘News Nation’
Robert Feder: Will an exclusive White House interview with President Trump help jump-start the ratings for "News Nation"? Trump has agreed to tape a one-on-one interview Tuesday morning with Joe Donlon, news anchor for the national cable news...
Sun Rebrands Florida Radio Station as ‘Trump Country’
Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers FM rock station WXNX abruptly switched formats to country music, with a new "Trump Country" format. It's unclear how the change will fit with Federal Communications Commission rules about political content and...
News Corp’s Dow Jones Pursues More Decision Makers
TalkingBizNews: Dow Jones & Co., the parent of the Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch and Barron's, believes it has plenty of room for growth. More than 90 million "decision makers" in the United States aren't yet customers. "We are unlike any other business," says...
Conde Nast Announces New Editor for Vogue’s Website
WWD: Chioma Nnadi is beginning the week in a new job, with Vogue boss Anna Wintour informing staffers that she's been appointed editor of Vogue.com. Nnadi takes the helm from Stuart Emmrich, who revealed in June that he was stepping down after less than a year in the...
Los Angeles Times in Spotlight After Summer Scandals
Los Angeles Times: Los Angeles Times executive editor Norman Pearlstine, under fire for the turmoil at the newspaper, admits mistakes and defends his record. He says he is not stepping down but hopes to soon accelerate succession planning with the paper's...
Alphabet Reverts to Using Human Moderators at YouTube
Financial Times: Google's YouTube is reverting to using more human moderators to vet harmful content after the machines it relied on during lockdown proved to be overzealous censors of its video platform. Almost 11 million were taken down between April and June,...
Facebook, Google See Spike in Ad Spending from Trump
Financial Times: Donald Trump's presidential marketing campaign is retreating from the airwaves, spending solely a fraction of the huge sums Joe Biden is pouring into costly TV commercials. Nevertheless, there may be one space the place Trump is outspending Biden:...
Oracle, Walmart Win Trump’s OK for Operation of TikTok
USA Today: President Trump says he has approved a bid by Oracle and Walmart to take over TikTok's US operations in a move that would mean the app beloved by American teens won't be banned after all. The combined company is "conceptually" a great deal for the...
AT&T, ViacomCBS Win Big at 2020 Virtual Emmy Awards
Los Angeles Times: "Succession," Watchmen" and "Schitt's Creek" were big winners Sunday at the 72nd Emmy Awards. But the biggest story was the ceremony itself, a mostly virtual celebration of an industry thrown into disarray by the Covid-19...
Discovery to Unveil Own Streaming Service in Early 2021
Digiday: Discovery plans to debut its direct-to-consumer streaming service — which will be called Discovery+ — in the first quarter of 2021. Discovery+ will feature an ad-supported and an ad-free tier, and the ad-supported tier will carry a maximum of five minutes of...
Comcast’s NBC Inks Deal to Distribute Peacock via Roku
NBC News: NBCUniversal and Roku have reached a video distribution deal, breaking a months-long impasse that had NBCUniversal threatening to black out its apps on Roku in the 11th hour. The deal will keep NBC News and the rest of NBCUniversal's apps on Roku while...
AT&T’s CNN Chief in Spotlight for Helping Elevate Trump
New York Times: Tucker Carlson of Fox News recently gleefully aired recordings of conversations with Jeff Zucker that Donald Trump's fixer, Michael Cohen, had taped in March 2016. Zucker is heard speaking in flattering and friendly terms about Trump, or, as he called...
Spotify’s Joe Rogan Apologizes for Remarks on Wildfires
CNN: Joe Rogan, reportedly the highest paid podcast host in the world, has apologized for spreading misinformation to his millions of listeners about the West Coast fires during a recent episode. "I need to make an apology and a retraction," Rogan said in a video...
iHeartMedia Names MTV Alum to Black Podcast Network
Variety: The Black Effect Podcast Network, a joint venture between Charlamagne tha God and iHeartMedia, has made its first hire: Dollie S. Bishop, who joins as president of production and creative development. Bishop, a TV production veteran, will work directly with...
Playboy Mulls Return to Stock Market After Exiting Print
Reuters: Playboy magazine owner Playboy Enterprises is exploring options that include going public through a merger with a blank-check acquisition company. In recent years, Playboy has expanded beyond its media business to refashion itself as a lifestyle...
News Corp CEO Eyes Role in Recovery of New York City
Wall Street Journal: Leaders of some of the most powerful companies in New York City have offered to work with Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio on a plan for the city's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. The 177 signatories include News Corp CEO Robert...
Meredith to Relocate Jobs to Des Moines Amid Cutbacks
Des Moines Register: Meredith laid off 180 workers last week, but its Des Moines offices avoided most of the cuts. About 1,000 of the company's 5,000 employees work in Des Moines. "We expect to relocate some positions to Des Moines from other Meredith...
Conde Nast to Seek Revenue Growth with New Ad Metric
Digiday: Conde Nast is trying to remind advertisers that brand awareness and engagement matter too, even in a pandemic. It's hoping that a new ad measurement framework, plus a new performance marketing offering, can help them make the...