Drudge Report Gets a Trump Lashing as ‘No Longer Hot’
TheHill: President Trump says the right-leaning news aggregator Drudge Report is "no longer 'hot.'" Trump tweeted: "Such an honor! Drudge is down 40% plus since he became Fake News. Most importantly, he's bleeding...
Apple Appears Ready for ‘Apple One’ Subscription Bundle
CNBC: Code found inside an Android version of the Apple Music app suggests that Apple is preparing to bundle its services together in a product called "Apple One." If Apple One launches this fall, Wall Street investors and analysts will be happy. An Apple bundle has...
Disney CEO Under Fire from US Lawmakers Over ‘Mulan’
Reuters: A group of bipartisan US lawmakers wants CEO Bob Chapek to explain Disney's connection with "security and propaganda" authorities of China's Xinjiang region during the production of live-action war epic "Mulan." Disney's "apparent cooperation ... is...
ViacomCBS Eyes $500 Million in Sale of Tech Site CNET
Wall Street Journal: ViacomCBS is close to selling CNET Media Group to Red Ventures, as the media giant sheds parts of its business to focus on video streaming. Red Ventures is expected to pay about $500 million to acquire the network of websites, which includes CNET,...
Comcast Fumbles TV Kickoff of Football Season on NBC
Associated Press: About 19.3 million fans turned on NBC to watch the NFL's season kickoff between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans, or 13 percent fewer viewers than 2019's opening game. NBC touted it as the "most-watched sporting event since the Super...
AT&T Delays ‘Wonder Woman’ After Tepid Test of ‘Tenet’
Showbiz411: Warner Bros. is moving the theatrical release of "Wonder Woman 1984" to Dec. 25 from Oct. 2 "because basically no one went to see 'Tenet' and they're praying for a vaccine. And now Dr. Fauci is saying that even with a vaccine it might be a year before...
ViacomCBS to Try Out ‘Drew Barrymore’ on Daytime TV
Associated Press: Drew Barrymore is setting a high standard for herself as she joins the world of daytime talk show hosts on Monday. She wants to emulate David Letterman and Howard Stern as interviewers. "I'm not looking to mess someone over. But at the same time, I...
Fox Corp Makes History with Most-Watched TV Channel
Forbes: Fox News Channel was the most-watched US television network from May to September, the first time any cable news network has finished the summer months in first place among total viewers. Ad Age: Fox News plans to exploit a possible delay in US election...
Lupa Systems’ Murdoch Joins Wife in Anti-Trump Effort
Australian Financial Review: James Murdoch and his wife, Kathryn, are busy deploying some of their proceeds from last year's $71 billion Disney-Fox merger, turning themselves into one of America's largest anti-Trump political donors. CNBC: James and Kathryn Murdoch...
Univision Investor to Host Biden Fundraiser on Monday
Variety: Haim Saban, the media billionaire who is a fixture in Democratic Party fundraising, is organizing a $500,000-per-person fundraiser for Joe Biden on Monday. Like all fundraisers in the Covid era, the event will be held virtually. It will be hosted by Saban and...
Bloomberg Founder to Spend Big in Florida to Aid Biden
Bloomberg: Michael Bloomberg plans to spend $100 million in Florida to help Joe Biden defeat President Trump in the crucial battleground, which would allow Democrats to divert money to Pennsylvania and other must-win states. The money will be spent on voter-turnout...
Verizon’s HuffPost Wins Spat Over Jon Hamm Bulge Pic
Daily News: A paparazzi picture of Jon Hamm's bulging trousers was so newsworthy the photographer who took it can't collect a fee for its use in a mocking online article, a federal judge ruled. HuffPost's use of the photo led to a copyright lawsuit by Lawrence...
New York Times Finds New Relevance in Media Column
New York: Ben Smith, the New York Times’s new media columnist — and BuzzFeed's old editor-in-chief — has spent the past six months stirring up an amount of drama and chaos that is notable even for these dramatic and chaotic times. "If you're not breaking news, you...
Tribune Attracts Possible Stake Boost from Hedge Fund
Crain's Chicago Business: Hedge fund firm Alden Global Capital is ramping up plans to take a bigger stake in Tribune Publishing, the owner of the Chicago Tribune, according to a report from a union organization representing employees at its MediaNews Group newspaper...
Conde Nast’s British Vogue Editor Makes Cover of Time
Showbiz411: Time magazine has put British Vogue editor Edward Enninful on the cover of its international edition with a big headline: "Fashioning Change." Enninful, Time says, is tipped as Anna Wintour's successor. "The Time cover is a bold move for Enninful, who...
Meredith Ranks No 2 on List of Global Product Licensors
Digiday: Product licensing is not a new revenue stream for publishers, but it’s becoming an increasingly more valuable one. Meredith, Hearst, BuzzFeed and Conde Nast have all seen their annual total sales of branded merchandise increase from 2018 to 2019 by tens of...
The Atlantic Calls to Cancel Nobel Prize After Trump Nod
Fox News: The Atlantic magazine is raising eyebrows for publishing a piece calling for the abolition of the Nobel Peace Prize after President Trump was nominated for the honor. "Peace had its chance, and blew it. The Trump nomination ... helps show...
BuzzFeed Starts Buzzing Again with Hopes of Luring Ads
AdExchanger: "We see advertisers returning to spending mode again," says BuzzFeed ad strategy SVP Ken Blom. "But the environment has changed, and the way we work with advertisers has changed. We don't know what will happen next, where the numbers will be or what the...
First Look Media in Spotlight Over Probe at The Intercept
New York Times: The Intercept "should have taken greater precautions to protect the identity of a source," admits editor Betsy Reed. After the source was sentenced to federal prison, the outlet opened an internal probe of its blunder. The organization "failed to hold...
Oracle Beats Out Microsoft in Bidding War for US TikTok
Wall Street Journal: Oracle won the bidding for the US operations of the video-sharing app TikTok, beating out Microsoft. Oracle is set to be announced as TikTok's "trusted tech partner" in the US, and the deal is not likely to be structured as an outright sale....
Apple Creates Its Own Special Face Masks for Employees
Bloomberg: Apple has developed masks that the company is beginning to distribute to corporate and retail employees to limit the spread of Covid-19. The Apple Face Mask is the first created in-house by the technology giant for its staff. Apple will start sending the...
Microsoft Readies Rollout of New $500 Xbox in November
Associated Press: Microsoft says its Xbox Series X will cost $500 and debut Nov. 10, just ahead of the holidays. There haven't been new generations of video game consoles for several years. The Verge: The new Xbox Series X console "demands to stand upright, loud and...
Google Tweaks Autocomplete in Support of US Elections
CNET: Google has made changes to its search engine's autocomplete feature, which tries to predict what people want to search for, while they're still typing. For example, if someone types the phrase "donate to," Google will block autocomplete suggestions that include...
Amazon Debuts Alexa Print for Voice Printing of Content
TechCrunch: Amazon has launched a new Alexa-enabled printing feature that lets Echo device owners use voice commands to print out common items, like to-do lists, recipes, weekly calendars, educational content for kids and even some games, like Sudoku or crossword...
ByteDance Hopes to Get More Time in Sale of US TikTok
Ars Technica: ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, is facing a looming Sept.15 deadline to sell its US operations. On Thursday evening, President Trump told reporters that the deadline wouldn't be pushed back. "I'm not extending deadlines. No. It's Sept....
Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Faces China Media Snub After Backlash
Reuters: Chinese authorities have told major media outlets not to cover Disney's release of "Mulan," in an order issued after controversy erupted overseas over the film's links with the Xinjiang region. Set to open in local theatres on Friday, Disney had high hopes...
Fox Corp’s Murdoch Stirs Trump Fears of Fading Support
Vanity Fair: President Trump believes Rupert Murdoch wants him to lose the election in November. "Trump thinks Rupert is not in his corner." Deadline: Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch predicts Fox News will thrive even if Joe Biden wins. The Hill: Trump praises several...
Comcast’s NBC ‘Saturday Night Live’ Returns in October
New York Times: "Saturday Night Live" will begin its 46th season on Oct. 3. In March, "SNL" had just aired a new live episode featuring Daniel Craig and was preparing for a new show to be hosted by John Krasinski when the pandemic forced the suspension of the show's...
Sony to Release Bruce Springsteen Album Made at Home
Associated Press: Bruce Springsteen will release a new rock album that he recorded in his New Jersey home studio with the E Street Band. The Boss says that the album is called "Letter To You" and he and the band recorded it in just five days. It will be released on...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia Eyes Spring Debut of Streamer Ads
Digiday: WarnerMedia is said to have told ad buyers that it plans to roll out HBO Max's ad-supported tier in the second quarter of 2021. Fox News: In 2016, CNN head Jeff Zucker reportedly offered "the boss" Donald Trump debate advice and floated a weekly show to the...