Gannett, Tribune Join Media Cutting Costs in Real Estate
WWD: Conde Nast is far from being alone in reconsidering its real estate needs as the coronavirus pummels the already fragile media industry, triggering an unprecedented advertising freefall. Following furloughs, pay reductions and layoffs, real estate has become the...
G/O Media’s Tech, Gaming Industry Sites to Shutter in UK
Game Revolution: Kotaku UK and Gizmodo UK are shutting down this week, with the rights being reverted back to the network G/O Media. Kotaku UK was launched in September 2014, while Gizmodo UK launched in September 2011, with both providing localized coverage of the...
Global Media Forecast to Take $120 Billion Hit from Covid
TVBEurope: The global media and entertainment industry will contract by 5.6 percent during 2020, according to the new Global Entertainment & Media Outlook report by PwC. Hollywood Reporter: Expect high-profile "streaming casualties."...
Apple Delays New Rule Set to Upend Digital Ad Targeting
The Information: Apple plans to delay the enforcement of a controversial change to its next mobile operating system that would upend how ads are targeted on iPhones and iPads. The change was due in the next version of Apple's mobile...
Facebook’s New Plan to Curb Political Ads Stirs Criticism
CNBC: Facebook said it will ban new political ads in the week before the US election. But the new policies are so narrow that they won't have any real effect on election information that spreads across the social network....
Google to Face US Antitrust Case, Gives Staffers Day Off
New York Times: The Justice Department plans to bring an antitrust case against Google as soon as this month. CNBC: Google has told employees to take Friday off as a "collective wellbeing" holiday during the...
Amazon Scuttles Javier Bardem’s Miniseries Citing Covid
Hollywood Reporter: A big-budget Amazon miniseries starring Javier Bardem has been scuttled due to Covid-19. Bardem was to have starred in "Cortés y Moctezuma." Producers said "there is no way to remount the production in the near...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia to Pause ‘The Batman’ Due to Covid
Vanity Fair: Robert Pattinson is said to have tested positive for the coronavirus, causing filming of "The Batman" to be halted just days after the superhero film resumed production in London. Warner Bros. would not comment on any worker's...
ViacomCBS Plans Virtual Anniversary Event for ‘Star Trek’
New York Post: CBS All Access is beaming fans into the anniversary of the "Star Trek" franchise. On September 8, the streaming network will host a 24-hour virtual celebration to mark the 54th anniversary of the original "Star Trek" series...
Disney Faces Claim of Trimming Black Role in ‘Star Wars’
Bloomberg: John Boyega, the actor known for playing the role of Finn in the "Star Wars" sequel films, has accused Disney of marginalizing diverse members of the franchise's cast and of promoting his role as more significant than it was to the...
Comcast’s NBC Meets Muslim Groups Over MSNBC Host
New York Post: Executives at NBC have met with members of a top Muslim advocacy group as backlash mounts over MSNBC host Joy Reid's controversial claims on her show about "the way Muslims act." Reid "must clearly...
Nielsen Unveils Weekly Top 10 List of Streaming Shows
Los Angeles Times: In another sign of the changing times in television, Nielsen is releasing a weekly ranking of the most popular shows on streaming platforms. Traditional TV ratings have been regularly reported on for...
WPP Chief Suggests Age 30 is Too Old to Work in Media
MarketWatch: The CEO of one of the world's biggest advertising groups has been forced to apologize after sparking a row over ageism. Mark Read, 53, suggested the business was lucky to have employees with an average age of less than...
News Corp’s ‘Fox News for Britain’ Could Be Online Only
Financial Times: A Fox News-style television network (perhaps even two) is headed to Britain. Plans for a project led by a former Fox News executive are said to be afoot, though it is unclear whether this would be online...
Conde Nast Launches Memberships for Vogue Business
MediaPost: Vogue Business has launched a membership program, after attracting an audience of 340,000 in the 18 months of its running. Vogue Business was created in January 2019 by Conde Nast International as its first B2B...
Atlantic Editor Pens Report on Trump Insulting War Dead
Mediaite: In a report published at The Atlantic, editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg cited multiple sources who say that President Trump made disrespectful comments when he cancelled a 2018 visit to a cemetery of American war...
New York Times Gives Staffers $1,000 for ‘Difficult Times’
@marcatracy: "From the inbox: Virtually all NYT employees are getting a $1000 bonus due to 'the difficult and unsettled circumstances.' I believe this follows the Washington Post giving its employees $1000 bonuses in...
McClatchy Chiefs Say Farewell Amid Sale to Hedge Fund
Poynter: The transfer of McClatchy to new owner hedge fund Chatham Asset Management is scheduled for Friday. For the occasion, both board chairman Kevin McClatchy and CEO Craig Forman published farewell...
A360 Media Announces Staff Furloughs at New Publisher
New York Post: The new owner of the National Enquirer and Us Weekly has announced a new round of furloughs. "We have made the difficult decision to furlough certain staff members so we can lessen the impact of the...
Schneps Media Buys Hamptons Publication Dan’s Papers
New York Post: Dan's Papers has been acquired by weekly newspaper chain Schneps Media. Most of the existing staff is expected to remain intact. Schneps owns over 70 publications including a chain of weeklies including...
Disney Plans Unorthodox Release for Live-Action ‘Mulan’
CNET News: Disney's unorthodox release plan for "Mulan" -- like most things during the coronavirus pandemic -- raised a lot of new questions. After delaying the big-screen rollout three times, Disney finally chose an unconventional path for the...
Comcast, ViacomCBS TV Advertisers Seek Cancel Rights
Wall Street Journal: Advertisers are pressing for flexibility to back out of spending commitments with TV networks, concerned that the coronavirus pandemic is sapping the fall schedule of new programming and threatening the National Football League’s...
Fox Corp News Anchor to Return as Moderator for Debate
Los Angeles Times: Fox News anchor Chris Wallace will be a moderator of the first debate between President Trump and Joe Biden on Sept. 29. Wallace presided over a debate between Trump and Hillary Clinton in 2016 and was widely...
News Corp’s Proposed ‘British Fox News’ Likely Lucrative
Press Gazette: Plans for a Fox News-style TV channel in the UK could find a tougher market than its US counterpart but still be lucrative enough to succeed for years, says Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, head of the Reuters Institute for the Study of...
AT&T WarnerMedia Snubs Claim About CNN Chris Cuomo
MarketWatch: President Trump was apparently watching Fox News host Tucker Carlson when he determined that CNN host Chris Cuomo should be fired by the network. A source at CNN dismissed the new allegations of misconduct as "a...
Facebook’s Big Story on Wednesday: ‘Nancy Pelosi’s Hair’
@kevinroose: "Nancy Pelosi's haircut is by far the biggest story on Facebook right now. Thirteen of the top 25 top-performing link posts on US Facebook in the last 24 hours (and four of the top five) are about...
Twitter Says India’s Prime Minister Account Was Hacked
BBC News: Twitter has said that an account for the personal website of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been hacked. A series of tweets were sent from the account asking followers to donate cryptocurrency to a relief...
Netflix Appeals Exec-Poaching Lawsuit from Disney’s Fox
Deadline: Almost nine months after coming up short in its long battle with Disney-owned Fox over snatching two executives back in 2016, Netflix is climbing back in the ring to start the whole thing up again with a new...
Quibi Loses to Netflix in Race to Nab Prince Harry, Meghan
New York Post: Before the news broke that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are becoming Hollywood producers by signing a multiyear deal with Netflix, other entertainment startups were angling to be in business with the...
Google’s YouTube, Magician Offer Sky-High Balloon Stunt
USA Today: David Blaine enjoyed a peaceful float over Page, Arizona, Wednesday morning with the help of a bundle of balloons, as captured on a livestream.The 47-year-old magician partnered with YouTube Originals for the feat dubbed...