ViacomCBS ‘Star Trek’ Adds Trans, Non-Binary Characters
Reuters: "Star Trek" is introducing its first transgender and non-binary characters, with both roles set to debut in its US television series next month. They will appear in the third season of CBS's series "Star Trek:...
Amazon’s Audible to Present Podcast with ‘Sesame Street’
Variety: "The Sesame Street Podcast with Foley & Friends," aimed at preschool audiences, will exclusively be available on Audible, and feature new original music, interactive games, jokes, and appearances from Elmo, Big Bird and Cookie...
iHeartMedia Launches Weekly Podcast with Pete Buttigieg
TheHill: Pete Buttigieg is launching his own podcast, a professional endeavor that marks a step into the media world since bowing out of the Democratic presidential primary earlier this year. The new show is available on...
DraftKings Enjoys a Boost from Interest by Michael Jordan
Bloomberg: NBA legend Michael Jordan is receiving an equity interest in DraftKings in exchange for his role as a special adviser to the online sports-betting company's board of directors, a move that sent the company's high-flying shares even...
UTA Lays Off 50, Rolls Back Pay Cuts to Others at Agency
Los Angeles Times: United Talent Agency said it would reinstate full pay to workers who had their incomes reduced in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and cut about 50 of its staffers. "The need remains to take a hard and honest look at the size of...
Tribune Hit with Lawsuit Over Plan for ‘Poison Pill’ Defense
Chicago Tribune: A Tribune Publishing shareholder is suing the Chicago-based newspaper company and its board, alleging the adoption in July of a so-called poison pill, is “an extremely aggressive overreach of corporate...
Time Magazine Lands ABC Special for 100 Most Influential
WWD: This year, Time won't be revealing its annual 100 most influential people list with just the usual press release a few days before the magazines hit newsstands, which in pre-pandemic days was followed by a black-tie event in...
Adweek Eyes Growth with Acquisition of Trade Publications
Adweek: Adweek has acquired three properties expanding its reach into the performance marketing space. Included in the acquisition from NAPCO Media are Target Marketing and Publishing Executive as well as FUSE Media, a publishing technology...
Disney Veteran Eyes Reputation in Sudden Exit from TikTok
TheWrap: Kevin Mayer's abrupt departure as CEO of TikTok last week followed a culture clash with his Chinese-based bosses but, more importantly, a realization that the job could damage his reputation irreparably. TikTok owner ByteDance was...
AT&T Seeks Sale of Digital Ad Business, Not Video Games
Wall Street Journal: AT&T is exploring the potential sale of its digital advertising unit Xandr, a sign the company is curbing its ambitions to become a force on Madison Avenue. Bloomberg: AT&T has removed its Warner Bros. video-game business from assets for...
ViacomCBS’s Book Publisher Gets Circled by Bertelsmann
Financial Times: Simon & Schuster is attracting takeover interest from Bertelsmann. The German media group's CEO said he would be ready to bid when ViacomCBS moved ahead with its planned sale, which has been held up by the...
TPG Explores Sale of US Cable Outlets RCN, Grande, Wave
Reuters: Private equity firm TPG is exploring a sale of Astound that could value the owner of a US network of regional cable TV and internet providers at more than $8 billion. Astound's network includes RCN, Grande Communications and Wave...
Gray, Meredith Join Launch of Local TV Streaming Service
Wall Street Journal: A new streaming service called VUit ("View It"), featuring more than 200 TV stations, launched on Tuesday, part of an effort by local-TV groups to make their content more broadly available and generate additional advertising...
Report: TV Ad Crew Covid Death Stirs Set Safety Concerns
Los Angeles Times: The death of a 51-year-old assistant director who lost a battle with Covid-19 after returning to work on a commercial shoot has heightened concerns about the safety of film sets. John Nolan died on Aug....
Apple, Google to Notify Users of Possible Exposure to Covid
USA Today: Apple and Google teamed up to develop push notifications that let iOS and Android users know if they might have been exposed to Covid-19. The opt-in based system lets your local public health agency alert you to potential...
Netflix Forecast to More Than Double Subscribers by 2030
TheStreet: Netflix could reach 500 million subscribers by 2030 from 193 million today, according to RBC analyst Mark Mahaney. The company "has achieved a level of sustainable scale, growth, and profitability that isn’t currently reflected in its stock...
Amazon, Netflix Elbow Way Into Talks for Hollywood Movies
Bloomberg: Universal Pictures and Sony Pictures have begun negotiating with streaming services and cable networks to license their next round of theatrical movies, starting with films to be released in 2022. The deals could generate $250 million per studio...
Twitter Cracks Down on Altered Videos After Biden Outrage
Fox Business: Twitter has expanded its "manipulated media" label policy. The news comes after high-profile Twitter users shared altered video clips featuring Joe Biden as the website prepares to combat misinformation ahead of the...
New York Times Sees a Succession Shakeup from Upheaval
Vanity Fair: Even a pandemic and protests haven't tamped down the scuttlebutt over who might be named the next editor of the New York Times. National editor Marc Lacey's name is now being kicked around. "Marc Lacey's stock has risen really...
Conde, Hearst, Meredith Take a New Approach to September
Business of Fashion: The September issue, which at most fashion glossies attracts the most buzz and advertising revenue, is proving particularly fraught this year. NBC News: Many magazines dedicated their September issues to Black voices. ...
Meredith, Conde Nast to Begin Rolling Back Crisis Pay Cuts
Digiday: Call it a modest sign that nature is healing in media: The pay cuts that many publications instituted at the start of the pandemic are starting to get rolled back. Meredith said that it would reinstitute full pay for employees beginning September...
Hearst Extends Magazine Brands to New Line of Mattresses
License Global: Country Living, House Beautiful, Men's Health and Women's Health are set to become mattresses in a new licensing deal with Idle Group. "This partnership proves the mattress space is anything but...
A360 Media Finds David Pecker Still Calling Editorial Shots
New York Post: David Pecker may have stepped down as CEO of American Media last month, but he's still heavily involved in calling the editorial shots at the publisher of the National Enquirer and Us...
Uzabase’s Quartz Talks of Doubling of Subscribers in a Year
TheDrum: Quartz recently breached 21,000 paying members, almost doubling its subscriber base in less than a year. In March and April, subscription growth rate at Quartz was almost up by a quarter year-on-year by focusing first on its coronavirus ...
Drudge Report Under Attack from Trump for ‘Mini-Strokes’
Politico: President Trump and his campaign accused political commentators Matt Drudge and Joe Lockhart of spreading rumors that Trump had gone to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to treat a "series of...
Facebook Threatens to Ban Australians from Sharing News
Sydney Morning Herald: Facebook is threatening to ban news from being shared on its main app and Instagram in Australia in a major attack on proposed legislation that would force it and Google to pay publishers for content. The legislation misunderstands "the dynamic...
Microsoft, Oracle Top Bidders in Imminent Deal for TikTok
CNBC: TikTok has chosen a bidder for its US, New Zealand and Australian businesses, and it could announce the deal as soon as Tuesday. Microsoft, in partnership with Walmart, and Oracle are the two top contenders. The sale price is expected to be $20 billion to $30...
Netflix Offers Free Movies, Series to Nab New Subscribers
Gadgets360: Netflix is offering limited free access to several original series and movies. If you are undecided on whether Netflix is worth the monthly subscription, well, the streaming service is here to help convince you. "We're looking at different marketing...
AT&T Sale of DirecTV Seen as Unlikely by Leading Analyst
New York Post: AT&T may be trying to unload struggling satellite TV provider DirecTV, but shareholders shouldn't expect a sale anytime soon, one prominent analyst warned. AT&T has "overvalued" the "albatross" that is DirecTV, Craig Moffett of MoffettNathanson...
Disney, AT&T Films Pirated Ahead of Movie Theater Debuts
Business Insider: Low-quality pirated versions of "Tenet" appeared online over the weekend after it debuted in some international theatrical markets. Pirated versions of "The New Mutants" also appeared online. The long-delayed movie earned $7 million in the...