AT&T WarnerMedia Ad-Tech Exec to Depart for Unit of WPP
Wall Street Journal: WPP has hired AT&T's Kirk McDonald as the chief executive of North America for its GroupM ad-buying unit, the latest in a string of executive changes at both companies. McDonald had been chief business officer and interim head of AT&T's...
Apple Announces Beats Rebranding as Apple Music Radio
Engadget: Say goodbye to Apple Music's Beats 1 — at least in name. Apple announced it is rebranding its flagship radio station from Beats 1 to Apple Music 1. It's a logical move, given that "Beats 1" was the only place Beats branding showed up in the Apple Music...
Report: TV, Digital Viewers Flock to Democratic Convention
Reuters: The Biden campaign says 28.9 million Americans watched the first night of the Democratic National Convention across TV and digital platforms, including 10.2 million digital streams, up from nearly 3 million digital streams in 2016. Nielsen says 19.7 million...
Quibi Founder to Co-Host Virtual Fundraiser for Biden-Harris
Deadline: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are set for a fundraiser on Friday, with hosts including Jeffrey Katzenberg, George Clooney, Byron Allen and philanthropist Andrew Hauptman. The afternoon event will be virtual, but it features an LA-centric group of...
Netflix Faces City Lawsuits Seeking Cable TV Franchise Fees
Ars Technica: Four cities in Indiana are suing Netflix and other video companies, claiming that online video providers and satellite-TV operators should have to pay the same franchise fees that cable companies pay for using local rights of way. The lawsuit "doesn't...
Amazon Plans 2,000 Staffers for New Office in New York City
Daily Mail: Amazon announced plans to add 3,500 new corporate employees in six cities, including 2,000 in a new flagship New York City office, in a move that bucks the trends of companies and residents fleeing urban centers. The plans signal that the online giant...
Pinterest Adds Black Exec to Board After Claims of Racism
USA Today: Pinterest named a Black executive to its board of directors, following charges of racism and gender discrimination. Andrea Wishom is now the ninth member of the social media company's board and the first Black director. The appointment follows an employee...
Chernin’s Barstool Sports Sees Shift Away from Old Media
Front Office Sports: Traditional media is becoming less attractive, says Barstool Sports CEO Erika Nardini. "It's less compelling as a career choice. You're kind of stifled in what you can say. Places like Barstool are becoming far more attractive. It's the Internet....
Vox Media OKs $4 Million Settlement with Sports Bloggers
Front Office Sports: Vox Media agreed to a $4 million settlement over allegations it violated labor laws by underpaying SB Nation managers and content creators, according to court papers filed in a Washington D.C. federal court. The proposed agreement needs approval...
New York Times Seeks ‘Headway’ with Journalism Initiative
New York Times Co: The New York Times is creating a team of journalists to investigate global and national challenges. The new Headway initiative will focus on a range of economic, social, health, infrastructural and environmental problems. The Times is recruiting for...
Reuters Readies Debut of Redesigned Global News Website
MediaPost: Reuters will unveil a redesigned website later this year, redirecting users from most of its regional editions of Reuters.com to the new, global site. The website will offer "an improved user experience, better functionality and design, more expert...
Conde Nast Pursues Sponsors in Upfront for Virtual Events
Digiday: Conde Nast has 200 virtual events planned through the end of the year and the company is taking a big swing at loading up those efforts with sponsors via its first-ever Virtual Events Upfront. The hour-long showcase on Tuesday displayed the benefits of...
Meredith Touts Cross-Platform Power of People, Allrecipes
PR Newswire: People, Allrecipes, Better Homes & Gardens, Shape, Southern Living, Entertainment Weekly, Food & Wine, and Travel + Leisure have achieved "momentous performances" in audience rankings, according to the latest Magazine Media 360° Brand Audience...
Penske Names ‘Fast’ Publisher to Head Up Fairchild Media
WWD: Fairchild Media has named Amanda Smith as president. In Smith's new role, she will lead sales, marketing, live media and business operations across Fairchild's WWD, Footwear News, Sourcing Journal and Beauty Inc. Smith joins Fairchild from Fast...
Conde Nast Says ‘Change is Good’ in New Manifesto at GQ
WWD: GQ promises “a renewed emphasis on diversity, gender equality, sustainability, and mental health” at all editions of the magazine. The conversation of a unified editorial goal for all of GQ’s global editions predates recent public events. It started late last...
Group Nine Launches NowThis Kids Hosted by 13 Year Old
The Wrap: NowThis, the most-watched mobile news brand for millennials, is targeting its audience’s children with a new weekly series, NowThis Kids. Hosted by 13-year-old activist Naomi Wadler, the Cheerios-sponsored series will seek to appeal to millennial parents and...
Google Warns Risks of Sharing Ad Revenue with Big Media
TechCrunch: Google has fired a lobbying pot-shot at a looming change to the law in Australia that will force it to share ad revenue with local media businesses whose content its platforms monetize — seeking to mobilize its users against "big media." Says Google: “The...
Oracle to Take On Microsoft in Effort to Acquire US TikTok
Financial Times: Larry Ellison’s Oracle has entered the race to acquire TikTok, the popular Chinese-owned short video app that President Trump has vowed to shut down unless it is taken over by a US company by mid-November. The tech company has held preliminary talks...
Apple TV Goes Live with Discount Bundle from ViacomCBS
The Verge: Apple TV Plus subscribers can now get a subscription to both CBS All Access and Showtime for $9.99 per month, making it the first video bundle available for subscribers of Apple’s streaming service. The deal could be a nice savings for people who already...
Verizon Expands Deal for Streaming of Disney, Hulu, ESPN
TheStreet: Verizon is expanding its partnership with Disney, offering the Disney+ bundle, which includes Hulu and ESPN+, free for 12 months for subscribers to certain wireless plans. Disney's ancillary streaming platforms will be included in the "select Mix &...
Disney’s ABC is First to Resume Production on TV Sitcoms
Deadline: "The Conners," ABC's flagship comedy series, is back in production on its upcoming 19-episode third season. The multi-camera show is being shot with minimal crew and without an in-studio audience. It is believed to be the first broadcast comedy series to...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia Says Three Producers Leaving ‘Ellen’
Associated Press: Three producers of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” have exited amid allegations of a dysfunctional workplace that harbored misbehavior including sexual misconduct and racially insensitive remarks. Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman and Jonathan Norman have “parted...
Comcast, ViacomCBS Join Voting Initiatives by Big Media
Axios: Media companies have a long history of using their wide reach to promote voting efforts in the US. But ahead of this year's historic election, they are doubling down on those efforts to ensure that changes to voting procedures due to the pandemic don't dissuade...
Fox Corp’s News Channel Talent Applaud Michelle Obama
TheWrap: You might not expect anything that happens at the Democratic National Convention to garner much praise from the folks at Fox News, but Michelle Obama’s speech that closed Monday night’s session was so good that multiple Fox personalities were full of...
Quibi CEO Endorses Biden at Democratic Nat’l Convention
Los Angeles Times: Meg Whitman, a Republican who spent $144 million of her own wealth on an unsuccessful run for governor a decade ago, endorsed Joe Biden for president at the Democratic National Convention on Monday. "For me, the choice is simple. I'm with...
iHeartMedia Star Under Fire for Remarks on Kamala Harris
Daily News: Rush Limbaugh used his radio show's massive reach to push stories about Kamala Harris as a "hoe" and a "mattress." The 69-year-old broadcaster noted that one story called the 55-year-old senator an escort. "That's the question of using sex to get ahead,"...
Warner Music Releases Covid Song by Star of ‘Succession’
Associated Press: Actor Nicholas Braun, who plays fan favorite Cousin Greg on HBO’s “Succession,” has captured the fraught nature of dating during the pandemic in a catchy new punk song that started as a joke. “Antibodies” quickly caught the ear of Atlantic...
Study: Covid Transforms How US Adults Spend Time Online
Wall Street Journal: A whopping 16:06 hours a day are now being spent with digital media by the average US adult, up from an already unfathomable 12:24 hours a day pre-pandemic, according to consulting company Activate. The media winners thus far include gaming, video...
Conde Nast Taps Top Chef as Brand Advisor at Bon Appétit
TheWrap: Marcus Samuelsson, the James Beard award-winning chef, has been named Bon Appétit’s first brand adviser. The appointment comes as Bon Appétit and Condé Nast Entertainment have faced pushback from staff over its treatment of nonwhite...
Meredith Sues Maven Over Unpaid Fees at Sports Illustrated
WWD: Meredith is suing Sports Illustrated publisher Maven, claiming that it owes more than $1 million in unpaid fees. People and InStyle owner Meredith claims that Maven did not make the payments on the dates agreed or dispute them in the time allowed by the...