Netflix Names Content Chief Sarandos as Co-Chief Executive
The Verge: Longtime Netflix executive Ted Sarandos has been named co-chief executive officer alongside co-founder Reed Hastings, the company announced today. "This change makes formal what was already informal — that Ted and I share the leadership of Netflix,"...
Netflix Rewrites Summer Blockbuster Script for Hollywood
Bloomberg Businessweek: Netflix's "Spenser Confidential" marked the start of the first summer season in history when all of the biggest blockbusters have opened online. With theaters shut down around the world, Netflix has released more than 30 movies since...
Apple to Build Movie Slate with Drama Starring Timberlake
IndieWIre: As Apple continues to acquire films, the tech giant's strategy in its first year in Hollywood is growing clearer: It's betting that big names, big budgets and prestige films will help keep users satisfied. The company’s latest acquisition, "Palmer," stars...
Comcast’s New Peacock Strives to Recreate Traditional TV
The Verge: The newly launched Peacock includes a "Channels" section that is designed to emulate traditional, linear TV. At its core, Peacock is like a reimagined basic cable package. Channels try to make that more obvious by catering to different...
ViacomCBS Partners with NAACP for Program Deal at CBS
Reuters: CBS has signed a multi-year agreement with the NAACP to create content for broadcast, cable and streaming platforms, the first such production deal for the civil rights group. The partnership will also allow them to sell content to third-party...
Fox Corp to Keep Cannon After Apology for Anti-Semitism
Deadline: Nick Cannon will continue in his role as host of Fox's "The Masked Singer," one of the most high-profile hosting jobs in broadcast TV, after he issued a lengthy apology over controversial comments he had made recently on his podcast, saying that he feels...
ViacomCBS, Amazon to Keep Staffers at Home Until 2021
Fox Business: ViacomCBS and Amazon have both announced that their employees will continue to work remotely through January as coronavirus cases surge across the country. "We are assuming the majority of employees will not be returning to US offices this year."...
Google’s YouTube Ripped for Influencer’s ‘Maskless’ Party
Insider: Jake Paul is at the center of yet another controversy. The YouTube star, who boasts over 20 million followers on the platform, is receiving backlash for throwing a day-long party at his home, which included large groups of mask-less...
Twitter Says Employee Tools Helped High-Profile Hacking
The Verge: Twitter is shedding some light on the big attack on Wednesday that resulted in takeovers of accounts including those of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Kanye West, Twitter says that its internal systems were compromised by the...
Apple Update Includes News Podcast, Local News Section
CNBC: Apple News is getting a big update through new software that's rolling out to iPhones. Additions include the option to listen to premium Apple News+ stories, a local news section and a daily news recap podcast that will be available to...
Sony Music Sells Stake in Reality TV Franchises to Cowell
World Screen: Simon Cowell plans to acquire Sony Music Entertainment's stake in their global joint-venture talent and production company, which owns the "Got Talent" and "The X Facto"r formats. The buy-out is the result of a buyback option maintained by...
SiriusXM Anoints King as Host of New Weekly Radio Show
Los Angeles Times: "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King has officially signed on to satellite radio provider SiriusXM for a topical listener call-in show. She was offered the regular weekly time slot after launching "Gayle King in the House" in April as a six-week...
Oprah Donates Additional $3 Million to Virus Relief Efforts
People: Oprah Winfrey is continuing to support those in need amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The TV mogul's The Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation (OWCF) has donated $3 million to Covid-19 relief efforts in South Los Angeles,...
Bloomberg Chief MIA After Pledging Cash to Defeat Trump
Daily Beast: Mike Bloomberg has been largely a nonentity on the general election landscape after vowing to help defeat President Trump. And a Bloomberg spokesperson did not provide an answer on how much more the 78-year-old is willing to spend to boost Joe...
News Corp’s Knewz Struggles to Stand Out in Aggregation
Digiday: News Corp.'s news aggregator Knewz (pronounced "news") is positioned in a difficult middle between tech platforms that have huge audiences and other aggregators that have carved out subject-specific niches. "It needs a distinctive value...
New York Times Faces University Lawsuit Over Covid ‘Tale’
Fox News: Liberty University says it has sued the New York Times for defamation over a March story about an alleged coronavirus outbreak at the school. The University in Lynchburg, Virginia, called the article a "fictional tale" meant to function...
Conde Nast’s British Vogue Editor Racially Profiled at Work
Guardian: The editor of British Vogue says he was racially profiled after being told to "use the loading bay" by a security guard as he entered the magazine's offices. Edward Enninful, who is Black, has been the fashion magazine's editor-in-chief since...
Crain Names Conde Nast Veteran as New Editor of Ad Age
Ad Age: Dan Peres has been named editor-in-chief at Ad Age overseeing editorial across all print, digital, social, video, podcasts and events. Peres was editor in chief of Details magazine for 15 years until the highly regarded publication was shuttered by Conde Nast...
Report: Newsroom Layoffs at Record High Amid Pandemic
WWD: Newsroom layoffs surged almost 170 percent over the past year as the coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on the media industry. There have been 11,027 job cuts revealed this year, compared to 4,087 in the first half of 2019, according to Challenger, Gray &...
Comcast Faces NBC Affiliate Snub Amid Debut of Peacock
Vulture: NBC's biggest local affiliate groups have decided not to broadcast the network’s "30 Rock" reunion special, meaning at least half the country won't be able to see it when it debuts Thursday. NBC News: NBCUniversal launches its new streaming service Peacock on...
Fox Corp’s News Channels Dominate Trump’s TV Tweeting
Multichannel News: President Trump tweeted in response to TV programs almost 300 times in the first six months of 2020, according to a new report from media watchdog Media Matters for America, with nine out of 10 in response to a show on either Fox News or Fox...
Disney-ABC Nabs Historic Ratings at ‘World News Tonight’
Mediaite: ABC's "World News Tonight" with David Muir has made history by finishing top in the ratings against not just its network news rivals, but against every single show on broadcast and cable television. The ABC newscast was the No. 1 program in all of television...
Comcast Returns NBC ‘Tonight’ Show to Rockefeller Center
Associated Press: Jimmy Fallon is out of his home and back to the "Tonight" show stage. The NBC late-night host has returned to NBC's Rockefeller Center headquarters, saying he hoped he could provide his audience with a little more "normal" during the coronavirus...
ViacomCBS Fires Cannon Over Anti-Semitism on Podcast
Forward: ViacomCBS is ending its decades-long relationship with Nick Cannon after the actor and TV host propagated anti-Semitic conspiracy theories on his podcast. "We are deeply troubled that Nick has failed to acknowledge or apologize, and we are terminating our...
Facebook to Add Licensed Music Videos to Rival YouTube
TechCrunch: Facebook is preparing to launch officially licensed music videos on its social network in the US next month, in a direct challenge to YouTube. Facebook informed page owners linked to artists they'll need to toggle on a new setting to add their music videos...
Google, Facebook Take Half of Digital Display Ad Revenue
Pew Research: A majority of digital display ad revenue goes to two tech companies. In 2019, about half (53%) of digital display ad revenue went to Facebook (42%) and Google (11%). Another 12% went to other tech companies, including Amazon, Verizon, Twitter, and...
Vox Media Preps New Layoffs as Business Fails to Improve
CNBC: Vox Media, the owner of media properties including New York Magazine, The Verge, SBNation and Eater, has informed its worker unions to prepare for company-wide layoffs. Many of Vox's furloughed workers who haven't already taken buyouts are likely to be laid...
BuzzFeed Not for Sale Despite Devastation in Digital Media
Financial Times: BuzzFeed has received approaches from smaller companies but CEO Jonah Peretti does not want to sell. He is said to be focused on growing the company independently. The Information: "The future for free news will be five or six platforms that all have...
Vice Media Makes Free Ad Space Offer to Local Businesses
MediaPost: Vice Media is attempting to help small local businesses experiencing unprecedented challenges due to Covid-19 by offering free advertising across its websites, potentially reaching millions of eyeballs. The "Locals Only" initiative invites owners to upload...
New York Times Writer Blasts Twitter Ethos in Resignation
Vice: Bari Weiss, a writer and editor for the embattled New York Times opinion section, has resigned from the paper. Weiss leaves in the wake of what she recently described as a civil war at the Times between "(mostly young) wokes" and "(mostly 40+) liberals."...