Charter Says No Employees Layoffs, Furloughs for 60 Days
WEHT: Charter announced that it will not fire or furlough any employees for at least 60 days amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Charter says the decision expands on other actions the company made to support employees, including increasing its hourly...
Comcast Acquires Walmart’s On-Demand Film Service Vudu
Los Angeles Times: The NBCUniversal-owned Fandango has signed an agreement to acquire Vudu, the video-on-demand service owned by Walmart. Financial details were not disclosed. The company declined to comment...
AT&T’s Warner Bros to Postpone ‘Batman,’ ‘Sopranos’ Films
Associated Press: Warner Bros. is delaying a batch of theatrical releases including “The Batman” and “The Sopranos” prequel “The Many Saints of Newark.” Many studios have shuffled release dates due to both shuttered productions and the closure of movie...
Comcast Sells Euronews Stake Ahead of Global TV Channel
Financial Times: NBC News has sold its stake in struggling broadcaster Euronews, paving the way for owner Comcast to unite its transatlantic brands under the umbrella of a new global TV channel, NBC Sky World...
Disney: ‘Last Dance’ Breaks Record at Sports-Starved ESPN
Bloomberg: With live sports on hold, ESPN viewers devoured the first episode of its Michael Jordan series “The Last Dance,” setting a ratings record for a documentary airing on the network. Some 6.3 million viewers tuned in for the first...
ViacomCBS Run Outs of New Episodes for TV Soap Operas
Vulture: "The Young and the Restless" and "The Bold and the Beautiful," which halted production last month in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, are about to run out of original episodes. CBS is dusting off some decades-old episodes and repackaging...
AT&T-Owned CNN Says Third News Anchor Has Coronavirus
The Hill: Richard Quest announced Monday he has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, making him the third on-air employee with CNN to test positive. "I have caught coronavirus. I am blessed in that I have few symptoms - just a...
Fox Corp’s News Talent Talk Coronavirus with Advertisers
Adweek: Fox News Media scrapped a March 24 upfront event due to concerns about the Covid-19 crisis. On Friday, the company held a digital presentation for advertisers where Fox News anchors and contributors weighed in on the ongoing...
EMarketer: Coronavirus Could Erase $10 Billion in TV Ads
Los Angeles Times: A new report by digital research firm EMarketer illustrates the financial pain facing US broadcasters, particularly ESPN, CBS, Turner and NBC, which rely on live sports to boost their ratings and advertising...
Vice Media Study Says Youth Feel Uncertainty in Pandemic
Vice News: Vice Media wanted to know: “How are you doing?” So the company conducted a survey of 9,000 young adults around the world to find out how young people are coping in the era of Covid-19. Millennials and Gen Z are taking the pandemic...
Netflix to Offer Free Educational Programming on YouTube
Forbes: Netflix has just put a bunch of its shows up for free on YouTube. No, not its scripted series like "Stranger Things." Rather, these are many of Netflix’s educational documentaries, with the idea of families watching together with schools...
Twitter CEO Fends Off Ouster (for Now) Thanks to Covid-19
Vanity Fair: Given the virus now decimating the global economy, CEO Jack Dorsey might have just received a stay of execution at Twitter. Any stock declines will be attributed to coronavirus eviscerating the markets as a...
Craigslist Founder Donates to Jewish News of Northern Calif
Jewish News of Northern California: Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist, has given J. a $100,000 donation, half for general operating funds and the other half to sponsor J.’s reporting on efforts to combat anti-Semitism and other forms of...
Meredith Cuts CEO’s Pay, Slashes Salaries for 3,000 Staffers
New York Post: Meredith, the publisher of magazines like People and Better Homes & Gardens, is hitting about 60 percent of its 5,000 employees with pay cuts as the coronavirus continues to crush ad budgets. The cutbacks at Meredith kick off on May...
Crain’s Ad Age Editor to Leave Publication After Three Years
Talking Biz News: Brian Braiker, the editor of Ad Age, is leaving the Crain publication after three years. Braiker writes, “After three wonderful, challenging, intense and exhilarating years, I’m sad to say I’m parting ways with this iconic...
Group Nine to Launch 10 Video Shows with Facebook Watch
Deadline: Group Nine has partnered with Facebook to release a slate of new shows for Facebook Watch. The mobile video publishing platform’s brands NowThis, The Dodo, Thrillist, Popsugar and Seeker will develop and distribute new...
US Lawmakers in Push to Help Local Newspapers, TV, Radio
Reuters: A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers called on Sunday for expanding payroll assistance to struggling local newspapers and broadcast stations that have seen advertising revenue plummet during the coronavirus pandemic. “Ensuring that local news outlets remain...
Analysis: Coronavirus Hastens Collapse of US Newspapers
Los Angeles Times: The newspaper industry’s collapse has been driven by the exodus of longtime advertisers, who have shifted their money to internet giants Facebook and Google, leading to a precipitous revenue...
Google to Waive Ad Serving Fees for Publishers Amid Crisis
Reuters: Google said on Friday it will waive for the next five months the small fee it charges news publishers to decide which ads to show on their online properties. News publishers, especially the print media, have struggled as many advertisers pulled their...
Facebook, Google ‘Must Pay’ for News Content in Australia
Associated Press: Google and Facebook will be forced to pay for news content in Australia, the government said as the coronavirus pandemic causes a collapse in advertising revenue. Australian regulators will release draft rules for the platforms to pay fair...
Disney to Stop Paying 100,000 Workers to Save $500 Million
Financial Times: Disney will stop paying more than 100,000 employees this week, nearly half of its workforce, as the world’s biggest entertainment company tries to weather the coronavirus lockdown. Suspending pay will save Disney up to $500 million a...
STX Forms Global Film-TV Giant in Merger with India’s Eros
Los Angeles Times: STX Entertainment, the start-up film company that hoped to become the next major Hollywood studio, will merge with an Indian media and entertainment firm known for its massive library of Bollywood films. STX plans to combine with Eros...
Google’s YouTube Spars with Auditor Over Advertising Risk
Wall Street Journal: Google wants to limit the information a key auditor of YouTube can share about the risks of advertising on the video service, highlighting tensions between the tech giant and Madison Avenue. The auditor, OpenSlate, is refusing to sign a...
Disney’s ESPN, Disney Channel Suffer in Lockdown Viewing
Bloomberg: Data from Nielsen show the traditional TV audience isn’t increasing. Instead, streaming looks like the real winner of the Covid-19 pandemic. Prime-time viewers for the Disney Channel, a cable network, slumped almost 37% in the second week of...
Netflix Preps $150 Million Fund to Help Production Workers
Reuters: Netflix has increased the amount of money in its coronavirus emergency relief fund by $50 million, bringing the total for displaced production workers to $150 million. Film and TV production has been shut down around the...
Quibi Declines on iPhones a Week After High-Profile Debut
Business Insider: After a quick moment in the spotlight, Quibi has tanked in the US iPhone app rankings. The streaming app had a strong debut as the fourth most downloaded iPhone app, but quickly fell in the rankings....
Facebook Introduces Gaming App Amid Surge in Gameplay
New York Times: Facebook plans to introduce the Facebook Gaming mobile app on Monday, in its most decisive move into the video game business as people seek entertainment during the pandemic. The free app caps several years of...
Analysis: Social Media Influencers Pivot to Express Empathy
Los Angeles Times: For years, influencers have cashed in on an explosion in corporate advertising, as brands turned to online personalities to help create marketing buzz for their products. But the coronavirus outbreak has upended their business...
Oprah Proteges in Hot Water Over Remarks on Coronavirus
MarketWatch: Dr. Phil McGraw and Dr. Mehmet Oz have both apologized for controversial Covid-19 comments. “Dr. Phil” compared the death toll of a global pandemic that is still peaking to the annual number of deaths from...
Hearst’s Oprah Magazine, at 20, Still Pushes ‘Can-Do’ Credo
Mr Magazine: O, The Oprah Magazine has been spreading the “you can do it” message for 20 years now. Even in the midst of this pandemic, the message of the magazine and its namesake is still the same: “Live Your Best...