G/O Media Faces Two Lawsuits Claiming Sex Discrimination
New York Post: Jim Spanfeller — the beleaguered boss of G/O Media, which owns The Onion and Deadspin — is being sued by two former executives who claim in separate lawsuits that he discriminated against female employees at the...
Netflix, Disney Get Early Prediction to Win Streaming Wars
Bloomberg: Jonathan Nelson, head of Providence Equity Partners, an early investor in Hulu, says he already knows who will win the streaming wars: Netflix and Disney. As Netflix adds subscribers globally, it can afford more shows and movies, while Disney has...
Disney CEO Says FX Will Produce Original Content for Hulu
CNBC: Disney has finally revealed its plans for the former Fox network FX. “We’re going to create a huge FX presence on Hulu,” says Disney CEO Bob Iger. The network is slated to create original content for the streaming...
Discovery CEO Eyes Aggregating TV Shows for Streaming
Fox Business: After posting better-than-expected third-quarter earnings, Discovery CEO David Zaslav says the company is looking at ways to aggregate its vast catalog of unscripted and factual-based programming through a streaming...
CBS Fires Staffer Who Had Access to Leaked Hot Mic Audio
Associated Press: A CBS News employee has lost her job following reports that she may have been involved in the leak of video that showed ABC’s Amy Robach complaining that her bosses didn’t run a story about a Jeffrey Epstein...
Viacom’s Pluto TV Hires YouTube Exec for Marketing Chief
Variety: Pluto TV, Viacom’s free streaming video service, has tapped Fran Hazeldine as senior VP of marketing — its first head of marketing. Hazeldine will lead Pluto TV’s brand, growth, content, and partner marketing...
Google Redesigns YouTube Homepage with Usability Focus
TechCrunch: YouTube’s homepage is getting a makeover. The company announced an updated, cleaner design that does away with information density to instead give more room to the videos and their titles, plus other new...
Bloomberg Founder Takes Steps to Enter Race for President
Bloomberg: Michael Bloomberg is once again considering a run for president in 2020, with an adviser saying he is concerned that the current crop of Democratic contenders will not be able to defeat President Trump. Bloomberg, 77, had considered a run earlier this...
Verizon Media’s Yahoo Unveils Initiative in Immersive News
Variety: Yahoo News published an augmented reality feature dubbed “Rebuilding Paradise” as part of a new partner program for immersive news content. The feature takes viewers inside the reconstruction process for a home destroyed in last year’s deadly Camp Fire in...
Endeavor Names ABC TV Veteran for New Management Role
Los Angeles Times: Endeavor Group Holdings, the owner of the Hollywood talent agency WME and sports league UFC, is shaking up its representation business in the wake of its failed stock offering by investing in Lloyd Braun’s Whalerock Industries....
Nielsen Plans Consumer Unit Spinoff After Activist Pressure
Bloomberg: Nielsen plans to spin off its business that tracks consumer preferences into a separately listed company prompted by pressure from activist investor Elliott Management. Nielsen will split into two public...
Sinclair Leads $10.3 Million Stake in Rideshare TV Ad Startup
TechCrunch: Octopus Interactive, a startup bringing an interactive TV and ad experience into Uber and Lyft rides, has raised a $10.3 million funding round led by Sinclair Digital Group. Octopus lets rideshare drivers use backseat TVs to keep their passengers...
Chernin’s TCG Nabs $700 Million After Success of MeatEater
Bloomberg: The MeatEater website has grown into a one-stop shop, offering items such as $30 hunting caps by using content to drive commerce. TCG -- a venture capital and private equity affiliate of the Chernin Group -- aims to pursue more such opportunities with a...
News Corp Starts Election Newsletter at Wall Street Journal
Talking Biz News: The Wall Street Journal has announced the launch of a weekly newsletter, 2020 Election+Business, which reports on business and finance issues relating to the 2020 election. “This is a big story for the Journal and our...
Nikkei Plots Move in Artificial Intelligence at Financial Times
Nieman Lab: Nikkei's acquisition of the Financial Times appears to be working out even better than hoped. Nikkei boss Tsuneo Kita reveals: “We are doing research and developing AI in Tokyo. So, this is something that we will be able to share with...
Bustle Digital Revamp Results in 12 Layoffs at Women’s Site
Mediaite: More than a dozen editorial employees were let go Thursday from Bustle, the online women’s site owned by Bustle Digital Group. The jobs that were eliminated appeared to have been associated with books, lifestyle and entertainment...
G/O Media to Learn PR Lessons from Debacle with Deadspin
PR News: Having the freedom to think, talk and write like a fan is precisely what attracted readers to Deadspin. In PR terms, G/O Media didn't understand Deadspin's audience. And G/O compounded the problem in several ways that offer PR...
IAC’s Dotdash Chief Advises a Focus on Humans, Not Google
Fast Company: Bleak headlines about the demise of the media world seem to appear almost daily. Is it possible for digital media to even survive? “It’s super simple. Just make good shit that people care about and you’ll be fine,” says Neil Vogel, CEO of...
Report: Old Media Turn Up at Party for Michael’s Restaurant
New York Post: Michael McCarty, owner of Michael’s Restaurant, and longtime general manager Steve Millington tossed a 30th anniversary bash on Wednesday for the Midtown eatery that’s long been a magnet for boldfaced media...
Fox Corp’s Murdoch Family Agrees to a Cap on Voting Power
Australian Financial Review: The Murdoch family has for the first time agreed to a cap on their voting power in the new Fox Corp. The restriction applies even if they acquire more shares in the company above the set level in order to help facilitate a...
Disney Streaming Chief Stirs ‘Dread’ in Rise at Media Giant
The Wrap: Disney sees big things for Kevin Mayer, who is overseeing the imminent launch of its Disney+ streaming service. But nearly a dozen former colleagues and subordinates say that Mayer’s unvarnished personal style has sparked concerns about his...
AT&T’s Streaming Service Lags New Rivals in US Awareness
Hollywood Reporter: Among US adults of all ages, 44 percent have heard "a lot" or "some" about Disney+, while 33 percent say the same about Apple TV+ and 25 percent recognize the HBO Max brand, according to a Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult...
Netflix CEO: Subscriber Counts Aren’t Most Important Metric
CNBC: Netflix has built itself into a $125 billion company by accumulating 164 million global subscribers. But CEO Reed Hastings says that subscriber counts aren’t the right metric to track who’s winning the streaming wars -- what’s important is how viewers spend...
Alphabet’s Board Opens Probe of Sexual Misconduct by Execs
CNBC: Alphabet’s board of directors has opened an investigation into how execs handled claims of sexual harassment and other misconduct, including behavior of chief legal officer David Drummond, who has been accused of having relationships with...
Google Mulls Changing Political Ad Policy for Search, YouTube
MarketWatch: Google is said to be in discussions about changing its political ad policy about a week after Facebook and Twitter publicly diverged on how to handle those ads amid the spread of misinformation. Google has been holding internal meetings about its...
Twitter Former Staffers Face Charge of Spying for Saudi Arabia
Washington Post: The Justice Department has charged two former Twitter employees with spying for Saudi Arabia by accessing the company’s information on dissidents who use the platform, marking the first time federal prosecutors have accused the kingdom of running...
Vice Media CEO: We’re Taking Steps to Eliminate ‘Bro Culture’
Fast Company: Everybody knows Vice Media is a male-dominated snake pit of debauchery, right? Well, not exactly. One person who’s tired of hearing this “lingering narrative” about the company is Nancy Dubuc, the former A&E veteran who became CEO of Vice last...
The Fader Fires Content Head After Sexual Misconduct Charge
Pitchfork: The Fader has parted ways with content head Eric Sundermann. The decision comes just days after allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him on Twitter. Sundermann’s employment “was terminated following a prompt internal...
The Blaze, from Beck, Drops TV Channel to Focus on Streaming
Hollywood Reporter: The Blaze, a multimedia firm founded by Glenn Beck after he left Fox News eight years ago, will shut down its traditional cable channel at the end of the year.The Blaze will continue to operate its subscription VOD service, its website and radio...
New York Times Ads Drop as ‘Turbulence’ Hits Digital Market
New York Times: Readers continue to shower the New York Times with money. Advertisers, not so much. The publisher added 273,000 new online subscribers in the third quarter, for a total of 4 million digital readers, Advertising was the weak spot, falling 6.7 percent...