AT&T’s WarnerMedia Chief Becomes Movie Villain
New York Times: Jason Kilar's decision to release 2021 movies simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max has angered many in the industry, including some of the star filmmakers his company relies on. Deadline: "Treat us with kindness," said Timothée Chalamet. "Every...
Comcast Mulls $5-a-Month Paywall for ‘The Office’
Bloomberg: When NBCUniversal brings "The Office" to Peacock next month, it could be a major test of whether users are willing to pay for the ad-supported streaming service. The company is considering putting most seasons of the sitcom behind a paywall, a bet that the...
Apple CEO Kills Streaming TV Show About Gawker
New York Times: Tim Cook was surprised to learn that Apple was making a streaming show about Gawker, which had humiliated the company at various times and famously outed him, back in 2008, as gay. Cook expressed a distinctly negative view toward...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia Boss Says CNN Isn’t for Sale
Wall Street Journal: Jeff Zucker's contract negotiations are happening at the same time that CNN has become a target of takeover interest in the private-equity world. Recently, Zucker was made aware of investor interest in taking the network private. In one scenario,...
Fox Corp: Tubi Ad Revenues to Surpass Broadcast
MediaPost: Revenues for free, ad-supported, video streaming service Tubi have doubled since Fox Corp acquired it earlier this year. Its ad sales are growing so fast that Fox's top financial executive predicted it will soon surpass the company's broadcast network...
Reddit to Buy TikTok Short-Video Rival Dubsmash
TechCrunch: Reddit announced that it has acquired short video platform Dubsmash. The deal's terms were undisclosed. Dubsmash will retain its own platform and brand, and Reddit will integrate its video creation tools. Its co-founders, Suchit Dash, Jonas Drüppel and Tim...
News Corp’s WSJ in Flap Over Op-Ed on Jill Biden
New York Times: The editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal accused strategists for President-elect Joe Biden of instigating a coordinated response to an op-ed article that called on Jill Biden to refrain from referring to herself as "Dr. Biden" because she...
Forbes Unveils Global Luxury Real-Estate Platform
Yahoo Finance: Forbes and real-estate veterans are launching a new Zillow-like platform for luxury properties. The listing site will feature homes around the globe from $2 million to $160 million. The partnership with Forbes is designed to draw on Forbes' readership...
Conde Nast Global Editors, Execs Depart in Shakeup
Business of Fashion: The fusion of Conde Nast’s US and international divisions has been more of a takeover than a merger of equals. Last week, the company announced the exit of several of its highest-level editors and executives in key European markets, including...
W Media Hires Hearst Veteran for Digital Redesign
WWD: W editor in chief Sara Moonves aims to beef up the title's digital arm, a goal that has become even more important to the brand during the pandemic. And to help her in her mission she has hired Elle's Katie Connor as executive digital director, a new...
Vox Media Chief Eyes Disney for Business Strategy
Vanity Fair: Jim Bankoff has lately been likening Vox Media not to anyone from its peer group — whether you'd consider that BuzzFeed or Vice or even, say, Conde Nast — but rather to a titan in another league altogether: Disney. "Disney makes money by bringing its...
Axios Readies Business to Help with ‘Smart Brevity’
Digiday: This coming February, Axios's first software-as-a-service product, AxiosHQ, will hit the market. The publisher hopes its strategy to target companies looking to more effectively communicate will differentiate it from other publishers that have built...
Prediction: News Subscriptions to Join Mega Bundles
Nieman Lab: "My prediction: Credit card companies will add a news subscription to their mega-bundles. If American Express can offer their users a one-year subscription to the Calm app, why not a one-year subscription to the Wall Street Journal, New York magazine, or...
Big Media Forecast to Seek More Streaming Deals
Hollywood Reporter: Deal activity in media for the past 12 months was roughly on par with the activity for all of 2019 despite the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers. "Covid-19 forced companies to be more introspective and...
Media Conglom Veterans in the Hunt for New Jobs
The Information: A lot of executive talent in entertainment is currently between gigs. And most are midway through their careers. One of the big questions facing the industry is whether the cuts reflect a permanent shrinkage. Will this crop of free agents stay in...
Disney Top Management Ready for a Big Shake-Up
Business Insider: Disney movie chief Alan Horn, 77, is the center of speculation that he is about to depart. Horn and Disney executive chairman Bob Iger are expected to leave around the same time. General counsel Alan Braverman, who is in his early 70s, may also be...
Comcast Exec Eyes Job with Biden Administration
Philadelphia Inquirer: Comcast executive and longtime Philadelphia political power player David L. Cohen is hoping to join President-elect Joe Biden's administration as either commerce secretary or a high-profile ambassador, according to former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed...
ViacomCBS Names Veteran for International Chief
World Screen: Raffaele Annecchino has been appointed president and CEO of ViacomCBS Networks International, effective immediately, succeeding David Lynn, who will depart the company following a transition period. Annecchino has held a number of positions at the...
AT&T’s Movie Plan is ‘Unacceptable’ to CAA, DGA
Deadline: CAA is the latest to blast WarnerMedia on its decision to place its entire 17-film slate on HBO Max at the same time the films are released in US theaters in 2021. Deadline: The DGA also has told WarnerMedia that its 2021 movie distribution plan is...
Disney Streamer Unveils Big Plans, Price Increase
Los Angeles Times: In a more than four-hour presentation, Disney unveiled its plan to supercharge its streaming services, including a robust slate of shows from its "Star Wars" and Marvel franchises, original movies and a new international service to expand its reach...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia Halts ‘Ellen’ on Covid Result
USA Today: Ellen DeGeneres has tested positive for coronavirus but is "feeling fine right now," she announced Thursday. Production on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" has been paused until January. The television host, 62, said in a tweet that "anyone who has been in close...
Google, YouTube to Let Users Limit Ad Categories
MediaPost: YouTube and Google users soon will have the ability to opt out of gambling and alcohol advertisements if they don’t want to see them, using tools the companies are rolling out. "We've heard feedback that some people would prefer to limit ads in certain...
Netflix Reveals Most-Watched Content of the Year
People: Netflix has released a report on the most-watched content of the year, and the results are more or less in line with the roller coaster ride that has been 2020. Viewers spent twice as much time watching documentaries and reality TV on the platform this...
Facebook Eyes WhatsApp Amid US Antitrust Heat
Bloomberg Businessweek: While WhatsApp makes little money now, Facebook sees private messaging as the foundation for its next big business. Facebook aims to transform WhatsApp's user base into a profit center by enticing retailers to sell goods and services inside the...
News Corp in Talks with Tech Giants for News Pay
B&T: News Corp CEO Robert Thomson has revealed the company is in "advanced stage" discussions with Google and Facebook about paying for news. "The sort of negotiations that are taking place now were regarded as fanciful by many in the digital industry two or three...
Hearst Leads in Magazines Cutting Print Frequency
WWD: Out of the big three magazine publishers, Hearst appears to have resorted to shrinking print the most during the pandemic. Hearst decreased the frequency of titles including Cosmopolitan, Elle, Good Housekeeping, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, and Town &...
Meredith’s People Magazine Editor Upbeat on Print
Mr Magazine: "Print is going to last forever," said Dan Wakeford, editor in chief of People magazine. "People magazine in print will be here in 20 or 25 years. Print needs to provide something emotional and arresting and something distinct that you can't get...
Penske Media Cuts Jobs Ahead of Acquisition Deal
New York Post: Women's Wear Daily handed out pink slips just two months after long-time owner Penske Media agreed to shell out $225 million to merge with the publisher of The Hollywood Reporter. That deal is expected to officially be finalized by the end of the...
Gannett to Outsource 485 Back-Office Jobs to India
Poynter: Gannett told its business-side employees that 485 of their jobs will be outsourced to Hyderabad, India, early next year. All of the jobs involve "business process" — things like paying bills, invoicing customers, and preparing monthly summary...
New York Times Join Outlets Bolstering Obituaries
CJR: Large US newspapers like the New York Times and the Seattle Times added staff and resources to beef up their obituary coverage once the scale of the pandemic became clear. The New York Times set up a special vertical called "Those We've...