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...
US Newspaper Readers Doubt Stories About Covid
NBC News: Newspaper publishers and editors have found challenges in covering the pandemic in a highly politicized environment. "It's easy for people to find whatever they want to believe on the internet," said one editor. "So it's hard for us to change minds with real...
Facebook CEO Under Fire in US Push for Breakup
Politico: Mark Zuckerberg's e-mails, texts and musings are peppered throughout both the FTC and state complaints seeking a breakup. The FTC's case cites a 2008 e-mail by Zuckerberg describing his and the company's philosophy: "It's better to buy than...
Alphabet Lifts Blackout on Political Ads at Google
Wall Street Journal: Google said it is planning to lift its ban on political ads after a blackout of more than a month because of concerns over election misinformation. Google has told advertisers it will lift its so-called sensitive event...
Google’s YouTube Bans Claims of Trump Winning
CNBC: YouTube said it will begin removing content that falsely alleges widespread fraud or errors surrounding the 2020 presidential election, more than a month after the polls closed and Joe Biden was declared the projected...
Netflix Forecast to Weaken Amid Growth for Roku
Seeking Alpha: Needham analyst Laura Martin believes next year "will unmask fundamental weaknesses in Netflix's growth story and also unmask Roku's powerful advertising growth engine on its larger installed base." Martin expects a drop in Netflix subscribers....
Disney to Reveal Plans to Turbocharge Streaming
New York Times: On Thursday, as part of an investor presentation focused on streaming, Disney will discuss a giant trove of coming content. Some big-budget Disney movies will continue to have exclusive runs in theaters. Others will debut...
AT&T Attracts Offers Above $15 Billion for DirecTV
Wall Street Journal: AT&T has received bids for its DirecTV unit valuing the satellite-TV service at more than $15 billion, as the widely watched auction winds toward a resolution. Among the top bidders were Churchill Capital and private-equity firm...
Sony Buys Crunchyroll from AT&T for $1.18 Billion
Reuters: Sony will buy AT&T's animation business Crunchyroll for $1.175 billion, as the Japanese electronics conglomerate aims to beef up its entertainment content and distribution businesses. The deal will give Sony access to Crunchyroll's 3 million paying...
Fox Corp to Launch Branded Streamer for Weather
Broadcasting & Cable: Fox News Media said it plans to launch an advertising-supported streaming weather service called Fox Weather in the third quarter of 2021. The move comes amid media companies rushing to streaming and will challenge The Weather...
Viacom Scores in Exec Poaching Flap with Netflix
Los Angeles Times: Viacom appears to be gaining the upper hand in its fight with Netflix over the streaming giant’s hiring of its executives. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Jon Takasugi said in a preliminary judgment that Viacom international was entitled to pursue...
Disney OKs TikTok ‘Ratatouille’ Benefit for Actors
New York Times: Broadway theater fans crowdsourced a hypothetical musical version of Disney's 2007 film "Ratatouille" on TikTok, which will become a one-time-only online benefit for the Actors Fund. Disney has become more tolerant of fan...
Comcast Sends NBC News Star to Cover Football
The Hill: Steve Kornacki will appear on NBC's "Sunday Night Football" coverage through the remainder of the regular season. The MSNBC and NBC News political journalist's first appearances over the weekend on NBC’s pregame and halftime shows "met with acclaim." ...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia Faces New Declines at ‘Ellen’
BuzzFeed News: Two months into the return of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," following reports of a toxic work environment, the show is said to be losing advertisers, struggling to book celebrities, and suffering a dip in ratings in the busiest season of the...
Bloomberg Media Sees Good News Ahead in 2021
Adweek: Bloomberg Media CEO Justin Smith is optimistic about the second half of next year when the pandemic will hopefully be brought under control as vaccines are distributed globally. "We've spent a lot of time shifting our audiences and our platforms towards...
WPP Predicts Digital Gains, Print Declines in 2021
WNIP: In the US, a 30% ad revenue decline is expected for newspaper publishers and 20% for magazine publishers. "There are still positive stories to tell, particularly for titles that shifted their revenue generating activity toward digital...
Hearst Taps Oprah Editor to Lead Print Magazines
WWD: Hearst Magazines is taking a fresh interest in print under new leadership. Lucy Kaylin, the editor in chief of O the Oprah Magazine for the past several years, has been named vice president of print content of Hearst's magazine division, an entirely new...
Meredith Appoints New Bosses for Digital Content
Adweek: Meredith is building up executive leadership for its digital content business with two new appointments: Former chief business and data officer Alysia Borsa is now president of Meredith Digital, and Amanda Dameron has been hired for the new role of chief...
Time Magazine to Reveal ‘Person of Year’ Tonight
NBC: NBC will present the first-ever "Time Person of the Year" special, set for Thursday at 10 pm ET. In addition to the 2020 Person of the Year, the special will spotlight Time editors' selections for categories that recognize the influence of individuals in specific...
Vox Media Brings Meditation App Series to Netflix
Hollywood Reporter: Headspace, the popular mediation app, is getting its own Netflix series, produced by Vox Media Studios and Headspace Studios. Headspace co-founder and former Buddhist monk Andy Puddicombe will narrate the eight 20-minute...