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...
Facebook Must Divest Social Media Buys, US Says
Associated Press: The Federal Trade Commission and more than 40 states have accused Facebook of becoming a social media monopoly by illegally squashing competition by buying up its rivals. Prosecutors called for Facebook to unwind Instagram and WhatsApp and for new...
Facebook Ready for Flood of US Antitrust Lawsuits
Washington Post: More than 40 attorneys general and the US government are preparing to file antitrust lawsuits against Facebook on Wednesday, alleging that the tech giant engaged in unlawful, anticompetitive tactics to buy or kill off its...
Google, Facebook Must Pay for News, Australia Says
Reuters: Australia has finalized plans to make Facebook and Google pay its media outlets for news content, a world-first move aimed at protecting independent journalism that has been strongly opposed by the internet giants. "The world is...
Apple Unveils Its Own Pricey Over-Ear Headphones
Bloomberg: Apple has launched its first over-ear headphones, entering a competitive market dominated by rivals such as Bose and Sony, and expanding its push into accessories to supplement revenue generated by its signature iPhone. The $550 headphones include wireless...
Netflix, Disney Likely Winners in Global TV Industry
Business Insider: The global TV industry will be redefined in the next 10 years, UBS analysts predicted in a new 67-page report. The report sketched out the evolution of the industry thus far, and said it's approaching a new era that will be shaped by...
Disney Chief Rejects Presidential Bid Citing Family
CNBC: When Bob Iger first discussed running for president with his wife, Willow Bay, she told him, "You can run for anything you want, but not with this wife." She broke out into tears," Iger said. "She basically said it will ruin our...
AT&T, Comcast Execs See Streaming User Growth
Bloomberg: AT&T's HBO Max and Comcast's Peacock saw a surge in sign-ups in recent months, an indication they're gaining some momentum in an uphill fight against Netflix and Disney. The two media conglomerates are playing...
ViacomCBS CEO Predicts Film Release Shake-Up
Streamable: While ViacomCBS may not be going the same route as WarnerMedia, CEO Bob Bakish believes the current model of releasing films is bound to change. "As we look at emerging from this Covid world, its pretty clear that the theatrical windows will get...
Fox Corp Issues Warning to Potential News Rivals
Hollywood Reporter: Fox Corp CFO Steve Tomsic has a warning to Donald Trump or anyone else looking to launch a new conservative cable news network to cut into the audience share of Fox News. "We don't take lightly the potential for...
Newsmax Looks to Beat Fox News with Streaming
Fast Company: "Why would you subscribe to Fox when you can get Newsmax for free? We now have a Fox lookalike — maybe we're arguably better than Fox in some ways — and [viewers] don't have to pay $1,500 a year for the damned cable...
Redbox Offers Free On-Demand Streaming Service
Deadline: Redbox has launched Free On Demand, an ad-supported streaming destination promising hundreds of titles that are "curated to the tastes of Redbox audiences." Redbox said the mix will cover "fan favorites, cult classics and popular...