Snap is Upbeat on Augmented Reality E-Commerce
CNBC: Snap's stock closed up nearly 5% on Thursday following reports highlighting the company's augmented reality strategy as it relates to e-commerce, and the potential for 20% growth in online advertising in 2021. "Sponsored lens/filter ads are better positioned to...
Bloomberg Touts Subscriptions Despite Pandemic
Press Gazette: Bloomberg has more than doubled the number of subscribers to its news website this year (as distinct from its newswire Bloomberg terminal business). The company now boasts 250,000 active subscriptions, 40% of which are outside of the United...
Gannett Sees 500 Employees Accept Buyout Offer
Poynter: In October, Gannett offered a round of voluntary buyouts to all its employees. Roughly 600 people opted in and roughly 500 buyouts were accepted. Gannett, which owns USA Today and more than 250 daily newsrooms, employs about 21,000 people, 5,000 of them...
New York Times Journo Nabs Deal for Trump Book
Associated Press: One of the top chroniclers of the Trump administration, New York Times White House reporter Maggie Haberman, has a book deal. Penguin Press announced Thursday that the Pulitzer Prize winner's book, currently untitled, would come out in...
Conde Nast Vogue Legend Lands a Job at Amazon
Fashion Week Daily: Vogue former creative director Sally Singer is the latest high profile editorial talent to leave the publishing world in favor of joining a big brand. Singer has been named head of fashion direction at Amazon Fashion. The news was, fittingly,...
Vox’s New York Magazine Names Editor of Curbed
Talking Biz News: New York magazine has hired Sukjong Hong as the editor of Curbed. The real estate news publication recently relaunched as part of New York. "She'll be crucial as the site takes on the city's ever-changing built environment, real-estate market, and...
Bustle Digital Group Voluntarily Recognizes Union
WWD: When rumors began circulating that Bustle Digital Group's staffers were preparing to form a union, media circles speculated that founder and chief executive officer Bryan Goldberg would put up a fight that would play out similar to the Hearst Magazines union...
Facebook, Google to Continue Ban on Political Ads
Fox Business: Facebook and Google will both continue to block political advertisements on their platforms past the two-week moratorium both pre- and post-Election Day that they originally announced. The move comes as President Trump continues to contest the results of...
Disney’s ESPN Esports to Shut Down Amid Layoffs
Esports Observer: ESPN Esports will be shutting down its entire esports division, unable to escape the latest round of layoffs the company announced last week. "We have made the difficult decision to cease operations for our dedicated daily esports editorial and...
ViacomCBS Faces Future of Shrinking TV Channels
Variety: No one at ViacomCBS is ready to say it publicly, but the number of cable TV channels in the company's portfolio will inevitably shrink in the coming years. The ad-supported basic cable channel business these days is a melting ice cube, something that is...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia Mum on Possible Sale of CNN
Deadline: WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar addressed company employees at a virtual town hall meeting Wednesday, which followed the latest round of layoffs at the media company. Kilar was asked to address speculation that CNN may be on the block. He didn't explicitly say...
ViacomCBS Mum on Sale Process of Book Publisher
Vanity Fair: ViacomCBS announced plans to sell Simon & Schuster, its venerable book-publishing house, in early March. Since then, S&S has racked up a string of election-year blockbusters, making it the talk of the publishing industry. In July, S&S...
Fox Corp U-Turns on Conspiracies at News Channel
The Intercept: Fox News is bracing for the looming presidency of Joe Biden while still continuing to indulge President Trump's claims of voter fraud. During the day, news anchors seem to be preparing viewers for the Biden presidency. At night, the opinion hosts give...
Newsmax Aims to Pull Viewers Away from Fox News
Washington Post: As President Trump sought to make the case that the election he lost to former vice president Joe Biden was fraudulent, he found a message he liked on little-watched cable news network Newsmax. Trump tweeted three clips from the network in three...
MGM Preps New Film with Oprah Winfrey, Brad Pitt
Mediaite: Brad Pitt and Oprah Winfrey are teaming up to produce "The Water Dancer," a film adaptation of the best-selling novel about a slave with mysterious superpowers. Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, "The Water Dancer" merges the slavery narrative with elements of...
Netflix Nabs Global Rights to New Tom Hanks Movie
Variety: Universal Pictures is selling international distribution rights to the upcoming Tom Hanks and Paul Greengrass film "News of the World" to Netflix. Universal still plans to release the western drama in U.S. theaters on Christmas Day. The deal has not been...
Liberty’s Ticketmaster Eyes Covid Tests at Concerts
Billboard: Ticketmaster has been working on a framework for post-pandemic fan safety that uses smart phones to verify vaccination status or whether concert-goers have tested negative for the coronavirus within a 24 to 72 hour window. The plan will rely on the...
Hearst Names Interim Chief as Leader of Magazines
New York Post: Hearst on Wednesday named Debi Chirichella as president of its magazines group, replacing Troy Young, who resigned in July over allegations that he had sexually harassed staffers. Chirichella had been named acting president after Young was ousted nearly...
Meredith Shareholders Pave Way for Potential Split
WWD: Shareholders have paved the way for Meredith, the publisher of People, InStyle and Entertainment Weekly, to split its assets into two if need be — although the publishing company stressed that there are no imminent plans to do so. "There is no timeline for nor...
Conde Nast Fires New Yorker Writer After Incident
Associated Press: The New Yorker has fired longtime staff writer Jeffrey Toobin after he reportedly exposed himself during a Zoom conference last month. He had already been on suspension and is also on leave from CNN, where he is chief legal analyst. "We take...
News Corp Puts On Virtual Gala for WSJ Magazine
Wall Street Journal: "It's fitting that the 10-year anniversary celebration of Innovators calls for a new spin on the magazine's beloved franchise," said WSJ. editor in chief Kristina O'Neill, kicking off an annual awards ceremony in which the magazine honors...
Drudge Report, Former Trump Ally, Looks to Biden
New York Times: Matt Drudge started showing signs that he had soured on President Trump months before the election. Since the vote, the fedora-topped media pioneer has seemed even more eager to distance himself and his site from the man in the White...
AT&T Begins Layoffs for Streaming at WarnerMedia
CNBC: WarnerMedia began layoffs Tuesday as the company restructures around streaming video. The job cuts are part of parent AT&T's plan to eliminate redundant positions within WarnerMedia and refocus the company around HBO...
Disney Shuffles TV Execs with Focus on Streaming
Bloomberg: Disney is continuing to adjust the lines of reporting at its TV unit following a big reorganization announced last month that tightened the entertainment giant's focus on streaming. "This is a big change to our legacy television...
Fox Corp, News Corp Insiders Gossip About Trump
Business Insider: Insiders at Fox News and the New York Post are wondering what's next for the most vocal pro-Trump personalities inside Rupert Murdoch's media empire. New York Times: Presidents come and go. Rupert Murdoch...
Comcast’s MSNBC Cuts Pundits with Ties to Biden
Daily Beast: MSNBC is shedding more contributors as on-air figures join President-elect Joe Biden's transition efforts. Barbara McQuade and Richard Stengel will no longer be paid contributors after both were named part of Biden's agency review...
Dish Network to Shutter Slingbox Devices by 2022
CNET: Dish Network said it's immediately discontinuing Sling Media's Slingbox devices and will shut down its servers in two years, effectively bricking owners' devices. "Until then, most Slingbox models will continue to work...
Nielsen Brings Facebook-Like Ad Targeting to TV
CNET: Nielsen is making a change to its rules that may mean the commercials you watch on TV start to feel like the ones in your Facebook feed. But advancements in ad targeting bring questions about the privacy of user...
Spotify Buys Podcast Ad-Tech Outfit Megaphone
Los Angeles Times: Spotify said it will acquire Virginia-based podcast ad platform Megaphone, as the streaming platform aims to capture more advertising dollars. The $235-million purchase is one of the largest podcasting deals Spotify has made to...
Google Combats Lawsuit Over Online Display Ads
Law360: Google has asked a California federal court to toss antitrust claims by a putative class that contends the search engine giant and its parent company have established a monopoly in online display...