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...
Facebook Ready for Heat of Biden Administration
Business Insider: A top advisor to President-elect Joe Biden has torn into Facebook: "If you thought disinformation on Facebook was a problem during our election, just wait until you see how it is shredding the fabric of our democracy in the days...
Parler Soars as More Conservatives Reject Twitter
CNET: As Twitter and Facebook crack down on political misinformation, more conservatives are flocking to an alternative social network called Parler. Over the weekend, high-profile conservatives issued calls urging others to join...
Newsmax Ascends as Network for Post-Trump Era
Fast Company: Newsmax's rank among free apps in Apple's App Store climbed from No. 1,061 on Election Day to No. 8 on November 8, the day after the election was called for Joe Biden. The app is seeing a similar bump on Google...
Thomson Reuters to Unveil Business Line for Pros
Axios: Reuters is launching Reuters Professional, a new business line that will include news, analysis and events for decision-makers. Reuters will push to serve individual professionals more directly, which it believes brings significant financial...
Tribune, Los Angeles Times Pay Up in Pay Lawsuit
New York Post: The Los Angeles Times and Tribune Publishing have jointly agreed to pay $3 million to settle a class action lawsuit brought by multi-ethnic group of journalists who claimed that they were systematically paid less than their white male...
Gannett Eyes Sale of Real Estate, Non-Core Assets
Rochester Beacon: Sales of non-core assets and real estate properties are expected to help Gannett reduce its outstanding debt to $1.63 billion. "If you're thinking of making an offer on your local Gannett-owned newspaper, it looks like this might be a good...
McClatchy Newspaper in Kansas City Needs a Home
Kansas City Star: The Kansas City Star will leave its iconic glass building in downtown Kansas City, Mo. and look for a new home, the newspaper said. The change comes after parent company McClatchy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in...
Conde Nast, Hearst Magazines Feel Impact of Covid
WWD: Fifteen major magazines from publishers such as Conde Nast, Hearst and Meredith saw their audiences decline or remain flat through the third quarter, nearly all the months of the pandemic in the US so far. But 20 titles actually saw audiences...
Quartz to Seek Financing Amid Talk of $1 Sale Deal
New York Post: When Quartz CEO Zach Seward announced that had he purchased his struggling news site from its corporate owners, the terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. But sources say that Tokyo-based Uzabase was looking to sell it for a...
BuzzFeed Launches Its Own Branded Adult Product
Digiday: BuzzFeed's name and signature bright red color will be used to sell a new vibrator this fall in the publisher’s latest effort to become a digital authority on sex and wellness. BuzzFeed will be deepening partnership with adult product manufacturer Bellesa....
Google’s Former CEO Seeks Citizenship in Cyprus
Recode: Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, is finalizing a plan to become a citizen of the island of Cyprus, becoming one of the highest-profile Americans to take advantage of one of the world's most controversial "passport-for-sale"...