Twitter Ends Standoff Over Account from News Corp
CNET: Twitter has reversed course on its decision to lock the New York Post account, saying that it's allowing the publication to tweet again. The change in stance comes after Twitter altered its Hacked Materials Policy, which is the policy that initially led the...
Fox Corp Sells Out News Ad Time for Election Night
New York Times: Advertising space between 6 pm Tuesday and 2 am Wednesday is sold out at Fox News, says Jeff Collins, who heads ad sales for the network. More than a dozen companies have asked that their ads run during the election coverage, he...
Disney Names Broadcast Exec as Head of Networks
The Information: Disney has promoted Debra O'Connell, president and general manager of WABC-TV, to head up its network division, putting her in charge of all P&L oversight for the company's networks, including ESPN. Disney is clearly making sure that its strategy...
Sony Nears Deal to Buy AT&T Streamer Crunchyroll
Nikkei: Sony has entered into final negotiations to acquire US anime-streaming service Crunchyroll, a deal that could catapult the Japanese icon into a global battle with the likes of Netflix. Sony could end up spending more than $957 million on the streamer, gaining...
Nielsen Inks Deal to Sell Consumer Goods Data Arm
Reuters: Nielsen says it will sell its consumer goods data unit for $2.7 billion to private equity firm Advent International, as the market research firm narrows its focus to its media arm. Advent will buy Nielsen's Global Connect unit in partnership with James Peck,...
Vice Media Plans Reopening of Offices in July 2021
@maxwelltani: Vice Media has emailed staffers saying that the company is aiming at a July reopening. The company also says it is open to some employees relocating permanently, but "salary adjustments will be considered due to location-specific tax and pay...
Gannett Seeks to Offload Another Newspaper Office
Patch Palm Desert: The Desert Sun's headquarters in Palm Springs, Calif. is up for sale for $7.5 million, the newspaper says. "We will find a wonderful new home for our newsroom that brings us closer to the community," says executive editor Julie...
Hearst Says Cosmopolitan Fans Drink a Lot of Wine
WWD: After launching a perfume and a furniture line, Hearst-owned Cosmopolitan magazine is continuing to expand its footprint outside of traditional print by entering the wine market. Uncorked by Cosmo is launching in partnership with Napa, Calif.-based Guarachi Wine...
McClatchy Veteran Editor Exits to Simon & Schuster
Miami Herald: Aminda Marqués González, who has led the newsrooms at the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald to multiple honors, told her staff last week that she is leaving the organization to become vice president and executive editor at book publisher Simon &...
New York Times in Legal Hassle with Project Veritas
Law and Crime: Project Veritas, whose history of disseminating selectively edited videos has on a number of occasions landed its founder James O'Keefe in court, sued the New York Times on Friday. The plaintiff alleged that it was defamatory of the Times to call the...
The Atlantic Apologizes for Fabrication, Inaccuracy
TheWrap: The Atlantic said it regrets commissioning and publishing a feature story written by Ruth Shalit Barrett — who was fired from The New Republic in the 1990s over incidents of plagiarism — which has been revealed to include a fabrication and multiple...
Reuters Outfits Workers with Flak Jackets, Helmets
Press Gazette: Reuters plans to offer gas masks, helmets and other protective gear to its reporters covering the US presidential election. "Our concern about the safety of journalists in the US is unprecedentedly high," says Reuters editor-in-chief Stephen J...
Drudge Report Sees Traffic Plunge as LInks Go Left
New York Post: The Drudge Report posted a 45 percent decline in web traffic in September as the site alienated its core readers by turning against President Trump ahead of the election. Drudge Report had 1,291,000 unique visitors in September, down from 2,340,000 a...
Apple Unveils Subscription Bundles of Music, Video
CNBC: Apple will launch its Apple One subscription bundles on Friday, letting people pay for the company's premium services with one monthly payment. The Individual tier costs $14.95 a month and includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade and 500GB of iCloud...
Alphabet, Facebook, Amazon Enjoy Big Profit Gains
Associated Press: Five technology giants have reported strong earnings but mixed outlooks, a sign of varying fortunes as they work to rebound from a pandemic-related economic slowdown earlier this year. Amazon, Alphabet, Facebook, Apple and Twitter each exceeded...
Netflix Ups Prices in US as Content Spending Grows
Los Angeles Times: Netflix says it is raising the prices of its US standard and premium subscription plans, as the streamer continues to invest in content to differentiate itself from rivals. The cost of its standard plan that allows for streaming on two screens will...
Amazon Nabs Longtime Broadcast Star ‘Judge Judy’
Associated Press: Everyone's going to streaming, including Judge Judy. The broadcast television staple's next act will be with IMDb TV, Amazon's free digital service. Judith Sheindlin's long-running syndicated courtroom show "Judge Judy" will end production in...
AT&T’s WarnerMedia Rescues New Show from Quibi
Variety: Lil Yachty's dramedy series "Public Figures" has moved to HBO Max for development. The series was set up at Quibi last year, but moved over to HBO Max in the wake of Quibi shutting down. Rapper-influencer Yachty still attached to star in the show, which is...
ViacomCBS’s ‘Schitt’s Creek’ No 1 on Streaming List
Deadline: "Schitt's Creek" has climbed up the Nielsen streaming charts, unseating Ryan Murphy's "Ratched," with 968 million minutes of viewing from September 28-October 4. The comedy series from Pop swept the comedy categories at the Emmy Awards back in...
Comcast to Continue Layoffs in Tough Year at NBCU
New York Post: NBCUniversal has been going through a rough period of steep cost cuts and layoffs, related to both the pandemic and the realignment of its TV-content-producing operations. The company is not out of the woods yet, as layoffs continue to trickle through...
Fox Corp Girds for a Trump Defeat at News Channel
Washington Post: Rupert Murdoch has always considered Fox News’s original underdog status to be its strength. He is ready to welcome a new inhabitant at the White House. "Fox thrives when it is in the opposition. A Biden win would be great for Fox's...
Roundup: US Media Plan for a Messy Election Night
Financial Times: The Associated Press has actively prepared to contradict the president on election night. Associated Press: Fox News hired the makers of the "Fortnite" video game to design whiz-bang graphics. WWD: "This is the first time I've ever met a lot of people...
Axel Springer’s Insider Buys Stake in Morning Brew
Axios: Insider, the parent company to Business Insider, has closed an all-cash deal to buy a majority stake in Morning Brew, a media startup that focuses on business newsletters and podcasts. Morning Brew's co-founders, both under 30, raised very little capital...
Hearst Taps Music Pro to Develop Magazine Playlist
Daily Front Row: Harper's Bazaar is getting its own playlist. Dev Hynes, also known as Blood Orange, is joining the masthead as the first music director. The role will be assigned to a different musician every month, with the task of defining a playlist that speaks to...
Meredith Seeks Brand Extensions for Life Magazine
License Global: Meredith has named Evolution USA as its licensing and brand management agency for the Life brand and the Life Picture Collection. Evolution will seek new licensing and brand expansion opportunities for Life and its photo archive in a variety of product...
The Economist Joins Media Endorsements of Biden
MediaPost: The Economist has endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. This is the ninth time the London-based Economist has endorsed a US presidential candidate. The first time was in 1980, with a recommendation to vote for Ronald Reagan. It endorsed...
First Look’s Intercept Loses Founder in Censor Flap
Mediaite: The Intercept fired back at Glenn Greenwald in a scathing statement after he left the outlet he co-founded, accusing its editors of attempting to censor an article he had written about Joe Biden. "The narrative he presents is teeming with distortions and...
Bongino Site Founder Baffled by Fame on Facebook
New York Times: Right-wing commentator Dan Bongino, whose Facebook page performs better than those of major news organizations, is perplexed by his social media success. "I don’t know what it is,” he says. "The strategy didn't change at all. I think people just like...
Daily Wire Founder Aims to Sell Home for $3 Million
Variety: Ben Shapiro's home in LA's San Fernando Valley neighborhood has popped up for sale, asking just under $2.9 million. Shapiro plans to relocate his Daily Wire media operation from Los Angeles to Nashville. The home includes a sophisticated security system with...
Study: Coronavirus Downturn Hits Newspapers Hard
TheHill: Newspapers were hit particularly hard by the coronavirus pandemic in the second quarter of 2020, with advertising revenues plummeting in comparison to the previous year while revenue was up for a number of television news networks and...