Media

Vice Media Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Vice Media is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the latest digital media company to falter after a meteoric rise. Vice said Monday that it has agreed to sell its assets to a consortium of lenders — Fortress Investment Group, Soros Fund Management and Monroe Capital — in exchange for $225 million in credit. Other parties will also be able to submit bids.

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Writers Guild Strike to Disrupt Tony Awards

The curtain has fallen on the Tonys‘ scheduled air date: The annual theater awards ceremony won’t air on CBS as planned on June 11 after the Writers Guild of America denied a waiver for the show to air during the ongoing Hollywood writers’ strike.

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Amazon Shifts Movie Distribution Strategy

Amazon is in the works of developing new methods of providing the company’s plethora of Amazon original TV shows and movies to viewers on other platforms.

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The Return of Bob Iger

Disney shares rallied after the unexpected return of Robert Bob Iger as chief executive in a move analysts say adds a familiar hand to shake things up after a rocky stretch.

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Kanye Social

Kanye West announced today that he will be buying the controversial social media app Parler after facing several restrictions on more popular apps such as Twitter and Instagram.

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YouTube Seeking Alternative Business Model

By now you might have heard that YouTube is looking to enter the TV streaming service. The company is looking to create something known as the “Channel Store” in which users will be offered packages to various streaming services. The company has already offered a subscription to YouTube TV which provides cable channels and a subscription to HBO Max.

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Podcast Ad Revenues to Top $2B in 2022

In the last year or so, the podcast advertising industry has turned a corner. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PwC’s 2021 U.S. Podcast Advertising Revenue Study, the next two years will see a significant spike in podcast ad revenue growth

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What’s Going on With Netflix?

Netflix has suffered its first subscriber loss in about a decade, resulting in a 25% drop of its shares amid concerns that the pioneer of the streaming service industry may be in decline. The company’s subscriber base plummeted by 200,000 during the January-March period, according to the company’s quarterly earnings report released recently. It’s the first time that Netflix’s subscribers have fallen since the streaming service became available throughout most of the world

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Trouble At Spotify

Joe Rogan’s podcast has placed Spotify into a public relations crisis in which listeners were outraged over the podcast's December 31st episode discussing the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccinations

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Gaming is Making Big Tech Bigger

The gaming wars have been heating up as of late with Sony’s recent purchase of Bungie, the game studio known for creating the Destiny and Halo franchises. The acquisition signals a shift by Sony towards a bigger audience than what their current PlayStation has to offer, but as the gaming wars heat up even further, they will certainly not lack competition

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Spiderman No Way Home Shatters Pandemic Box Office Record

“Spider-Man: No Way Home,” the latest installment in the web-slinging hero’s franchise, opened to a record-setting $253 million at the box office this weekend, a result considered all but impossible since Covid-19 cratered the world-wide theatrical industry more than 18 months ago

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The Netflix Booster Shot

Netflix has reportedly added 4.4 million subscribers in the third quarter of 2021, putting their total subscriber count at 213.5 million globally

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Amazon's Podcast Play

Amazon announced earlier this summer that it had acquired distribution rights to SmartLess, a popular podcast hosted by actors Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes. The e-commerce giant will spend more than $20 million per anum so it can offer new episodes of the talk show on its music service exclusively—for just one week—before they’re released on other outlets

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The Olympics have Fallen

“I really believe this is going to be the most meaningful Olympics of our lifetime,” an NBC Olympics executive producer stated during a conference call leading up to the renowned Games. "After everything the world has gone through, I do think that people are craving the shared experience. What better way to come together than through the stories of these athletes?”

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Why You Need to Watch Your Wallet Around Influencers

Hold onto your DeLorean seats because we’re going back in time. The year is 1988 and Wall Street’s entered a new golden age with wild bets being made on such an unprecedented scale — not seen since the eve of the gilded age of the 1920’s. KKR is about to tenure the largest management buyout in history with a market that has an insatiable demand for cheap debt and high yields. In short, it was a time in finance wilder than the O.K. Corral

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Netflix Signs Spielberg

The acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg has struck a multiyear deal to make movies for Netflix - a huge get for the streaming giant as it faces increased competition for talent and content from deep-pocketed rivals such as Disney and Amazon

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Did COVID End The Entertainment Gilded Age?

03.01.21 - Remember all the blockbuster movies and returning seasons of hit television shows that were supposed to premier in 2020 before the pandemic hit? COVID-19 pandemic created a break in a gilded age in entertainment of limitless TV and film options, ushered in by blockbuster film franchises, tech companies with an unlimited credit card, and the cable networks desperate to stay relevant

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Roku Acquires Quibi Media Assets

01.11.21 - Roku will acquire more than 75 shows and documentaries created by Quibi and Hollywood-based studios, the company said in a statement.Quibi announced its plans to shut down in October, a little over six months after the streaming service launched. The company, which was led by former HPE CEO Meg Whitman and former Walt Disney Studios chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg, was backed by investors including MGM Studios, Alibaba Group and Warner Bros

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ViacomCBS Strike Deal with Hulu

01.04.21 - Hulu owned by Disney and Comcast has reached a distribution agreement with ViacomCBS. The deal will add 14 cable networks from ViacomCBS to Hulu’s live-TV option, including Comedy Central, MTV and children-friendly channel Nickelodeon. The Paramount Network, home to hit show “Yellowstone,” will also be added to Hulu + Live TV

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Disney's Leap Forward

10.13.20 - If there was any question that Disney+ has become the center of Disney's media empire, the company took away all doubt recently. Disney announced a major reorganization of its media and entertainment business on Monday to "further accelerate" its streaming strategy. The company's stock was up about 5% in after-hours trading following the news

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Tenet's Debut, Movie Industry Shows Signs of Life

09.07.20 - After many months of delays due to the pandemic and Hollywood being on complete lockdown, Christopher Nolan’s Tenet finally landed in US theaters over the weekend, cashing in more than $20 million in ticket sales

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Joe Rogan's Spotify Deal & The Volatile Business of Content

05.26.20 - This week has been an interesting week in the world of content. Let’s take a more focused look into the business of podcasts. Joe Rogan made a reported $100M deal with Spotify, and Barstool Sports has been thrown into Intellectual Property Rights Battle/Cat Fight with one of their leading media assets, the Call Her Daddy podcast

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Hollywood Goes Dark

04.27.20 - Hollywood is no stranger to strange and troubling times like a global pandemic on the silver screen, but the real-life version has no director or screenwriter

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Disney+ Reaches 50 Million Subscribers

04.13.20 - Disney+, the streaming service offered by the iconic entertainment giant, has reportedly reached the milestone of attaining 50 million paid subscribers throughout the globe. The company had previously told investors and shareholders that they had projected 60 million to 90 million subscribers by 2024. Just months after the launch of the streaming service last November, these projections are starting to seem potentially modest

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It Was The Worst of Times

03.09.20 - Two years ago, billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong bought the LA Times in the hopes of turning the embattled newspaper around. Today, the LA Times is offering its staff voluntary buyouts

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The Black News Channel

02.10.20 - This week is set to mark the launch of the first news channel directed specifically at the African American community. The Black News Channel is set to offer original content and programming “created by people of color for people of color” their website states

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Netflix & The Pursuit of Creative Credibility

02.10.20 - Netflix entered the 2020 Oscars with 24 nominations under its belt. This year was supposed to be the year in which Netflix cemented its position as a go-to place for high-quality, original films and content. Netflix spent millions and millions of dollars to make prestige films for this awards season, plus many millions more on eye-popping marketing campaigns. At the end of the night, Netflix walked away with just two wins at the awards ceremony

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Kobe Bryant's Academy Award Winning Short Film: Dear Basketball

01.27.20 - Amidst an increasingly somber news cycle, we will keep this short. It is hard to imagine another professional athlete whose loss would be more keenly felt. Rest in peace to Kobe Bryant. Watch Film

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