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19

Sega to Sell Relic Entertainment, Will Cut 240 Employees Across UK, Europe

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Sega is selling “Company of Heroes” developer Relic Entertainment and laying off 240 employees across its European and UK-based teams, including Creative Assembly and Sega Hardlight. The cuts make Sega the latest video game company to…

15

Universal Music and Spotify Announce Vague ‘Expansion of Strategic Relationship’ That Probably Signals a Unified Effort Against TikTok

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Universal Music Group and Spotify — the world’s largest music company and the world’s largest paid music-subscription service — have unveiled an expansion of their “strategic relationship” in an announcement that has very few details but…

Take-Two Interactive to Acquire ‘Borderlands’ Developer Gearbox From Embracer Group for $460 Million

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Take-Two Interactive has acquired video game developer Gearbox, the maker of the “Borderlands” franchise, from Embracer Group for $460 million. Per Take Two, the company “expects the transaction to deepen its successful relationship with…

11

Banijay’s Chief Operating Officer Peter Langenberg to Depart TV Giant (EXCLUSIVE)

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French TV giant Banijay is losing its second C-suite exec in just over a month. The company has confirmed to Variety that COO Peter Langenberg is departing, with his last day set to be March 31. Langenberg will remain with Banijay on a…

Wednesday, Mar 27

23

Joe Rogan Hosted Musician Gary Clark Jr. on His Podcast — and the Blues Artist’s Streams on Spotify Shot Up 500% Among Rogan’s Listeners

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Joe Rogan’s massively popular podcast not only drives millions of listens of his show on Spotify — it also can boost music streams of guests featured on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” too. One of Spotify’s theses behind its investment in…

22

Fox Entertainment Ups Michael Thorn to Network President, Fernando Szew Named Head of Studios

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Fox Entertainment is restructuring its operations into three divisions: network, studios and sales. As part of this re-org, Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade has promoted Michael Thorn to president of Fox Television Network and upped Fernando…

21

Paramount Global’s Debt Rating Downgraded to Junk by S&P

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Paramount Global’s debt rating was cut to junk status by credit-rating agency S&P Global, which cited the media conglomerate’s ongoing challenges with free cash flow generation relative to its debt. S&P on Wednesday said it expects…

19

Wondery Founder Hernan Lopez Launches Owl & Co. Consulting Firm Focusing on Media and Technology

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Hernan Lopez, the former 21st Century Fox executive who launched podcasting giant Wondery in 2016, has set up consulting firm Owl & Co. aimed at delivering data and analysis designed to help media and entertainment businesses manage the…

18

Why U.S. Indie Distributor Utopia Is Dipping Its Toes Into U.K. Waters With ‘The Sweet East’

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Since its inception in 2018, North American distributer and sales outfit Utopia has been quietly building up its credentials as a both a company with a distinctive cinematic palette and one able to identify indie projects ahead of the buzz…

16

What’s Next for Paramount? Shari Redstone Has a Preferred M&A Path

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Will Shari have to break up the band? Or is a comeback on the horizon for Paramount Global? More than four years after Shari Redstone won the battle to merge Viacom and CBS, the entertainment mogul is at a crossroads in the M&A soap opera…

15

GroupM Aims to Boost Ad Spend on Women’s Sports in TV Upfront

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There’s a new game launching in the world of sports — wooing more ad dollars to games featuring female athletes. GroupM, the large media-buying consortium backed by ad giant WPP, vowed Wednesday to double the amount of money its clients…

Hulu on Disney+ Officially Launches, and Disney Will Go Harder With Bundle Upsell Pitches

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Subscribers to both Disney+ and Hulu will now see the “full” Hulu experience in the Disney+ app — and the Mouse House wants to use the official launch of the integrated product to convert standalone Disney+ customers into two-service subs.…

14

Disney Activist Investor Nelson Peltz’s Trian Wins Endorsement for Board Candidates From Advisory Firm Egan-Jones

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Nelson Peltz has received the backing of another investor-advisory firm in his battle to secure two seats on Disney’s board. Egan-Jones Ratings Co., a credit ratings and proxy advisory firm, has recommended that Disney shareholders vote…

05

Netflix Loses Bid to Dismiss ‘Inventing Anna’ Defamation Lawsuit

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A former friend of con artist Anna Sorokin was allowed on Tuesday to proceed with a defamation lawsuit against Netflix over the Shonda Rhimes miniseries, “Inventing Anna.” Netflix had argued that Rhimes and the other show creators have a…

02

‘Kelly,’ Norwegian Democrazy,’ ‘Women of God’ Among European Section at Hot Docs

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European Film Promotion has unveiled the seventh edition of the Changing Face of Europe, a section that runs as part of Toronto documentary festival Hot Docs, which runs April 25 – May 5. The section features nine European documentaries,…

Tuesday, Mar 26

00

Brooklinen’s Bestselling Bedding Is 50% Off Right Now

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Brooklinen offered one of the best deals during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and now the cult-favorite bedding brand will kick off a second (and third) round of deals to kick off spring. The brand is rewarding bargain hunters with up to…

22

Parachute’s Best Homeware Is Up to 75% Off Right Now

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If you’ve bought from Parachute before and receive their nearly daily newsletters in your inbox, then you already know what I’m going to tell you: the luxe bedding and home accessories brand is putting on a Warehouse Sale in celebration of…

19

HYBE Strikes 10-Year Deal With Universal Music Group

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Hybe, the Korean firm behind K-pop’s BTS, has struck an expanded 10-year deal with Universal Music Group (UMG), providing Hybe’s roster of artists and labels access to UMG’s leading global network. UMG will further collaborate with Hybe’s…

18

Netflix’s ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ Sets Ensemble Cast

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Netflix has announced the ensemble cast for the next installment of the “Fear Street” franchise, “Prom Queen.” The “Fear Street: Prom Queen” cast includes India Fowler (“The Nevers”, “Insomnia”), Suzanna Son (“Red Rocket,” “The Idol”),…

UTA Hires Eric Iverson, Formerly CAA’s Top Technology Exec, as CTO

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UTA announced Eric Iverson as chief technology officer, where he will lead information-technology strategy — joining the company as artificial intelligence and other tech developments are threatening to disrupt the industry. Most recently,…

15

NBC News Executives Expected to Decide Ronna McDaniel’s Fate in Meeting

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Former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel has only appeared once on NBC News programming in her new capacity as a political news contributor, and already, senior executives are gathering to conduct a review. Top executives…

Music Industry Moves: Teddy Swims Signs Global Publishing Deal With Warner Chappell Music

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Teddy Swims, the singer-songwriter behind “Lose Control,” has signed a new global publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music. The RIAA platinum-certified single “Lose Control” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the latest tracking week…

14

U.S Recorded Music Revenue Grew by 8% in 2023, Per RIAA Annual Report, but Layoffs and Slowing Growth Are Cause for Concern

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The U.S. recorded music industry grew its revenue by 8% in 2023, reaching an all-time high of $17.1 billion and marking eight consecutive years of growth. However, there’s no question that the streaming boom of the past decade, which…

In-Video-Game Ad Spend Projected to Reach $11.5 Billion by 2027

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Advertisers plan to increase spend on in-video-game advertising by 40% this year, according to a new study, with total ad spend set to reach $8.5 billion in 2024 and increase to $11.5 billion by 2027. In IAB’s “Changing the Game: How Games…

10

Pankaj Tripathi Says Reading Poetry Helped Him Portray Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee Without Mimicry

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Noted actor Pankaj Tripathi faced one of the toughest challenges of his career when he was asked to portray former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in biopic “Main Atal Hoon.” Vajpayee (1924-2018) was a poet and a politician who…

Monday, Mar 25

18

Christine Blasey Ford Celebrated by Kerry Washington, Elizabeth Banks and More at Party for Her New Memoir: ‘We Owe You Everything’ (EXCLUSIVE)

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Christine Blasey Ford received a Hollywood welcome on Sunday night when Kerry Washington, Elizabeth Banks, Busy Phillips, Marisa Tomei and more gathered to toast the release of her new memoir, “One Way Back.” “We stand with you because you…

Elon Musk’s X Loses Lawsuit Against Research Group That Reported Rise in Hate Speech, Racist Content on Social Network

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A federal judge Monday dismissed a lawsuit brought by Elon Musk’s X against the Center for Countering Digital Hate, ruling it was “evident” the litigation was intended “to punish CCDH for CCDH publications that criticized X Corp.” X, the…

17

Disney Board Foe Nelson Peltz Questions ‘Woke’ Marvel Films: ‘Why Do I Have to Have a Marvel [Movie] That’s All Women? Why Do I Need an All-Black Cast?’

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Nelson Peltz, the activist investor agitating to win two Disney board seats, criticized the company’s “woke” strategy — specifically questioning Marvel’s “Black Panther” and “The Marvels,” which featured Black and women leads, respectively…

15

Sesame Workshop Names Danni Hill Chief People Officer (EXCLUSIVE)

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“Sesame Street” parent company Sesame Workshop has named Dannette “Danni” Hill its first-ever chief people officer. In this newly created role, Hill will oversee human resources, leading a division that supports “innovative best practices…

Nelson Peltz Claims He Backs Disney CEO Bob Iger, but His Investment Firm Withheld Votes for Iger’s Election to the Board

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UPDATED: Nelson Peltz claims Disney’s board, not CEO Bob Iger, is the problem. But his investment firm, Trian Group, withheld its votes for Iger’s reelection to the Disney board. With just over a week before Disney’s annual shareholder…