Top News:
Benjamin Mullin / Wall Street Journal:
Profile of David Zaslav, one of the highest-paid US corporate CEOs, who spent 14 years building Discovery into the preeminent player in unscripted programming — The TV deal maker will head the new venture formed by his company's merger with AT&T's WarnerMedia, as he seeks to build a streaming juggernaut
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, nexttv.com, Ad Age, MediaPost, @vivian, @benmullin, @asharma and @carlquintanilla
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times: He ran Animal Planet and HGTV. Now he will oversee WarnerMedia. Who is David Zaslav?
Mike Farrell / nexttv.com: Discovery-WarnerMedia Combination Could Have Biggest Initial Impact on Linear Nets
Jeanine Poggi / Ad Age: Discovery addresses AT&T deal in upfront pitch
Wayne Friedman / MediaPost: Discovery Upfront: Promotes More Content, Broader Audience Reach
Vivian Schiller / @vivian: I love how everyone is writing about David Zaslav like he is some new discovery, or overnight media sensation. https://www.wsj.com/...
Ben Mullin / @benmullin: Profile of Discovery CEO David Zaslav, a scrappy lawyer who catapulted himself to the top of the media industry by striking deal after deal: https://www.wsj.com/...
Amol Sharma / @asharma: AT&T won its antitrust fight in court, only to face a reckoning in the marketplace — leading to one of the biggest about-faces in corporate deal history. @DrewFitzGerald @JBFlint @BenMullin https://www.wsj.com/...
Carl Quintanilla / @carlquintanilla: MALONE: “I think that the technology of connectivity and digital technologies are one focus, and creating content that people get addicted to is another focus. .. And you seldom would find both of those in the same management team.” @WSJ $T https://www.wsj.com/...
RELATED:
Gerry Smith / Bloomberg:
For CNN, the WarnerMedia-Discovery deal lets CNN avoid a difficult union with MSNBC, beefs up overseas opportunities, and puts to rest speculation it's for sale — - Discovery could help CNN with documentary library, CEO says — Zaslav: CNN's Zucker ‘has to figure out what he wants to do’
Discussion:
@davidclinchnews: Will the international expansion be in the form of satellite/cable or will it be streaming? Will the docuseries be for CNN use only or will they go to Discovery+ as well? If Zucker stays, will he “just” run CNN or will he run larger parts of the new company? https://twitter.com/...
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Sources: David Zaslav is staying on as Discovery CEO at least through 2027 and will bring most of his Discovery C-suite execs to lead the joint venture — David Zaslav will stay on as Discovery CEO through at least 2027, leading the massive joint venture with WarnerMedia announced on Monday, sources tell Axios.
Discussion:
Brian Steinberg / Variety: David Zaslav's Discovery Contract Extended Through 2027
Katie Canales / Insider: HBO Max, Chip and Joanna Gaines, and ‘Shark Week’ are just some of the 100-plus brands included in AT&T and Discovery's massive streaming deal
Sara Fischer / @sarafischer: Discovery CEO David Zaslav has signed a new contract through 2027. He will have been with Discovery for 20 years by the time that contract expires. https://www.axios.com/...
Dominic Chu / @thedomino: Zaslav has consistently been one of the most well compensated CEOs over the years... https://twitter.com/...
Lindsey Ellefson / The Wrap: Will CNN Boss Jeff Zucker Stick Around After WarnerMedia-Discovery Merger?
Brian Stelter / CNN:
AT&T to spin off WarnerMedia and combine it with Discovery in a $43B deal; the new company will be run by Discovery CEO David Zaslav
Discussion:
CNBC, The Wrap, Hollywood Reporter, Columbia Journalism Review, Axios, New York Times, @sherman4949, Hollywood Forever, @frankpallotta, @claireatki, American Press Institute, Washington Post, Axios, The Week, New Republic, Los Angeles Times, American Prospect, SHERO, CNN, The Ringer, Variety, @brianstelter, @jbarro, @kerrymflynn, @senblumenthal, @sherman4949, @loudmouthjulia, @lucas_shaw, @lucas_shaw, @lucas_shaw, @sadogre, @lucas_shaw, @nycsouthpaw, @gadyepstein, @pkafka, @hblodget, @karlbode, @andrearene, @benyt, The Information, @panzer, Variety, @mattdraperyt, @thetruebrendanf, @magsvisaggs, @jeremymbarr, CNN, @dylanbyers, @dylanbyers, @jasonlynch, @sherman4949, @loudmouthjulia, @mims, @cnbc, @digitalshields, @erikdavis, Insider, @rakeshlobster, @karaswisher, @ditzkoff, @keithboykin, @cgasparino, @edmundlee, @pkafka, @brianstelter, @jackmirkinson, @frankpallotta, @nichcarlson, @awallenstein, @jbflint, @scottporch, @sherman4949, @zakiscorner, @thatjakepc, Variety, @cgasparino, @gracerandolph, @backlon, @pkafka, @sarafischer, @richlightshed, @w7voa, @alexweprin, @carnage4life, @mbgelman, @sherman4949, @sherman4949, @loudmouthjulia, @kerrymflynn, @sherman4949, @brazilbrian, @brianstelter, @richlightshed, @sivavaid, @sherman4949, @loudmouthjulia, @brianstelter, @sherman4949, @lucas_shaw, @jimwaterson, Scrawler, @oliverdarcy, Forbes, IndieWire, ScreenRant, Hollywood Reporter, Den of Geek, Discovery, Inc., Vanity Fair, Digiday, Variety, The Hill, MediaPost, Gizmodo, /Film, Protocol, Bloomberg, AppleInsider and Mediaite
Discussion:
Lindsey Ellefson / The Wrap: Discovery CEO David Zaslav Commits to CNN After WarnerMedia Merger, Vows to ‘Lean Into’ News
Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter: Where Does a Discovery Merger Leave CNN?
Mathew Ingram / Columbia Journalism Review: A new AT&T merger unwinds a previous one
Sara Fischer / Axios: Big media to get a lot bigger
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: David Zaslav officially will run the combined company. AT&T will nominate 7 members of the board including a chairperson TBD. Discovery will nominate 6, one of which will be Zaslav.
Max Fischer / Hollywood Forever: Mergers & Acquisitions — It's M&A Mania out here, Media Merger Melee etc.
Frank Pallotta / @frankpallotta: Zaslav says of CNN that “not only are we going to keep it” but now the new mission is “to take everything we have in news, combine it with CNN, and be a world leader in news.”
Claire Atkinson / @claireatki: AT&T CEO John Stankey has the demeanor of a man who just had a great weight lifted off his shoulders.
Washington Post: WarnerMedia merger with Discovery Inc. will form a streaming behemoth that includes HBO, CNN, TBS, and TNT
Alex Shephard / New Republic: The Great Streaming Rebundling Is Here
Ryan Faughnder / Los Angeles Times: AT&T's WarnerMedia will merge with Discovery. Is a great re-bundling at hand?
David Dayen / American Prospect: AT&T Wants Backsies — The telecom giant had a great idea to tie up content and distribution networks under one roof.
Amee Vanderpool / SHERO: Increased Corporate Ties at CNN
Cynthia Littleton / Variety: How David Zaslav Overcame Stock Drama and Pandemic Woes to Pull Off a Stealth WarnerMedia Takeover
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: 25 years ago, David Zaslav was instrumental in getting the brand-new cable news channel MSNBC into homes, sparking a new era of cable competition. Now Zaslav is in line to run a portfolio of media properties including CNN, the cable news pioneer... https://www.cnn.com/...
Josh Barro / @jbarro: Seems like a pretty good rule of thumb that deals where a boring company buys a fun company tend to involve the boring company overpaying. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
@kerrymflynn: HBO Max is $14.99 per month. That's not cheap, so many consumers may ask themselves: Is it really worth paying for when I already pay for Netflix? Enter Guy Fieri. I mean, Discovery https://www.cnn.com/... — a collab with @frankpallotta
Richard Blumenthal / @senblumenthal: This mega-merger combining two of the country's largest media conglomerates demands close scrutiny to protect consumers' pocket books instead of accelerating further concentration among corporate behemoths. https://www.cnn.com/...
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: ViacomCBS and NBCUniversal, come on down! You're the next contestants on Media M&A Match Game! https://www.cnbc.com/...
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Is Discovery+ rolling into HBO Max? Will NBA games air on TLC? What happens to NetherRealm Studios? Your biggest questions about WarnerMedia/Discovery answered, for people who care about what it means for their monthly bills, not the companies involved. https://www.ign.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Lucas Shaw / @lucas_shaw: A brief addendum to yesterday's newsletter.... HBO has now been sold twice in 8 years. The timing of each deal couldn't have been worse for its efforts to figure out tis future.
Lucas Shaw / @lucas_shaw: Just a few months into executing that vision, AT&T pulled the rug out from underneath the company. Again. Now it's looking at 2 more years of restructuring. And right as HBO Max expands overseas, a lot of the people working on it aren't sure about their future.
Lucas Shaw / @lucas_shaw: The AT&T deal led to the departure of most of Time Warner's leadership, and destroyed morale at the company. That deal also took so long to complete that HBO Max - a far more ambitious venture — was then one of the last major new streaming services to debut.
Shannon McCormick / @sadogre: These people pay me some pocket change now and again given how they've bought places I work for. All I can say is, what a bunch of dumbshits. https://twitter.com/...
Lucas Shaw / @lucas_shaw: I just got this text from a friend. Feels appropriate: “How does Stankey get to retain his position when he made the initial acquisition and now has to sell it off cause it didn't work exactly how everyone said it wouldn't work?”
Southpaw / @nycsouthpaw: Warner Brothers studios, HBO, CNN, etc. all being bought by... the Discovery Channel. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Gady Epstein / @gadyepstein: Easily the funniest thing about the AT&T-Time Warner deal was watching Jeff Bewkes pretend to see the business logic of AT&T buying his company for more than $100bn
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: Since AT&T didn't have the money to make WarnerMedia work, where will the newco - which starts off with a ton of debt - find the money for that investment? https://twitter.com/...
Henry Blodget / @hblodget: Cheap AT&T phone plans for CNN staff... Probably not the transformational vertically integrated M&A synergies the deal-models were based on... ;-) https://twitter.com/...
Karl Bode / @karlbode: AT&T owned CNN's coverage of the Discovery move doesn't mention the 50k layoffs, the absolute chaos, the butchering of loved brands (Mad Magazine, DC's Vertigo imprint), nothing. Not a single mention of AT&T hubris or mistakes. Amazing: https://www.cnn.com/...
Andrea Rene / @andrearene: But will @iamjohnoliver still do his “business daddy” bit on @LastWeekTonight??? I'm curious what services will be combined into a mega streaming subscription. I'd love to not have a dozen different apps to use. https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Panzarino / @panzer: The chaotic good move would have been for Disney to buy DC
Brian Steinberg / Variety: David Zaslav to Lead Combined WarnerMedia-Discovery as Landmark Deal is Confirmed
Matt Draper / @mattdraperyt: Huge but kind of inevitable. AT&T seemed to never know what to do with all the media it had bought, which isn't surprising because they have no experience in it. Now Warner Bros, DC Comics and more are about to undergo huge changes AGAIN https://twitter.com/...
Brendan Foley / @thetruebrendanf: The history of Hollywood is written in the blood of companies that think they can buy a movie studio and will know how to spin the chaos of cinema into gold, and failing. https://twitter.com/...
Magdalene Visaggio / @magsvisaggs: this feels like a good thing. i dont think AT&T has been a healthy influence. https://twitter.com/...
Jeremy Barr / @jeremymbarr: I'm told that CNN will be having a town hall for employees tomorrow at which the impact of the merger will be discussed: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Charles Riley / CNN: The next phase of the streaming wars is all about scale
Dylan Byers / @dylanbyers: Winners: - David Zaslav - Jeff Zucker - Disney/Netflix (better outcome for them than an NBCU-WarnerMedia tie up) Losers: - John Stankey - Jason Kilar - The Discovery/WarnerMedia staffers who will fall victim to layoffs ($3b in cost-cutting measures is... a lot)
Dylan Byers / @dylanbyers: not all that far off https://twitter.com/...
Jason Lynch / @jasonlynch: AT&T will retain Xandr, which had moved over to WarnerMedia, following the merger, AT&T CEO John Stankey told investors.
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: My first take of the day — with some details about how Elliott's investment in AT&T may have been the first catalyst for John Stankey's rejection of the decisions he helped make. https://www.cnbc.com/...
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Re: some of the questions I got about WarnerMedia & Discovery. 1) The sale includes some of Warner Bros. Interactive/Warner Bros. Games, but not all. 2) The sale does include DC Comics. So yes Discovery now owns DC Comics. 3) Rooster Teeth is part of the sale, yes.
Christopher Mims / @mims: The eternal cycle of media acquisitions by “tech” companies: 1. Company that makes money in unrelated way notices media companies growing 2. Buys them, messes them up or realizes not a fit 3. Spins them out, they die or start growing again Repeat. https://www.wsj.com/...
@cnbc: Discovery CEO David Zaslav tells @davidfaber he thinks the combined Discovery, WarnerMedia company can reach up to 400 million streaming subscribers across the world, up from the 100 million subscribers the 2 separate companies have today. https://www.cnbc.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Mike Shields / @digitalshields: Considering all that is going on now, is Hulu the biggest lost media opportunity of all time? https://mikeshields.substack.com/ ...
Erik Davis / @erikdavis: Big entertainment news to start the week! For anyone who's ever wanted to see the Justice League compete against one another on an episode of Guy's Grocery Games, we're getting closer to that becoming reality! https://twitter.com/...
Steven Perlberg / Insider: Inside CNN, where staffers are mostly relieved its parent company is merging with Discovery and are now speculating about Jeff Zucker's future there
Rakesh Agrawal / @rakeshlobster: Let's have Disney buy CenturyLink now. Bankers, sign painters and business card printers need to get paid!
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: Yes John Stankey is as bad as we all knew at media strategery via @NYTimes https://www.nytimes.com/...
Dave Itzkoff / @ditzkoff: A unified mega-library of content dedicated to a single objective: cast Jean Smart in everything https://twitter.com/...
Keith Boykin / @keithboykin: Just three years after AT&T acquired Time Warner, it's now spinning off Warner Media to create a new company with Discovery. The new company will be bigger than Netflix or NBCUniversal and become the second-largest media company in the US, behind Disney. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Charles Gasparino / @cgasparino: Its amazing that Zaslav will run the combined biz given the economic involved. Reminds me of Chase buying the smaller Bank One to get its CEO, Jamie Dimon, to run the whole thing—AT&T, in Abrupt Turn, Will Shed Media Business in Deal With Discovery https://www.nytimes.com/...
Edmund Lee / @edmundlee: The deal came together very quickly. In February, Mr. Zaslav sent an email to Mr. Stankey to discuss a possible deal. He added some emoji flair to his signoff with several 🏌🏻and one 😎. $t $disca https://www.nytimes.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: NYT: “The new company would create a new kind of media behemoth, one that is still living off the fat profits of old-school cable, while spending those profits (and more) on streaming.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jack Mirkinson / @jackmirkinson: i'm shocked, simply shocked https://twitter.com/...
Frank Pallotta / @frankpallotta: .@brianstelter asks Zaslav if CNN will be spun off. Zaslav says “We love CNN... We think one of the true differentiators of the future is live news, live sports.”
Nicholas Carlson / @nichcarlson: The weekend started very differently for Jason Kilar (with this fancy WSJ profile) than it ended (with a new boss and king of WarnerMedia, David Zaslav). https://www.wsj.com/...
Andrew Wallenstein / @awallenstein: No better new name for WarnerMedia-Discovery than: WMD Now there's an acronym with some oomph to it, no? 😉 https://twitter.com/...
Joe Flint / @jbflint: As WSJ reported in last night's story, Discovery CEO David Zaslav met with John Stankey and WarnerMedia execs two years about a joint-venture but talks didn't go anywhere. https://www.wsj.com/...
Scott Porch / @scottporch: “Now sources believe NBCU will turn its sights on ViacomCBS.” — @kimmasters https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: Here's what we're expecting this morning: An announcement AT&T has merged WarnerMedia into Discovery. https://www.cnbc.com/... Things to look for upon announcement: *Leadership/executive departures (expect Zaslav to run co) *Name of newco *What eventually happens to Discovery+
Zaki Hasan / @zakiscorner: No idea what this means in the long term, but I do feel comfortable saying the folks who think this is because of WB's handling of certain superhero properties should probably get out more. https://www.cnbc.com/...
Jake Cole / @thatjakepc: No one knows anything but the same 60 idiots will just keep absorbing fired employees' salaries into their own as they trade the country's dwindling content reservoirs back and forth for tax reasons https://twitter.com/...
Charles Gasparino / @cgasparino: One issue that hasn't been discussed is the future of Jeff Zucker at @CNN. Before the deal talks, he was on the way out but he and David Zaslav are close so dont be surprised if he stays https://www.wsj.com/... via @WSJ
Grace Randolph / @gracerandolph: It's official. AT&T is going to spin-off Warner Media into a new company with Discovery. Discovery lead David Zaslov will run things, looks like Jason Kilar might be out after one year. I have a very busy day today with outside appts so might have to break this down tomorrow. https://twitter.com/...
Dieter Bohn / @backlon: Well, the entire “AT&T decides to be a media company for awhile” saga was a very expensive nothingburger that turned out to be a big waste of everbody's time. ...just like most of the new shows it had planned for HBO Max heyoooooo https://www.theverge.com/...
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: Reminder that @Caseybloys was the guy who made all the HBO shows you liked before AT&T showed up, and he's still there. For now.
Sara Fischer / @sarafischer: Big takeaways: —Major course correction by AT&T, fully leaving content —Zaslav ascends to big new role —Doesn't look very promising for Jason Kilar —Company will be live sports, news, movies, lifestyle —$20B combined content spend —Rushed announcement https://www.axios.com/...
Rich Greenfield / @richlightshed: of mentions of WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar in the Discovery WarnerMedia press release $DISCA $T https://twitter.com/...
Steve Herman / @w7voa: No sale of @CNN, according to Zaslav who vows to make it “a world leader in news.”
Alex Weprin / @alexweprin: In a press conference, David Zaslav confirms a detail in this story from @kimmasters and I last night: He approached John Stankey about an HBO merger a few years ago: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life: Verizon spins out Yahoo/AOL and now AT&T spins out WarnerMedia. These mergers never made sense since only synergy they brought was anti-competitive (i.e charging users less for HBO traffic vs Netflix) Highlights the importance of having an actual strategy https://www.cnn.com/...
Micah Gelman / @mbgelman: Zaslav FTW. A big deal. When Zaslav came to Discovery it was a provincial private company owned by John Hendricks and headquartered in Silver Spring, Md. He took it public, moved to NY, eased out Hendricks, bought Scripps, Eurosport, SBS and more. https://twitter.com/...
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: Also — Zaslav says his number one priority will be relationship building, which he's known for and which Jason Kilar struggled with re: HBO Max's decision to put all 2021 films straight to HBO Max.
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Stankey: Expect the transaction to close in 2022. Plans for AT&T include focusing on mobile and broadband. More than double current fiber footprint. Tighter focus on the greater demand for connectivity. It's almost like AT&T realized it's a telecom company, not a media giant.
@kerrymflynn: Nothing says “broadly appealing content” better than DDD and GGG https://twitter.com/...
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: HUGE irony in Zaslav stressing building a creative culture — this was Richard Plepler's calling card, and yet, Plepler left HBO because he felt John Stankey was never on the same page with him.
Brian Winter / @brazilbrian: I still think we're headed for a world with just 3-6 subscription mega-content services, with everything (TV, newspapers, premium delivery, etc) bundled together https://www.google.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: AT&T CEO John Stankey's note to staff: “We are now in a world where relevance and future success will be tied to greater scale and growth globally,” he says, explaining the decision to spin off WarnerMedia and combine it with Discovery https://twitter.com/...
Rich Greenfield / @richlightshed: “Secretly architecting this deal for several months from my brownstone in NYC” says $DISCA David Zaslav to $T's John Stankey makes us think this deal has been in process since before Discovery launched @discoveryplus — very telling about the need for scale in the #streamingwars https://twitter.com/...
Dr. Siva Vaidhyanathan / @sivavaid: If you follow the long story of media ownership over the past 40 years you see a constant churn of consolidation and spinning off, debt and more debt, with no discernible pattern and general failure all around. No model works better than any other. https://twitter.com/...
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: A quick note here: what a win for David Zaslav, who goes from running an after-thought media company to one of the biggest media companies.
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: “AT&T would receive $43 billion (subject to adjustment) in a combination of cash, debt securities, and WarnerMedia's retention of certain debt, and AT&T's shareholders would receive stock representing 71% of the new company.” AT&T paid $85 billion for Time Warner in 2018.
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: It's official: AT&T and Discovery, Inc. have announced a deal under which AT&T's WarnerMedia will be spun off and combined with Discovery in a new standalone media company. Here's my full story... https://www.cnn.com/...
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: Another major plot point to this story will be the follow-on copycat deals. NBCU ViacomCBS AMC Lionsgate MGM Sony Media bankers going to be busy tomorrow. https://www.cnbc.com/...
Lucas Shaw / @lucas_shaw: The best part of everyone writing takes on this AT&T/Discovery business is we all get to do it again soon.
Jim Waterson / @jimwaterson: One of the tiny side effects of this mega US media merger on the UK would be that CNN and GB News end up with the same corporate backers. https://twitter.com/...
Oliver Darcy / @oliverdarcy: @pkafka: “Adding TimeWarner to AT&T didn't help AT&T sell more wireless or broadband plans. And it didn't help TimeWarner compete against Netflix and the rest of the internet...” https://www.vox.com/...
Dawn Chmielewski / Forbes: WarnerMedia Deal Lands Another AT&T Win For Cable Billionaire John Malone
Tyler Hersko / IndieWire: Discovery and WarnerMedia Upfronts Take on Added Urgency After Proposed Merger
Adam Bentz / ScreenRant: AT&T Officially Set To Merge WarnerMedia With Discovery In $43 Billion Deal
Alec Bojalad / Den of Geek: The Warner-Discovery Merger Proves That Big Is Never Big Enough in the Streaming World
Discovery, Inc.: AT&T's WARNERMEDIA AND DISCOVERY, INC. CREATING STANDALONE COMPANY BY COMBINING OPERATIONS TO FORM NEW GLOBAL LEADER IN ENTERTAINMENT
Charlotte Klein / Vanity Fair: WarnerMedia-Discovery Merger Shows the Streaming Wars Are About to Go Nuclear
Tim Peterson / Digiday: Cheat Sheet: WarnerMedia and Discovery bundle up
Brent Lang / Variety: AT&T Chief John Stankey, WarnerMedia Head Jason Kilar Address Discovery Merger in Staff Memo
Wayne Friedman / MediaPost: AT&T Readies WarnerMedia-Discovery Inc. Merger
Sam Rutherford / Gizmodo: AT&T's Spinning Off WarnerMedia in Merger With Discovery in $43 Billion Deal
Hoai-Tran Bui / /Film: AT&T to Spin Off WarnerMedia, Including HBO Max, in $43 Billion Deal with Discovery
David Pierce / Protocol: Bill Gates under the microscope
Hollywood Reporter:
John Stankey and David Zaslav discuss their vision for the WarnerMedia deal, saying the company will have a content spend that exceeds most competitors at $20B
Discussion:
CNBC, CNBC, @sherman4949, @danrayburn, @loudmouthjulia, Gotrade Daily, @mattzollerseitz, @thr, @thr, @jbflint, @thejannissary, @felixsalmon, @stevekovach, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, The Wrap, @alexweprin, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, Hollywood Reporter, @kimmasters, The Playlist and IndieWire
Discussion:
Kevin Stankiewicz / CNBC: David Zaslav sees 400 million streaming subscribers one day for combined Discovery-WarnerMedia
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: I like how when I asked David Zaslav why he didn't give any subscriber guidance for Discovery+, he said, “we don't want to define what big is.” But then yesterday, armed with WarnerMedia, he said, ‘we can get to 400 million subscribers!’ https://www.cnbc.com/...
Dan Rayburn / @danrayburn: Nope, not realistic at all. Discovery CEO told CNBC the new company created from merging with AT&T's WarnerMedia could reach up to 400M streaming subscribers, in the “long-term”. No matter how he defines “long-term” the number is not realistic. https://www.cnbc.com/... - $DISCA $T https://twitter.com/...
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Stankey reiterating it became clear they were hitting an escape velocity. Again, Stankey orchestrated a massive $150 billion purchase of DirecTV and Time Warner, only to sell both for a fraction of the cost and lean back into being a broadband and mobile company.
MZS / @mattzollerseitz: The first original series by the merged company will be a 10-hour drama about a family of giraffes that deals crystal meth. https://twitter.com/...
@thr: “The story of the Warner Brothers, is the story of everyone in our industry, success is about creative talent in front of the screen and behind the screen, and fighting for the culture that creates that vision,” he said of the impact of the four brothers https://thr.cm/HmEIa9V
@thr: Zaslav said that his “number one priority” will be building “relationships with the creative community,” adding that “we want our company to be the place where people that want creativity, they want flexibility, they want stories, they will come to us” https://thr.cm/4zPzEXL
Joe Flint / @jbflint: Discovery CEO David Zaslav on need to combine with WarnerMedia during investor call: “You gotta have content people love so much they would run home and pay for it before they pay for dinner or a roof over their head.”
Ceren / @thejannissary: We will see. They said that diversity and representation remain key drivers of the DC universe moving forward and look how they mistreat Ray Fisher. Hollywood is full with bigshittalkers so I won't believe a “hopeful” word having to do with the future of DC/WB for now. https://twitter.com/...
Felix Salmon / @felixsalmon: 🤔 “We had the right strategy, we just didn't have the right shareholders” https://twitter.com/...
Steve Kovach / @stevekovach: David Zaslav tells CNBC he wants his new company to reach 400 million streaming subsribers https://www.cnbc.com/...
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Zaslov: “By 2023, we'll be generating over $14 billion in EBITA and over $12 billion in cash. This company is going to be a cash generating machine [I think he said.]...We're going to execute on that synergy, and we're going to spend more [more than $20b] on content.”
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Zaslov: “Netflix is a great company, Disney is a great company....we think we can be in 400 million homes.” CNBC: “You think you can hit 400 million homes?” Zaslov: “There's billions of people in the world!”
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Zaslov: “We're probably the greatest entertainment company in the world.” Notes very specific IP: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Sex and the City, Entourage. This is how poorly Harry Potter was handled. When you think WarnerMedia IP you think Entourage before Harry Potter.
Alex Weprin / @alexweprin: What will a Discovery-WarnerMedia streaming service look like? What will happen to Jason Kilar? What about CNN? The CEOs of AT&T and Discovery convened reporters on Zoom this morning to discuss: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Zaslav says the HBO Max AVOD product is still happening. Reiterates that bundling has worked very well for some competitors (Disney) and one super product has worked for others, so what happens with the platforms is TBD, basically.
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Zaslav says they plan to invest heavily in CNN's DTC offering, which is something that Kilar spoke to in the past. So looks like CNN+ (CNN Go?) is absolutely going to happen.
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Zaslav, when asked if he plans to keep CNN or spinoff CNN, basically skirting around the question. He loves CNN, but no obvious, “yes, we're keeping CNN.” Stelter follows up with will Discovery allow CNN to run independently. Zaslav says yes.
Kim Masters / @kimmasters: OK. Here's my bit on this deal so far. Good for Zaslav. Not for Kilar. Probably Zucker is feeling pretty, pretty, pretty good. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Brooks Barnes / New York Times:
Sources: Jason Kilar is negotiating his departure as CEO of WarnerMedia, after being kept in the dark about the deal with Discovery until recent days
Discussion:
New York Times, MediaPost, Fast Company, @rebeccaarubin, Variety, @brooksbarnesnyt, Digital TV Europe, Insider, @nytimesbusiness, @doree, The Week, @film_girl, @karaswisher, @rolandsmartin, Transistori, @danprimack, @borys_kit, @theericgoldman, @mattbelloni, @_christopherm, @katierosman, @mattzeitlin, @jbenton, @sherman4949, @davidpoland, @sherman4949, @richardlnewby, @mchenryjd, @grynbaum, @panzer, @brianstelter, @richlightshed, ScreenRant, @jbflint, The Streamable, Heroic Hollywood, FierceVideo, The Verge, Awful Announcing, @optionshawk, TechCrunch, @richlightshed, @arcadegirl64, Cord Cutters News, Talking Biz News and @mediumbuying
Discussion:
Karlene Lukovitz / MediaPost: Kilar Reportedly Negotiating WarnerMedia Exit
Nicole LaPorte / Fast Company: HBO Max is Discovery's ‘90 Day Fiancé.’ Does this marriage make sense?
Rebecca Rubin / @rebeccaarubin: WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar's compensation reached $52 million in 2020, which is nearly as much as #Tenet made at the U.S. box office https://variety.com/...
Andrew Wallenstein / Variety: OMG, They Killed Kilar! AT&T Backstabs Its Own Hatchet Man
Brooks Barnes / @brooksbarnesnyt: Jason Kilar, the WarnerMedia chief, is said to be negotiating his exit. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jonathan Easton / Digital TV Europe: WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar reportedly negotiating exit following mega merger announcement
Ashley Rodriguez / Insider: We mapped out the 111 most powerful people at WarnerMedia, which will merge with Discovery in a blockbuster deal. Here's our exclusive org chart.
@nytimesbusiness: “The ultimate smile-to-the-face, knife-in-the-back.” That is how a prominent Hollywood agent summed up what just happened to Jason Kilar, the chief executive of WarnerMedia. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Doree Shafrir / @doree: A spectacular detail in this analysis of the Discovery-WarnerMedia deal: the WSJ ran a profile of WM CEO Jason Kilar on FRIDAY and AT&T “had helped with the article” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Harold Maass / The Week: The daily business briefing: May 18, 2021
Christina Warren / @film_girl: I cannot wait for the WarnerMedia book. What a fucking ridiculous 4 years. Stankey is such a clown. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: Not a surprise given new deal that elevated David Zaslav. Assume they are celebrating the Polo Lounge, given how pissed Hollywood was at @jasonkilar for telling the truth about the future: Kilar, WarnerMedia Chief, Is Said to Be Negotiating Exit https://www.nytimes.com/...
@rolandsmartin: Wow. @jasonkilar about to bounce from @WarnerMedia. Who is smiling? Jeff Zucker. Don't be shocked if he tries to be Zaslav's #2. “Jason Kilar, the WarnerMedia chief, is said to be negotiating his exit” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Robert / Transistori: AT&T:n mediaretki loppuu, Monday.com listautuu Nasdaqiin ja Michael Burry shorttaa Teslaa
Dan Primack / @danprimack: This is another reason that the whole “today's announcement was always scheduled to be today” defies common sense. https://twitter.com/...
Borys Kit / @borys_kit: A development that could be of interest to DC fans and observers. https://twitter.com/...
Eric Goldman / @theericgoldman: Man, WarnerMedia's executive change ups have been crazy. Can only hope the merger with Discovery will bring stability. https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Belloni / @mattbelloni: An absolutely savage kicker on this story... https://twitter.com/...
Christopher Marc / @_christopherm: This is wild...Stankey got Kilar to butcher the film studio and give away high-budget films for free on HBO Max then goes behind his back to have him removed. Stankey is one cold-blooded motherfucker. Then again, Kilar was making more than Stankey. lol https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Katie Rosman / @katierosman: Privately, Jason Kilar hired a team of lawyers. Publicly he sent the company staff a rallying email punctuated by “a smiley face emoticon.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Matthew Zeitlin / @mattzeitlin: WSJ May 14 (Friday): “Jason Kilar might have a career as a tour guide if this WarnerMedia chief executive gig doesn't work out for him” https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Joshua Benton / @jbenton: May 14: Jason Kilar “has led one of the most radical overhauls in the entertainment industry, undoing centurylong business practices” https://www.wsj.com/... May 17: “Kilar has hired a legal team to negotiate his departure as chief executive” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: And we can now soon add Jason Kilar's name to the section of recently departed WarnerMedia executives https://twitter.com/...
David Poland / @davidpoland: Didn't even make it to the summer. Jason Kilar, the WarnerMedia Chief, Is Said to Be Negotiating His Exit https://www.nytimes.com/...
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: To be fair, Kilar lasted longer than the last ... (checks notes) ... 463 other WarnerMedia leaders over the last two years https://twitter.com/...
Richard Newby / @richardlnewby: Turnover rate like a warehouse temp job, lol. https://twitter.com/...
Jackson McHenry / @mchenryjd: [succession theme music] https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Michael M. Grynbaum / @grynbaum: WSJ, 3 days ago: “Jason Kilar might have a career as a tour guide if this WarnerMedia chief executive gig doesn't work out for him.” Today: “Jason Kilar has hired a legal team to negotiate his departure as chief executive of WarnerMedia” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Matthew Panzarino / @panzer: my application is open. my only qualification is that I promise not to piss off every influential director in hollywood in one announcement https://twitter.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: “Jason Kilar has hired a legal team to negotiate his departure as chief executive of WarnerMedia,” @brooksbarnesNYT reports, citing “two people briefed on the matter.” He says “Kilar was kept in the dark about the deal until recent days...” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Rich Greenfield / @richlightshed: Not shocking after being left out of today's merger news @jasonkilar negotiating his exit from @warnermedia ahead of Discovery merger $DISCA $T https://www.nytimes.com/...
Richard Fink / ScreenRant: WarnerMedia Head Reportedly Negotiating Exit After Merger
Joe Flint / @jbflint: “Jason's still the CEO of WarnerMedia,” says AT&T CEO John Stankey. And I'm still the guy who did a massive profile of him two days before this deal was announced. Hopefully my future is still relatively safe.
Ben Bowman / The Streamable: WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar Reportedly Eyeing Exit After Discovery Deal
Ryden Scarnato / Heroic Hollywood: WarnerMedia Chief Jason Kilar Negotiating Exit After Discovery Merger
Jay Peters / The Verge: WarnerMedia CEO reportedly negotiating departure after being left out of AT&T-Discovery deal
Ian Casselberry / Awful Announcing: AT&T to combine WarnerMedia assets with Discovery in blockbuster merger
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: AT&T confirms deal to combine its WarnerMedia subsidiary with Discovery Inc in ‘pure play’ $43B deal
Rich Greenfield / @richlightshed: Could certainly imagine the secularly declining Turner assets merged with Discovery for scale Harder to imagine HBO Max and Warner Bros. To Discovery Will Comcast emerge as a buyer for WarnerMedia to preempt? $DISCA $T $CMCSA https://twitter.com/...
Emily Rogers / @arcadegirl64: Potentially huge news for HBO Max's future. Discovery controls networks including Discovery, HGTV, Food Network, TLC and Animal Planet. Bloomberg says, “A deal could be announced as soon as this week”. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Irina Slav / Talking Biz News: AT&T talks media merger with Discovery
Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
The attempt by Bill Barr's DOJ to unmask a Twitter parody account showed its willingness to use power to intimidate critics, in violation of the First Amendment — Of all the extraordinarily hackish maneuvers Bill Barr's Justice Department undertook to protect Donald Trump …
Discussion:
New York Times, The Daily Beast, Vanity Fair, @aricohn, @kengardner11, @matthewamiller, @billpascrell and Insider, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Charlie Savage / New York Times: Court doc: Twitter fought a subpoena from DOJ under Trump to identify the person behind an account mocking Rep. Devin Nunes; source: DOJ under Biden withdrew
Justin Rohrlich / The Daily Beast: Trump DOJ Tried to Unmask User Behind Devin Nunes Parody Twitter Account
Charlotte Klein / Vanity Fair: Trump's DOJ Went to Great Lengths to Find Out Who Was Trolling Devin Nunes
Ari Cohn / @aricohn: Let's be clear about this: the DOJ attempting to secretly unmask a social media account that parodies an elected official is a gross abuse of government power and a severe threat to the First Amendment. https://twitter.com/...
Ken Gardner / @kengardner11: This should be no bueno no matter what your politics are. We all have First Amendment rights to criticize the government. https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Miller / @matthewamiller: I hope DOJ coughs up more information about what happened here. On its face, it looks like a massive abuse of power - hard to think of a legitimate justification. https://twitter.com/...
Bill Pascrell, Jr / @billpascrell: I was the first member of Congress to call for bill barr to lose his law license. My complaint was ignored but it isn't too late to disbar barr for his gross abuses of power. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Kerry Flynn / CNN:
Forbes staffers announce plans to form a union; more than 80% of about 105 editorial staffers have signed union cards with the NewsGuild of New York — New York (CNN Business)At Forbes, a publication known for its coverage of the rich and powerful, its employees are fighting …
Discussion:
Talking Biz News, @nyguild, @kerrymflynn, @chloesorvino, @dsilverman, @grace_panetta, @kerrymflynn, @dawnc331, @kerrymflynn, nyguild.org, @scottnover and The NewsGuild - CWA
Discussion:
Chris Roush / Talking Biz News: Forbes editorial staffers are joining a union
@nyguild: .@forbesunion: “We want a better balance of power and, most importantly, we want our passion for journalism to drive us instead of the fear of losing our jobs.” How will they do that? Unionize. ✊ https://twitter.com/...
@kerrymflynn: The union comes amid reports Forbes is being sold. “If it's not this deal that's being reported in various outlets, it could be any other deal. The point is to have an understanding with management that transcends any new acquisition.” - @arshapiro90 https://www.cnn.com/...
Chloe Sorvino / @chloesorvino: proud to share the Forbes newsroom has gone public with our union campaign. We have been working in one of the last non-unionized newsrooms in NYC and humbly ask for your support as we push for recognition from management. https://www.cnn.com/...
Dwight Silverman / @dsilverman: In the '80s, I was a member of the Newspaper Guild union at the San Antonio Light - then the only newsroom union in Texas. Proud to say I am now a member of the @forbesunion, announced today, affiliated with the @newsguild. https://www.forbesunion.org/
Grace Panetta / @grace_panetta: so exciting!! go @Forbes staff 💪 https://twitter.com/...
@kerrymflynn: Some specific issues Forbes union hopes to address: - Just cause instead of at-will - More efforts to improve newsroom diversity - Lack of overtime pay - Abrupt changes in job requirements - Transparent pathways to promotion - Clear editorial independence https://www.cnn.com/...
Dawn Chmielewski / @dawnc331: We are announcing the formation of a union at Forbes. Follow us @forbesunion https://www.cnn.com/...
@kerrymflynn: From the Forbes union's mission statement: “... we want our passion for journalism to drive us instead of the fear of losing our jobs. The unhealthy work culture takes labor for granted, shows a clear lack of interest in retaining talent...” https://www.cnn.com/...
Scott Nover / @scottnover: At this point, ununionized shops stick out in the news industry. https://twitter.com/...
Sally Davidow / The NewsGuild - CWA: Staffers at Forbes announce they're forming a union
Tyler Falk / Current:
After an outside investigation, New York Public Radio has fired On the Media host Bob Garfield for violating its anti-bullying policy — New York Public Radio has fired On the Media host Bob Garfield for violating its anti-bullying policy, the organization said Monday.
Discussion:
@bobosphere, New York Times, @benyt, NPR, @katie_robertson, New York Public Radio, CNN, @bobosphere, Los Angeles Times, Gothamist, @nicktheandersen, @jbenton, @elipariser, @raju, @jbarro, @briangaar, Media Nation, @lyzl, @pareene, @themorrancave, @annehelen, The Hill, @weareyourfek, @jbenton, The Daily Beast, Washington Post and New York Post
Discussion:
Bob Garfield / @bobosphere: I was fired not for “bullying” per se, but for yelling in 5 meetings over 20 years. Anger mismanagement, sorry to say. But in all cases, the provocations were just shocking. In time, the story will emerge...and it is tragic. On the Media was the pride and joy of my career. https://twitter.com/...
Ben Smith / @benyt: NY Public Radio has fired Bob Garfield, the host of On the Media, for violating its “anti-bullying policy”, according to an email from Andrew Golis to staff.
Elizabeth Blair / NPR: WNYC Fires ‘On The Media’ Co-Host Bob Garfield For Alleged Bullying
Katie Robertson / @katie_robertson: Bob Garfield, the longtime co-host of “On the Media,” says he was fired for yelling at two meetings: “In both cases, as will be clear eventually, the provocation was extraordinary and simply shocking.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Theodora Kuslan / New York Public Radio: New York Public Radio Statement on Bob Garfield
Kerry Flynn / CNN: Bob Garfield fired by New York Public Radio for allegedly violating anti-bullying policy
Bob Garfield / @bobosphere: So grateful for the well wishes, and understanding of the opprobrium. This is a messy affair, in which I am righteously aggrieved, but not blameless. Disgusted, not surprised. It's an appalling tale, which I guess will be told. Meantime, thank you for listening these 20+ years https://twitter.com/...
Michael Ordoña / Los Angeles Times: Longtime ‘On the Media’ host Bob Garfield fired amid allegations of repeated bullying
Callum Borchers / Gothamist: ‘On The Media’ Co-Host Bob Garfield Fired Over Bullying Complaints
Nick Andersen / @nicktheandersen: thinking of the staff @onthemedia today, and anybody in a newsroom with a difficult public-facing, beloved host or editor.
Joshua Benton / @jbenton: I'm gonna take a wild stab and guess it was not, actually, a one-yell-every-four-years pace that led to this https://twitter.com/...
Eli Pariser / @elipariser: In which the yelling is justified because it was a response to “gross insubordination” 🙄 Public radio isn't, like, Seal Team 6. “Goddammit man, there are pledges and tote bags at stake!!” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Raju Narisetti / @raju: The slow clean-up of toxicity across @WNYC continues https://twitter.com/...
Josh Barro / @jbarro: I think it's weird that behavior among adult colleagues that might ordinarily be characterized as “being an asshole” now gets called “bullying.” You can discipline and fire people for being assholes. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Brian Gaar / @briangaar: Bob was the only one who (rightly) raked Glenn Beck over the coals during his stupid redemption tour, when everyone else was doing segments like this: https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Dan Kennedy / Media Nation: What's next for ‘On the Media’ after co-host Bob Garfield's sudden firing?
Lyz Lenz / @lyzl: in my experience “insubordination” usually just means “asked bosses not to be horrible” https://twitter.com/...
@pareene: “On the Media” is one of the best shows on public radio, largely thanks to the work of people whose voices fans don't hear every week. Don't know any details here, including how the staff feels about how this was handled, but I support them. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Chris Morran / @themorrancave: I'll always remember the time Bob Garfield spent a week trying to get me fired after I made an offhanded, mildly critical comment about him in a Consumerist story. Who'd have guessed he'd a be a bully to his coworkers? https://www.nytimes.com/...
Anne Helen Petersen / @annehelen: “In an email on Monday, Mr. Garfield said he was not yet able to speak fully about the circumstances surrounding his firing but defended his behavior as yelling.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Thomas Moore / The Hill: WNYC's ‘On the Media’ co-host Bob Garfield fired
Foster Kamer / @weareyourfek: don't know about bullying but many people have a “bob garfield is a dick!” story https://twitter.com/...
Joshua Benton / @jbenton: unshocking, tbh https://twitter.com/...
McCaffrey Blauner / The Daily Beast: ‘On the Media’ Co-Host Bob Garfield Fired Over Bullying Allegations
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Piano, which offers analytics, subscription, and personalization tools for publishers, raises $88M Series B, bringing its total raised to $241M+ — As publishers face up to whatever might be their next existential crisis — there are so many options from which to choose …
Discussion:
The Information:
Source: Amazon is in talks to acquire MGM for between $7B and $10B, in what would be its biggest move to expand into entertainment — Amazon is in discussions to acquire MGM, said a person familiar with the situation, in what would be the ecommerce giant's biggest move yet to expand in entertainment.
Discussion:
Variety, @nickwingfield, The Verge, CNN, New York Times, Financial Times, Los Angeles Times, Forbes, @citizenalex3, Vanity Fair, The Hill, FierceVideo, @stroughtonsmith, /Film, The Streamable, The A.V. Club, The Playlist, Mr. Buyside, @backlon, Observer, @great_katzby, New York Post, @ericjhonsa, Cord Cutters News, MediaPost, @cinesnark, @daniel_toloko, C21Media, @mossanimation, @awallenstein, @great_katzby, @pkafka, @richlightshed, @loudmouthjulia, The Wrap, The Desk, Insider, Engadget, CBR, MarketWatch, Reuters, Deadline, IndieWire, The Week, Front Office Sports, Bloomberg and AppleInsider, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Nick Wingfield / @nickwingfield: Scoop by @jtoonkel and me. An MGM-Amazon deal, if it happens, might explain why Jeff Blackburn was keen to come back to run Amazon entertainment https://thein.fo/...
Sean Hollister / The Verge: Amazon is in talks to buy MGM for $9 billion
Ryan Faughnder / Los Angeles Times: Amazon in talks to buy ‘James Bond’ movie studio MGM
Alex Harman / @citizenalex3: I don't know who needs to hear this right now, but allowing all these streaming companies to produce or own content AND control distribution is bad for everyone (except the streamers). https://twitter.com/...
Chris Murphy / Vanity Fair: Amazon in Talks to Acquire MGM Studios for $9 Billion
Joseph Choi / The Hill: Amazon in talks to buy MGM for $9B: report
Ben Munson / FierceVideo: Amazon in talks to buy MGM for about $9B: report
Steve Troughton-Smith / @stroughtonsmith: Fast-forward ten years and all the major movie studios will be owned by tech companies. It'll start an arms race. Only Disney survives https://twitter.com/...
Ethan Anderton / /Film: Amazon is Deep in Negotiating a Deal to Buy MGM for $9 Billion
Britt Hayes / The A.V. Club: Amazon is trying to buy MGM for $9 billion
Charles Barfield / The Playlist: Amazon Expected To Offer $9 Billion To Buy MGM
Dieter Bohn / @backlon: HM IDK I'm not feeling it https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Brandon Katz / @great_katzby: M&A in just the last few years: Time Warner ($85B) Fox ($71B) WarnerMedia ($43B) Sky ($39B) MGM ($9B) Starz ($4.4B) Legendary ($3.5B) Crumchyroll ($1.2B) https://twitter.com/...
Alexandra Steigrad / New York Post: Amazon negotiating deal to buy MGM Studios for $9 billion
Eric Jhonsa / @ericjhonsa: Looks like $AMZN might have a use for the $18.5B in debt it just raised besides buybacks. Worth noting that Prime Video's licensed movie library is already arguably a competitive strength relative to $NFLX. https://variety.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Philip Palermo / Cord Cutters News: Rumors Suggest Amazon is Offering $9 Billion for MGM
Karlene Lukovitz / MediaPost: Amazon In Talks To Acquire MGM
Sarah Marrs / @cinesnark: What did @Ceilidhann and I say for literal years on The Hollywood Read? Amazon was bound to buy a studio eventually. Apple's next. https://twitter.com/...
Daniel Toloko / @daniel_toloko: $AMZN understands that its all about the content... https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
Nico Franks / C21Media: Amazon ‘eyeing Bond studio MGM’
Charles Moss / @mossanimation: For five minutes, can you conglomerates not assimilate each other... FOR FIVE MINUTES!?!?!? https://twitter.com/...
Andrew Wallenstein / @awallenstein: Sounds like Amazon's entertainment portfolio could be expanding. If only Jeff Bezos could tap someone he used to work with to oversee it all. Someone with considerable experience working with streaming and studios. Someone looking for a new job... ...and vengeance! https://twitter.com/...
Brandon Katz / @great_katzby: Figured it would be Apple as well. Amazon has always seemed to be content to be half-half out on its steaming endeavors. It'll spend $8.5B on annual content and $400M+ on a season of LOTR, but won't update its awful UI/UX or provide any tangible Prime Video growth data. https://twitter.com/...
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: Con: Big Tech buying a big media asset is like waving a flag in front of @amyklobuchar @SenWarren et al. Pro: Actually just a studio that makes James Bond movies and Shark Tank. No news or sports to take away/hold hostage. https://twitter.com/...
Rich Greenfield / @richlightshed: streamingwars heating up 🔥🔥🔥 https://twitter.com/...
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: I always assumed it would be Amazon or Apple if any company was going to do it. A) They have the money, b) they could use the catalog of Bond movies, and Epix's library + pay 1 opportunity isn't a bad get for Amazon, and c) can brag about Bond. https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
Tim Baysinger / The Wrap: Amazon in Talks to Buy MGM for as Much as $10 Billion
Matthew Keys / The Desk: Amazon mulls buying MGM Studios to beef up content offering
Insider: Amazon is reportedly negotiating to acquire MGM, the studio behind James Bond and Rocky, for about $9 billion
Richard Lawler / Engadget: Amazon is reportedly negotiating to buy MGM
Cass Clarke / CBR: Amazon in Talks to Buy MGM For $9 Billion
Mike Murphy / MarketWatch: Amazon reportedly in talks to buy MGM, the movie studio behind James Bond
Anthony D'Alessandro / Deadline: Amazon At Altar With MGM?
Chris Lindahl / IndieWire: Amazon Wants to Buy MGM for Its 4,000-Film Library
Catherine Garcia / The Week: Amazon is reportedly in talks to acquire MGM
Abigail Gentrup / Front Office Sports: Media Deals Reinforce Streaming As Future of Sports
Mike Peterson / AppleInsider: Amazon mulling MGM acquisition to boost media footprint
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Sources: theSkimm is considering a sale to non-media companies like financial services firms or luxury brands and brought in ~$20M in revenue in 2019 — TheSkimm, a digital media company catering to millennial women, has hired JPMorgan Chase & Co. to evaluate deal offers, sources tell Axios.
Discussion:
@rafat: Skimm selling to a non-media player is the best exit outcome for founders/investors, though probably the slow death of their innovation after, whoever owns it. That is almost always the result in such non-media cases. https://www.axios.com/...
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
A small UK study found that online abuse has become “more commonplace, more vile and more serious”, and journalism students need training on what they'll face — It is “necessary” to better prepare journalism trainees for the realities of increasingly “vile” online abuse they could face, according to a new report.
Discussion:
@jeremy_peel, @joshknapman, @jenkean, @jeremy_peel, @ellerudd_, @wblau, @jeremy_peel, @sandraloy1, @tfitzpatrick25 and @jeremy_peel
Discussion:
Jeremy Peel / @jeremy_peel: What am I trying to say here, other than highlighting the facts? I guess, don't kid yourself you're making journalism better by finding individual journalists and twisting the knife on Twitter. You're doing the opposite. And genuinely ruining some lives.
Josh Knapman / @joshknapman: Imagine if this was any other industry. It's disgusting that it's become an accepted norm; that people think they can hurl baseless abuse just because they don't like a story you've written. Just be nice, innit. https://twitter.com/...
Jenny Kean / @jenkean: Very happy to see my and @AbbeyMaclure's work highlighted in the @pressgazette. @LeedsTrinity https://twitter.com/...
Jeremy Peel / @jeremy_peel: At journalism school you're taught to serve the reader - and then once you're in the job, you can barely see the average reader beyond the screaming cruelty of the comments and replies. https://twitter.com/...
Elle Rudd / @ellerudd_: I have spoken to a handful of students and classes over the last few months about how they can prepare for their future in journalism and I always make a point to let them know that abuse is unavoidable. https://twitter.com/...
Wolfgang Blau / @wblau: Journalism trainees ‘need training’ to handle online abuse - Press Gazette (this is something that frequently comes up in my conversations with journalists covering climate change) https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/ ...
Jeremy Peel / @jeremy_peel: I've had some first-hand experience of this, but like the study says, non-male and non-white journalists get the worst of it. It's those journalists who disproportionately end up leaving the industry, setting back efforts for broader representation and new perspectives.
Sandra Loy / @sandraloy1: Thick Skin ✔️ Media Law ✔️ Shorthand ✔️ An awful truth. But, sadly, yes, we already brace our young trainees @CardiffJomec for what they will almost certainly face from Day One in the job #cardifftrained https://twitter.com/...
Reporters Without Borders:
Reporters Without Borders launches an online tool for its Journalism Trust Initiative to identify and reward trustworthy news sources — - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) launches new web offer designed to identify and reward trustworthy news sources; — Media outlets can use the online app …
Discussion:
@roxyszal, @swissinfo_en, @adrianshahbaz, @emilybell, @alanmillernlp, @cdeloire, @craignewmark and @rsf_inter
Discussion:
Roxy Szal / @roxyszal: Launched today by @RSF_Inter & supported by @CraigNewmark, the Journalism Trust Initiative promises to be a game changer. By establishing indicators for journalism trustworthiness, JTI aims to create a healthier information and communication space for all. https://rsf.org/...
Swissinfo.Ch / @swissinfo_en: We're happy to contribute to more transparency and trust in #journalism! Today, the new #JournalismTrustInitiative (JTI) platform by @ReporterOG launches - have a look: https://s.swissin.fo/eFqK7Kq
Adrian Shahbaz / @adrianshahbaz: Hope there is broad uptake among news outlets and online platforms. The latter could feature the “JTI Mark” prominently in news labels and use it to inform which outlets/stories to prioritize in feeds https://twitter.com/...
Emily Bell / @emilybell: Another interesting and promising initiative aimed at encouraging transparency and best practices in journalism https://rsf.org/...
Alan C. Miller / @alanmillernlp: “Fighting disinformation and detoxing the information space requires audiences, but also businesses, such as marketers and distributors, to be able to differentiate between high-quality, reputable sources and questionable information.” https://rsf.org/...
Christophe Deloire / @cdeloire: The JTI online platform represents new dawn for media integrity, transparency and sustainability. This game-changing tool designed to promote trustworthy journalism in the digital ecosystem is supported by @EBU_HQ, @NewspaperWorld, @AFP and @MediaGFMD . https://rsf.org/... https://twitter.com/...
Craig Newmark / @craignewmark: Launched today by @RSF_Inter & supported by @CraigNewmark, the Journalism Trust Initiative promises to be a game changer. By establishing indicators for journalism trustworthiness, JTI aims to create a healthier information/communication space for all. https://rsf.org/...
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Sources: Coinbase is launching its own media unit that will create content for retail and institutional investors and report to its marketing team — Crypto giant Coinbase is launching its own media operation and looking to poach a top media editor to guide the effort, sources tell Axios.
Discussion:
@joshuaogundu, @thedomino, @adamsinger, @hsakatrades, @jowyang, @bowtiedbull and @ryan_browne_
Discussion:
Josh / @joshuaogundu: Media/content backgrounds are going to be sought after by tech companies going forward, watch this space https://twitter.com/...
Dominic Chu / @thedomino: .@sarafischer has had a busy morning...she's now reporting that Coinbase $COIN is starting up a media operation with the aim of getting more folks into the cryptocurrency ecosystem...not a surprising move, given that other crypto platforms have media content & talent as well. https://twitter.com/...
Jeremiah Owyang / @jowyang: Coinbase will focus on creating content and media. The market needs a lot of education around cryptos. Step 1: call it something other than “cryptos” which literally that means to be hidden or secret. https://www.axios.com/...
BowTiedBull.eth / @bowtiedbull: Didn't this happen 7-8 times in 2017 lol https://twitter.com/...
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