Showtime laid off approximately 120 staffers Monday amid a streaming-focused restructuring that saw the exits of several top execs as the pay TV channel’s team was merged into MTV Entertainment Studios, a spokesperson confirmed. No other details were available regarding which departments within Showtime were affected, although a source close to the situation tells Variety those cuts could amount to roughly 25% of Showtime’s workforce.
From analytics to incisive commentary, ESPN analyst Mina Kimes is shaping the future of NFL coverage.
For Wrexham’s Hollywood owners, the sequel proved to be a heartbreaker. The Welsh soccer club owned by celebrities Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney lost its FA Cup replay with Sheffield […]
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The premium cable network overhauls its slate around franchises after its merger with streamer Paramount+.
NEW YORK (AP) — The first English-language television broadcast of the U.S. men’s soccer team in its new media contract was seen by 416,000 viewers on TNT. Last Saturday’s 0-0 […]
While the weekly TV series is sunsetting, the Saturday morning news program will continue as a digital series (including on ESPN’s YouTube channel), and with branded segments on ESPN’s flagship studio show SportsCenter seven days per week. Jeremy Schaap, the anchor of OTL since 2020, will continue to lead the segments.
As cord-cutting accelerates, the leader of Madison Square Garden and the Knicks has
rejected suitors for his cable channels and cycled through CEOs.
Following Monday’s announcement that Showtime’s linear and streaming platforms will be rebranded to Paramount+ With Showtime, Paramount Global has promoted Showtime and Paramount TV Studios communications chief Erin Calhoun to the new role of EVP of communications of Paramount Streaming and Cross-Company Publicity. The news of the exec’s elevation comes as CBS Interactive’s Susan Lundgren exits her post, giving Calhoun expanded purview across brands.
Canada’s Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications said on Monday they extended the deadline for their C$20 billion ($15.01 billion) merger to Feb. 17 from the end of January, as the companies await government approval. The deal requires the final approval from Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne for the transfer of spectrum licenses held by Shaw’s Freedom Mobile unit to Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron.
Todd and Julie Chrisley were sentenced to 12 and seven years, respectively, for fraud and tax evasion after a decade of ascending to celebrity status thanks to their hit show on USA.
To upfront or not upfront, that is the question. AMC Networks will choose the former, holding an in-person event with between 200 to 250 attendees at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Tuesday, April 18. The company opts for the approach after at least one of the nation’s biggest media companies has opted to abandon the concept, and a sector upstart has unveiled an effort to take its place.
Jones’ stand-in as host on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday on the Comedy Central topical show yields to four more upcoming weekly gigs by comedians: Wanda Sykes, D.L. Hughley, Chelsea Handler and Sarah Silverman.
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — Justin Roiland, who created the animated series “Rick and Morty” and provides the voices of the two title characters, is awaiting trial on charges of […]
Two former ESPN employees have sued the network and its parent company, Walt Disney, over their terminations in 2021 after refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine. In a complaint filed in a Connecticut court on Wednesday, former ESPN reporter Allison Williams (above) and longtime producer Beth Faber alleged that the company made “no serious attempt” to accommodate their COVID-19 exemption requests.
Dan McDermott, AMC Studios head and president of original programming, said AMC Networks is “optimally positioned” as a business following layoffs and scrapped series, which the executive said is emblematic of streaming’s course-correction following external and internal challenges.
Spectrum Reach, the ad sales arm of Charter Communications, said today it hired Jason Brown as SVP, chief revenue officer, effective Jan. 30. Brown had been SVP, advertising sales at DirecTV. He succeeds Beth Plummer, who announced plans to retire last year. She will remain at the company to help with the transition through the end of March.
ESPN is bringing back its familiar “This Is SportsCenter” campaign with a new spot airing Friday during the Capital One Orange Bowl. The new spot, dubbed “Orange Slices,” features Megan Rapinoe, Becky Saurerbrunn and Sophia Smith of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, SportsCenter anchor Nicole Briscoe and Syracuse University mascot Otto the Orange. ESPN said this is the first “This is SportsCenter” promo since 2019 and more commercials in the campaign will air in 2023.
Most customers will see their bills go up by $3, including those on promotional contracts.
How consumers watch video has dramatically changed in the past five years. Currently, 83% of U.S. internet households subscribe to at least one streaming video service. In contrast, only 45% subscribe to traditional pay TV services like AT&T or Comcast — a dramatic drop from almost 10 years ago in 2012 when this figure was at 87%. However, this is not the end of linear programming, as nearly half of households still hold on to a traditional linear model. Instead, this 45% emphasizes how almost half of households still value this form of content delivery.
Craig Moffett says bearish investors are concerned about broadband capex, but overlooking wireless.
The company has struggled to earn enough from streaming to make up for losses from its traditional cable business. It is a story widespread in the industry. Above: Sam Reid as Lestat de Lioncourt in the AMC Networks series Interview With the Vampire. The show is one of the most popular programs in the United States.
Blake Shelton and Carson Daly are brewing up impressive ratings at USA Network with their new game show, Barmageddon. The series premiere, which aired on Dec. 5, was the network’s most-viewed series premiere in nearly three years with 1.2M total viewers, according to live-plus-3-day Nielsen data. That’s about an 81% increase from the same-day audience, which is a record delayed viewing lift for USA Network’s unscripted programming. The episode also scored the network’s best premiere rating among the 18-49 demo in more than three years.
