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Sam SchechnerSam Schechner covers technology, based out of The Wall Street Journal's Paris bureau, focusing on the intersection between technology, business and society. His stories have often tackled the role large technology platforms play on topics like privacy, competition and internet censorship. Previously, Sam covered business in France, and along with his colleagues in the Paris bureau shared in a New York Press Club award for their coverage of the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris. He joined the Journal in 2005 as an entertainment columnist in New York, and later covered the business of television, including large media and cable companies such as Viacom and Comcast. Sam has a bachelor's degree from Brown University and lives in Paris with his wife, their two children and his childhood pet turtle.

Persons: Sam Schechner Sam Schechner, Sam Organizations: Facebook, Polk, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, New York Press, Viacom, Comcast, Brown University Locations: Paris, France, New York

☆ Keach Hagey — Reporter at The Wall Street Journal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Keach Hagey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Keach HageyKeach Hagey is a reporter at The Wall Street Journal’s Media and Marketing Bureau in New York, where she focuses on the intersection of media and technology. Her investigation into the inner workings of Google’s advertising-technology business won recognition from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (Sabew). Previously, she covered the television industry for the Journal, reporting on large media companies such as 21st Century Fox, Time Warner and Viacom. She led a team that won a Sabew award for coverage of the power struggle inside Viacom. Before joining the Journal, Keach covered media for Politico, the National in Abu Dhabi, CBS News and the Village Voice.

Persons: Keach, George Polk, Gerald Loeb, “, Sumner, ” Organizations: Journal’s Media, Marketing Bureau, Facebook, Google, George, George Polk Award, Business, Beat, Society for, Century Fox, Time Warner, Viacom, CBS, HarperCollins, Politico, Village, Stanford University Locations: New York, Abu Dhabi, Irvington, N.Y

☆ Netflix says subscribers to its ads plan have doubled. Meet the 19 execs driving the streamer's aggressive push into advertising.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Netflix said in its 2Q earnings that subscribers to its ads plan have doubled over the previous quarter. Peter Naylor, VP of global advertising salesPeter Naylor, VP, global advertising sales. Netflix has also brought on several directors and other roles in ad sales who've worked at Hulu, Snap, and elsewhere. Chad Rumminger, who focuses on automotive accounts, from automotive ad sales at Twitter. Julie Taylor Green is head of US vertical ad sales; she was TikTok's director of global business solutions before that.

Persons: execs, they're, Jeremi Gorman, Peter Naylor —, Netflix salespeople, Nielsen, DoubleVerify, Kelly Metz, They've, Gorman, Peter Naylor, who've, Naylor, Julie DeTraglia, Kinsey Tamberrino, He's, Hulu playbook, Adam Gerber, Gerber, he's, it's, She's, Asaf Davidov, DeTraglia, Jon Whitticom, Whitticom, that's, Kinsey Osberg Tamberrino, Michaela Giovengo, Valerie Bischak, Doug Brodman, Victoria Morris, Amy Newton, Joanna Read, Eric Berman, Chad Rumminger, Morgan Tully, Nicole Sabatini, Julie Taylor Green, Chris Smutny Organizations: Netflix, Hulu, ABC, Microsoft, Omnicom Media, Yahoo, Gorman's, ABC Television Group, Disney, Comcast, Viacom Media Network, Amobee, Twitter, Google, Amazon, Tech, Gaming, Entertainment Locations: Hulu, TikTok

☆ Mission Impossible: Paramount reckoning
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

NEW YORK, July 5 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Paramount Global’s (PARA.O) predicament is worthy of its successful “Mission: Impossible” franchise. Over the past year or so, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N) has bought and increased its stake in Paramount to about 15%. Without the funding, her closely held firm might have needed to pledge more of its Paramount stock against a loan. Streaming service Paramount+ is similar to Netflix, whose enterprise is worth 5 times next year’s estimated revenue. “Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One,” from Paramount Pictures, opens in movie theaters on July 12.

Persons: Shari Redstone, Looney, Walt Disney, Sumner, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, Goldman Sachs, Byron Trott, Rudolph Valentino, Mae West, Marx, Trustbusters, Martin Davis, Sumner Redstone, Simon, Schuster, Walt, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam, Streisand Neto Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Paramount, Warner Bros Discovery, AT, Netflix, Apple, Comcast, Electronic Arts, MSD Partners, Viacom, Audio Communications, CBS, Nickelodeon, MTV, Time Warner, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Tiffany Network, National Football League, Fox, Amazon, MGM, U.S, Penguin Random, Walt Disney, Amusements, Paramount Global, BDT Capital Partners, “, Paramount Pictures, Thomson Locations: U.S, Gulf, Western, NAI

☆ These 18 top Netflix execs are driving its advertising push under head Jeremi Gorman as the company makes its first big TV upfronts pitch
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Peter Naylor, VP of global advertising salesPeter Naylor, VP, global advertising sales. Netflix has also brought on several directors and other roles in ad sales who've worked at Hulu, Snap, and elsewhere. They are Kinsey Osberg Tamberrino, who is Publicis' main point of contact, and who spent eight years at Hulu, rising to director of advertising sales. Chad Rumminger, who focuses on automotive accounts, from automotive ad sales at Twitter. Julie Taylor Green is head of US vertical ad sales; she was TikTok's director of global business solutions before that.

☆ This company wants to give you a free TV. The catch? constant ads.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

There’s a catch: a second screen attached to the bottom streams non-stop information and advertising based on the household’s extensive personal data. From TellyThe TVs, subsidized by those ads on the second screen, will begin shipping out to the customers on its waitlist this summer. Telly has opened sign-ups for the first 500,000 of its Dual Screen Smart TVs, a 55-inch display with a second smart screen integrated through a sound bar. On top of a square for advertisements, the smart screen displays information including news, sports scores, weather and stocks. Though it ships with a 4K Android TV streaming stick, the technology is compatible with other major streaming devices like the Amazon Fire Stick or Apple TV.

☆ Pluto TV's cofounder just unveiled a free, ad-supported TV set. Check out the 18-page deck he used to raise funds from top media analyst Rich Greenfield and Gary Vaynerchuk.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Pluto TV cofounder Ilya Pozin has launched a new company that's trying to disrupt TV advertising. Telly is a free, ad-supported TV that's backed by Rich Greenfield, Gary Vaynerchuk, and more. Ilya Pozin, who disrupted cable with free ad-supported streamer Pluto TV, now wants to do the same for your physical TV. His company, Telly, came out of stealth mode May 15 with a new, ad-supported TV that's free to the user. Pozin said the idea for Telly grew out of Pluto, a free, ad-supported TV streaming service that he co-founded in 2013; it was acquired in 2019 by Viacom (now Paramount Global).

☆ A new company wants to give you a free TV, in exchange for always showing you ads
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A new startup named Telly wants to put free, dual-screen televisions in consumer homes, supported by the sale of anonymized data and always-on ads. Telly, founded by Pluto TV co-founder Ilya Pozin, announced Monday that it's opening an initial waitlist for 500,000 free ad-supported televisions. Revenue from ad sales would pay for the free TV set, which the company has valued at around $500 in an addendum to its terms of service. Advertising on smart televisions has been almost ubiquitous since the first internet-connected televisions began to see mass adoption in the mid-2010s. Advertisers spent over $15 billion on connected TV ad buys in 2021, according to a press release from a Samsung partner.

☆ Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting is here: What to expect from Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Warren Buffett is set to kick off Berkshire Hathaway 's annual shareholder meeting Saturday before tens of thousands of adoring shareholders. Berkshire's annual "Woodstock for Capitalists" will be held in Omaha, Nebraska, the second straight in-person gathering after two virtual meetings during the pandemic. The question of Buffett's Activision stake is expected to come up at the annual meeting. Geico Berkshire shareholders will also be eager to learn more about what's next for auto insurer Geico , the crown jewel of Berkshire's insurance empire and Buffett's "favorite child." ESG issues There are a few ESG-related shareholder proposals being put to a vote at the annual meeting, including requiring Berkshire to publish an annual assessment of climate-related risks and publish data on its workforce composition by gender, race, and ethnicity.

April 21 (Reuters) - Paramount Global (PARA.O) has agreed to pay $167.5 million to investors to settle a case stemming from the 2019 merger of Viacom Inc and CBS Corp that created the entertainment company, a filing showed. Paramount and the investors agreed to the settlement reached on April 18, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing published on Friday. Paramount did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. Paramount reached a $122.5 million settlement in March with Viacom shareholders that also stemmed from the merger. Reporting by Shubhendu Deshmukh in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Inside the demise of Vice, from turning away a $3.5 billion Disney offer to a 'painful' downward spiral that has the media giant scrambling for a buyer
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

The talks fizzled, Disney backed off, and Smith set off for California to drum up other interest in Vice Media. Vice Media Group co-CEOs Bruce Dixon, left, and Hozefa Lokhandwala. Vice Media GroupOne former Vice insider familiar with the current situation told Insider that staffers were warning vendors they needed to threaten to stop work in order to get paid. Just a few months later, Rupert Murdoch tweeted, "Who's heard of Vice Media? Refinery29 quickly lost key staff and was not well integrated into Vice Media, the two former staffers said.

☆ Morgan Stanley is cooperating with U.S. regulators on block-trading probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Saeed Azhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 24 (Reuters) - Morgan Stanley (MS.N) said it was cooperating with U.S. regulators over investigations into its block-trading practices and providing authorities with information, according to a filingon Friday. The Wall Street firm added it could face civil claims from market participants who said they were harmed by the company's practices. Morgan Stanley said it has been responding to subpoenas and other requests for information from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and the enforcement division of the Securities and Exchange Commission. On Feb. 6, a New York state judge refused to dismiss a proposed class action against Morgan Stanley and other underwriters that helped the media company Viacom Inc sell $2.7 billion of stock in March 2021. Archegos collapsed in March 2021 after failing to meet margin calls on swaps on Viacom CBS and other stocks.

☆ ‘Unscripted’ Review: Sex, Lies and Viacom
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Edward Kosner | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Sumner Redstone, who died in 2020 at the age of 97, was one of the killer whales thriving in the swirling currents of the modern media. A hulking old man with dyed red hair and a maimed right hand, he was a mega-billionaire with a ravenous appetite for power, riches—and sex. At his peak at the turn of the century, he controlled Viacom; Paramount Pictures; the National Amusements movie-theater chain; the CBS network, MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon; and the Simon & Schuster publishing house. Then the end came in a crescendo of recrimination, litigation and family turmoil. Imagine a mash-up of “King Lear” and “Weekend at Bernie’s,” the 1989 movie comedy about two scamps who prop up a cadaver so they can enjoy a weekend at his beach house, with Redstone starring in both title roles.

☆ Former EMX Digital employees are furious they were let go without severance after the adtech firm's owner Big Village filed for bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Nearly all staff at adtech firm EMX Digital were laid off this week after parent company Big Village filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Big Village, EMX Digital, and Lake Capital Partner did not respond to a request for comment. EMX Digital got backlogged on payments to publishersTwo of the former EMX Digital employees said that financial problems started last summer, after Big Village rebranded from Engine Group. There were internal rumors that this was when Lake Capital Partners started looking for a buyer for Big Village, according to two former employees. At the same time, EMX Digital stopped paying publishers, and between July and September, EMX Digital was bombarded by emails from publishers who were getting increasingly mad about missed payments, said one former employee.

☆ Digital ad firm Kargo is acquiring a video tech firm in a deal that could be worth $100 million to move into streaming TV ads
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The acquisition is aimed at giving Kargo inroads into the surging streaming TV ad market. Advertising technology firm Kargo has acquired VideoByte, a video tech firm that helps advertisers make ads for streaming TV platforms. Three-year-old VideoByte sells an ad server that lets advertisers run custom ads on streaming TV platforms. Kargo's competitors PubMatic and Magnite, for instance, have rapidly built out products that let publishers run ads in streaming TV platforms. As part of Kargo's move into streaming TV, the company has also hired Jennifer Pelino as chief strategy officer.

☆ The biggest media targets and buyers in 2023, as speculation swirls around Disney's next move under CEO Bob Iger and how Warner Bros. Discovery can shed debt
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Lucia Moses | Claire Atkinson | Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Continued pressure to get bigger has big media companies in Hollywood looking to scale up. Media bankers and investors predicted to Insider that dealmaking will rebound in 2023 as companies big and small size up their options for possible tie-ups. Pressure on big media companies to get bigger hasn't gone away. Apple: Could eye a big content prizeTim Cook. Paramount's library could help a streaming company bulk up its content; Netflix for one has explored Paramount's studio business before.

☆ 'Kenan & Kel' actor Kel Mitchell on the upcoming 'Good Burger' sequel, mentoring new child stars as 'Uncle Kel,' and the controversial producer Dan Schneider
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( William Antonelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Nickelodeon legend Kel Mitchell spoke to Insider this week about his career and the upcoming sequel to "Good Burger." The two also co-starred in "Good Burger," a 1997 comedy film that's become a cult classic among millennials and Gen Zers. Scholastic/PBS; Titmouse/Disney Television AnimationSpeaking of animated work, last year, Brian Robbins [director of "Good Burger" and Paramount Pictures CEO] said that he wanted to create a "Good Burger" animated series. I met a couple that said that [seeing "Good Burger"] was their first date, and then they got married, and now every anniversary they go and see "Good Burger" because it's part of their life, so it's so deep to me. Ex-Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider (top-left) posing for a photo with Kel Mitchell and the cast of the show "Game Shakers."

☆ Condé Nast's CMO is exiting after 2 years of leading the company's marketing and consumer revenue business
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Condé Nast CEO has lost its CMO, Deirdre Findlay, who spent two years in the role under CEO Roger Lynch. Condé Nast is looking to remake itself with new lines of business from events to membership businesses. Before joining Condé Nast in early 2019, Lynch was CEO of Pandora where Eisen had also been a corporate advisor. Condé Nast titles include Vogue, New Yorker, and Condé Nast Traveler. Hi All,As I shared in the CMO All Hands today, I have made the difficult decision to leave Condé Nast.

☆ From Apple and Disney to Warner Bros. Discovery, here's the 2023 media deal outlook for Hollywood's biggest companies, according to 13 bankers and industry experts
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Lucia Moses | Claire Atkinson | Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

☆ 'George & Tammy' review: Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon stand by an oft-told musical tale
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Chastain continues to carve out an inordinately unique niche of standout performances playing women named Tammy, although “Tammy Faye” embodied a different realm of high-profile personalities. That is, of course, an oft-told tale, a la “Sid and Nancy” or Ike & Tina Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” among past dramatizations within different musical genres. Understandably, stars are invariably drawn to these kind of showy roles, with “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Rocketman” and “Elvis” among the recent examples. Thanks to Chastain and Shannon (who admirably pull off their own singing), “George & Tammy” provides a warts-and-all window into Wynette and Jones’ lives. “George & Tammy” premieres December 4 at 9 p.m.

☆ The creator of 'Yellowstone' had a bold pitch to network execs that paid off: 'You will have no part in any of this ... except for footing the bill'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Taylor Sheridan cautioned execs that "Yellowstone" would be expensive when he pitched the series in 2017. He also expressed how he wanted full creative control, with no writers' room or executive notes. When in a room with then-Viacom (now Paramount) execs, Sheridan cautioned how expensive the show would be and expressed that he wanted full creative control. There will be no writers' room. "It's going to cost $90 million to $100 million," Sheridan said that he told them.

☆ How a media executive you've never heard of brokered one of the most consequential deals in Hollywood — and brought us 'Seinfeld'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Jane Biondi Munna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

In a new book, Jane Biondi Munna recounts highlights from her father Frank Biondi's career. In a new book, Biondi's daughter, Jane Biondi Munna, recorded and compiled the story of his career. The author, Jane Biondi Munna, and her late father, Frank Biondi. Apparently some guy, some comedy writer, was living in his car — actually living in his car — when he sold the show to Castle Rock, and Castle Rock sold it to NBC. From LET'S BE FRANK: A Daughter's Tribute to Her Father, The Media Mogul You've Never Heard of by Jane Biondi Munna.

A lawyer for CBS, now known as Paramount Global (PARA.O), said the company has tentatively agreed to pay $7.25 million and Moonves would pay $2.5 million to shareholders. Neither the company nor Moonves will admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement. Lawyers for CBS, Moonves and the shareholders did not immediately respond to requests for comment. CBS and Moonves agreed in April to pay $14.75 million to settle the shareholder case, which alleged they initially hid the misconduct allegations while publicly supporting the #MeToo movement. In December 2018, CBS said it had fired Moonves for cause and withheld his $120 million severance package.

☆ LAPD captain warned CBS about Les Moonves sexual assault claim, NY attorney general says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

James said she referred the matter to the California Attorney General's office. The investigation found text messages between the LAPD captain, top-ranking CBS executives and Moonves that revealed the allegations. The captain also worked with executives for several months to prevent the complaint from becoming public, according to the attorney general's release on Wednesday. Moonves left CBS in 2018 after allegations of sexual misconduct and cultural problems in the company. "As a publicly traded company, CBS failed its most basic duty to be honest and transparent with the public and investors."

☆ Les Moonves, CBS to pay $30 million in settlement with NY AG over sexual misconduct allegations
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Frank Pallotta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN Business —Leslie Moonves, former chief executive officer of CBS, and CBS reached a $30.5 million settlement with the office of the attorney general of New York, Letitia James, on Wednesday. Moonves stepped down as CBS’ chief executive in 2018 following multiple sexual misconduct allegations. The exit marked the end of Moonves’ tenure atop one of the most powerful companies in the media world. Moonves denied the allegations. Moonves himself must pay $2.5 million, which will also go to CBS shareholders.

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