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☆ Can't get enough of Showtime's 'Billions'? Get ready for 'Trillions'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Showtime is making spinoffs of some of its biggest shows, like "Billions" and "Dexter." It reflects its owner Paramount's larger content strategy of doubling down on franchises. Showtime is planning to make up to four spinoffs of "Billions," including "Millions" and "Trillions." The plan reflects Paramount's larger content strategy of doubling down on its biggest hits and expanding them into franchises. Showtime content is being fully integrated within Paramount+, and some Paramount+ originals will air on Showtime linear programming.

☆ Why Hollywood's tech evangelists are bullish on NFTs and Web3 storytelling, even after the FTX scandal tarnished blockchain's rep
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Elaine Low | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Amid the FTX scandal and declining NFT sales, Web3 chatter has grown quieter in Hollywood. But proponents of NFTs and Web3 storytelling are betting on the tech's entertainment potential. Hollywood's evangelists of Web3 — the decentralized, blockchain-based future of the web that includes crypto and NFTs — were out in full force. She has worked to distance the creative and storytelling potential of NFTs and other blockchain-based technologies from the cowboy rep of the digital currency world. "I'm excited about moving Web3, blockchain technologies past sort of the hype cycle that we've seen with digital collectibles and NFTs," Greg Reed, Universal Pictures' VP of technology partnerships, told Variety.

☆ 12 media executives anonymously predict 2023's biggest deals, trends and changes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Candle Media has acquired intellectual property assets including Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine production company and Moonbug, which owns the animated kids series "CoComelon." Executive 3: Iger extends his contract There's been lots of speculation over who Iger will choose as his successor. History suggests he has a hard time leaving the role of Disney CEO. Christine M. McCarthy, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer The Walt Disney Company. "I love Shari [Redstone], but ViacomCBS is not long for this world as it stands today," said a media executive last year.

☆ AMC Networks CEO exits after less than three months in role
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 29 (Reuters) - AMC Networks' (AMCX.O) Christina Spade has stepped down as chief executive officer, less than three months after taking over the role, sending the company's shares down 5% on Tuesday. "We thank Christina for her contributions to the company in her CEO role and her earlier CFO (chief financial officer) role, and we wish her well in her future endeavors," Chairman James Dolan said in a brief statement. AMC Networks did not respond to a request for comment on the layoffs. Cord cutting and a gloomy advertising market have weighed on the company's business, with shares down 40% year to date. Revenue in the division surged 41% in the last reported quarter, even as the company's overall revenue slumped 16%.

☆ AMC Networks CEO exits after brief stint; plans 20% U.S. job cuts
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Shares of the cable TV network, home to hit shows such as "Mad Men" and "The Walking Dead", fell 4.4% on Tuesday. AMC Networks had 1,739 full-time and 287 part-time employees as of Dec. 31, according to a regulatory filing. Cord cutting and a gloomy advertising market have weighed on the company's business, with shares down 40% year to date. Revenue in the division surged 41% in the last reported quarter, even as the company's overall revenue slumped 16%. In September, she took the helm from Matt Blank who had held it on an interim basis after long-time Chief Executive Officer Josh Sapan stepped down in August last year.

AMC Networks told its employees Tuesday that it is planning significant layoffs, according to a memo obtained by CNBC and people familiar with the matter. In recent years, AMC Networks has been seen as an acquisition target for larger media companies. We have directed the executive leadership of AMC Networks to undergo significant cutbacks in operations. These will include a large-scale layoff as well as cuts to every operating area of AMC Networks. We are confident that AMC Networks will come through this even stronger.

The top five U.S. publishers are Penguin, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster and Hachette. Following a collapse of the deal, Paramount will be free to explore a sale of Simon & Schuster anew. Previously known as ViacomCBS, Paramount had inked the Penguin deal so it could focus on its video and streaming businesses. HarperCollins, which is controlled by News Corp (NWSA.O), and Lagardere SCA's (LAGA.PA) Hachette Book Group have previously expressed interest publicly in buying Simon & Schuster. HarperCollins also unsuccessfully bid for Simon & Schuster when it was put up for sale by Paramount in early 2020.

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.

☆ 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.

☆ How to invest in communications stocks, a sector that's huge, highly diversified, and growing — offering something for almost every type of investor
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Amy Fontinelle | Read More | Read Less | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Here's what you should know about how to invest in communications stocks, what the risks are, and what rewards you might anticipate. Companies in the media, entertainment, interactive gaming, information creation, and information distribution businesses also belong to the communications sector. Basically, it expanded the existing telecommunications sector to become a broader communications services sector. The advantages of communications stocksThere are a variety of reasons for investors to consider communications companies. And the COVID-19 lifestyle shifts might make us permanently more reliant on communications companies, even once the pandemic is behind us.

☆ Retail tech firm Swiftly just became the latest startup to enter the unicorn club. Meet the 6 other adtech firms that reached $1 billion valuations despite the economic downturn.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Elizabeth Pham Janowski | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Retail tech firm Swiftly is the latest unicorn after a $100 million funding round in September. It was the company's second $100-million funding round in the past six months. SwiftlyUnicorn as of: September 2022Total funding to date: $210 million, according to SwiftlyMost recent valuation: $1.1-1.2 billion, according to SwiftlyFive-year-old Swiftly is the newest adtech startup to enter the unicorn club. Its rise to over $1 billion value came from a $100 million Series C round led by BRV Capital Management, announced Monday. In February, the six-year-old company closed on a $150 million Series C funding round led by Tiger Global Management.

☆ 'Revealing' teen costumes, on-set massages, and a gender-discrimination complaint: Inside Dan Schneider's 'disgusting' Nickelodeon empire
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-30 | by ( Kate Taylor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +27 min

For many Nickelodeon actors, life at the network was surreal, the "Amanda Show" actor Raquel Lee told Insider. Schneider set up a meeting to discuss the situation. On the one hand, the success of Schneider's shows provided rare stability in a chaotic industry. None of Schneider's shows credited more than two female writers in the entirety of their runs; "Zoey 101" and "Drake & Josh" had zero. The writer wrote that Schneider once pressured her into simulating "being sodomized" while she was telling a story about high school, to her embarrassment.

☆ The execs behind Super Bowl ads for brands like Mars, ViacomCBS, and Heinz share how ideas come to be — and what makes them go viral
▼ + stars: | 2022-01-27 | by ( Jenny Powers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Insider asked three ad-industry execs who've worked on Super Bowl spots what it takes to succeed. 4 in last year's top 10 Super Bowl LV commercials, according to USA Today's Ad Meter. In 2015, the web-hosting company sparked massive outrage over a spot it planned to run during the Super Bowl. "The Super Bowl is a brand's opportunity to surprise viewers and give them something they didn't see coming. Neither Newcastle campaign, If We Made It or Band of Brands, was actually aired during the Super Bowl.

☆ 23 Black leaders who are shaping history today
▼ + stars: | 2021-02-01 | by ( Courtney Connley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +39 min

Following the lead of trailblazers throughout American history, today's Black history-makers are shaping not only today but tomorrow. —Cory StiegRosalind Brewer, 58, Walgreens' next CEO and only Black woman to currently lead a Fortune 500 firmWalgreens' next CEO Rosalind Brewer. When she steps into this new role, she will be the only Black woman currently leading a Fortune 500 firm, and just the third Black woman in history to serve as a Fortune 500 CEO. "When you're a Black woman, you get mistaken a lot," she said during a 2018 speech at her alma mater, Spelman College. —Tom Huddleston Jr.Jason Wright, 38, first Black president of a National Football League teamWashington Football Team president Jason Wright.

Persons: Shirley Chisholm, John Lewis, Maya Angelou, Mary Ellen Pleasant, Kamala Harris, Gene Kim, Harris, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, Shyamala, —, — Cory Stieg Rosalind Brewer, Rosalind Brewer, Ursula Burns, Mary Winston, Brewer, Kimberly, Clark, she's, — Courtney Connley, Kizzmekia, Corbett, Kizzmekia Corbett, Anthony Fauci, Fauci, Dr, — Cory Stieg Victor J, Glover , Jr, Victor Glover, Amanda Gorman, Joe Biden, Gorman, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr, Lady Jill Biden, Robert Frost, Oprah, Angelou, — Jennifer Liu, Amanda Gorman's, Raphael Warnock, Georgia's, Kelly Loeffler, Warnock, Ebenezer Baptist Church —, — Abigail Johnson Hess Rashida Jones, Rashida Jones, Jones, Kristen Welker, Carole Simpson, Nicolle Wallace's, Dorothy Tucker, Brown, — Taylor Locke Sandra Lindsay, Sandra Lindsay, Lindsay, She's, I'm, Jade Scipioni Nicholas Johnson, Princeton's, Nicholas Johnson, Princeton University's, Johnson, William Massey, — Abigail Johnson Hess Cynthia, Cynt, Marshall, Cynthia Marshall, Cynt Marshall, George Floyd, Marshall —, Mark Cuban, Scipioni, Cynthia Marshall's, Dallas Mavericks Cori Bush, Missouri's, Missouri, Cori Bush, Michael Brown, Ferguson, William Lacy Clay Jr, Bush, Essence.com, I've, he's, Louis, Clay, — Jennifer Liu Alicia Boler Davis, Amazon's, Jeff Bezos Alicia Boler Davis, Alicia Boler Davis, Boler Davis, Jeff Bezos, alums, Jennifer Liu, Noah Harris, Harvard Noah Harris, Harvard's, It's, we've, Fentrice Driskell, Du Bois, — Abigail Johnson Hess, Harvard Mellody Hobson, Mellody Hobson, Ariel Investments, Hobson, — Courtney Connley Sydney Barber, Sydney Barber, Barber, Ms, Janie Mines, wasn't, Mines, Jesse Collins, Collins, Indiewire, " Collins, Jennifer Liu Nia DaCosta, Nia DaCosta, Marvel, DaCosta, Nora Ephron, Jordan Peele, Peele, — Tom Huddleston Jr, Aicha Evans, Zoox, Evans, Jason Wright, Wright, He's, Dan Snyder, — Emmie Martin Dana Canedy, Dana Canedy, Simon, Simon & Schuster, Dana Canedy's, Canedy, Denzel Washington, Alicia Adamczyk, Schuster Bozoma Saint John, Saint John, Beyonce, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Michael Jackson, — Courtney Connley Cheick Camara, Ermias Tadesse, Cornell University's, Cheick Camara, Ermias Organizations: CNBC, White, South, Latina, Howard University, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, Democrat, United States Senate, U.S, Walgreens, Fortune, Starbucks, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Xerox, Bed, Sam's, Walmart, Nonwovens, Spelman College, Moderna, National Institute of Allergy, National Urban League, FDA, Vaccine Research, University of North, Space Station, NASA, Capitol, LA, Poet, Harvard, Georgia, Black, Morehouse College cum, Ebenezer Baptist Church, United, MSNBC, University of Missouri's School of Journalism, NBC, ABC News, National Association of Black Journalists, Jewish Medical Center, Northwell, Long, Pfizer, Pew Research Center, Princeton, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, NBA Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Mavericks, NBA, Mavericks, Congress, Senate, Democratic, Green New Deal, General Motors Institute, GM, Amazon, Employees, Amazon's, Ariel Investments, Ariel, Financial Planning's Diversity, Princeton University, JPMorgan, Lucas Family Foundation, Hobson College, Naval, U.S . Naval Academy, U.S . Naval, Naval Academy, Academy, Super, Super Bowl, Jesse Collins Entertainment, ViacomCBS Cable Networks, BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, Paramount Network, VH1, Marvel, Marvel Studios, Marvel Universe, Tribeca, Wall Street, George Washington University, Intel, Financial, Automotive News, National Football League, Washington Football, Washington Football Team, National Football, NFL, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, University of Chicago, McKinsey & Company, Washington, Morning, Simon &, New York Times, Jordan, Crown Publishers, New Yorker, Netflix, Saint, Longtime, Endeavor, Uber, Apple, PepsiCo, BlackGen Capital, Cornell, BlackGen Locations: United States, Oakland , California, India, America, White, California, University of North Carolina, Chapel, Los Angeles, Georgia's, Savannah , Georgia, Ebenezer, Long, New York, Queens , New York, Jamaica, Princeton, Montreal, Canada, Spring, Missouri, Louis, St, Detroit, Hattiesburg , Mississippi, Florida, Chicago, U.S, Lake Forest , Illinois, Sydney, mull, Senegal, Zoox, Charlottesville , VA

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