DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

A Delaware judge delayed the start of the eagerly anticipated trial on a voting-machine company’s defamation claims against Fox News, an announcement that came as the network is looking for a possible way to settle the case. Superior Court Judge Eric Davis said late Sunday that he was delaying the start of the trial by one day, moving it from Monday to Tuesday. He didn’t explain the reasons for the move.

☆ New ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘Game of Thrones’ Shows Coming to Just Announced ‘Max’ Streaming Service
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/warner-bros-discovery-unveils-new-max-streaming-service-b39cb23b

☆ New ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘Game of Thrones’ Shows Coming to Just Launched ‘Max’ Streaming Service
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ NFL Sunday Ticket Package Is About to Get Costlier
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/nfl-sunday-ticket-package-is-about-to-get-costlier-eb8019a2

☆ David Zaslav Challenged the Streaming Industry’s Orthodoxy. Now, Rivals Are Following His Lead.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/david-zaslav-challenged-the-streaming-industrys-orthodoxy-now-rivals-are-following-his-lead-b38dfb1c

☆ Paramount Explores Sale of Majority Stake in Noggin Streaming Service
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Joe Flint | Jessica Toonkel | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

‘PAW Patrol’ is one of the shows in Noggin’s lineup that caters to young children. Paramount Global is exploring selling a majority stake in Noggin, its online learning service for preschool children, according to people familiar with the situation, part of the entertainment company’s efforts to give priority to its Paramount+ and Pluto TV streaming services. Much of Noggin’s content, including “PAW Patrol” and “Peppa Pig,” is created by Nickelodeon, a cable channel also owned by Paramount, and appears on Paramount+ as well as Noggin’s own direct-to-consumer platform.

☆ Disney Names Joe Earley New Head of Disney+ and Hulu
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Walt Disney Co. has named Joe Earley president of its direct-to-consumer unit for entertainment content, a role that gives him oversight of the Disney + and Hulu streaming services, the company said Wednesday. Mr. Earley is currently president of Hulu, a post he has held since January 2022 and will keep until a successor is named. Before heading Hulu, Mr. Earley was involved in the development and launch of Disney+ as head of its marketing and operations.

☆ WWE Nears Sale to UFC’s Endeavor Group
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Lauren Thomas | Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The deal is expected to be announced Monday. World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. is nearing a deal to be sold to Endeavor Group Holdings Inc., which owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship, according to people familiar with the matter. As part of the deal, Endeavor’s UFC business and WWE will form a separate publicly traded entity, the people said, in which Endeavor shareholders would hold 51% and WWE shareholders would retain 49%.

☆ Major League Baseball leans into streaming as 2023 season gets underway
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailMajor League Baseball leans into streaming as 2023 season gets underwayJoe Flint, Wall Street Journal reporter, joins 'Power Lunch' to discuss MLB going into streaming.

☆ Disney Lays Off More Than 300 Streaming-Focused Employees in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Jessica Toonkel | Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The $5.5-billion Shanghai Disney Resort is among Disney’s biggest amusement parks in the world. Walt Disney Co. has laid off more than 300 employees in Beijing who worked on its streaming services, according to people familiar with the situation, part of a cost-cutting and restructuring effort at the entertainment company. The layoffs in China come as Disney this week started carrying out the first wave of cuts in a previously announced plan to slash 7,000 jobs.

☆ YES Launches Streaming Platform Offering Access to Yankees, Nets Games Without Pay-TV Subscription
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A New York Yankees spring-training game in Tampa, Fla., this month. The television home of the New York Yankees is launching a streaming service that will allow fans in the region to watch games without needing a cable or satellite subscription, the latest sign of the continued erosion of the traditional pay-TV bundle. The YES Network, which also airs games of the National Basketball Association’s Brooklyn Nets and the WNBA’s New York Liberty, on Wednesday said its new streaming option would cost $24.99 a month or $239.99 annually.

☆ NFL, RedBird Team Up to Distribute Sunday Ticket Games to Bars, Restaurants
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The NFL decided during negotiations that it would be better to have a distributor devoted exclusively to commercial establishments—which display multiple games at once on various TV screens. The National Football League and private-equity firm RedBird Capital Partners are creating a venture to stream NFL games and eventually other live sports and events to commercial establishments such as bars and restaurants. Starting with the 2023-24 season, the new venture, named EverPass Media, will be the commercial distributor for the NFL’s Sunday Ticket, a subscription-only package popular with sports bars that gives access to all Sunday afternoon games for out-of-market teams, the NFL and RedBird said.

☆ Disney Eliminates Its Metaverse Division as Part of Company’s Layoffs Plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Robbie Whelan | Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Plans for Disney’s metaverse strategy remained unclear a year after the division was created. Mickey Mouse has left the metaverse. Walt Disney Co. has eliminated its next-generation storytelling and consumer experiences unit, the small division that was developing metaverse strategies, according to people familiar with the situation, as part of a broader restructuring that is expected to reduce head count by around 7,000 across the company over the next two months.

The fortunes of MLB players are tied to team revenues, and players are closely watching any changes to sports TV. Two of the largest regional sports broadcasters in the U.S. are on the verge of unraveling, an event that is expected to alter how professional teams are funded and how fans tune in to the games. Diamond Sports Group LLC , which carries the games of more than 40 major sports teams across the country on its Bally Sports-branded networks, is expected to file for bankruptcy in coming weeks, which people involved expect to lead to a renegotiation of rights fees—a significant part of teams’ revenue.

☆ Fox Considered Acquiring Rights to ‘The Apprentice’ After 2020 Election, Court Documents Show
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Donald Trump appeared with his daughter Ivanka Trump in the Season 6 finale of NBC’s ‘The Apprentice.’Soon after the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Fox Corp. explored acquiring rights to “The Apprentice,” the competition show that Donald Trump hosted on NBC before he became president, according to court filings from Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation suit against Fox News and Fox Corp.Rupert Murdoch , Fox’s chair, and his son Lachlan Murdoch , the company’s executive chair and chief executive, discussed acquiring the show in November 2020, according to court documents released this week.

Newly released court documents from a defamation case against Fox News over its 2020 election coverage show a deep fissure in the network between high-profile prime-time opinion hosts and other personnel who were deeply skeptical of election fraud claims. The documents, made public in litigation between voting-machine company Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News, depict an organization scrambling over how to cover Donald Trump’s failed bid for re-election, as well as claims by the then-president and his supporters that the election was stolen.

☆ Inner Workings of Fox News on Display in Defamation Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Joe Flint | Keach Hagey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Fox News Chief Executive Suzanne Scott and Rupert Murdoch, the chair of Fox News parent Fox Corp.On Jan. 5, 2021, the day before the U.S. Capitol riot, Fox News Chief Executive Suzanne Scott got an email from Rupert Murdoch saying it might be time for the network’s prime-time hosts to declare Joe Biden had won the presidency. Though the stakes were especially high, getting an editorial suggestion from the top brass was hardly unusual, according to court filings from a defamation suit against Fox News that reveal internal communications at the network.

☆ Paramount Global Explores Sale of Majority Stake of BET Media Group
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Jessica Toonkel | Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

An episode of ‘Sistas’ on BET. Paramount Global is exploring a sale of a majority stake of BET Media Group, which includes the cable channel. Paramount Global is exploring a sale of a majority stake of BET Media Group, which includes the cable channels BET and VH1, people familiar with the matter said. The decision to consider selling a majority stake of the assets, which cater primarily to Black audiences, is part of the entertainment giant’s effort to shore up resources to bolster its flagship Paramount+ streaming service and its advertiser-supported free streaming platform Pluto TV, some of the people said.

☆ Tyler Perry Expressed Interest in Buying Majority Stake of BET Media Group From Paramount Global
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Jessica Toonkel | Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Tyler Perry is a prolific producer who has made more than a dozen television series and more than 20 movies. Actor and producer Tyler Perry has expressed interest in acquiring a majority stake of BET Media Group from Paramount Global , according to people familiar with the situation. Mr. Perry and Paramount have had a longstanding relationship. The media mogul, who has his own production studio, has an overall deal to create shows for Paramount and also has a minority stake in Paramount’s BET+ streaming service.

☆ Warner Bros. Discovery Looks to Get Out of Regional Sports TV Business
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Pittsburgh Pirates’ Miguel Andujar beats a throw to third for a triple against the St. Louis Cardinals last season. Warner Bros. The three regional sports networks were inherited by Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. when it acquired control of the WarnerMedia assets from AT&T Inc. The channels—which are still branded as AT&T SportsNet—serve teams in Pittsburgh, Houston, Colorado and Utah—and carry baseball, basketball and hockey.

☆ Don Lemon to Return to ‘CNN This Morning’ on Wednesday; Agrees to Participate in Formal Training
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Don Lemon’s remarks quickly led to a backlash both inside CNN and in the general public. CNN said Don Lemon would return to “CNN This Morning” on Wednesday, ending a multiday absence following his disparaging comments last week that Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley wasn’t in her “prime” as a 51-year-old woman. In a memo to staff on Monday night viewed by The Wall Street Journal, CNN Chairman and Chief Executive Chris Licht said he had a frank and meaningful conversation with Mr. Lemon, who will “participate in formal training.”

☆ Don Lemon to Return to ‘CNN This Morning’ on Wednesday; Agrees to Participate in ‘Formal Training’
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

“CNN This Morning” co-anchor Don Lemon was absent from the program after his remarks about presidential candidate Nikki Haley. CNN said Don Lemon would return to “CNN This Morning” on Wednesday, ending a multiday absence following his disparaging comments last week that Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley wasn’t in her “prime” as a 51-year-old woman. In a memo to staff on Monday night viewed by The Wall Street Journal, CNN Chairman and Chief Executive Chris Licht said he had a “frank and meaningful conversation” with Mr. Lemon, who will “participate in formal training.”

☆ Super Bowl LVII Draws 113 Million Viewers, Making It Third Most-Watched TV Show Ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Super Bowl on Sunday between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles was the most-streamed Super Bowl in history. Some 113 million viewers watched the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, according to preliminary data from Nielsen and Adobe Analytics, which they said made it the third most-watched television show of all time. The numbers are a slight improvement over the 112.3 million that watched the Los Angeles Rams defeat the Cincinnati Bengals in last year’s game on NBC, its streaming platforms and its Telemundo Spanish service.

☆ The 2023 Super Bowl Ads Will Feature Booze, Betting and Jesus
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Megan Graham | Patrick Coffee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +10 min

The Super Bowl ads on Sunday are poised to promote an unusual mix of alcohol brands, gambling and Jesus. The Super Bowl still regularly draws an audience of around 100 million people, making it TV’s biggest event of the year and advertising’s biggest night. Planters’ Super Bowl ad features comedians mocking Mr. Peanut. The ads are likely to strike a lighter tone than the occasionally somber messages of Super Bowl ads in recent, highly politicized years or the early pandemic, said Anjali S. Bal, an associate professor of marketing at Babson College. Many Super Bowl advertisers have again released their ads well before Super Bowl Sunday to increase their chances of being seen.

Search resuls for: "Joe Flint"

25 mentions found