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This year, advertisers and ad agencies may well use the strike as a bargaining tool, said Erin Firneno, vice president of business intelligence for researcher Advertiser Perceptions. The writers’ strike, which has entered its third week, is also injecting a new element of uncertainty for ad buyers, at a time when television viewership is declining and the possibility of recession looms. While the TV networks have long contended with splintered viewership amid the rise of social media and streaming, the writers' strike puts content production at risk, said Rishad Tobaccowala, a former executive at advertising and public relations giant Publicis Groupe and advisor on business transformation. Last year, NBC’s upfront presentation emphasized star power as the network returned to a live event after a COVID-19-imposed hiatus. Ahead of the upfront presentations, media executives sought to reassure investors about the strike’s impact.

☆ We identified the 112 top executives at Warner Bros. Discovery under CEO David Zaslav as the year-old company takes aim at Netflix and Disney
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Lucia Moses | Taylor Tyson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Warner Bros. One year after Discovery acquired WarnerMedia, WBD CEO David Zaslav faces economic headwinds and an ad slump. Insider mapped out the 112 most powerful people under Zaslav leading WBD film and TV studios, HBO, CNN, and more. One year after the merger that created Warner Bros. While Kathleen Finch has joined the mix with her portfolio of Discovery channels, top TV execs from the WarnerMedia regime — HBO's Casey Bloys and Warner Bros. TV studios chief Channing Dungey — are still in place.

☆ Is it possible to have compassion for billionaires? 'Succession' fans and 'empathy scholars' weigh in
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Aditi Shrikant | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The list of deplorable acts carried out by the Roy family is lengthy — blackmailing, covering up sexual assaults, murder. With what we know about the Roy family and the people who orbit them, one might find it hard to muster any compassion for these characters. He doesn't believe the show will inspire empathy for the ultra-wealthy, but it could for some of the struggles the Roy family has. 'I shouldn't have empathy for them, but I feel like do'For Succession fans, the Roys' wealth is a mental hurdle, but not an insurmountable one. Chase Shiflet 'Succession' fanMandy Weiss, 34, can conjure empathy for all the characters, including some of the more peripheral ones.

NEW DELHI, May 13 (Reuters) - Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s streaming platform JioCinema announced premium pricing of 999 Indian rupees ($12) a year, its first step to move away from a free content model to fight global rivals such as Netflix and Disney in the country. The JioCinema website on Saturday showed the new premium pricing for Hollywood content, with the much-awaited Succession series available for streaming. JioCinema has become popular for showing the IPL cricket tournament on the platform for free in the ongoing season. The new pricing, according to the website, is only for premium content, while the matches continue to stream for free. Viacom18 won the IPL digital streaming rights from 2023 to 2027 for around $2.9 billion, rights which Disney previously held.

☆ 'I got a check the other day for $8': TV and film writers share why they're on strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Gili Malinsky | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

TV and film writers at the picket line in New York on the first day of the WGA strike, May 2, 2023. Every three years, the Writers Guild of America, the TV and film writers' union, negotiates a contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. "You go from job to job," and each contract can look different from writer to writer depending on their experience, for instance. TV writer Sheri Holman on strike in New York. TV and film writer Chisa Hutchinson.

☆ The funniest joke suggestions for Elon Musk's Twitter CEO successor, from Elizabeth Holmes to Meghan Markle
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk announced Thursday he would be handing over the Twitter CEO role to a woman. But Twitter users have been having fun suggesting several joke candidates. Months after Twitter users voted for Elon Musk to step down as the company's CEO, the billionaire announced Thursday that he'd found someone to takeover the position. Musk tweeted. The Wall Street Journal also reported that Yaccarino is in talks to take over as Twitter CEO.

☆ Film and TV writers 'should not fear' AI, the chairman of UCLA's screenwriting program says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The chairman of UCLA's film program said writers may find AI tools useful despite their flaws. "Writers should not fear it," Walter told Insider regarding AI. "Writing and the writing process evolves," Walter, who has been "writing professionally for over half a century," said. He compares the advent of generative AI tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT to the invention of writing tools like Microsoft Word, saying they could potentially make the jobs of writers easier. For Walter, the more "profound" question is less about the current capabilities of AI and more about what's to come.

☆ There's a real-life 'Succession' drama playing out among the children of Bernard Arnault, the world's richest person and head of luxury behemoth LVMH
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But there's a similar legacy battle going on inside LVMH, the French luxury house run by Bernard Arnault. The children of the world's richest man are vying for influence within LVMH in a "Darwinian" fight. Showrunner Jesse Armstrong says his fictional Roy family is inspired by several famous dynasties, such as the Hearsts — the family behind Hearst Communications — and the Redstones — the controlling influence behind Paramount Global. There's still plenty of rivalry between the progeny of Bernard Arnault, CEO of luxury goods behemoth LVMH and world's richest person. The Roy family of "Succession."

☆ Warner Bros Discovery's surprise loss clouds strong streaming unit show
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The exterior of the Warner Bros. Warner Bros Discovery reported a per-share loss of 44 cents, while analysts had expected a profit of 1 cent, according to Refinitiv data. Warner Bros Discovery's new streaming service, christened "Max," is set to launch on May 23, combining HBO Max's scripted entertainment with Discovery's reality shows. Warner Bros Discovery reported revenue of $10.70 billion for the first three months of 2023, compared with analysts' estimates of $10.78 billion, according to Refinitiv data. The Warner Bros studio segment missed on its revenue forecasts, as its big March release "Shazam!

☆ Wells Fargo is pushing for quantity over quality in its private bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Which brings us to a fantastic story about Wells Fargo's decision to reorganize how it serves its ultra-rich clients. And while many understood some changes were necessary, nearly everyone agreed the bank didn't go about it the right way. Read more about Wells Fargo's chaotic reorganization of its private bank. It's the latest move in what has been an active 12 months for the bank's tech division. The accounting firm had signed off on financial statements from Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic, the Financial Times reports.

☆ Creators of HBO's Watergate series 'White House Plumbers' on why the show's fresh take on historical events is 'the greatest story never told'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Teddy Farkas | Fahiemah Al-Ali | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailCreators of HBO's Watergate series 'White House Plumbers' on why the show's fresh take on historical events is 'the greatest story never told'Carl Quintanilla sits down with Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck, co-creators, writers and executive producers behind HBO's five-part mini-series "White House Plumbers" based on the true story of Nixon's Watergate "masterminds," E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy. The two discuss balancing historical fact and satire, the painstaking process behind recreating real-life locations, and why both Gregory and Huyck believe the show's fresh take on the famous robbery is "the greatest story people have never heard."

☆ How Warner Bros. Discovery plans to take on Disney and Netflix with new streamer Max, according to WBD's top marketing exec
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

"HBO had its limits," Patrizio Spagnoletto, Warner Bros. WBD research showed that to attract new subscribers, the HBO brand was too nichePatrizio "Pato" Spagnoletto is Warner Bros. DiscoveryIn dropping "HBO" from the name, WBD is acknowledging HBO Max has a potent but narrow appeal that could turn off a broader audience. The Max logo has the same vibe as the HBO Max logo, however, and incorporates a few elements of HBO's logo. "Right now, we have very limited capabilities" in that regard, he said of the current HBO Max app.

☆ Elon Musk tells Bill Maher he's a 'moderate' who has championed sustainable energy, which is 'not exactly far-right'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Tesla chief said he'd spent a "massive amount" of his life developing sustainable energy. "I spent a massive amount of my life energy building sustainable energy, you know, electric vehicles, and batteries, and solar. Musk wants to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy with electric vehicles as well as renewable energy generation and storage. He's also put free speech at the forefront of why he bought the social media platform. Musk told Maher: "Free speech used to be a left or liberal value, and yet we see from the quote 'left' a desire to actually censor, and that seems crazy."

☆ How HBO survived merger after merger and changed television forever
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Darren Geeter | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The network has survived merger after merger with one of the mergers, AOL Time Warner, considered the worst deal in modern American corporate history. The birth of HBO coincided with the modernization of television across the United States with the emergence of cable in the 1960s and 70s. HBO debuted on November 8, 1972, and it was one of the first paid television networks with 344 total subscribers in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. We're going to have to do original series," Bewkes told CNBC. The Time Warner era ushered in a multiplex model for HBO to reduce churn and debuted original programming "Dream On" and "The Larry Sanders Show."

☆ How HBO and Netflix have evolved away from each other in the past decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Discovery decided to remove HBO from the name of its flagship Max streaming service to protect the HBO brand from becoming ... Netflix. "HBO is HBO. In a not-so-subtle shot at Netflix, HBO CEO Casey Bloys touted Max by highlighting its brand strength. Under the ownership of AT&T, then-WarnerMedia CEO (and now AT&T CEO) John Stankey appeared comfortable leaning on the HBO brand to challenge Netflix. This was the driving force behind making HBO Max — combining HBO's programming with other original content and library programming from the WarnerMedia catalog.

☆ Fashionphile founder and CCO explains why that 'ludicrously capacious' bag from 'Succession' had a 310% spike in online searches
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Since "Succession" character dubbed this Burberry bag "ludicrously capacious," search for the brand has spiked. One of the show's central characters, Tom Wamsgans, scoffs at the luxury bag, describing it as "ludicrously capacious." Tom Wamsgans' comment about another character's "ludicrously capacious" bag in season four of "Succession" went viral. Macall B. Polay/HBOIn the weeks since the episode aired, searches for "Burberry tote bag" have jumped 310%, according to virtual fitting room company 3DLOOK, per Harper's Bazaar UK. Searches for "Burberry handbag" are up 180%, while "Burberry tote" increased 25%.

☆ We mapped out the 113 most powerful people at Warner Bros. Discovery after a blockbuster merger and a tumultuous year of layoffs and cuts under CEO David Zaslav
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Lucia Moses | Taylor Tyson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav is focused on rebuilding but faces economic headwinds and an advertising slump. Insider mapped out the 112 most powerful people under Zaslav leading WBD film and TV studios, HBO, CNN, and more. One year after the merger that created Warner Bros. While Kathleen Finch has joined the mix with her portfolio of Discovery channels, top TV execs from the WarnerMedia regime — HBO's Casey Bloys and Warner Bros. TV studios chief Channing Dungey — are still in place.

☆ Inside Kendall Roy's $29 million NYC 'Succession' apartment: We went to 'great lengths to create something truly unique'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

One of the many, many highlights of tuning in to HBO's "Succession" every week is getting to see how the other half lives. Unlike Logan and Marcia Roy's home, also featured prominently in the episode, Kendall's stunning space is not a set. For one fan of the show, seeing this penthouse apartment featured in prime time was a gratifying experience. McMillan is the founder and CEO of DDG, the developer of 180 East 88th Street in New York City, where the luxury apartment is located. The five-bedroom, four-bathroom, 5,508 square-feet "triplex" apartment, which is in Manhattan's tallest tower north of 72nd Street, is listed for $29 million.

☆ A $20 viral handbag that's an affordable take on the 'quiet luxury' trend was just named the hottest fashion item of 2023 so far
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Mary Hanbury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A $20 Uniqlo bag that went viral on TikTok has been named the hottest product of the year so far. There are more than 87 million views of the "Uniqlo bag" on TikTok. This bag is an affordable take on the "quiet luxury" trend that is dominating fashion. There are more than 87 million views of the "Uniqlo bag" on TikTok, for example. The bag falls neatly into the quiet luxury — or stealth-luxe trend — that has become a major talking point in the fashion industry in recent months.

☆ Top Warner Bros. Discovery marketing exec reveals the launch strategy for mega-streamer Max, the challenges ahead, and why HBO was dropped from the name: 'HBO had its limits'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Spagnoletto, who goes by Pato, was referring to the market research WBD conducted before settling on the name Max — dropping the HBO from its existing service, HBO Max — for the company's long-awaited mega-streamer that will combine content from HBO Max and Discovery+. WBD research showed that to attract new subscribers, the HBO brand was too nichePatrizio "Pato" Spagnoletto Warner Bros. DiscoveryIn dropping "HBO" from the name, WBD is acknowledging HBO Max has a potent but narrow appeal that could turn off a broader audience. The Max logo has the same vibe as the HBO Max logo, however, and incorporates a few elements of HBO's logo. "Right now, we have very limited capabilities" in that regard, he said of the current HBO Max app.

☆ Succession's huge plot twist is more realistic than you'd think – the departure of a powerful CEO like Logan Roy really can cause wild share price swings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Ryan Hogg | George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

There's real-life precedent that shows why a CEO can cause huge share price swings when they depart. He was portrayed as an omnipotent boss of the group, reflected in a cratering share price upon his death in the episode that aired April 9. But there is real-life precedent for a company's share price collapsing on news of a powerful CEO's ill-health. The power of Logan RoyThere are downsides to a stock being so closely linked to a powerful CEO like Jobs, Musk, or Roy. Indeed, there have been examples of a share price rally following the death of a CEO, because investors see it as a company decoupling from a deadweight boss.

Warner Bros. Discovery on Wednesday unveiled its new blended streaming service of HBO Max and Discovery+, called "Max." Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Discovery had more than 96 million global streaming subscribers, from either HBO Max, HBO or Discovery+, at the end of the fourth quarter.

☆ Warner Bros Discovery unveils revamped 'Max' in push for streaming growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Warner Bros Discovery eliminated "HBO" from the name of the streaming service, which for some viewers connotes bespoke series but repels others. He repudiated his predecessor's COVID-19 era strategy of releasing new movies simultaneously in theaters and in the home, via HBO Max. Instead, Warner Bros films would enjoy a traditional theatrical release and reap box office proceeds before becoming available on the streaming service. It licensed some of these shows to other streaming services, as Warner Bros Discovery looked for new ways to monetize its film and television libraries. Like other media companies, Warner Bros Discovery has yet to turn a profit on its HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming services, though the company has reduced losses from them.

☆ Warner Bros Discovery reveals pricing, promotion, and content details of its new streamer, Max, as it aims to take on Netflix and fire up Wall Street
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Called Max, the app will feature content from HBO Max and Discovery+. Discovery announced the details of its new streaming app on Wednesday, after much anticipation from Hollywood and Madison Avenue. The prices will stay the same for HBO Max subscribers, who will begin to be automatically ported over to the new service. Presenting the entire WBD content catalog on the combined streamer without diluting HBO's prestige factor was another challenge. HBO Max has greater recognition with younger consumers, according to a new Samba TV/HarrisX poll, which could help grow awareness for Discovery+.

☆ Why cutting middle management is a bad idea
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Emilia David | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The push to cut middle managers will backfire on tech. Companies like Amazon, Meta, and Salesforce embarked on cost-cutting efforts that "flattened" org charts by removing middle managers, starting a trend across Silicon Valley. Middle managers, or what Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg calls "managers managing managers," saw their roles shrink in the past year as tech companies focus on "individual contributors," increasingly requiring managers to do coding work themselves. But losing middle managers could also impact team morale and how employees look at their futures in the company. It comes despite Musk recently signing an open letter calling for an industry-wide halt to any AI training for several months.

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