More from Alex Weprin
Dax Shepard’s ‘Armchair Expert’ Podcast Jumps to Amazon’s Wondery In $80M Deal
Maybe the podcast wars aren’t over after all. In a major deal, Amazon’s Wondery has signed a distribution and ad sales deal with Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast. The deal, valued at an estimated $80 million, also includes plans to develop two new podcasts, a first look deal for future podcast ideas, plans to host […]
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Tech Startup Aims to Help Media License Content for AI Training
An artificial intelligence startup focused on the media and entertainment sector is launching a new product meant to help media companies and creators license their content to AI model developers. Avail, which already has a script summarization tool widely used by talent agencies and studio executives, is rolling out its new product, called Corpus, on […]
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Could Skydance-Paramount Deal Trigger New NFL Talks With CBS? Roger Goodell Doesn’t Dismiss It
Could Skydance’s $8 billion takeover of Paramount Global trigger a renegotiation between the NFL and CBS? NFL commissioner Roger Goodell did not dismiss the possibility when asked about it Thursday morning. Speaking to CNBC at Allen & Co.’s conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, Goodell was asked about the deal, which will see David Ellison’s studio […]
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NBA Finalizes TV Deals With Disney, NBC and Amazon … But TNT’s Future Is Unclear
The NBA has finalized an enormous new set of media rights deals with Disney, NBC and Amazon … but the future of the NBA on TNT isn’t quite settled yet. The new deals were set on Wednesday, sources confirm to The Hollywood Reporter, but the NBA board of governors still needs to approve them (that […]
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Biden Keeps Media Blitz Going, Plans Primetime Interview With NBC’s Lester Holt
As President Biden seeks to reaffirm his place atop the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket, he is expanding his media blitz, setting a primetime interview with NBC’s Lester Holt in Texas on Monday. NBC says that it will run the interview “in its entirety” as a primetime special Monday night at 9 p.m. It will also […]
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CBS News President Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews to Exit, Shifts to Advisor Role Through 2024 Election
CBS News president Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews will exit the company, after a year running the broadcast news division. The executive will shift to a role as a senior editorial adviser later this month, helping to oversee coverage of the 2024 presidential election, with plans to exit completely after that. Ciprian-Matthews announced the decision in a note […]
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CNN to Lay Off 100 Staffers as It Preps Major Revamp of Digital Efforts
Layoffs will once again hit CNN as the cable news channel reorganizes in a push to expand its digital businesses. CNN CEO Mark Thompson outlined his digital vision in a lengthy memo to staff Wednesday morning, announcing plans to build a flurry of digital products, including a subscription offering before the end of the year, […]
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Jared Leto Invests in Generative AI Video Startup
Jared Leto is getting into the generative artificial intelligence business. The actor and musician is among the investors in a startup called Captions, which is developing Gen AI tech in the video creation and editing space. Captions announced its Series C funding round Tuesday, which sees Leto investing alongside VC heavyweights like Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia […]
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Credit Agencies Warn That Paramount’s Legacy Businesses Are a Concern, Despite Skydance Deal
The credit agencies are weighing in on Paramount Global, fresh off the deal that would hand control over the entertainment giant to David Ellison’s Skydance. Moody’s warned in a note that it is placing Paramount’s ratings on review for a downgrade, a move that would rate the company’s debt at “junk” status. “The review for […]
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WWE Adds Another ESPN Talent: Veteran Football Announcer Joe Tessitore to Join Broadcast Team
The WWE has hired another top ESPN personality for its on-air broadcast team. The wrestling giant — owned by TKO Group Holdings — says that it has hired Joe Tessitore as a play-by-play broadcaster. Tessitore, a long-time ESPN veteran (he will continue to work at the sports TV giant in addition to the WWE), will […]
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Jeff Shell and David Ellison Dish on Paramount Plans: It’ll Be “Creator-Friendly Again”
Late Sunday night, after the consortium led by David Ellison’s Skydance sealed the deal to ultimately gain control of Paramount Global, Ellison spoke with Shari Redstone, who controlled the company through her family’s National Amusements and ultimately made the call to sell the family business. Redstone “was incredibly gracious and kind,” Ellison recalls. The Skydance […]
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David Ellison and Jeff Shell Say Paramount Can Be “Winner” in Streaming, Plan $2B in Cost Savings
The incoming owners of Paramount Global laid out their vision for the company — and why the deal is a good one for investors — in a call with Wall Street analysts early Monday morning. Skydance CEO David Ellison, former NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell (who would be Paramount’s president when the deal closes) and Paramount’s […]
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