Will ‘Grease: Live’ Get Rained Out?
As the song says, it neve rains in Southern California — except today. Will that be bad news for “Grease: Live”? Los Angeles was hit with rare showers this morning, part of what metereologists have...
View ArticleFox Cuts $250 Million in TV, Film Staff With Buyouts
Media giant 21st Century Fox is looking to cut spending on film and television staff by $250 million this year through buyouts. The voluntary buyout program will impact employees at Fox Networks Group...
View ArticleWill Fox’s Yuge Downsizing Lead to an Even Bigger Deal?
There is downsizing and then there’s downsizing. Which one 21st Century Fox is engaged in — the kind made for its own sake or the kind made before a big move — remains to be seen. The one certainty is...
View Article‘Manhattan’ Canceled by WGN America
WGN America has canceled “Manhattan,” the cable network announced Wednesday. The drama series, which ended its second season Dec. 15, was the second original drama series in the network’s history. The...
View ArticleLeslie Moonves Replaces Sumner Redstone as Chairman of CBS
Leslie Moonves has been named chairman of CBS Corp, replacing executive chairman Sumner Redstone as the head of the company’s board. Redstone has been named chairman emeritus. His daughter Shari...
View ArticleActivist Viacom Investor: Whatever You Do, Don’t Name Philippe Dauman Chairman
Hedge fund SpringOwl Asset Management, a small investor in Viacom, has asked the company not to name current CEO Philippe Dauman chairman. The fund released a statement condemning Dauman Wednesday...
View ArticleViacom’s Board Gets Ready for Clash Between Shari Redstone and CEO Philippe...
Leslie Moonves’ ascendance to the head of CBS’ board Wednesday was typical CBS — tightly game-planned and, timing aside, not that surprising. What happens Thursday at CBS’ corporate sibling Viacom will...
View ArticleNews Corp Revenue Falls for Fourth Straight Quarter
News Corp. reported mixed earnings results Thursday for the second quarter of 2016. The company reported earnings of $0.20 per share Thursday on $2.16 billion in revenue. According to consensus...
View ArticleJennifer Lopez Drama ‘Shades of Blue’ Renewed by NBC
NBC has renewed freshman drama “Shades of Blue” for a second season. Starring Jennifer Lopez as a New York cop collaborating with internal affairs to inform on her unit, the series is the second new...
View ArticleBernie Sanders Makes ‘Yuge’‘SNL’ Cameo (Video)
How big was Bernie Sanders’ appearance on “Saturday Night Live”? Yuge. The Democratic presidential candidate made his debut on the NBC late-night show Saturday, popping into a sketch in which host...
View Article21st Century Fox Cable Operations Lift Q2 Earnings Despite Drop in Film Revenue
Media giant 21st Century Fox reported mixed earnings results for second quarter 2016 Monday, reporting $0.44 earnings per share on $7.38 billion in revenue. Analyst expectations for the company had...
View ArticleFox Chief Hints at More Downsizing to Come
The current wave of downsizing at 21st Century Fox may not be the last. Speaking to investors Monday following the release of the company’s second-quarter 2016 earnings, CEO James Murdoch indicated...
View ArticleNBCUniversal Cable Shakes Up Executive Team
NBCUniversal is once again making changes to the executive structure of its cable business. USA president Chris McCumber has gained oversight of Syfy and smaller networks Chiller and Cloo. Syfy...
View Article‘Star Wars’ Lifts Disney Q1 Earnings Beyond Expectations
The Walt Disney Co. reported first quarter 2016 earnings of $1.63 per share on $15.24 billion of revenue, exceeding analyst expectations. According to Thomson Reuters, analysts had expected the company...
View ArticleESPN Subscribers Growing, Disney Chief Bob Iger Claims
Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger defended embattled cable flagship ESPN Tueday, saying that the sports network has added subscribers. “We’ve seen an uptick recently in ESPN subs,” Iger told CNBC’s...
View ArticleWhy Viceland Doesn’t Want You to See Its Ratings
When Vice’s new cable channel launches later this month, it will offer shows from the likes of Ellen Page, Eddie Huang and Action Bronson. But it will not offer any transparency about who is watching...
View ArticleFox News Tops New Hampshire Primary Ratings
Fox News was the ratings leader for New Hampshire primary coverage Tuesday night. From 8-11 p.m., the network averaged 4.17 million total viewers and 991,768 viewers age 25-54 — the demo that matters...
View ArticleWhy Chris Rock Is the Right Oscar Host at the Right Moment
This story first ran in the Down to the Wire issue of TheWrap’s Oscar magazine. The #OscarsSoWhite debacle has been a crisis for the people who dole out the Academy Awards. But for the producers of the...
View Article‘SVU’ Star Mariska Hargitay Supports Kesha: ‘Speaking Out Is the Hardest Part’
Mariska Hargitay has added herself to the chorus of entertainment professionals voicing support for Kesha. The “Law & Order: SVU” star tweeted Monday, “For many survivors, speaking out is the...
View ArticleWarner Bros to Buy Streaming Company DramaFever from SoftBank
Warner Bros. has reached an agreement to buy DramaFever, a U.S.-based company that operates subscription and on-demand streaming-video services. The acquisition includes the company’s...
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