Latest Business News
Los Angeles Times Owner Patrick Soon-Shiong Held Talks to Buy The Messenger
The Messenger founder Jimmy Finkelstein held a last minute discussion with Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong about buying The Messenger, three people familiar with the situation have told The Hollywood Reporter. The news comes just days after the L.A. Times laid off 115 newsroom employees. Soon-Shiong spoke with Finkelstein on Tuesday, the sources said. […]
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“De-Extinction” Company Colossal Moving Into Entertainment With Hire of Veteran Exec Emily Castel
When Colossal Biosciences launched in 2021 with a splashy New York Times article stating it aimed to to resurrect the Wooly Mammoth, the company’s goals drew comparisons to entertainment properties like Jurassic Park. Now Colossal, described as the world’s first de-extinction company, is making steps to enter the entertainment space with the hire of veteran […]
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The Hollywood Reporter Launches THR Charts
You can find just about everything online these days — and more than a few things you wish you could un-find — but there hasn’t been a place that offers in one easily accessible spot all the most up-to-date data on entertainment viewership across a multitude of platforms. That’s why today The Hollywood Reporter is […]
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Lionel Messi Meets ‘Ted Lasso’s’ Jason Sudeikis In Michelob Ultra Super Bowl Ad
In a Super Bowl spot that brings together the two biggest football stars in Miami history (and the star of the biggest “football” show on streaming), Michelob Ultra is betting that it will stand out in a crowded commercial, er, pitch. The Anheuser-Busch brand has tapped Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi, Miami Dolphins legend Dan […]
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SiriusXM Loses 94K Satellite Radio and 109K Pandora Subs, Eyes “Further Cost Efficiencies”
Audio entertainment giant SiriusXM, the home of Howard Stern, reported Thursday that it added 131,000 self-pay subscribers in its satellite radio unit in the fourth quarter after a 96,000 loss in the third, a 132,000 drop in the second and a 347,000 loss in the first quarter. In the year-ago period, the firm had added 162,000 […]
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The Onion Union Reaches Tentative Deal With Management, Averting Strike
A strike has been averted at The Onion and several of its sister publications, at least for now. Hours before their current labor agreement was set to expire, The Onion union — representing staffers at The Onion, Onion Labs, The A.V. Club, Deadspin and The Takeout — reached a tentative deal on a new contract with owners G/O Media. […]
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The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment to Launch in Canada
The Hollywood Reporter said Wednesday that its renowned Women in Entertainment brand is expanding into Canada with the launch of a new event, Women in Entertainment Canada. Women in Entertainment Canada will be a first-of-its-kind summit that will bring together the Canadian industry across television, film and music to celebrate and recognize the achievements of […]
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Is Byron Allen’s Paramount Bid the Real Deal?
Is Byron Allen’s $30 billion bid (inclusive of debt) the real deal? Wall Street isn’t sure. Paramount stock ended Wednesday up 6.7 percent to $14.59, a sizable jump on a day when the overall market was down, but well below Allen’s bid for the company at more than $21 per share. It’s a sign the […]
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The Next Labor Battle: IATSE and Teamsters to Begin Negotiations in Early March, Starting With Benefits
Hollywood’s top crew unions have announced that they will be bargaining their health and pension benefits together at the outset of their 2024 labor negotiations with studios and streamers. IATSE and the Hollywood Basic Crafts coalition (which includes Teamsters Local 399) announced on Wednesday that they will jointly negotiate their Motion Picture Pension and Health […]
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Audacy to Cut 25 Percent of Staff in Pineapple Podcast Division
Radio broadcast company Audacy is laying off about 25 percent of its staff from its Pineapple Street podcast division. The cuts, which amount to 12 people, come as the company contended with reduced marketing budgets, as well a reduced demand for high-cost, limited run narrative series (which bore the brunt of the staff reductions), as […]
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News Startup The Messenger to Shut Down, 300 Staffers Let Go
Embattled startup The Messenger is shuttering just eight months after launching, The Hollywood Reporter can confirm. Approximately 300 staffers are being let go from the media outlet. Employees had their Slack accounts deactivated shortly after 1 p.m. PST Wednesday. There was no comment from a Messenger representative when reached by phone. “I am not in […]
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Disney Lawsuit Against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Dismissed By Judge
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit from the Walt Disney Co. against Ron DeSantis that may decide the entertainment giant’s authority to control development around its sprawling theme park. U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor, in an order issued on Wednesday, found Disney “lacks standing to sue the governor” and DeSantis’ handpicked board that now […]
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Alex Cooper’s ‘Call Her Daddy’ Podcast Is No Longer Exclusive to Spotify
Alex Cooper’s popular Call Her Daddy podcast is no longer exclusive to Spotify. As of Jan. 30, the back catalog of the podcast is available on all audio platforms, with the first new episode released on all platforms Wednesday. Video will remain exclusive to Spotify. Cooper’s podcast had been airing exclusively on Spotify since July […]
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U.S. ‘Avatar’ Workers Vote to Unionize In Boost for VFX Organizing Effort
U.S.-based visual effects artists who help bring James Cameron’s Avatar epics to life have voted to unionize in a National Labor Relations Board election. Of an eligible 88 workers at Walt Disney Studios subsidiary TCF US Productions 27, Inc. who assist with productions for Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment, 57 voted to join the union and 19 […]
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Fremantle Inks First-Look Deal With ‘Alice & Jack’ Producer Me+You
Fremantle has signed a first-look and development deal with U.K. production outfit Me+You Productions, the team behind Channel 4 drama Alice & Jack and BAFTA-award-winning series I Am…. The three-year deal, announced Wednesday, will see Fremantle become the first home for all of Me+You’s television projects, with the U.K. producer working closely with Fremantle’s global […]
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Oreo Plans a Super Bowl Twist With Kris Jenner Ad
A decade after its infamous “You can still dunk in the dark” tweet that sparked a thousand marketing case studies, Oreo is planning an official return to the Super Bowl in 2024 … with a twist. No, really, the twist is the point. For its 2024 Super Bowl commercial, the iconic creme-filled cookie is leaning […]
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