Over the weekend, a massive merger agreement was hammered out between telecom giant AT&T and entertainment company Discovery Inc. If it receives the blessing of federal regulators, AT&T will spin off its WarnerMedia unit—which includes CNN, HBO, and other assets—into a separate company that it will co-own with Discovery. The usual descriptions followed: it was a merger made in heaven (Discovery chief executive David Zaslav said the two “fit together like a glove”), with numerous synergies, and would create what the New York Times called “a juggernaut.” As Paul Farhi, Washington Post media reporter, pointed out following the news, a number of deals over the past two decades were described in similar terms, including the merger of Time Warner and AOL in 2000, in a deal that was worth about $165 billion at the time. It was later unwound, with Time Warner taking a massive write-down and spinning off AOL as a separate company. Despite the hyperbole, a number of analysts and media industry experts believe the deal represents an admission of failure by AT&T. The company said it planned to buy WarnerMedia in 2016, and spent the next two years fighting with competition regulators for approval to do the deal. The acquisition was finally approved in 2018, and AT&T bought the company for $85 billion, which it heralded as the start of a new media and entertainment empire. The unwinding of the deal is “a major course correction,” Axios wrote about the new arrangement.... Continue reading at 'Columbia Journalism Review'
[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2021-05-18 12:05:33 UTC ]
Joint venture between US site and Axel Springer will also publish 30,000-copy print edition in Brussels, London, Paris and BerlinThe European arm of Politico will go live online on 21 April with more than 40 journalists spread across the continent as the US media outlet aims to fulfil its... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Don't expect Time Inc. to merge with any of its magazine rivals soon.Time Inc. CEO Joe Ripp told investors Thursday that no mergers would happen until at least June 2016, which is the two-year anniversary of Time Inc. spinning off from Time Warner."The safest thing is to wait two years," he... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2015-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Time Inc., the magazine publisher spun off of Time Warner Inc. last year, plunged in New York trading after its fourth-quarter results and 2015 forecast were worse than analysts expected. The shares... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2015-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Lucky magazine, the women's shopping title that was once a blockbuster success for Conde Nast, laid off about 10 staff members this week. One person with knowledge of the matter said nearly 15 employees were let go. A Lucky spokeswoman, however, put the number at "less than 10."The spokeswoman... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2015-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Axel Springer goes Anglophone to seek an international audience Continue reading... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Google and Facebook continued to pour millions of dollars into federal political lobbying in the third quarter in attempts to influence U.S. lawmakers and have legislation written in their favor.Google spent US$3.94 million between July and September while Facebook spent $2.45 million, according... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2014-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Conde Nast began laying off employees of its corporate sales division this week, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The job cuts could number in the 70s, they said, confirming a Wall Street Journal report from earlier this week.A spokesman for Conde Nast declined to comment.The... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
If "Gossip Girl" premiered today, it would be a digital-video series, according to Dawn Ostroff, former president of entertainment at The CW Television Network, which aired the teenage melodrama for six seasons starting in 2007.Speaking at the Interactive Advertising Bureau's annual conference... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Conde Nast, the publisher of Vogue and Vanity Fair, is looking to hire an executive to lead its digital efforts, Ad Age has learned.It could not be determined precisely what responsibilities the post will entail, and it remains possible that Conde Nast won't fill the position, which is not... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-09-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Conde Nast has promoted Vanity Fair VP-Publisher Edward Menicheschi to CMO-president of the Conde Nast Media Group, which sells ad programs spanning the company's brands, effective immediately. Mr. Menicheschi succeeds Lou Cona, who is leaving the company.Mr. Menicheschi was named publisher of... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-08-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Gannett Co., the owner of USA Today, will split into two publicly traded companies, one focused on broadcasting and digital businesses and the other on publishing, it said today, following the trend that has swept the media business.Signaling its interest in digital investment, the company also... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-08-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The 67-year-old Golf World magazine is closing its print edition and shifting entirely to digital media, where it will be part of the Golf Digest website, the magazine said Wednesday. A spokeswoman for the magazine said nearly 10 employees were laid off as a result of the move, which combines... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The executive suite at Conde Nast, publisher of Vogue and Vanity Fair, experienced a shakeup Wednesday that leaves Vogue Editor Anna Wintour as the unchallenged top editorial voice at the company and moving Conde Nast closer to an eventual transition in the CEO role.The company said its longtime... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-07-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
From one Adelaide evening paper to bidding for a US giant - Rupert Murdoch's life in acquisitionsRupert Murdoch created a global media empire from humble beginnings when he inherited Adelaide's The News from his father in the 1950s. More than 60 years and dozens of deals later, the 83-year-old... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-07-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Shares in Time Inc., owner of People, Sports Illustrated and Time magazines, were off nearly 1% to $23.30 Monday, its first day of trading as a public company.The company's share price had tumbled about 4% after trading began but regained much of the lost ground during the afternoon.Time Inc. is... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-06-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Time Inc. shares fell, marring the first day of trading after a spinoff from Time Warner Inc., on concern that the company's singular focus on magazines will hinder growth prospects as demand for... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2014-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The multimedia empire's chief executive on video journalism, North Korea – and why he won't be taken over by a big rivalShane Smith stayed up late getting drunk with one of his presenters, and now he is exhausted, hungover and behind schedule. Bottles of spirits stand, taunting him, from a table... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Just two weeks after announcing a $50 million dollar round of funding, mobile news reader Flipboard revealed growth numbers that may explain investors' eagerness to get behind it.The company now claims 90 million users, a jump from the 85 million Flipboard CEO Mike McCue confirmed early last... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2013-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Joe Ripp started his new job as CEO of Time Inc. only three weeks ago, but he's already caught the attention of staffers by saying the executive suite had for too long been a place "where ideas go to die." He'll need their imagination and commitment going forward as parent company Time Warner... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2013-09-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
J.K. Rowling's world of wizardry is coming back to the big screen—but without Harry Potter.Studio Warner Bros. announced Thursday that Ms. Rowling will write the screenplay for a movie based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, her textbook about the magical universe she created in the... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2013-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this