AT&T bows to pressure from activist investor, may sell ailing DirecTV unit

Mere weeks after activist investor Elliott Management publicly pressed AT&T to slash costs and dial down its acquisitions strategy, it appears as if Chairman-CEO Randall Stephenson has knuckled under to those demands. Speaking today on AT&T’s third-quarter earnings call, Stephenson laid out a three-year plan that includes a pledge to conduct a comprehensive review of all non-essential businesses that may be be sold or spun off, while also making a commitment to retire all the debt related to its $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner. Stephenson also said that he plans to stay aboard through at least 2020. This is particularly important, as speculation that he was about to hand the reins to WarnerMedia boss John Stankey may have been one of the factors that precipitated Elliott’s decision to put the squeeze on the AT&T board. “I believe we’re on the threshold of something really remarkable, in terms of the next chapter of AT&T’s storied history,” Stephenson said. “I have every intention of being here, and I will be here through 2020.” Stephenson added that when the time comes for AT&T to choose his successor, the CEO and chairmanship positions will be made separate, a split for which Elliott advocated in its Sept. 9 letter to the board. Stankey, who recently was upped to chief operating officer at AT&T, remains the heir apparent. “Following five-plus years of heavy investment, it’s now time to reap the rewards of these investments and deliver... Continue reading at 'Advertising Age'

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-28 20:32:03 UTC ]
News tagged with: #streaming services #investment fund #hbo max #unique position #time warner

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Bookshop.org to Sell E-books, Publish First Print Title

Andy Hunter, Bookshop.org CEO, told 'PW' that the online retailer is developing an e-book platform for indie bookstores from scratch, and will launch it in beta late this year. In addition, the company is publishing its first book, a collection by Lydia Davis, who did not want her book available... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-23 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #online retailer #indie bookstores #lydia davis #e-book


Bertelsmann subsidiary to end, sell dozens of magazines

German media group RTL Deutschland says it will stop publishing almost two dozen print magazines and seek to sell a similar number Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2023-02-07 13:23:50 UTC ]
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Prince Harry’s Spare is fastest-selling nonfiction book since UK records began

First week of the controversial memoir’s sales breaks official UK records reports Nielsen, Guinness World Records and WaterstonesPrince Harry’s Spare has sold almost half a million copies in the UK in its first week on sale, making it the fastest-selling nonfiction book since records... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-17 16:13:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #uk retailers #prince harry #controversial memoir #million copies #records began #book charts #audiobook #nonfiction book


Despite leaks, Prince Harry’s memoir is the UK’s fastest selling nonfiction title ever.

You don’t really have to do much at this point to absorb passages from Prince Harry’s public therapy tell-all trauma dump, Spare. So much of what’s in the book has already appeared in interviews, profiles and, thanks to a very aggressive British press, as actual text on the internet. Despite the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-01-12 15:22:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #prince harry #nonfiction title #memoir


Prince Harry’s autobiography Spare is UK’s fastest-selling nonfiction book

The memoir, which includes claims Prince William attacked him, records figures of 400,000 on its first day Prince Harry’s autobiography has become the UK’s fastest-selling nonfiction book ever, recording figures of 400,000 on its first day on sale.The controversial memoir Spare has made... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-10 19:17:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #autobiography spare #prince harry #made headlines #weeks leading #ebooks #memoir #nonfiction book


Jean Paré, Best-Selling ‘Everyday’ Cookbook Author, Dies at 95

With easy-to-follow recipes developed in her native Canada, she became one of the world’s top cookbook authors, publishing more than 30 million copies. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-01-09 20:19:55 UTC ]
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United Talent Agency Grows Its Literary Business

With the acquisition of the literary agency Fletcher & Company, UTA added hundreds of authors to its client roster. The deal comes amid consolidation in the entertainment industry. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-01-04 17:18:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #entertainment industry #literary agency


Top-selling Canadian cookbook author Jean Paré dies in Edmonton at age 95

Jean Paré, a farm girl from a small village in rural Alberta, and who gained worldwide fame for her Company's Coming cookbook series, has died. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2022-12-27 15:54:46 UTC ]
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Children’s Book Author Tomie dePaola and Activist Icon John Lewis on 2023 USPS Stamps

The U.S. Postal Service announced new subjects for 2023 stamps: children's book author Tomie dePaola and civil rights activist John Lewis. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-12-14 18:11:26 UTC ]
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Paramount pulls offer to sell Simon & Schuster to Penguin Random House

After a judge blocked the sale of Simon & Schuster to Penguin Random House, S&S parent company Paramount pulls its sale offer and declines to appeal. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-11-21 22:50:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #judge blocked #simon schuster


TikTok to sell books directly to users via marketplace

To further capitalise on the popularity of BookTok the social media giant will let users purchase titles through partnerships with publishers and retailersTikTok has proved to be a hugely successful way to promote books in recent years, with publishers attributing the popularity of books such as... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-11-17 16:49:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #online marketplace ##booktok #promote books #sell books #hugely successful #colleen hoover #large part #wh smith #hay festival #publisher penguin #bloomsbury #harpercollins


Why media investors are saying publishing company VC funding slowdown is a good thing

The venture capital market is slowing -- and while that might be a good thing for some investors, it'll likely be more difficult for media companies to raise capital. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2022-11-10 05:01:00 UTC ]
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The Art of the Hand-Sell: 31 Spooky, Eerie, and Uncanny Books for Halloween

Is there anything scarier than not knowing what great book you’re going to read next? Big love to the booksellers at Exile in Bookville (Chicago, IL), Raven Book Store (Lawrence, KS), Copper Dog Books (Beverly, MA), and The Haunted Bookshop (Iowa City, IA) for their generous recommendations.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-10-31 08:59:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bookshop #book store #great book


‘Miracle find’: rare Don Quixote and short stories could sell for €900k

Sotheby’s describes 17th-century Cervantes editions as a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity for collectorsOne day in the early 1930s, a young Bolivian diplomat named Jorge Ortiz Linares walked into the illustrious Maggs Bros bookshop in London to ask if they might have a particularly fine edition... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-10-06 13:44:15 UTC ]
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Print Unit Sales Fell 2.3% in Mid-September

Unit sales of print books dropped 2.3% in the week ended Sept. 17, 2022, from the comparable week in 2021, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Unit Sales Begin September with 2.4% Dip

Increases in adult fiction and young adult were not enough to offset declines in the adult nonfiction and juvenile categories, resulting in a 2.4% decline in unit sales of print books for the week ended Sept. 3, 2022. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #4% dip #adult fiction #young adult #offset declines #adult nonfiction #juvenile categories #4% decline #print books


We Wrote a Book About Why Audible Won’t Sell Our Book...and Snuck It Onto Audible

In his new book with Rebecca Giblin, 'Chokepoint Capitalism,' Cory Doctorow explores how large companies have positioned themselves between consumers and creatives and with a new Kickstarter campaign once again takes aim at the world's dominant audiobook platform. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #chokepoint capitalism #large companies #kickstarter campaign #takes aim #audiobook


Print Unit Sales Flat in Late August

Unit sales of print books for the week ended Aug. 27, 2022, were flat compared to the similar week in 2021 at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Ali Hazelwood’s sort-of-secret life as a best-selling author

“Love Hypothesis” author Ali Hazelwood didn’t intend to keep her scientist identity separate from her author identity. She didn’t intend to become an author. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-08-20 12:00:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #best-selling author