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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USA TODAY Celebrates The 20th Anniversary Of USA TODAY'S Best-Selling Books List

McLean, Va. – USA TODAY celebrates the 20th anniversary of the USA TODAY Best-Selling Books list, crowning not one, but three No.1 books for three different eras that reflect the changes in publishing over the past two decades.   Given ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #20th anniversary #usa today


New York Times Ad Chief: Branded Content Units Coming Soon

The New York Times is planning to step off the sidelines and into the world of native advertising online, where a growing list of traditional publishers have thrown their arms around sponsored or branded content.Meredith Kopit Levien, exec VP-advertising, said the Times is planning to introduce... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2013-10-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #growing list #traditional publishers #branded content #redesigned website #ad products


Dinosaur Erotica: Seriously? Oh Yes, and It Sells

Taken by the T-Rex might sound like a joke book title to you, but it's part of an odd and oddly popular self-publishing subculture of monster erotica. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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AMP Reissues Self-Published Book of Poems

Andrews McMeel Publishing has moved quickly to produce and promote Lang Leav’s Love & Misadventure, a 176-page volume containing 75 poems, as well as prose and illustrations, in which the author ruminates upon the highs and lows that inevitably accompany romantic relationships. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #moved quickly #love misadventure


McCann Melbourne Made Up a Word to Sell a Print Dictionary

What does it take to sell a new edition of a national dictionary? In Australia, one publisher is hoping a year-long guerilla marketing campaign and the birth of a word will be enough.Over the past year, McCann Melbourne has quietly been seeding a new word across the world-"phubbing." It's a term... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2013-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #paying attention #account executives #herald sun #united kingdom #latin america


Privacy activists blocked from releasing Facebook's response to complaints

Campaign group Europe-v-Facebook received Facebook's response to complaints about the social networks' privacy policy on Tuesday, but was barred from publishing them by the Irish Data Protection Commissioner. Europe-v-Facebook wrote to the DPC over two years ago alleging that a lack of... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2013-10-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #final decision #facebook today #social networks #privacy policy #relevant parties


Tribune Eyes Expense Cuts in Newspaper Unit

Tribune Co., which owns the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and seven other daily newspapers, is reviewing possible cost cuts in its print publishing division. "We're trying to determine how to put our publishing businesses on the best po ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #chicago tribune #newspaper unit #daily newspapers #cost cuts #publishing businesses


Next Issue Media, the Hulu for iPad Magazines, Expands to Canada, Adds New Investor

Next Issue Media, the publishing industry's attempt to create a Hulu-style joint venture for digital magazines, is expanding to Canada and taking on a new investor. The JV, whose members include Time Inc., Hearst and Conde Nast, will add Rogers Communications' Roger Media unit as an equity... Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2013-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #issue media #ipad magazines #publishing industry #digital magazines #conde nast


Frankfurt Briefcase 2013: What the American Agencies Will Be Selling At the Fair

Barbara Ehrenreich tackles "the truth"; Arianna Huffington tackles success; Elizabeth Gilbert tackles fiction; Alice McDermott tackles being ordinary; and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-09-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #american agencies


UBM Sells Second Property This Week

Penton and NewBay Media each made M&A news this week, while UBM has agreed to sell a second property since Monday's announcement that CEO David Levin intends to step down in 2014. UBM Live, a division of the Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2013-09-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #newbay media


PA welcomes launch of IP crime unit

The City of London Police have launched an intellectual property crime unit backed by £2.5m... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ether for Authors: Can You Sell Ebooks on the Half Shell?

In Ether for Authors, Porter Anderson looks at the Oyster ebook subscription service, at a CONTEC session ahead in Frankfurt, at book marketing, and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-09-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sell ebooks #porter anderson #book marketing


Quality vs. Quantity: Selling Ads Behind a Paywall

Premium content that attracts a highly-targeted audience can maintain its value in spite of raw volume. That’s why instituting a paywall—and likely decreasing your online readership, but increasing revenues from readers—doesn’t have to affect your display advertising sales. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2013-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #selling ads #premium content


Mexico Gets Kindles, Gandhi Bookstores Sell Devices

Amazon opened its Kindle ebookstore in Mexico with 70,000 Spanish-language titles and is selling devices through the Librerías Gandhi bookstore chain. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #amazon opened #kindle ebookstore


Barnes & Noble retail group CEO sells shares

Mitchell Klipper, CEO of Barnes & Noble Inc.'s retail group, which includes its bookstores but not its Nook unit, sold about 67% of his shares of the company, according to an SEC filing late Monday.Mr. Klipper sold a total of about 400,996 shares for between $13.99 and $14.53 per share.He... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2013-08-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #retail group #transition period #strategy related #invested heavily #buy books #recent quarter #net loss #revenue fell


B&N Not Selling Retail Business; Outlines New Strategies

In a conference call B&N executives cited the importance of device production to content providers, pointed to the advantages of its physical stores in conjunction with digital distribution and outlined new strategies to address mounting Nook Media losses. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-08-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #content providers #physical stores #digital distribution


Investors flee as bid for Barnes & Noble's stores ends

Barnes & Noble says it plans to keep making its Nook electronic readers and will focus on offering content to its customers, even as its first-quarter net loss nearly doubled.The quarterly results came as the struggling bookseller's chairman said he is abandoning his bid for the company's... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2013-08-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #top priority #innovative ways #book industry #electronic readers


Time Inc. Launches Documentary Video Unit

Time Inc. invested heavily in video initiatives under Laura Lang, but even as the company prepares to transfer leadership to new CEO Joe Ripp, the medium remains a priority. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2013-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #invested heavily #laura lang


Google Play Store to Rent and Sell Textbooks

Google is getting into the textbook business by selling and renting materials from the top five education publishers in the US. The new service will launch August 8. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #education publishers


Xbox One retail consoles double as debug units, Microsoft to allow indie self-publishing (update)

Microsoft's Xbox One is getting decidedly more indie-friendly with today's confirmation from Microsoft that its forthcoming game console will double as a developer debug unit. In so many words, each $500 unit purchased at retail this holiday will also run in-progress game code, enabling... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #full statement #late august