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Showing posts with the label Media

Tiger Woods' new golf league delays start of season by a year after venue collapse

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[ad_1] Tiger Woods of the United States and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland walk to the 11th fairway during a practice round prior to the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 03, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia.  Christian Petersen | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's indoor golf league, TGL, has postponed its inaugural season by a year until the start of 2025, the organization said Monday. The decision comes after the roof of the new arena slated to host TGL matches collapsed last week . The league said the power system used during construction of the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida failed, causing a dome structure to deflate. The accident did not cause injuries or damage the league's golf simulators and other technology, TGL said. But TGL delayed the season, which was expected to start in January, after speaking to key partners. "This decision came after reviewing short-term solutions, potential constructi...

Netflix beats estimates as ad-supported memberships rise 34%

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[ad_1] The Netflix logo is displayed above its corporate offices on January 24, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.  Mario Tama | Getty Images Netflix reported earnings after the bell. Here are the results. Earnings per share:  $4.88 vs $4.74 per share expected by LSEG Revenue:  $9.56 billion vs.9.53 billion expected by LSEG Total memberships : 274.4 million paid memberships expected, according to StreetAccount Advertising has become an increasingly important business model for media companies to boost — or in some cases, achieve — profitability for streaming. Netflix's stock has been uplifted in recent quarters by its push to gain subscribers on its cheaper, ad-supported tier, in addition to its crackdown on password sharing. The company has also begun adding live sports, such as NFL games on Christmas Day over the next three years, a move that will likely attract more ad dollars for the streamer. Netflix had roughly 270 million global subscribers at the end of the first qua...

TV giants clash over NBA, NHL, MLB games as local rights go up for grabs

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[ad_1] Christian Petersen | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images Tensions are building among broadcast station owners and pay TV providers as the local rights to air NBA, NHL and MLB games go up for grabs. Broadcast station owners including E.W. Scripps Co., Gray Television, Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair have been in discussions with leagues and teams about potential deals to carry games on free over-the-air channels, according to people familiar with the matter, as long-held media rights for teams on regional sports networks unravel. Regional sports networks have owned almost all local sports rights for decades, but their viability is in doubt after tens of millions of Americans have been canceling cable TV in recent years. A shift to a model revolving around broadcast stations and direct-to-consumer streaming would upend the business that saw teams and leagues reap hefty fees. It would also boost broadcast station owners leverage in carriage negotiations — and potentially ac...

NBA can shift the balance of power in media with its next rights deal

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[ad_1] Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat dribbles against Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets during the fourth quarter in Game Five of the 2023 NBA Finals at Ball Arena on June 12, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. Justin Edmonds | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images The National Basketball Association's upcoming decision on which companies will acquire the TV and streaming rights for its live games could transform the entire media industry. Based on preliminary discussions between media executives and league officials, Comcast 's NBCUniversal, Google 's YouTube TV, Amazon , Apple and even Netflix may challenge or join the incumbents as rights holders, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. Spokespeople at NBCUniversal, YouTube, Amazon, Apple and Netflix declined to comment. Every media rights renewal for the NBA is an important event because it only happens about once a decade. The last rights deal was...

Paramount stock rises after strong earnings report, adding to blockbuster day

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[ad_1] The Paramount logo is displayed at Columbia Square along Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, California, on March 9, 2023. Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images Paramount Global's stock moved higher in extended trading Thursday after it reported strong revenue and subscription trends in its third-quarter earnings report. The after-hours move came on top of an already-strong day for the media giant. The stock closed more than 10% higher during the regular trading session Thursday. Paramount — home to brands such as CBS, Showtime, BET, Nickelodeon and its namesake movie studio — reported a 38% increase in revenue year over year. In the third quarter, streaming service Paramount+ saw 2.7 million net additions to its 63 million total subscriber count. The company also narrowed losses in its streaming segment to $238 million from $343 million a year ago. Here's how Paramount performed in the third quarter compared to Wall Street estimates: Earnings per share: 30 cents vs. 10 cen...

Spotify renews deal with podcaster Joe Rogan, will put show on other platforms

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[ad_1] Podcaster and comedian Joe Rogan. Vivian Zink | SYFY | NBCUniversal Spotify has signed a new blockbuster deal with polarizing podcaster and comedian Joe Rogan, but this time, his show won't be exclusive to Spotify, the company announced Friday in a news release. The multiyear deal with Rogan, the founder of "The Joe Rogan Experience," is said to be worth about $250 million, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the deal. The show was the No. 1 podcast in the U.S. for the third quarter of last year, according to Edison Research . Spotify also said it's expanding the partnership to allow the show to be available on other platforms. Shares of the audio streaming giant rose roughly 1.5% Friday. Spotify first brought "The Joe Rogan Experience" to its platform exclusively in 2020 in a deal that was reportedly worth more than $100 million. The talk-show style podcast is known — and often criticized for — its edgy approach and g...

Big M&A and Bob Iger's future: 13 media executives make their anonymous 2024 predictions

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[ad_1] NYT Columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin and C.E.O. of The Walt Disney Company Bob Iger speak during the New York Times annual DealBook summit on November 29, 2023 in New York City.  Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images It's the most wonderful time of the year! It's the third annual anonymous media and entertainment executive predictions list! In honor of the 12 days of Christmas, I asked 12 past and current executives at the world's biggest media and entertainment companies for one industry-shaking prediction for 2024. And then I asked one more because this is the holiday season, and I was feeling generous. A baker's dozen! Actually, I asked a few more, but some overlapped. Quite a few of last year's predictions were accurate . Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger did extend his contract . Christine McCarthy stepped down as Disney's chief financial officer. Paramount Global hasn't sold, but controlling shareholder Shari Redstone is now in talks to sell Natio...

WWE fans are worried about the UFC merger, but they love the drama, too

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[ad_1] WWE SmackDown World Tour Joern Pollex | Bongarts | Getty Images World Wrestling Entertainment and Endeavor-owned UFC are set to merge this year in a deal that will create a sports entertainment behemoth valued at more than $21 billion. After the deal was announced in early April, WWE shares soared to their highest point in nearly four years. The stock is up more than 50% so far this year. For wrestling fans, though, the story's not about those numbers. Rather, the merger's success hinges on what's actually happening in the ring — and whether it's worth their time and money.  In a landscape where consumers have broad economic and political sway , the merger will serve as a test of just how potent fans' collective power can be in the face of corporate behemoths. And wrestling fans aren't afraid to share their opinions. Some are worried that a return to a pay-per-view model for WWE's flagship event, WrestleMania, is on the horizon. Last month, i...

Disney posts mixed results for quarter plagued by streaming woes, restructuring costs

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[ad_1] Members of the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild walk the picket line outside of Disney Studios in Burbank, California, on July 18, 2023.  Robyn Beck | AFP | Getty Images Disney posted mixed results for its fiscal third quarter despite ongoing streaming woes and massive restructuring costs resulting from pulling content from its platforms. Subscriber losses continued over the last three months, with the company reporting 146.1 million Disney+ subscribers during the most recent quarter, a 7.4% decline from the previous quarter and a larger loss than Wall Street expected. The majority of subscriber losses came from Disney+ Hotstar, where the company saw a 24% drop in users after it lost out on the rights to Indian Premier League cricket matches. Facing dwindling users and falling revenue in its media and entertainment distribution segment, Disney announced Wednesday it would raise the price on its ad-free streaming tier in October and that it would crack...