The all-new Hollywood Reporter offers unprecedented access to the people, studios, networks and agencies that create the magic in Hollywood. Published weekly, the oversized format includes exceptional photography and rich features.
COMCAST, THE $140 BILLION CABLE OPERATOR, Internet service provider, broadband backbone company and NBCUniversal parent, has endured two humiliating setbacks this year: the FCC’s vote in favor of net neutrality and the Justice Department’s scuttling of its $45 billion deal to buy Time Warner Cable. Both of these events make it more difficult for Comcast to use its broadband infrastructure to expand its central business from cable television into the dominant force in Internet video delivery. Still, if the road is tougher for Comcast, the company yet remains the primary link between Internet video — occupying fully 70 percent of U.S. broadband use — and you. That’s a business opportunity that it remains determined to exploit — getting around regulatory obstacles is standard operating procedure for a cable company. Equally,…
KEN HOWARD The SAG-AFTRA president wins a fourth two-year term, but his narrow 54 percent of the vote over Patricia Richardson suggests his moderate stance might be losing favor. GREG MALINS The showrunner exits Fox’s Rob Lowe comedy The Grinder before it premieres in another example of behind-thescenes drama on several network shows this season. JEREMY ZIMMER The UTA chief brings in Jeffrey Ubben, founder of San Francisco’s ValueAct Capital, as a minority investor with money to back purchases like the Aug. 20 deal for music power The Agency Group. CRIS CARTER The ESPN football analyst apologizes amid outcry over footage showing him advising NFL rookies to designate a “fall guy” to take blame should they get into legal trouble. SHOWBIZ STOCKS $1.26 (+1%) CUMULUS MEDIA (CMLS) A rare winner in…
ACQUISITIONS Verizon AOL $4.4 BILLION (May) The telecom giant paid a premium for AOL’s ad technology and content network (Huffington Post). Verizon is launching a streaming service. Disney MAKER STUDIOS $500 MILLION (March 2014) The YouTube network gives Disney access to online stars. Otter Media FULLSCREEN (September 2014) joint venture bought a majority stake in the YouTube network for an undisclosed price. INVESTORSNBC Universal VOX MEDIA $200 MILLION (August) BUZZFEED $200 MILLION (August) NBCU will collaborate on Olympics coverage. A+E Television Networks VICE MEDIA $250 MILLION (August 2014) After negotiations with Time Warner hit a snag, A+E swooped in to take a 10 percent share of the millennial media company (which previously sold a small stake to 21st Century Fox). CO-INVESTORS Scripps Networks REFINERY29 $50 MILLION (April) The owner of…
FOR STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, IMAX is going big — really big. For the first four weeks of its run, set to begin Dec. 18, J.J. Abrams’ sequel will have all of Imax’s large-format screens in North America and most of its foreign screens to itself. Imax reserving all of its screens for a single movie for a month is not unprecedented, but it is unusual. The company had a similar deal for the three Hobbit movies, but it struck that pact four years ago and hasn’t made that type of commitment since. In June, Imax broke its own opening-weekend record when Jurassic World leapfrogged over Iron Man 3’s $28.8 million to grab $44.2 million worldwide — $21 million from 363 domestic screens and $23.2 million from 443 screens…
COUNTING ON ZOMBIES TO PROTECT YOU from a global financial apocalypse might seem an odd strategy, but AMC is betting its walkers can save the company as the stock market teeters. Fear the Walking Dead, the companion series to AMC’s horror hit, premiered Aug. 23 on the U.S. channel to more than 10 million same-day viewers and, within 24 hours, had aired in 125 countries. It was the largest day-and-date broadcast for a drama series and the biggest test yet of whether AMC can take its brand global. “Its success is critical [for AMC] given current concerns around the TV bundle and the sustainability of AMC Networks’ outsized growth/content cycle,” wrote analysts Amy Yong and Andrew DeGasperi of Macquarie Research in a recent investors note. International returns for Fear could…
ARI EMANUEL’S kingdom isn’t quite big enough. The WME co-CEO and partner Patrick Whitesell are launching a venture capital fund, sources tell THR, and hiring a full-time manager to run it. The move to raise what a source pegs at about $150 million would allow WME and its majority owner, private-equity fund Silver Lake (which together gobbled up sports and fashion behemoth IMG for $2.3 billion in early 2014), to formalize their startup-backing strategy. Investments during the past few years include Uber, reservations app Reserve, valet parking company Luxe and live broadcasting app Meerkat. A WME rep declined comment about the new fund. During recent years, talent agencies have placed an emphasis on investing to diversify their portfolios. CAA Ventures, CAA’s investment arm run by Michael Yanover, has backed startups…
