By Alex Sherman April 25, 2019 | Comcast has had a frustrating run as a partial owner of video streaming platform Hulu, but that doesn’t make the decision to sell its minority stake in the company any easier. Disney and Comcast are holding talks about working out a deal for Comcast’s 30% stake, according to people familiar with the matter. Comcast is now weighing the...
By Nick Bilton April 22, 2019 |Right now, Hollywood is booming. There are now almost 500 original scripted TV series being produced a year, an astounding increase of over 100 from six years ago. But as a longtime technology journalist who has watched technology decimate journalism (or at least journalism’s profit margins), it’s not hard to see why Hollywood is next—and why the...
By Todd Spangler April 22, 2019 | Disney+, the Mouse House’s new SVOD entry launching in the U.S. this November at $6.99 monthly, will cost nearly half of Netflix’s standard HD plan. But in its first year, the service will have less than one-fifth of the selections on Netflix in the U.S., according to a study by research firm Ampere Analysis. In the first year of launch,...
By Wendy Lee and Meg James April 15, 2019 | Telecommunications giant AT&T sold its nearly 10% interest in Hulu for $1.43 billion, returning its stake in the streaming service now controlled by Walt Disney Co. AT&T said the deal, announced Monday, valued the Santa Monica-based streaming service at $15 billion. AT&T was expected to sell its interest in Hulu as AT&T’s...
By Anthony D'Alessandro April 2, 2019 | Heading to the movies or staying home and streaming one — is it a Sophie’s Choice on the weekend? A recent NRG-Deadline study about moviegoers’ habits has revealed that 66% of those polled frequently watch movies at home on the weekend via streaming, versus 33% who frequently purchase movie tickets. In addition, 60% said...
By Elliot Bentley and Amol Sharma April 1, 2019 | Apple Inc. has entered the streaming-television arena. But who exactly is it competing with? There isn’t just one race in the streaming-media world. In the U.S., there are at least five distinct categories where Silicon Valley heavyweights and traditional media companies are competing for users’ attention and money. Some, like Netflix Inc., are building subscription entertainment...
By Dominic Patten and Anthony D'Alessandro March 25, 2019 | Apple’s new streaming service is coming in this fall with an update to the company’s already existing TV app, the tech giant announced today with one of the greatest filmmakers of all time on-stage and one of the most successful television icons. In a wide ranging announcement on many media fronts, Apple...
By Anthony D'Alessandro March 21, 2019 | A week and a half prior to the exhibitor-distributor love-in CinemaCon, the Motion Picture Association of America has released their annual entertainment industry report, showing that the theatrical and home ancillary sectors were vibrant at a record $96.8 billion in revenues in 2018, +9% over 2017. Some of the majors might be crying that the home entertainment sector has collapsed,...
By The Information Staff March 15, 2019 | Two mega-entertainment deals, Disney’s $71 billion purchase of 21st Century Fox’s entertainment businesses and AT&T’S purchase of Time Warner, are putting a lot of veteran media executives on the job market. Just last week, AT&T announced the integration of the former Time Warner’s three main businesses, prompting an exodus of the top executives...
[Above] Poet Emily Dickinson will be played by actress Hailee Steinfeld in an Apple comedy series. By John Koblin March 17, 2019 | Apple has decided to put more emphasis on its services — think Apple Music and Apple Pay — to increase revenues. The strategy will include an expansion of Apple News, which is expected to be highlighted at the showcase,...