INSIDER
HBO Max raises price for the first time since it launched
Read full article: HBO Max raises price for the first time since it launchedWarner Bros. Discovery is raising the monthly price of HBO Max by $1 as the company looks to further invest in content and the user experience, CNBC reported Thursday.
Dems: Discovery, AT&T merger will hurt diversity, workers
Read full article: Dems: Discovery, AT&T merger will hurt diversity, workersHouse Democrats are raising concerns that the proposed merger of Discovery and AT&T’s WarnerMedia, a $43 billion effort to conquer the world of streaming, could affect diversity efforts in Hollywood and particularly hurt Latinos, who are already deeply underrepresented.
Oprah and CNN: AT&T is merging media business with Discovery
Read full article: Oprah and CNN: AT&T is merging media business with DiscoveryU.S. telecom giant AT&T Inc. is combining its WarnerMedia operations with Discovery Inc. The deal will marry the likes of HBO and CNN with HGTV and Oprah Winfrey.
Disney unveils plans to stream a galaxy of new series, films
Read full article: Disney unveils plans to stream a galaxy of new series, filmsNEW YORK – The Walt Disney Co.’s streaming plans shifted into hyper speed Thursday, as the studio unveiled a galaxy’s worth of new streaming offerings including plans for 10 “Star Wars” series spinoffs and 10 Marvel series that will debut on Disney+. But Disney also kept its biggest films — including Marvel's “Black Widow," Pixar's “Luca,” a “Lion King” prequel — on course for theatrical release. Jenkins becomes the first woman to direct a “Star Wars” film. Among the “Star Wars” series are two spinoffs of “The Mandalorian,” set during the series' timeline: “Rangers of the New Republic” and “Ahsoka,” with Rosario Dawson. Seven Disney films topped $1 billion worldwide.
In seismic shift, Warner Bros. to stream all 2021 films
Read full article: In seismic shift, Warner Bros. to stream all 2021 filmsThis image released by Warner Bros. Entertainment shows Timothee Chalamet, left, and Rebecca Ferguson in a scene from the upcoming 2021 film "Dune." The move follows Warner Bros.' decision to put “Wonder Woman 1984” on HBO Max in December, along with a concurrent theatrical run. Warner Bros.' move amounts to an acknowledgement that any full rebound for theaters is still a year or more away. Warner Bros. confirmed the films will be available to subscribers with no further charge. After a rocky rollout, HBO Max said in October that nearly 9 million people were using HBO Max, though 29 million had access to the streaming service as part of their HBO subscriptions.
Pandemic hurts AT&T in 3rd quarter; wireless unit stable
Read full article: Pandemic hurts AT&T in 3rd quarter; wireless unit stableNEW YORK – The pandemic continued to hit AT&T through the third quarter as closed theaters, wary U.S. moviegoers and the Hollywood shutdown hurt its WarnerMedia movie and TV business. It added 131,000 prepaid phone customers and 645,000 postpaid phone customers, those who pay a regular monthly bill. It lost 590,000 “premium” video customers, which includes DirecTV, in the latest quarter, and also dropped 37,000 customers of its streaming service, AT&T TV Now. The new HBO Max streaming service had 8.6 million activations. AT&T shares rose $1.73, or 6.5%, to $28.44 Thursday, which Goldman Sachs analyst Brett Feldman attributed to improved subscriber trends.
Zemeckis’ ‘The Witches’ heads to HBO Max for Halloween
Read full article: Zemeckis’ ‘The Witches’ heads to HBO Max for HalloweenThe Robert Zemeckis adaptation of “Roald Dahl’s The Witches” has found a new home on HBO Max this month just in time for Halloween. Warner Bros. said Friday that “The Witches” will debut on the subscription streaming service, owned by parent company WarnerMedia, on Oct. 22. Dahl’s 1983 novel about an orphaned boy who discovers a coven of witches that hate children was previously adapted for the big screen in 1990 by director Nicolas Roeg. It starred Angelica Huston, Mai Zetterling and Rowan Atkinson and was a box office flop, despite its critical acclaim. This new version has actor Jahzir Bruno playing the boy who must try to stop the witches from turning the world's children into mice.
The Ellen DeGeneres Show under internal investigation after complaints of toxic work environment
Read full article: The Ellen DeGeneres Show under internal investigation after complaints of toxic work environmentHOUSTON The Ellen DeGeneres Show is being investigated by parent company WarnerMedia, following several complaints of a toxic work environment, including reports of intimidation and racism, according to the Los Angeles Times. Variety first reported that a memo was sent last week to show staff from Telepictures Warner Bros. Television executives notifying them of the investigation. The investigation comes following multiple reports discussing the working conditions and staffers experience at the day-time show. Its not who we are and not who we strive to be, and not the mission Ellen has set for us, the group wrote. For the record, the day to day responsibility of the Ellen show is completely on us.
Coronavirus impact saps AT&T revenue; 3M sign-ups at HBO Max
Read full article: Coronavirus impact saps AT&T revenue; 3M sign-ups at HBO MaxAT&T Inc. on Thursday said the coronavirus sapped $2.8 billion from its revenue, mostly in its WarnerMedia TV and film division. WarnerMedia revenue fell 23% to $6.8 billion due to a pullback by TV advertisers, particularly as there were no live sports, and movie theaters closed. The company is hoping to navigate the shift to online video with its HBO Max service, which launched in late May. There are 36.3 million U.S. subscribers to HBO Max or HBO. The company said it had work to do to educate and motivate HBO customers that they could switch to HBO Max, which has more content.
Peacock: What you need to know about NBCUniversals new streaming service
Read full article: Peacock: What you need to know about NBCUniversals new streaming servicePeacock, NBCUniversal's new streaming service, is ready to flaunt its colorful library of content and its attention-grabbing price point of $0. "Peacock Free" is the free, ad-supported option for any consumer regardless of cable provider. So "Peacock Premium" is a tad bit more expensive than Disney+ but it still costs less than WarnerMedia's new service, HBO Max, and Netflix. And it will have something that many streaming services don't: news and sports. As the last major streaming service to go to market, Peacock may have an issue grabbing consumers who have a limited amount of disposable income.
HBO Max removes 'Gone With the Wind,' will add context
Read full article: HBO Max removes 'Gone With the Wind,' will add contextNEW YORK HBO Max has temporarily removed Gone With the Wind from its streaming library in order to add historical context to the 1939 film long criticized for romanticizing slavery and the Civil War-era South. Protests in the wake of George Floyd's death have forced entertainment companies to grapple with the appropriateness of both current and past productions. The BBC also removed episodes of Little Britain," a comedy series that featured a character in blackface, from its streaming service. "These racist depictions were wrong then and are wrong today, and we felt that to keep this title up without an explanation and a denouncement of those depictions would be irresponsible, said an HBO Max spokesman in a statement. Gone With the Wind has long been denounced for featuring slave characters who remain loyal to their former owners after the abolition of slavery.
Brands weigh in on national protests over police brutality
Read full article: Brands weigh in on national protests over police brutalityBlack lives matter. At the same time, companies must consider whether it makes sense for them to weigh in, especially on an issue as sensitive as race. Media giant ViacomCBS tweeted Black Lives Matter. Expressing solidarity with the Black Lives Movement is the right message, but everyone is jumping in on that bandwagon, said Allen Adamson, co-founder and managing partner of Metaforce a marketing and product consultancy. Each of these black lives matter.