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.
The mid-19th century was defined by the gold rush, as investments poured westward to fund the mining of the precious metal. The early 20th century was powered by the oil boom, as demand for petroleum products skyrocketed and new pockets were uncovered around the country. Broadcast spectrum may not be as valuable as gold, or as versatile as oil, but there are early signs that beginning in 2025, it will be the asset that has Wall Street salivating. Call it the Broadcast Land Grab. The incoming Trump administration has made it clear that deregulation will be at the top of its priority list, and the companies that own local TV stations — Nexstar, Sinclair, Gray, E.W. Scripps and Tegna, among many others — are practically giddy at what it could…
Amy Reinhard The Netflix advertising chief grows the streamer’s ad tier to 70 million users, scaling past many rivals (but not Amazon), a gain from just 15 million users a year ago. Kevin Costner Yellowstone fans knew the show’s star wasn’t part of the new season, yet showed up to the tune of 16.4 million viewers for the premiere of Taylor Sheridan’s series. Tyler, the Creator The artist’s Chromakopia spends its second week atop the Billboard 200 with 160 million-plus streams of the album’s songs, per Luminate. Ari Emanuel He led Endeavor to pick up OpenBet for $800 million two years ago. Now, the CEO is buying out the betting platform and IMG Arena for about half that price. Showbiz Stocks $4.56 (+1.3%) AMC THEATRES (AMC) The Adam Aron-run exhibitor…
Didion & Babitz (SCRIBNER, NOV. 12) BY Lili Anolik AGENCY CAA To the delight of her rabid fans, Anolik once again is diving in to literary revelations. The author is best known for her ability to excavate highbrow gossip about famous writers, and her latest book follows up her 2019 best-seller Hollywood’s Eve and her podcast Once Upon a Time … at Bennington College, about the college-era careers of Bret Easton Ellis, Jonathan Lethem and Donna Tartt. This time, Anolik offers a rarely seen look into the lives — and highly unique relationship — of Eve Babitz and Joan Didion, based on a box of diary-like letters she uncovers in the late Babitz’s otherwise trash-strewn apartment. The insights she gleans are illuminating, extraordinarily detailed and often delightfully petty; it’s the perfect…
What is John Malone up to? One of the long-running parlor games on Wall Street and in Hollywood is afoot again amid the media mogul’s portfolio-changing moves. His knack for lying low until a deal comes to him earned him the nickname “swamp alligator,” and observers see this as the time for the 83-year-old to settle unfinished business. All the more so given the incoming Donald Trump administration is expected to sweep away regulatory hurdles and usher in a volatile period of M&A. Asked at a Paley event in New York on Nov. 12 about what will happen at the FTC and FCC under Trump, Malone replied: “The very cheap money of the last 10 years led to way too much competition based on just cheap capital. I think consolidation…
Media & Entertainment Warner Bros. Discovery John Malone, who used to have super-voting shares in Discovery, now owns about 1 percent of WBD’s stock and sits on the board of directors. His influence, however, is wider, given his relationship with CEO David Zaslav, and with his nephew Daniel Sanchez joining the board (Sanchez also sits on the boards of Liberty Global and Liberty Latin America). Comscore Malone’s Liberty Broadband owns 16.5 percent of the measurement firm, which is seeking to take on Nielsen and VideoAmp in the TV and streaming measurement wars. SiriusXM Liberty Media controls 83 percent of the satellite radio company’s voting stock, and recently split it off as a standalone tracking stock. Qurate Retail Liberty has rolled up the live shopping channels over the years. After acquiring…
On Nov. 2, CBS and CMT simulcast a one-hour prerecorded benefit on behalf of the United Way for relief following hurricanes Helene and Milton, which caused $50 billion-plus in damages across Appalachia and the broader Southeast. Blake Shelton, the Zac Brown Band, J.B. Smoove and others made appearances and performed. While the effort raised $6.2 million, it was also indicative of the shrinking footprint of linear television. In the past, such endeavors were mostly live events, and media conglomerates at times made extraordinary shows of “roadblocking” their air to command the public’s attention and pocketbooks. Veteran TV producer Joel Gallen recalls hearing from the heads of the major networks immediately after Sept. 11 to give them two hours of primetime to orchestrate what became America: A Tribute to Heroes, which…
