LEAD STORY
CNN, CNN Plus, HLN, Turner Sports, & HBO Max Are Now Part Of Warner Bros. Discovery
This past Friday was a new day for the cable network CNN and its offsprings, which include CNN Plus and HLN, the sports property Turner Sports, and the streaming network HBO Max as they become part of the Discovery family belonging to a new parent company called Warner Bros. Discovery, WBD for short.
These media entities, the other entertainment channels, and the Warner Bros. movie studio were part of WarnerMedia, which was formed in 2018 after AT&T bought out TimeWarner in a bid to marry distribution with content creation.
AT&T was a fish out of water trying to fit in with the Hollywood crowd and the entertainment industry. It cut its losses by merging WarnerMedia with Discovery at a cost that was much less than what it bought it for.
David Zaslav will take over the new conglomerate, and he introduced the various lieutenants that will be overseeing the different properties, with the majority of them coming from the Discovery side.
As reported earlier, CNN and its sister networks, including the recently launched CNN Plus, will be overseen by Chris Licht, who will be its Chairman and CEO. Licht will not take control of the renamed CNN Global unit until early May.
What to watch here is what news direction Licht will steer CNN into?
On the creative side, the streaming service HBO Max will be led by Casey Bloys, who remains chief content officer of HBO & HBO Max. The business and operations side of the streaming service will now be overseen by JB Perrette, who has now become the CEO and President of Warner Bros. Discovery Global Streaming and Interactive Entertainment.
Perrette will also be responsible for Discovery Plus. What to watch here is how long these streaming services remain separate, and what will a combined streaming service look like?
Lenny Daniels will still lead Turner Sports, but Zaslav is looking for someone to lead the entire sports division, including its Regional Sports Networks led by Patrick Crumb.
What to watch here is who will lead this unit?
It will take some time before the dust settles at WBD, as new management will take stock of what they have and what they need to shave.
The journey for this story is just beginning.
(CNN Business, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter)
RECAP
Russia Invades Ukraine: Fox News’ Benjamin Hall Gives An Update On His Condition
Fox News’ Benjamin Hall feels “pretty damn lucky to be here” after surviving an attack covering Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that cost the lives of two of his colleagues, cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and consulting producer Oleksandra “Sasha” Kuvshynova. Hall, who is recovering at a military medical center in Texas, described the injuries he sustained from the attack, including losing half a leg on one side and a foot on the other leg. One of his hands is being put together, and one of his eyes is no longer working. He also said he is hard of hearing. Hall is appreciative of the people who enabled him to be where here he is, saying, “it is the people who got me here who are amazing!” (TVNewser)
Norah O’Donnell Extends Her Deal With CBS News
Norah O’Donnell is staying put at CBS News. The anchor of CBS Evening News has struck a new deal with the network that sees her staying there beyond the 2024 presidential election. O’Donnell, for weeks, has had to endure countless rumors concerning her position at CBS News, with some speculating CBS Mornings co-anchor Tony Doukopli could be in line to succeed her. Those rumors were most likely fueled by CBS News co-president Neeraj Khemlani putting out feelers to agents representing anchors and correspondents at other networks gauging their interest in the position. (Variety)
Is Disney Neglecting Hulu?
This past week Disney announced that the hit show Dancing with the Stars would be moving from ABC to Disney Plus beginning this fall. It was a stunner of a move as it indicated that the House of Mickey is putting its might into Disney Plus. This follows other decisions like adding more adult programming such as The Summer of Soul and Get Back documentaries and movies like West Side Story and Free Side, all at the expense of its other streamer Hulu. Hulu recently lost programming from NBCUniversal, Paramount, and Amazon, and its original programming slate is not that deep. It does have FX programming in its arsenal, but even that is not strong enough to justify its existence. Are we approaching a time when Disney Plus might absorb Hulu? Only time will tell. (The Streamable)
QUICK RECAP
Media critic Eric Boehlert dies after a tragic accident. (New York Times)
Eugene Daniels joins MSNBC’s Morning Joe as a senior contributor. (MSNBC Public Relations/Twitter)
ESPN’s Andscape signs senior NFL reporter Jason Reid to a multiyear extension. (ESPN Press Room)
Hong Kong-based Michelle Too was promoted at CNN Business. (Talking Biz News)
Joe Davis has been named lead voice for MLB on Fox. (Variety)
Peacock hires execs Brain Henderson from Hulu and Shannon Willet from Netflix. (AdWeek)
Kristina Schake joins Disney as head of global communications. (The Walt Disney Company)
Jon Steinlauf will oversee U.S. ad sales for the new Warner Bros. Discovery. (Variety)
ESPN signs five investigative journalists to multiyear contracts. (ESPN Press Room)
Katie Phang on her new MSNBC and Peacock shows. (TVNewser)
Fox Sports announces its announcing team for its USFL coverage. (Sports Business Journal)
Lara Logan talks about why Fox News pushed her out. (The Guardian)
Netflix’s Bela Bavaria on how to rebuild after losing your job. (New York Magazine)
AppleTV Plus aired its first MLB game. (Liam Killingstad/Twitter)
Fox Sports football analyst Mark Schlereth is recovering from heart surgery. (Awful Announcing)
ESPN sees ratings boost after Tiger Woods plays in The Masters. (ESPN Press Room)
Kasie Hunt on CNN Plus after Jeff Zucker’s absence. (Mediaite)
NBC News and MSNBC are finalists for nine Deadline Club awards. (NBC News PR/Twitter)
Formula 1 is looking for more than $75 million in its next U.S. media rights deal. (Sports Business Journal)
Rachel Maddow returns to MSNBC from her hiatus on Monday, April 11. (Brian Steinberg)
Russia Invades Ukraine: CNN’s coverage of the conflict brings it back to its strengths. (Vanity Fair)
ABC News’ Good Morning America had some noise interruption during its Tuesday broadcast. (NewscastStudio)
21 New York Yankees games will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime this season. (Claire Atkinson/Twitter)
DirecTV no longer carries OAN. (TVNewser)
Exit interview for WarnerMedia’s CEO Jason Kilar. (Vulture)
The Wonder List with Bill Weir is revived at CNN. (The Hollywood Reporter)
NBC News staff are troubled by MSNBC’s plan to hire Jen Psaki. (CNN Business)
Fox Sports and Turner Sports’ MLB ad sales are close to being sold out. (Sports Business Journal)
Peacock is officially the home of MLB on Sunday morning. (NBC Sports Group Press Box)
ESPN is growing its audience using new sports deals and diverse content. (AdWeek)
NBC Sports has 31 sports Emmy Award nominations. (NBC Sports Group Press Box)
MLB Network now has a sports betting show. (Ariel Epstein/Twitter)
Turner Sports announces its in-game and studio crew for its MLB on TBS Tuesday Night franchise. (TVNewser)
ESPN announces a six-year media rights deal with Hockey East. (ESPN Press Room)
WNBA releases its broadcast and streaming schedule for 2022. (Mollie Cahillane/Twitter)
ESPN gets into the NFT business with Tom Brady. (Michael McCarthy/Twitter)
Fox News’ Shannon Bream has the no.2 and no. 10 ranked titles on New York Times bestseller list. (TVNewser)
MLB Network launches a new regular-season afternoon program, Off Base. (MLB)
A new season of F1:Drive to Survive is heading to Netflix - QR
Is CNN having early struggles with CNN Plus? (Business Inside $$$)
A guide to understanding streaming churn. (Los Angeles Times)
CNN Digital earns 14 nominations and five honors at The Webby Awards. (CNN Communications/Twitter)
ABC News’ Good Morning America makes an adjustment to its first-floor studio. (NewscastStudio)
What is WarnerMedia’s Jason Kilar’s next step? (The Hollywood Reporter)
HBO Max might be using Netflix as a template for global expansion. (The Streamable)
Kelsey Grammer hosts a new show on Fox Nation. (TVNewser)
The BBC is facing a staff exodus of women of color. (Variety)
Hulu adds SharePlay support. (The Streamable)
An analysis of CNN Plus’ Special Report look. (NewscastStudio)
NBCU News Group bosses discuss the state of TV newsrooms. (TVNewser)
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A MarkHenry Media LLC publication - Issue #85 - 2022