LEAD STORY
Peter Rice Let Go From Disney
This past week, Disney CEO Bob Chapek let go of one of his senior lieutenants in a move that blindsided and stunned all who kept tabs on the giant media conglomerate.
Peter Rice, who has been in charge of the TV division since 2019, after Disney purchased 21st Century Fox, was relieved of his duties and replaced by Dana Walden, his no. 2, who assumes the role with immediate effect, reporting directly to Chapek.
Walden, a well-regarded TV executive, will now oversee an expansive portfolio that includes 20th Television, ABC Entertainment, ABC News, Disney Television Studios, Freeform, FX, Hulu Originals, National Geographic Content, and Onyx Collective.
Rice’s contract had been renewed some months prior and was set to run till 2024, but there had been rumblings within the industry that he could be seen as the possible successor to Chapek, something that may have spooked Chapek forcing him to make that change.
The reason he gave for Rice’s departure was that he was no longer a good fit for the company, and Chapek viewed Walden as the better executive between the two. It seems as though the move was made to ensure that she would remain with the company and not bolt to a competitor.
In another unusual move, the Disney board issued a statement endorsing Chapek’s dismissal of Rice. The endorsement from the board is viewed as a vote of confidence in Chapek’s leadership, despite his rocky tenure leading the company.
He assumed the top position in early 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic began disrupting the world's operations. He had to navigate that situation and also oversee the successful launch of the Disney Plus streaming service while dealing with the shadow of former CEO Bob Iger, who was still Disney’s chairperson until December 31, 2021.
Chapek bungled his response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, a move that infuriated Disney staff, causing speculation within and outside the company that his stint as CEO of the house of Mickey could be short-lived.
His contract is set to expire in February of 2023.
Still, with the vote of confidence statement issued by the board, Chapek can now exhale a little and proceed with his Disney transformation as all signs point to a contract extension.
(The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, CNBC)
RECAP
Netflix Joins Bid For Formula 1 US Broadcasting Rights
Spurred by the success of its Formula 1 docuseries Formula 1: Drive To Survive, Netflix believes it has found an entry point into live programming. The streaming service has been forced to pivot from its hardcore positions, after a brutal first-quarter showing, of no ads and live programming, to one where an ad version of the streaming service is now on the horizon and live programming is an option. Netflix has thrown its hat into the F1 US broadcasting rights ring, joining the likes of ESPN, NBCUniversal, and Amazon in looking to acquire the rights beginning in 2023. ESPN currently holds the US broadcasting rights and has submitted an initial bid of $70 million per year, even though F1’s parent company Liberty Media is seeking a bid of $100 million yearly. (The Streamable)
Adam Verdugo Named EP of CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell
After a long search, CBS News has looked inward and named Adam Verdugo the new permanent executive producer of CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell. Verdugo currently serves as the executive story editor of the evening news show and will assume the position beginning June 13. The program had been temporarily led by Al Ortiz, who was filling in after the departure of Jay Shalor. Verdugo has worked with O’Donnell for many years, working with her on numerous breaking news events, presidential election nights, the Jan. 6 insurrection, and exclusive interviews with newsmakers in sports, entertainment, business, and politics. (Paramount Press Express and TVNewser)
LIV Golf Gets More Broadcast Deals
The inaugural LIV Golf tournament occurred in London this past weekend, and the breakaway league secured global broadcasting rights to provide it with additional visibility. Its inaugural tournament was available on YouTube, Facebook, and its website. It also managed to secure broadcast rights in the US, Canada, Japan, Italy, Spain, and German-speaking countries through DAZN. Latin America was able to watch it through a deal with DirecTV, while in France, L’Equipe will show the tournaments, and Sina Sports will do the same in China. The Africa rights were secured by SuperSport, while the rest of Europe will be covered by Viaplay, Sportklub, Eleven, Mola, and Joj. All in all, LIV Golf tournaments will be able to be seen in 150 countries worldwide due to these broadcasting rights. (Sports Pro Media)
QUICK RECAP
January 6 Hearings: Former ABC News chief James Goldston helped the January 6 Committee with its TV production. (New York Times)
January 6 Hearings: 20 million viewers watched day 1 of the Jan 6 hearings. (Axios)
January 6 Hearings: MSNBC blew past CNN and Fox News. (NBCUniversal Media Village)
January 6 Hearings: Fox News brass decide to go with opinion over news. (The Guardian)
January 6 Hearings: Former Fox News political editor Chris Stirewalt to appear on Monday. (CNN)
Former ITN editor-in-chief Sir David Nicholas passes on. (ITV)
Ken Bode, a political journalist who worked for NBC, CNN, and PBS, has passed away. (Kevin Bohn/Twitter)
Warner Bros. Discovery names Luis Silberwasser, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros Discovery Sports. (New York Times)
Ros Atkins named BBC News Analysis Editor. (BBC Media Centre)
Production executive Amy Rosenfeld leaves ESPN for ABC Sports. (Sports Business Journal)
Warner Bros. Discovery names its EMEA team. (Deadline)
Arwa Damon departs from CNN. (TVNewser)
Drew Brees is not returning to NBC Sports. (ProFootball Talk)
Alex MacCallum and Robyn Peterson depart from CNN Digital. (Variety)
Rising star Taylor Rooks is sought by Amazon’s Prime Video for its Thursday Night Football franchise. (Front Office Sports)
Newsmax is making primetime changes. (Mediaite)
NBC News wins Scripps Howard Awards for Excellence in Radio/Podcast coverage for the Southlake podcast. (NBC News PR/Twitter)
$1 billion was spent this offseason in luring NFL TV announcers and analysts. (Front Office Sports)
About 2/3rd of Netflix users are willing to pay for their own subscription. (The Streamable)
ESPN boxing analyst Andre Ward was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Class of 2021. (ESPN PR/Twitter)
CBS News’ Bill Whitaker named SPJ Fellows of the Society by the Society of Professional Journalists. (Society of Professional Journalists)
ESPN college basketball analyst Debbie Antonelli was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, Class of 2022. (ESPN PR/Twitter)
Amazon pulls out of the Indian Premier League media rights bid. (Front Office Sports)
Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett is set to join NBC Sports’ Sunday Night Football. (New York Post)
ESPN announces talent and speaker lineup for the inaugural Black Sports Business Symposium. (ESPN Press Room)
CNN reexamines its use of the “Breaking News” banner. (Variety)
Sexual assault lawsuit against Michael Corn, former boss of ABC News’ Good Morning America, dismissed. (CNN Business)
No, Elon Musk is not buying OAN. (The Daily Beast)
Premier League suspends its broadcast deal with Russia’s Match TV. (Awful Announcing)
Check My Ads tries to stop advertising on Fox News. (NPR)
Could Netflix and Roku merge? (The Streamable)
ESPN’s Sage Steele is back on the air after getting struck by a golf ball. (Awful Announcing)
NBC News’ Janelle Rodriguez was named to Fast Company’s third annual Queer list of innovators in business & tech. (Fast Company)
Jonathan Jones replaces Jason La Canfora as NFL insider on CBS Sports’ The NFL Today. (Paramount Express)
No major live streaming service will drop Fox News. (The Streamable)
MSNBC is producing a documentary on menstruation titled Periodical. (The Hollywood Reporter)
CNN’s Don Lemon to feature on Lebron James’ Uninterrupted show The Shop. (Michael McCarthy/Twitter)
HBO Max dropped from AT&T’s premium wireless plan. (The Streamable)
Keith Morrison from NBC News’ Dateline unveils a new podcast. (Vanity Fair)
Check out NBC News Now's Meet The Press Now’s new look. (NewscastStudio)
Vicky Nguyễn joins Morgan Radford as a co-anchor on NBC News Now. (NBC News PR/Twitter)
ESPN’s Kevin Negandhi accepts Pat Riley’s push-up challenge. (Awful Announcing)
Netflix meets Europe’s 30% European content quota in almost all markets. (Variety)
CNN’s Chris Licht is scrutinizing talent for partisan tone. (Axios)
Weather Channel’s Byron Allen still sees revenue opportunities in TV. (Next TV)
ESPN produces a three-part 30 for 30 documentary looking back at the 1996 Women’s Olympic basketball team. (Awful Announcing)
Yamiche Alcindor on her new role as anchor of PBS’s Washington Week. (TVNewser)
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A MarkHenry Media LLC publication - Issue #91 - 2022