Showbiz Sandbox 541: AT&T Hangs Up On WarnerMedia
May 18, 2021
Not even three years after AT&T spent $85 billion to purchase Time Warner and form WarnerMedia, the telecom giant is calling it quits, agreeing to merge the content side of its business with Discovery. The deal would create a new media company positioned well to compete in the streaming market and a management team that is well versed in the entertainment business. The original acquisition of Time Warner always seemed questionable for AT&T, and ultimately left Warner Bros. in a bit of a mess.
Meanwhile, some music streaming services are adding hi-def audio to their offerings and, perhaps more importantly, not increasing the cost to subscribers. Since most new music can be found on all the streaming platforms, will high quality audio become a differentiator that attracts new customers or causes them to switch providers?
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including why Ellen DeGeneres is leaving her daytime television show, Disney’s new theatrical release strategy and this year’s entrants into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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Angelina Jolie’s ‘Those Who Wish Me Dead’ DOA as ‘Spiral’ Claims No. 1
https://variety.com/2021/film/news/those-who-wish-me-dead-box-office-spiral-1234974067/
‘Wrath Of Man’ Drives To $56M Global
https://deadline.com/2021/05/wrath-of-man-spiral-peter-rabbit-2-the-runaway-f9-china-global-international-box-office-1234757835/
‘Cliff Walkers’ Holds Off ‘Wrath of Man’ at China Box Office
https://variety.com/2021/film/asia/cliff-walkers-wrath-of-man-china-box-office-1234974515/
Eastern Promise: How Russia’s Screen Sectors Are Recovering In The Face Of The Pandemic
https://deadline.com/2021/05/eastern-promise-how-russia-screen-sectors-recovering-in-face-pandemic-1234751699/
Media & Entertainment CEO Salaries Flourished In Pandemic 2020 As Industry Cratered
https://deadline.com/2021/05/2020-media-ceo-salary-pay-richest-executives-1234752049/
Apple Music Announces Hi-Fi Streaming at No Additional Cost
https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/9573517/apple-music-high-fidelity-lossless-streaming-price/
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Reveals Class of 2021
https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/awards/9571011/rock-roll-hall-of-fame-class-of-2021/
Ellen DeGeneres Is Ending Her Show After Years of Dancing and ‘Be Kind’
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/12/business/media/ellen-degeneres-quit-talk-show.html
‘Annie Live’ to Air on NBC This Holiday Season; Bob Greenblatt and Neil Meron Producing
https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/annie-live-nbc-christmas-holidays-bob-greenblatt-neil-meron-1234971627
CBS Plans Addressable Commercials for Broadcast TV in Bid to Vie With Streamers
https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/cbs-addressable-tv-commercials-upfront-2021-1234974431/
AT&T Agrees to Merge Its WarnerMedia Assets With Discovery
https://www.wsj.com/articles/at-t-to-combine-warnermedia-division-with-discovery-11621250928
In a Deal With Discovery Hatched in Secret, AT&T Sheds Its Media Business
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/17/business/att-discovery-merger.html
David Zaslav to Lead Combined WarnerMedia-Discovery as Landmark Deal Is Confirmed
https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/david-zaslav-warnermedia-discovery-merger-1234974393/
Norman Lloyd Dies: ‘St. Elsewhere’ Actor Who Worked With Welles, Hitchcock & Chaplin Was 106
https://deadline.com/2021/05/norman-lloyd-dead-st-elsewhere-actor-1234754280/
RIP to the 90-Day Theatrical Window
https://variety.com/2021/film/box-office/theatrical-window-dead-1234973333/
Curtis Fuller, a Powerful Voice on Jazz Trombone, Dies at 88
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/14/arts/music/curtis-fuller-dead.html
Spencer Silver, an Inventor of Post-it Notes, Is Dead at 80
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/13/business/spencer-silver-dead.html
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