More from Erik Hayden
MPA Chief to Keynote Film Commissioners’ Event
Amid concerns about an industry wide contraction in production activity, the Association of Film Commissioners International is readying its annual event gathering location managers, policy pros and executives in Los Angeles. This year’s AFCI Week event will be held at UCLA’s Meyer & Renee Luskin Conference Center from August 25-28 and feature a keynote address […]
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Regal Plans to Upgrade Its Movie Theaters With $250M Capital Raise
Regal Cinemas, the second-largest movie theater chain in the U.S., has secured $250 million to give its locations an upgrade, the exhibitor said on Tuesday. The raise is intended to boost its already existing locations (425 theaters across the country) with enhancements like luxury recliners and other amenities. Regal is owned by embattled theater giant […]
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As Moguls Make Sun Valley Plans, Fear of Big Tech Echoes in Dealmaking Haven
It started with the conspicuous TV news crews. “I get out of my car and see five media vans with the dishes and everything. It was weird. It’s very different than last year. There are reporters everywhere,” so relayed one Sun Valley attendee, speaking anonymously to The Hollywood Reporter for a July 1999 news item […]
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They’re Back: Skydance and Paramount Restart Talks
It’s back to the negotiating table. Shari Redstone’s National Amusements (NAI) and David Ellison’s Skydance Media are reengaging on talks that could lead to a change in ownership for Paramount Global, a source confirms to The Hollywood Reporter. The next step is for the potential agreement to go to Paramount’s special committee of the board […]
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Paramount Renews Talks to Sell BET Assets
After several stops and starts, Paramount Global appears to be renewing its effort to sell off its BET Media Group assets. The Shari Redstone-controlled media company is in talks with CC Capital chief Chinh Chu, whose private equity firm is backing BET president Scott Mills in a bid for the BET assets, Bloomberg reported on […]
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Barry Diller’s IAC Explores Paramount Offer (Report)
Barry Diller appears to be taking a look at Paramount Global. The executive’s digital media firm IAC is the latest to throw its hat in the ring to make a deal with Shari Redstone’s National Amusements, The New York Times reported, citing multiple unnamed sources, on Monday. An IAC rep replied, “IAC doesn’t comment on […]
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Stevie Van Zandt and the Art of Not Giving Up
Stevie Van Zandt is full of contradictions, but owns them. The E Street Band member, songwriter, activist and producer is uncompromising when it comes to creative ideas, charging forward on a vision even when it leads to commercial dead ends. Yet he’s also an insider’s insider with a rolodex of heavyweight artists, executives and directors […]
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America’s Most Trusted News Anchors Are …
“The gatekeepers are gone,” Colin Jost told a roomful of journalists at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 27, before pivoting to the punchline: “Did you know that 90 percent of people now get their news exclusively from social media? And that must be true because I saw it in a random guy’s TikTok.” For those […]
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Byron Allen’s Media Company to Undergo Layoffs
Byron Allen’s media firm is set to undergo a notable round of layoffs, the company disclosed. “Allen Media Group is making strategic changes to better position the company for growth that will result in expense and workforce reductions across all divisions of the company,” a rep for Allen Media told The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday. […]
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Endeavor to Be Taken Private Three Years After IPO
After three years as a publicly traded company, the Ari Emanuel-led Endeavor is going private. The Beverly Hills-based sports and entertainment giant — the owner of talent agencies WME and IMG as well as assets like the PBR bull riding organization, betting data firm OpenBet, marketing agency 160over90 and hospitality firm On Location — will […]
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Amid Lawsuit, Gersh Has a Deal to Buy A3 Artists’ Departments
Less than a month after a lawsuit was filed against the chairman of A3 Artists Agency seeking to block its sale, rival Gersh says it has closed a deal for the digital and alternative departments of the talent firm. Some forty five staffers — twenty five of which are agents — will move over to the […]
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The New York Times Sues OpenAI and Microsoft After Impasse Over Deal to License Content
As artificial intelligence products from tech giants threaten to upend the media landscape, major newspaper and magazine companies have faced a dilemma: take the money from AI giants in a licensing deal or fight with a lawsuit. On Wednesday, The New York Times chose the latter, filing a lawsuit in the U.S. Southern District of […]
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