Disney Sees Opportunity to Woo Sports Advertisers Around More Than Games

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWarner Bros. Discovery said profit rose in the first quarter despite declines in traditional TV audiences, as revenue from advertising and distribution rose thanks in part to the company’s streaming inititiatives.Warner Bros.

new film being shut down for an investigation into his alleged “inappropriate behavior” is taking on a darker tone amid a resurfaced on-set horror story that’s kept Hollywood whispering for decades.Disney was allegedly forced to hire bodyguards to protect the cast and crew of 1991’s “What About Bob?” after the actor hurled a glass ashtray at co-star Richard Dreyfuss and threatened to “throw” the film’s female producer “across a parking lot.”The bombshell accusation was dropped Thursday night by Dreyfuss’ son, Ben, just hours after Murray’s latest movie, “Being Mortal,” was suspended following a complaint about his conduct. Despite his enduring status as a beloved Hollywood bad boy, Murray has repeatedly been accused of violently clashing with co-stars — from alleged head-butting to “inexcusable and unacceptable” language — on numerous sets stretching all the way back to the 1970s. After this week’s new Murray mayhem, Ben, 35, took to Twitter to reveal that professional muscle had to be deployed to the Virginia set of the cult classic “What About Bob?” following Murray’s alleged violent outburst.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorNetflix has held Madison Avenue at arm’s length for years. Now, the popular streamer wants to draw the advertising industry in a tighter embrace.After years of resisting the prospect of running commercials, Netflix signaled on Tuesday that it’s ready to consider launching an ad-supported tier of its service, which has lured traditional TV viewers with ad-free series like “Stranger Things” and “Ozark” and commercial-free movies like “Don’t Look Up.” Figuring out an ad strategy could take months, said Reed Hastings, Netflix’s co-CEO, during an investor meeting, “but think of us as quite open to offering even lower prices with advertising as a consumer choice.”The company announced its intention to court commercials just weeks before the start of the industry’s annual “upfront” ad sales season, when U.S. TV networks try to sell the bulk of their commercial inventory for the next programming cycle.

Sean Murray and Gary Cole are opening up about the casting shakeup that happened in the current season of NCIS.

Meghan Markle paid tribute to late mother-in-law Princess Diana by channeling her wardrobe during her appearance at the Invictus Games over the weekend.The 40 year old attended the opening ceremony of the veteran sporting event on Saturday wearing an ivory off-the-shoulder top with ruching at the centre paired with black tailored trousers. Meghan looked stunning in the off white-bodysuit from designer Khaite’s latest collection, which appeared to be an almost identical style of that worn by the Princess of Wales decades before.The elegantly fashioned Cerise Knotted Bodysuit, as it is titled on the designer’s official website, is comprised of stretch-cotton jersey forming a slim fit perfect for wearing underneath high waisted skirts and trousers.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive for a reception ahead of the start of the Invictus Games on Friday (April 15) in The Hague, Netherlands.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attended their first event of the Invictus Games in The Hague, Netherlands on Friday.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThere’s a new contender in the arena.As Discovery begins its new era of operating Warner Bros., HBO and Turner, all eyes are on how the new company will navigate the media sector’s streaming wars with thousands of hours of content from popular TV brands like TLC, TBS, TNT, CNN and HBO. Behind that effort, however, could look a new sports giant that is poised to add another deep-pocketed player vying for major league negotiations that it previously ignored.Warner Bros.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThere’s a new regular Joe calling baseball games on Fox.Joe Davis, a veteran sportscaster who has been known on the West Coast for calling Los Angeles Dodger games and as a Fox Sports regular, will take over as the lead play-by-play announcer for Fox Sports’ Major League Baseball coverage. He succeeds Joe Buck, the longtime Fox baseball and football announcer who has moved to ESPN to work on “Monday Night Football.” Davis will join John Smoltz in the network’s lead baseball booth.“If you had asked me when I was 10 what I wanted to do when I grew up, I would’ve told you ‘Call the World Series.’ So when I say this is a dream-come-true, I really mean it,” said Davis, in a statement.  Davis and Smoltz, along with reporters Tom Verducci and Ken Rosenthal, are expected to call Fox’s coverage of the 2022 MLB All-Star Game, MLB at Field of Dreams Game and the MLB post-season Postseason, including its 25th Fall Classic.

Manchester United scouts reportedly watched Arnaut Danjuma during Villareal's surprise victory against Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday.

plans to sell Channel 4 don’t “make any business sense” and undermine the channel’s “tremendous economic and cultural achievement”.The Scottish filmmaker criticised the government’s proposals to privatise the publicly owned channel, which he clarified does not cost the taxpayer any money as Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries wrongfully claimed last year, because it’s paid for by ad revenue.Iannucci, known for TV shows including The Thick Of It and I’m Alan Partridge as well as feature films such as The Death Of Stalin (2017), wrote in a The Guardian op-ed that the move has been ill-thought-out as he questioned why a broadcaster that “puts billions into the economy and promotes British culture and values internationally” should be sold off.“It doesn’t make any business sense, and it’s certainly not patriotic,” he wrote. “I regularly get asked by international broadcasters why the UK government has such a destructive agenda against the country’s main television networks.“Dorries tweeted yesterday that ‘government ownership is holding Channel 4 back’, which perhaps explains part of the problem, that she sees the network as some manifestation of the Big State.

Perthshire runner Sol Sweeney is warming up nicely ahead of his bid to earn Commonwealth Games selection this summer.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorSome people who tune in ESPN2 for an April 6 NBA match-up between the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks may think they’ve gone back in time.The game will open in black and white and use graphics that evoke ABC’s 1960s coverage, then shift to a look that mirrors CBS’ NBA telecasts of the 1970s and 1980s. Look for a presentation that emulates NBC’s 1990s telecasts as well, complete with that network’s signature music.

Willow Smith has seemingly reacted to the events of this weekend.

Before Amy Poehler and Will Arnett split in 2012, they were one of Hollywood’s funniest couples — both on-screen and off.

The In Memoriam portion of the Oscars ceremony has been a time-honored tradition to remember those folks we have recently lost that have contributed to the world of cinema. It can be a more somber and sad part of the show, but this year producers attempted to inject a little more energy.

The 94th Oscars celebration has officially kicked off with the official red carpet at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.