ESPN+ Monthly Subscription to Rise $3 as Disney Strives for Streaming Profits

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorEven Tom Cruise can’t fly past the costs of making great content.Despite seeing strong revenue gains from its streaming operations and from the success of the sequel to Cruise’s “Top Gun” in theaters, Paramount Global saw profit drop in its second fiscal quarter as it increased investment in new content while seeing decreases in advertising and affiliate fees at its main TV businesses.The owner of the CBS broadcast network, the Nickelodeon cable channel and the Paramount movie studio said operating income fell by 33% in the period, down to $819 million, compared with more than $1.2 billion in the year-earlier period. Revenue during the quarter increased 19% to nearly $7.8 billion, compared with nearly $6.6 billion a year earlier.

Oil giant Shell has announced it will give employees a one-off 8 per cent bonus after the company reported record profits.

Heathers: The Musical” as a Roku Original special on the Roku Channel. The special will be available to stream in the U.S. on Friday, Sept.

Scots band The Ronains received a death threat from Russia after their new single artwork for Lunatics featured an image of Vladimir Putin.

Russia has added to its so-called stop-list, barring a further 39 British politicians, officials, business people and journalists from entering the country including TV presenter Piers Morgan. 

Maryna and Vlad are new to Manchester. They arrived just eight weeks ago, joining the thousands that come to make the city their home each year.

Jimy Sohns, the lead singer of The Shadows of Knight rock band and the voice of its monster hit “Gloria,” has died at the age of 75 of complications from a stroke.

Brittney Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday, offering the first public glimpse at U.S.

Rob Halford has said he’s “a bit pissed” that Judas Priest weren’t honoured as one of the main performer inductees for the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame this year.The metal band will accept the Award for Musical Excellence at this year’s ceremony, which will take place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California on November 5. The gong was first introduced in 2000 as the ‘Sideman’ category; it became the Award for Musical Excellence 10 years later.Joel Peresman, the president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, previously said: “This award gives us flexibility to dive into some things and recognise some people who might not ordinarily get recognised.”But in a recent interview with AZ Central, Halford expressed his frustration over not being listed among this year’s main Rock Hall honourees which include Eminem, Duran Duran and Dolly Parton.“I was a bit pissed. At the end of the day, does it matter?” the frontman said.

LOS ANGELES – Ashlee Simpson recently updated fans on her life, including what it’s like for her kids to get older, and how supportive she is of her husband’s new endeavor into the restaurant world. The couple recently got together on the red carpet to celebrate the opening of The Hideaway, a new Mexican restaurant in Beverly Hills that Evans invested in and is a partner in.

Finding the funny side. Chris Rock referenced Will Smith slapping him at the Oscars while headlining a stand-up show alongside Kevin Hart.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film CriticPunk-rock nostalgia has an oxymoronic quality. Ah, the toasty, cozy good old days…of shooting up in the bathroom at CBGB as the Dead Boys lay waste to Western Civilization onstage! Sid Vicious, we hardly knew ye! Yet the nostalgia for punk, as much of a contradiction as it can seem, has only grown with the decades.

With the race to replace Boris Johnson as next UK Prime Minister now down to the final two, bosses at BBC New Broadcasting House and Channel 4 Horseferry Road will be examining former Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss’s record on public broadcasting in minute detail.

The Beatles famously sang about “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.” But for one of the Fab Four, it was George in the Back Room with Rubies at the iconic New York rock club Max’s Kansas City.The new documentary “Nightclubbing: The Birth of Punk Rock in NYC” — which will be screening at Joe’s Pub on Tuesday, Wednesday and July 30 — reveals that George Harrison had a gem of a way of picking up chicks in the VIP back room of Max’s.“He always carried a little pouch of rubies,” recalled Max’s legend Alice Cooper in the doc. “And once he decided which one he wanted to be with, then he would put the ruby down in front of her.

Axl Rose has shared a statement dedicating Guns N’ Roses‘ most recent tour to Taylor Hawkins and criticising Russian leader Vladimir Putin over the invasion of Ukraine.READ MORE: Taylor Hawkins, 1972 – 2022: Foo Fighters drummer who always stole the showGuns N’ Roses played their last show of a European tour on Friday (July 15) and shortly afterwards, vocalist Axl Rose took to Twitter to dedicate the run of shows to Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died in March.“It’s just a simple gesture n’ it’s awkward dealing with the gravity of something like this but in an effort to pay our respects, we’d like to dedicate this tour to our friend Taylor Hawkins,” wrote Rose.“Taylor was a really great guy and it was always great to see him! He was a great n’ always welcome part of touring these last few years! This is such a horrible thing and our hearts go out to his family, friends, band mates and everyone who loves him.”pic.twitter.com/2XARyYUtTO— Axl Rose (@axlrose) July 16, 2022In 2019, Hawkins revealed he was once approached by Rose to join Guns N’ Roses following the exit of the original members but turned him down, following advice from Queen drummer Roger Taylor.“He said, ‘I see you and Dave (Grohl) onstage and there’s something you can’t buy there. There’s something between you guys that might not be there with Axl Rose.’ And he was right,’” Hawkins explained.The Foos sticksman continued: “For all our trials and tribulations, Dave is like a brother.