Inside Allen Media Group’s Partnership with VideoAmp, One of Nielsen’s Many Competitors

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor A huge virtual world based on “Ready Player One,” a story set in a future where people enter into a virtual-reality simulation to escape the real world, is coming soon to a real (but, you know, virtual) platform near you. Futureverse, an AI and metaverse technology and content company, announced the formation of Readyverse Studios, a studio co-founded with Ernest Cline, the novelist and creator of “Ready Player One,” and Dan Farah, producer of the 2018 Warner Bros.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor The founder of VideoAmp, a measurement-technology start-up that has been vying with Nielsen and others to create a new means of tabulating video audiences, is stepping down from his CEO role just as the company plans to lay off nearly a fifth of its staff, Ross McCray, who led VideoAmp as it struck deals with titans such as Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery, will remain as a shareholder and board member at VideoAmp, but will be replaced by Peter Liguori, an industry veteran who has led Fox Entertainment, FX and Tribune Media, among other companies. Peter Bradbury,, a former Nielsen executive, was named VideoAmp’s chief commercial and growth officer.

EXCLUSIVE: Cohen Media Group has set Italian filmmaker Matteo Garrone’s latest pic, Io Capitano, for a nationwide release. 

There has been one person missing from the CNN New Year’s Eve 2024 celebration, according to fans, and that is Don Lemon!

Dozens of celebrities have opted to spend the festive period abroad this year, with the Maldives proving to be the most popular holiday destination. Stars such as Charlotte Crosby and Molly-Mae Hague have headed to the country in South Asia with their loves ones, as well as Kate and Rio Ferdinand, who jetted off with their children for Christmas. Former The Only Way Is Essex star Billie Shepherd is also among the celebs flocking to the Maldives.

Tom Brady knows all too well how tough it can be raising kids while being in the spotlight!

John Oates has reflected on his musical partnership with Daryl Hall amid their ongoing legal battle.Back in November, Hall said he was suing Oates after claiming that he was left “blindsided” by his plan to sell a business stake – while the latter described the claims as “inaccurate”.In a court statement about Oates’ alleged breach of their business partnership agreement, Hall accused his bandmate of making a “completely clandestine and bad faith move” by trying to sell a share of their business without consent.In November it was revealed that Hall was granted a restraining order against his longtime former musical partner, though details of their legal dispute were unknown at the time.Now, Oates has reflected on their working relationship in a new podcast, sharing that their music “will stand the test of time”, but he has also “moved on”.Speaking on David Yontef’s Behind the Velvet Rope, Oates said (via Variety): “You can’t ignore the fact that the Hall & Oates catalogue of hits and the 50-year career will always trump almost anything that Daryl does on his own or I do on my own, which is okay because I’m very proud of that music.He added: “I’m really proud of what Daryl and I created together.”Oates said that he doesn’t like to “live in the past”, adding: “I make the analogy of what it’s like when you go to a great museum and you’re really excited to go and see all the beautiful paintings or the exhibits or whatever it might be, and then near the end, your feet start to hurt and you say, ‘You know what? I can’t wait to get out of here.’ That’s kind of how I feel about it.”He continued: “It’s just a matter of living in my present.”The pair met in a lift at the Adelphi Ballroom back in 1967, before forming Hall & Oates

Thania Garcia John Oates, one-half of the successful rock duo Daryl Hall & John Oates, has opened up about his partnership with his ex-bandmate amid their ongoing legal debates. Oates and Hall have been in the news recently over Oates’ attempt to sell his share of their joint venture.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group expanded its board of directors from the original trio to a new total of nine board members, effective immediately. The board of Allen Media (originally called Entertainment Studios when it was founded in 1993) has comprised founder, chairman and CEO Byron Allen, film producer Carolyn Folks (Allen’s mother) and chief operating officer Terence Hill.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Roberto Benigni, whose film “Life Is Beautiful” won three Oscars in 1999, has come out of the woodwork to support Matteo Garrone’s Golden Globe-nominated “Io Capitano,” which is Italy’s current Oscar candidate for best international feature film. The revered yet reclusive Italian actor/director, whose most recent big screen role is playing Geppetto in Matteo Garrone’s hit 2019 live-action adaptation of “Pinocchio,” is clearly a big fan of “Io Capitano” (the title translates to “Me Captain”). The movie narrates the Homeric journey of two young African men, Seydou and Moussa, who decide to leave Dakar to reach Europe.

EXCLUSIVE: CJ 4DPLEX and Europe’s Kinepolis Group are expanding their longstanding partnership to include 21 further ScreenX auditoriums across Europe and North America. The Kinepolis openings bring the cinema chain’s total of ScreenX screens to 26. This pact will give Kinepolis the largest ScreenX footprint in mainland Europe.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Kal Penn hopes the second time’s the charm. The actor last week completed his second turn behind the desk of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” which has been seeking a successor to host Trevor Noah for the better part of a year, a process that was delayed by the recent Hollywood labor strikes. Penn joins comedians Sarah Silverman and Leslie Jones as well as Charlamagne Tha God as hosts who were invited to take one more crack at the assignment after doing a previous one.

Jaden Thompson Byron Allen’s media company Entertainment Studios, also known as Allen Media Group (AMG), is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, a major milestone for one of the most visible Black-owned media companies in the U.S. AMG has championed several diversity-related initiatives over the years, including the recent launch of the streaming service HBCU Go.

Jaden Thompson Studio71 has signed an advertising partnership with Unspeakable, a popular family-friendly content creator on YouTube who has more than 33 million subscribers across four channels and amasses 150+ million views every month. Houston native Nathan Milner, known online as “Unspeakable,” began creating Minecraft content more than ten years ago.

Sigh, just when you thought there was another project that might top our next Most Anticipated Films Of The Year list, in this case, 2025? Maybe it’s not going to happen at all? In late fall of 2022, an incredible project was announced. Renowned Polish filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski, known for critically acclaimed and celebrated dramas like “Ida” and “Cold War” was teaming up with Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara for a movie titled, “The Island.” READ MORE: Joaquin Phoenix & Rooney Mara Join Pawel Pawlikowski’s New Drama ‘The Island’ A period film and dramatic thriller that Pawlikowski would write, “The Island,” would be loosely based on real events and will focus on an attractive American couple in the 1930s who escaped to their own private paradise on a deserted island and lived off the land.

EXCLUSIVE: BET Media Group is developing the unscripted series The Twins from Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s G-Unit Film & Television and Lionsgate’s Pilgrim Media Group.

Former UTA agent Jed Baker launched his podcast company Starglow Media earlier this summer and now he’s launching his first original series.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Disney wants to get into the Brittney Griner business. The inspirational WNBA All-Star, who was arrested and held in Russia in 2022 and sentenced to nine years in prison, will give Disney the exclusive rights to share her story via a documentary feature from ESPN Films, the development of a scripted series through ABC Signature and an exclusive interview with ABC News anchor Robin Roberts.

Kate Ferdinand has shared a look inside her magical trip to Lapland UK - the perfect place to get in the Christmas spirit. The 32 year old, who gave birth to her daughter Shae in July, was joined by her adorable three year old son, Cree, as they met up with friends to enjoy a festive day out together on Wednesday.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Starting next year, major marketers such as Geico or General Mills could find themselves running commercials alongside popular Amazon programs like “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” or “Jack Ryan” that were previously untouched by advertising.