Microsoft Xbox Enters TV’s Streaming Wars With Samsung Gaming Hub App

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorSome people gird for battle by putting on armor. Tony Dokoupil just bought a second pair of dress shoes.“I’ve had the same pair of brown, beat-up, nasty dress shoes — my good shoes.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorMadison Avenue’s growing interest in sports and streaming video helped Fox Corp. nab new ad dollars amid a softening market.The owner of the Fox broadcast network, Fox Sports and Fox News Channel expects an uptick in advertising commitments made in advance of its next programming schedule, according to a person familiar with the matter, as the company becomes the latest media outlet to wrap negotiations in the industry’s annual “upfront.”Advertisers were interested in Tubi, Fox’s ad-supported streaming hub; the company’s sports events; and its Fox News programming, this person said, among other offerings.The company could see an uptick of volume committed to its primetime broadcast schedule in the mid-single-digit percentage range.

EXCLUSIVE: HBO Max has rounded out its cast of series regulars for comedy pilot Wild Life, which is fronted by Izabella Alvarez in the role of Ciara.

EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has a pair of exclusive tracks from composer Carlos Rafael Rivera’s Season 1 soundtrack for HBO Max’s Peabody and multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy series Hacks, which is set for digital release tomorrow via Lakeshore Records.

Deborah Vance and Ava Daniels will be back for more stand-up stories after HBO Max renewed Hacks for a third season.

Billie Faiers has shared the exciting news that she's expecting baby number three. The TOWIE star took to Instagram to share the update while posing alongside husband Greg Shepherd and their two children, Arthur and Nelly. The star, 32, posted a beautiful snap in the sea to reveal the news with her family.

Judging by the recent reports, it would appear the next “Star Wars” film to arrive in theaters will likely be whatever Taika Waititi comes up with. And while we don’t have any specifics about Waititi’s addition to the galaxy far, far away, the filmmaker is teasing that it’s going to be something brand-new.

While fans are, of course, excited to see Ewan McGregor return to his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the, aptly titled, “Obi-Wan Kenobi” Disney+ series, there has been equal (if not more) anticipation at the idea of Hayden Christensen returning as Anakin Skywalker, aka Darth Vader. Thankfully, for most people, the hype was well-deserved when we saw the duo face off in a recent episode.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorBret Baier is gearing up for something that may surprise Fox News aficionados and its cable rivals: a debate event that features two U.S. Senators with distinctly opposing views who say they just want to talk things out.Baier will at noon on Fox Nation moderate the first event from The Senate Project, in which two U.S. Senators take part in Oxford-style debates.

Microsoft has announced a new program designed to bring demos to Xbox Game Pass, and it’s called Project Moorcroft.The early game demos intended for the Project Moorcroft initiative are meant to replicate the demos played during gaming conferences such as E3 or PAX.“We were sitting around as a team thinking, you remember it used to be you go to E3, you go to PAX, and you would go visit some of your favourite creators and they would have a piece or a level of a game that you could sit there and play, and there would be someone from the studio like right next to you in your ear being like: ‘press that button, go under there, do that stuff,'” said Sarah Bond, corporate vice president of game creator experience and ecosystem at Microsoft Gaming, speaking to press.“And you would get to experience the game, and they would get to generate excitement about what they’re building and what’s coming next.“So we said you know what?” Bond explained, “Why don’t we take Game Pass and make it like the show floor? Why don’t we make it possible for a developer to take a piece, a level of their game, release it into Game Pass, generate excitement for what’s coming, and also get that really valuable feedback as they are tuning and preparing their game for launch?”Bond also added that Microsoft set up the program to not just benefit the player, but it benefits the developers as well by giving them financial compensation for the game. It will also allow developers to receive feedback as well.Project Moorcroft is set to release within the next year and will begin by focusing on indie games.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThe TV upfront market doesn’t appear to compute for Microsoft.The technology giant has been telling TV networks and media buyers that it intends to bypass TV’s annual haggle for commercial inventory, according to four executives familiar with recent discussions. The company behind such products and services as Windows, LinkedIn, the Halo video games and Surface tablets instead favors taking its chances in what is known as TV’s “scatter” market, the purchase of ad time bought closer to run date.Microsoft seems to feel that it needs to be cautious in trying to sell consumers expensive hardware and other tech goods at a time when the stock market is churning, according to two of these executives, and when people may be fretting about loosening their purse strings.

EXCLUSIVE: Girl Meets World actors August Maturo and Ava Kolker have reteamed for Just Like You – Food Allergies, a new docu-drama VR project, which has wrapped production. Maturo is serving as its executive producer, with Kolker aboard as a producer.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorCBS News’ venerable  “60 Minutes” is creating a time machine, of sorts.The long-running newsmagazine will be form the bulk  of a new channel at Pluto, the ad-supported streaming outlet that is, like CBS News, part of Paramount Global. The streaming channel is expected to launch sometime this year, Bill Owens, executive producer of the show, told staffers during a town hall meeting Thursday.“The channel will allow us to share our broadcast and historic archive with the wider world,” Owens told employees.

 is coming back for another round! On Thursday, the network announced that the Emmy-nominated narrative comedy series has been renewed for a fourth season.The series, which debuted in August 2019, concluded its third season on May 13 and features a core cast of Black women living relatable, hilarious experiences in a magical reality that subverts traditional expectations." has created an indelible mark thanks to the trust and support of the incredible team at HBO. We are ecstatic to be heading into a fourth season that means so much to our cast, crew, and the dedicated audience who so passionately loves our show," show creator, showrunner, executive producer, writer and star Robin Thede said in a statement. «Robin, Gabrielle, Ashley, and Skye brought so much life to each character they portrayed in every sketch.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. A new “South Park” special arrives on Paramount+ this Wednesday.“The Streaming Wars,” which drops on June 1 at 12 a.m.

Wrapping up the last bits of “Star Wars” celebration weekend, the content keeps flowing on Disney+. While we’ll get two Lucasfilm live-action shows this year, “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” airing now and “Andor” in late August, we’re also getting two animated series too.

, which arrives on Disney+ today. Ewan McGregor reprises his beloved role as Obi-Wan and Hayden Christensen returns as Anakin-turned-Vader for the first time since the 2005 film,, in this new limited series. Christensen’s epic comeback to the world of comes amid rumors that he’ll be making an appearance in  — another forthcoming  spinoff series.

Spoilers for “Obi-Wan Kenobi” below.A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. Star Wars fans already thought Disney+ outdid itself by reuniting Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen to reprise their ever-so-iconic roles as Obi-Wan and Darth Vader for “Obi-Wan Kenobi” — but the series’ first two episodes had another pleasant shock in store.A ten-year-old princess Leia graced screens worldwide on Friday, sending the fandom into a tizzy like the first sight little green Grogu did in “The Mandalorian” not so long ago and in a galaxy of close proximity.Played by Vivien Lyra Blair of “Birdbox,” diehards were quick to notice the young actor’s innate ability to keep up with Carrie Fisher’s iconic precocious portrayal of the Jedi princess.“I wish Carrie was alive to see the little girl playing her, she would be so delighted to see more story and depth added to Leia,” @tomahawk_c1 tweeted.i just KNOW carrie would be so proud of vivien’s portrayal of leia #ObiWan pic.twitter.com/3qCDo38EOT“i have so much to say but i want to start by appreciating vivien lyra blair’s performance as leia.

Rose Byrne recently had a big revelation about her role in the Star Wars universe.