Showtime Cable Network to Adopt ‘Paramount+ With Showtime’ Name, Will Add Originals From Streamer

Showtime is hanging up its gloves.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Aylo, parent company of Pornhub and other sex sites, entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with U.S. prosecutors to settle a charge it profited from deals with porn producers who were involved in sex trafficking. Under the settlement announced Thursday, Canada-based Aylo agreed to pay a criminal fine and forfeiture totaling $1.845 million to the U.S.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Would the combination of Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global — two companies heavily tied to the declining legacy TV biz — make financial sense? Investors reacted to news of early talks between Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount about a potential merger, which broke just prior to market close Wednesday.

It’s a bittersweet time to be an Outlander fan. With filming set to get underway in September for the much anticipated eighth and final season of the smash hit drama filmed and set in Scotland, and the second part of series seven hitting screens in the new year, there’s lots to look forward to.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Adobe called off plans to buy Figma, a web-based collaborative design platform, citing regulatory opposition to the proposed $20 billion deal. Adobe and Figma on Monday said they mutually agreed to terminate their merger agreement, originally announced Sept. 15, 2022.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor There was a time when streamers — led by Netflix, burning a hole in its balance sheet with annual negative cash flow in the billions — were banking on double-digit subscriber growth. And they were spending on content like there was no tomorrow. Well, tomorrow came.

Thania Garcia South Korean boy band Ateez has the No. 1 album in the United States this week, landing its first No. 1 record with their sophomore set “The World EP.Fin: Will.” The 12-song set had the equivalent of 152,000 sales, according to data provided by Luminate, and serves as the follow-up to the eight-member group’s June EP “The World EP.2: Outlaw.” Preceded by the streaming hit “Crazy Form,” which boasts elements of Afro dancehall, “The World EP.2: Outlaw” was released via Sony Music Korea/RCA Records and is the fifth K-pop record to lead the Billboard 200 this year behind releases from Tomorrow X Together, NewJeans and Stray Kids.

Showtime‘s linear network, which launched more than four decades ago during the early days of cable, will officially get a new name on January 8, 2024.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Elon Musk, continuing his campaign to make X a “free speech” refuge even to the detriment of the company’s business interests, said he is reinstating the account of far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Twitter banned Jones in 2018, along with his Infowars program. Last year Jones was ordered to pay nearly $1.5 billion to families of Sandy Hook victims over his lies about the 2012 school shooting, which left 20 kids and six adults dead.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Game designer Hideo Kojima, creator of the hugely popular “Death Stranding,” had two pieces of news coming out of the Game Awards 2023. On Thursday evening at the Game Awards show in L.A., Kojima appeared on stage with filmmaker Jordan Peele to announce his next game project: “OD,” which Kojima describes as an “immersive and totally new style of game” that will explore “what it means to OD on fear.” It’s being produced in partnership with Microsoft’s Xbox Game Studios.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor YouTube announced that the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI reached the “extraordinary milestone” of generating more than 93 million views in the initial 24-hour period on the Rockstar Games YouTube channel — shattering the previous record for a non-music video debut on the platform. Rockstar Games released GTA VI’s first trailer on Monday, Dec. 4, after it first leaked online.

UOMA Beauty stands out as a fervent advocate for inclusivity and empowerment, tailoring its line of base products to accommodate not only a diverse range of skin tones but also addressing distinct undertones and genetic texture nuances. The brand's commitment to catering for everyone is evident in the 51 shades of their best-selling Say What?! Foundation, now £5.90 here from £29.50.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Amazon‘s Prime Video and Premier Boxing Champions announced a multiyear rights agreement to bring top pay-per-view boxing events to U.S. viewers. Launched in 2015, PBC features over 150 active fighters across various weight divisions, including top contenders and current world champions.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Get ready to see “The Kardashians” standing next to Baby Yoda on your Disney+ home screen. Beginning Dec. 6, the significant majority of Hulu content will be available on Disney+ in the U.S.

The Christian-based Trinity Broadcasting Network has been announced as a distribution partner for Dr. Phil McGraw‘s recently unveiled news and entertainment cable TV network Merit Street Media, putting the new brand in more than 65 million homes on DirecTV and Dish, among cable and satellite systems.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Former “Good Morning America” hosts Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes have addressed their ouster from the ABC News morning show for the first time — on a new podcast that debuted a year to the day after the network suspended them.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Ted Sarandos is happy the twin Hollywood strikes are over — but the Netflix co-CEO claimed the streamer didn’t see significant “interruption” in its ability to launch original series and films. “We are mostly just thrilled that the strikes are behind us.

How does a mistake like this happen?!?

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Verizon is making its latest aggressive push to bundle up streaming packages — offering ad-supported versions of Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max for $10 per month. That’s about a 40% discount on the services compared with the $17/month it would cost to purchase them separately.

It’s hard to believe Dancing with the Stars first premiered nearly 18 years ago!