Streaming NBC News Now Aims to Vie With Linear News Outlets

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Warner Bros. Discovery appears to have bigger digital plans for Charles Barkley and Anderson Cooper. Warner Bros.

Fox News’ retooled primetime lineup topped rivals in July, but all cable news networks saw audience erosion versus the same month a year ago.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Meta said Tuesday that it has “begun the process of ending news availability in Canada” across Facebook and Instagram in response to a new Canadian law. “These changes start today, and will be implemented for all people accessing Facebook and Instagram in Canada over the course of the next few weeks,” the social media giant said in an Aug. 1 blog post update.

Josie Gibson was left comforting an angry and upset Craig Doyle as he returned to This Morning with bad news. The duo were back fronting the ITV daytime show on Monday (July 31) as they kickstarted their summer stint at the helm following on from Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Two of the nation’s biggest purveyors of primetime television are relying more heavily on other kinds of video inventory to fuel their advertising flows for 2023 and 202r, Fox Corp. and Paramount Global are both near the end of their processes in TV’s annual “upfront” ad sales market, and both expect to see some volume gains in specific areas of their portfolio.

The nominations are out for the 44th annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards, and CNN leads the way with a commanding 45 noms ahead of Vice (30) and ABC and PBS (26 each). See the list of nominees in all 62 categories below or click here.

Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro have shocked millions with the news of their reported separation, ending their engagement. The couple, who seemed to be doing great with a wedding in their future, have suddenly had a change of heart.

God’s Plan. A busty beauty who threw her 36G bra at Drake during his New York City concert has been announced as a new Playboy content creator.

Forget Hollywood, now royal insiders believe Meghan Markle is gunning for the Senate!

AMC Networks dropped a teaser for season 2 of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire featuring Delainey Hayles as the new teenage vampire Claudia.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Bill Geddie, a legendary TV-news producer who was behind many of Barbara Walters’ most notable efforts, including the long-running ABC daytime show “The View,” has died of coronary-related factors, his family told Variety. He was 68 years old. “He was a big deal in TV, but at home he was an even ‘bigger than life’ husband and dad,” said Geddie’s family in a statement.  “He had a genuine love for television and entertainment. He would try everything and did it well — screenwriting, recording podcasts, playing guitar, writing songs, and loved a wide range of music from country to jazz.  His favorite band was The Beatles, and he never thought he would have the opportunity to meet one of his personal heroes Paul McCartney in person, but his dream came true. The question wasn’t who did he meet, but rather who didn’t he meet?”

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor In a tough moment for the economics of TV, NBCUniversal went to market with a greater emphasis on big tentpole events and a little less on individual TV shows and specific networks. The Comcast-backed media conglomerate believes advertiser interest in larger properties such as the 2024 Olympics, a planned celebration of the 50th season of “Saturday Night Live” and its annual “BravoCon” helped buoy its efforts in TV’s annual “upfront” market, when U.S. media companies try to sell the bulk of their advertising inventory ahead of their next cycle of programming. NBCU expects the volume of commitments it sold this year to be flat with its efforts in 2022, according to a person familiar with the matter — no small feat when advertisers have been wary of spending amidst spikes in inflation, fears of a recession and the complexities of strikes by writers and actors in Hollywood.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor When Sean Hannity handed off his Fox News program to Laura Ingraham last Thursday night, he had company. On-air switches between cable-news hosts make for bright moments on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC, with the audiences at home and producers in studio looking at warm exchanges between personalities like Hannity and Ingraham or Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell. The chatter between former CNN hosts Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon generated so much attention that producers often let the segment bleed into Lemon’s first segment of the night and even time reserved for commercials. These days, Hannity has begun letting a new crowd bear witness.

Viewers branded BBC Breakfast presenter Charlie Stayt's interview with Rita Ora as “flirty” and “excruciating” as she appeared on the show to promote her new music.The singer, 32, appeared on the news chat show on Saturday morning (15 July), where she opened up about her new album and relationship with husband Taika Waititi. However, just before the began talking about her music, Rita and host Charlie had an awkward moment of banter, which some fans called "excruciating" online.

Drake is finding himself under the covers with TikTok star Bobbi Althoff.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor A former Arizona man who claims he had to flee his home after former Fox News host Tucker Carlson deliberately and falsely portrayed him as an undercover FBI agent who launched the January 6, 2020 attacks on the U.S. Capitol, has sued the cable-news outlet for defamation. It is the latest suit from a series of parties who allege Fox News deliberately and with malice broadcast incorrect and damaging accounts about them. Fox Corp., the outlet’s parent, recently paid out $787.5 million to voting-technology firm Dominion Voting Systems over allegations that Fox News deliberately implicated the company in false allegations about the security of the 2020 presidential election, and paid $12 million to a former Fox News producer who alleged she had been hectored into providing false testimony in that matter.

Ari Herstand Ari Herstand is the author of the best-selling book How To Make It in the New Music Business, the host of the Webby award winning New Music Business podcast, the CEO and founder of the music business education company Ari’s Take, and an independent musician. He currently fronts the original 1970s funk/soul immersive experience Brassroots District. Variety welcomes responsible commentary, please submit to [email protected]. A couple weeks ago, some of the largest independent distribution companies and streaming services — including Spotify, Amazon Music, DistroKid, Empire, United Masters, Tunecore (and its parent company Believe), CD Baby (and its parent Downtown) — launched what they’re calling “a global task force aimed at eradicating streaming fraud.”

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Jo Ling Kent is jumping to CBS News after spending the last several years with rival NBC News. Kent will join CBS News as its senior business and technology correspondent, and will start reporting for all CBS News programs and venues later this summer. She is expected to cover everything from global economics to personal finance and consumer trends to the Federal Reserve and the World Bank. “Jo Ling has reported on artificial intelligence’s impact on our lives, viral disinformation, social media privacy issues, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global supply chain,” saidNeeraj Khemlani, co-president of CBS News and Stations, in a prepared statement. “She’s also led investigations into the conditions of workers at Amazon’s warehouses and Facebook’s impact on the 2016 elections. We look forward to having her on our team.”

Tina Knowles has been the victim of a burglary which resulted in more than $1 million in cash and jewellery stolen from her home. 

Dancing With the Stars season 32 is inching closer and closer — and the stars are getting equally enthusiastic about their return to the ballroom.