The Evening Paper - Media, Culture and the Modern Condition

Wondery Podcasts is up for sale. A Bbloomberg report says it could fetch upwards of $200 million. The company’s revenue is up 75% year to year and reaches $9 million people a month. 

The network features hit podcasts Dr. Death and Dirty John. Several of its shows are said to be in development into tv series.

Record labels, streaming services and TV networks are all looking for podcasts producers to invest in. Most prominently Spotify: who spent hundreds of millions of dollars on podcast companies Gimlet Media, the Ringer, Parcast and licensing the Joe Rogan Experience.

SiriusXM and IHeartMedia are also in the market for podcast buyers.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesbrowntv.substack.com/subscribe

Variety’s Penske Media Corporation will take over operations of The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard and Vibe so says an article from The Wrap..

The joint venture comes amid financial struggles for trades magazines, particularly The Hollywood Reporter. 

Numerous cuts this spring are not enough to stop the need to cut “$9-$10 million dollars.” The cuts include fewer print editions.

Even before the pandemic, The Wrap says the Hollywood Reporter has been losing revenue for more than a decade. The report says its worst years had losses as high as 30 million.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesbrowntv.substack.com/subscribe

Fox is willing to spend as much as $2 billion a year to keep the NFL. That's a big increase from it’s current deal for Sunday afternoon games. It also airs games on Thursday nights.

A Bloomberg report says that Fox is in for a fight with ESPN/ABC who wants to expand its coverage one way or another. 

Under one scenario, Disney would buy Fox’s Thursday games and air them on ABC, while keeping “Monday Night Football” on ESPN. There’s also rumors of simulcasting the games on both ABC and ESPN. 

The move would almost certainly get Disney back in the super bowl rotation. ABC hasn’t aired a super bowl since 2006.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesbrowntv.substack.com/subscribe

Roku’s stock hit an all time high as result of deal with  NBCUniversal. 

The deal will keep NBC News, NBC Sports, E!, Bravo and the rest of NBCUniversal's apps on Roku while adding Peacock, the new NBCU streaming service that Roku had up until now been unwilling to carry

According to the Motley Fool the agreement came down to agreeing to share ad money in exchange for access to Roku’s 43 million active accounts.

AT&T and Amazon have had similar disagreements. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesbrowntv.substack.com/subscribe

Major League Baseball and TBS are extending their tv and digital partnership.

During the new agreement TBS will air more games than any other network, including a weekly Tuesday night game will air on TBS, and the digital rights for Bleacher Report and other WarnerMedia platforms will be expanded.

Baseball agreed to keep the world series on Fox long term last year. Negotiations with ESPN about renewing that network's deal with baseball beyond next year are ongoing.

 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesbrowntv.substack.com/subscribe

Spotify continues to invest in moonshots. A report in the verge says Spotify wants to turn more of its original podcasts into TV shows and movies

The company is partnering with Chernin Entertainment, to develop TV and movie pitches based on Spotify-exclusive IP and original podcasts. 

Spotify says its library now consists of more than 250 original shows including those produced by The Ringer and Gimlet media..

Chernin Entertainment has produced the Fox sitcom  The New Girl as well as “Hidden Figures,” “Ford v Ferrari” and “The Greatest Showman”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesbrowntv.substack.com/subscribe

Microsoft just bought ZeniMax for $7.5 billion dollars.

 ZeniMax is responsible for games like The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Quake and Doom improving and expanding the quality of Microsoft’s XBOX catalog of games. 

Microsoft’s leaders say they will consider buying more video game companies in the future

NBC News’s Dylan Byers says Microsoft will use its new titles to draw subscribers to Xbox Game Pass. Game Pass now has 15 million subscribers, up from 10 million in April.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesbrowntv.substack.com/subscribe

NBC Universal thinks some of its cable channels like E or SyFy won’t last in a streaming world… so says the wall street journal

Sources tell the journal that NBC thinks the future looks like Netflix. “Consumers will increasingly choose shows directly” with little regard for traditional schedulers or gatekeepers

NBC’s cable boss Jeff Shell "is centralizing decision-making and dramatically slimming down the cable unit," 

“Top executives are getting squeezed out.” says the article… “and more job cuts are expected.”

The company’s focus is squarely on Peacock, their new streaming platform, "which had 15 million sign-ups as of last week."

On that note, I’m James Brown and I good you bid night

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesbrowntv.substack.com/subscribe

In what appears to be God has started a 50-50 venture black themed podcast venture with the company.

A variety report says the black effect podcast network wants to be the industry’s biggest podcast publisher dedicated to Black voices and listeners.

Existing shows “All The Smoke,” “Drink Champs”, and “The 85 South Show” are joining the network. 

Charlemagne who is a key component of iheart media’s syndicated breakfast club radio show’s contract is up later this year. He says he has not yet committed to return.

 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesbrowntv.substack.com/subscribe

Amazon Music is now distributing podcasts.. 

A Wall Street Journal report says Amazon Music and Audible’s podcasting efforts will remain separate for now..

And in a note highlighted by Nick Quah’s Hot pod newsletter, the goal appears to be centered on smart speakers like Amazon’s echo.

Quah says Smart speaker distribution hasn’t really been all that important for podcast publishers until now, but if it ever does, Amazon is currently best positioned to exert strong gatekeeping influence over that channel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jamesbrowntv.substack.com/subscribe