Cable TV back? Disney, Warner Bros. announce bundling plan

Includes Hulu and but no word on if new sports streaming service is included In a move for their streaming services to become more economical for subscribers, The Walt Disney Co. and Warner Bros. Discovery announced Wednesday a plan to bundle their streaming services. Both plan to launch the bundle this summer with ad-supported and commercial-free tiers being offered. Notably […]

Bob Bakish out as CEO of Paramount Global

His position to be reconditioned as an “Office of the CEO” as company’s bid with Skydance hangs in the balance Coming as no surprise given the speculation surrounding his future was a hot topic all weekend, Paramount CEO Bob Bakish has stepped down. In his place, Paramount announced a new management structure called the “Office Of The CEO,” run by […]

The Media Notepad: Fallout continues from Chicago Public Media layoffs

Paramount, Skydance advance merger talks; Iger survives Disney proxy board vote The fallout continues from the decision to lay off fourteen employees at WBEZ and Sun-Times owner Chicago Public Media last Wednesday, with a Chicago alderperson from the city’s 49th Ward on the far North Side being the latest to weigh in. “Seeing the increases, seeing the benefits, and then […]

The Media Notepad: Merit hooks up with TBN for distribution

Also: PBC heads to Amazon Prime; Paramount Global may be on sales block; Cord-cutting having an impact on Baltimore’s finances  More information was released last week about Dr. Phil McGraw’s new network Merit Street is relying on an old standby to distribute the network.  Trinity Broadcasting Network, who usually broadcasts non-secular fare, will air several hours of Dr. Phil’s new […]

The Media Notepad: Media companies suspend advertising on X after Musk approves anti-Semitic comments

Also: Bally Sports getting ready to close; The CW is on the move in two markets CNBC and other outlets are reporting Friday evening numerous companies have “paused” advertising on Twitter/X after owner Elon Musk boosted an anti-Semitic post on the platform.  Lionsgate (Debmar-Mercury) was the first traditional media company to pause and Apple was the first tech company to […]

The Media Notepad: Introducing the Sven Squad

  Also: ABC’s stations team up with Nat Geo on another water special; Spectrum says they will drop more under performing channels; Houston’s Space City Home Network launches You heard of The Mod Squad, right? Now meet The Sven Squad.  Just in time for Halloween, MeTV’s Svengoolie is adding cast members for the first time. Joining the horror movie host […]

Showtime closes sports division, ends boxing on network

Follows HBO’s exit five years ago  With the decline of linear TV – and traditional Pay TV in general, it’s no surprise Paramount Global’s Showtime Sports division is shuttering its doors after 37 years in operation. The unit was mostly home to boxing events run by Premier Boxing Champions and Bellator MMA fighting plus sports documentaries, would close by the […]

The dual Hollywood strikes: Where things stand now

Both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are om strike outside of Paramount Studios in Hollywood. With no settlement in sight, the entire 2023-24 TV season for scripted shows could be wiped out When SAG-AFTRA joined the WGA on the picket lines on July 12, the entire industry shut down and the thinking was, this would spur some kind of progress in […]

The Media Notepad: Cubs, Marquee to launch direct-to-consumer service

Also: NBC Sports Chicago plans extensive NHL Draft coverage; Magnum P.I. canceled a second time; Paramount Plus guts lineup as sale rumors of the studio swirl  Soon, they’ll be some relief for Cubs fans who are shut out of watching their games if they don’t subscribe to a cable or satellite provider or Fubo. As first reported by the Sun-Times […]

“Rachael Ray” to end after 17 seasons

Ray shifts focus to new venture Updated May 23, 2023.  On September 18, 2006, The T Dog Media Blog was launched – coincidentally on the same day The Rachael Ray Show did. Now after seventeen seasons, it’s Rachael who’s calling it a career – at least in daytime television.  “In my more than 20 plus years in television I have had […]

Nexstar’s purchase of The CW fueled by….a Chicago casino? (updated)

Nexstar financial chief says money from sale of printing press property helped purchase The CW [Editor’s Note: This story was updated November 19.] It turns out there is a Chicago connection to the recent purchase of The CW network by Irving, Tex.-based Nexstar Media Group – and it involves a future casino in our town. As reported by Hollywood trade […]

The Media Notepad: Bears don’t deliver for Amazon Prime

Also: prime-time’s future debated; Pluto takes streaming lead  You wonder if Amazon has a return policy for defective football games: Much like the teams on the field, the October 13 edition of Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football was completely forgettable. The newly renamed Washington Commanders played the Chicago Bears on a 40-degree night and viewers figured the game between two […]

The Media Notepad: The Chicago Sun-Times drops its paywall

Also: The Drive promotes Janda Lane to middays; Nexstar closes the deal to buy The CW; NATPE files for bankruptcy; Svengoolie is hiring! The move was expected for months, and now it’s official: The Chicago Sun-Times announced Thursday it is removing the paywall for all stories. This comes as the newspaper and Chicago Public Media’s WBEZ-FM announced a non-profit merger […]

It’s official: Nexstar buys The CW

  No cash is exchanged; big changes are planned Television’s worst kept secret was finally made official Monday as Irving, Tex.-based Nexstar has acquired a majority stake in The CW from Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global. Speculation has been branded about since January, when word came both Warner and Paramount were looking to unload the fifth network and Nexstar […]