Deadline: The CW’s New Owner, Nexstar Media, Updates Investors On “Offensive And Defensive” Reasons For Its Acquisition Of The Broadcast Network

Story from Deadline:

Nexstar Media Group, which last year acquired 75% of The CW, updated investors on the “offensive and defensive” rationale for the acquisition.

Digital TV Europe: Paramount unveils Showtime integration plan, hints at job cuts

Story from Digital TV Europe:

Global media company Paramount has announced plans to integrate its flagship Showtime brand into its streaming service Paramount+.

Deadline: CBS Sets Global ‘FBI’ Crossover With ‘Most Wanted’ And ‘International’ Spinoffs

Story from Deadline:

FBI will host a global crossover event with its two spinoff series, FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted via CBS and streaming on Paramount+ on April 4 beginning at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Variety: ‘The Last of Us’ Viewership Soars 12% to New Series High With Heartbreaking Episode 3

Story from Variety:

“The Last of Us” has become a bona fide hit for HBO.

Variety; Roku and Tubi to Launch Warner Bros. Discovery Free, Ad-Supported Channels, Featuring HBO’s ‘Westworld’ and More

Story from Variety:

Roku and Fox Corp.’s Tubi are set to bring a big bucket of free, ad-supported content from Warner Bros. Discovery to their streaming platforms.

Deadline: CNN To Show Bill Maher’s ‘Overtime’ Segments As Part Of Friday Night Programming

Story from Deadline:

CNN will start showing the post-show Overtime segments from HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher as part of its Friday edition of CNN Tonight.

BBC News; Annie Wersching: The Last of Us video game and 24 actress dies at 45

Story from BBC News:

Actress Annie Wersching, who played the character Tess in the hit video game The Last of Us and was in 37 episodes of TV drama 24, has died aged 45.

Deadline: Nicole Kidman & Maya Erskine To Headline & EP ‘The Perfect Nanny’ Limited Series In Works At HBO From ‘Pen15’ Co-Creator & Legendary

Story from Deadline:

Nicole Kidman is back at HBO with another high-profile limited series based on a novel, The Perfect Nanny.

Hollywood Reporter: ‘The Last of Us’ Renewed for Season 2 by HBO as Premiere Hits 22M Viewers

Story from Hollywood Reporter:

Not a surprise, but certainly marking a victory for HBO: The Last of Us has been renewed for a second season.

New York Post: Netflix will put a stop to password sharing by end of March

Story from New York Post:

Netflix plans to bar users from sharing passwords for free by the end of March of this year, according to a recent company announcement in a letter to shareholders.

eOne Takeover - Hollywood Reporter: Hasbro to Lay Off 1,000 Staffers, 15 Percent of Workforce, Amid Cost-Savings Push

Story from Hollywood Reporter:

The toy and entertainment giant Hasbro says that it will cut its workforce by 15 percent, or 1,000 employees, in the coming weeks.

BBC News; Justin Roiland: Rick and Morty creator dropped by Hulu as well as Adult Swim

Story from BBC News:

US streaming site Hulu has followed TV channel Adult Swim in dropping Rick and Morty co-creator and voice actor Justin Roiland, over charges of domestic violence against an ex-girlfriend.

Hollywood Reporter: Peacock Tops 20M Subs, Quarterly Loss Widens to $978M, Management Sees $3B Peak Loss in 2023

Story from Hollywood Reporter:

Peacock, the streaming service of Comcast’s entertainment unit NBCUniversal, grew its revenue and subscribers in the fourth quarter, but its loss widened again compared with the year-ago period. In a conference call, management reiterated that the streamer’s loss would peak this year, predicting a loss of $3 billion.

Digital TV Europe: A+E Networks appoints Bradley to oversee content sales and FAST

Story from Digital TV Europe:

A+E Networks has announced that experienced media exec Deborah Bradley is joining the company in the newly-formed role of EVP of global content sales.

Digital TV Europe: YouTube kids chief departs as Alphabet commences 12,000 job cuts

Story from Digital TV Europe:

Google/YouTube’s parent company Alphabet has started to cut 12,000 jobs across the sprawling tech giant’s workforce.

Hollywood Reporter: The CW’s ‘Gotham Knights’ Adds Ethan Embry, Sunny Mabrey

Story from Hollywood Reporter:

The real-life married couple will play husband and wife on the series as well, with Mabrey debuting as Crystal Brown in the show’s fifth episode and Embry first appearing in episode six as Arthur Brown.

World News - Broadcast Sport: Murray heroics help Warner Bros. Discovery to Australian Open audience growth

Story from Broadcast Sport:

Warner Bros. Discovery has revealed that streaming audiences for the first week of the Australian Open have grown by almost a third year-on-year.

Media Guardian: Rupert Murdoch calls off proposed Fox-News Corp merger

Story from Media Guardian:

Rupert Murdoch’s decision to scrap a proposal to reunite his media empire puts the long-term future of the financially stretched titles owned by the newspaper baron at risk.

Hollywood Reporter: Lloyd Morrisett, Co-Creator of ‘Sesame Street,’ Dies at 93

Story from Hollywood Reporter:

Lloyd Morrisett, the co-founder of Sesame Street whose curiosity about whether television could serve as a tool to teach children was piqued when he observed his young daughter staring at a TV test pattern, has died. He was 93.

Variety: ‘The Last of Us’ Scores HBO’s Largest-Ever Viewership Growth for a Drama From Premiere to Episode 2

Story from Variety:

After achieving HBO’s second-most watched series premiere in more than a decade, “The Last of Us” is now reaching an even bigger audience and breaking a new record for the pay TV channel.