The complaints were filed by The Center for American Rights, a self-described “nonpartisan public interest law firm.” The firm accused ABC Philadelphia’s WPVI-TV of favoring Vice President Kamala Harris when the network hosted the September presidential debate, New York’s WCBS-TV for “news distortion” for the way Harris’ “60 Minutes” interview was edited, and New York’s WNBC-TV of violating the FCC’s equal time rule when Harris appeared on “Saturday Night Live” during the weekend leading up to the presidential election.

In her decision last week, Rosenworcel said that the complaints had aimed to “weaponize” the agency and were “at odds” with the First Amendment. In the order denying the complaints against WPVI and WCBS, the FCC said that the First Amendment restricts the agency from interfering with the free press. In the order denying the complaint against WNBC, the agency noted that the station complied with the equal time rule by giving Trump airtime the next day during a NASCAR race and an NFL “Sunday Night Football” game. She added that the FCC “should not be the President’s speech police” or “journalism’s censor-in-chief.”

But Carr argues that Rosenworcel’s order was “issued prematurely based on an insufficient investigatory record for the station-specific conduct at issue.”

“We therefore conclude that this complaint requires further consideration,” he added. “Thus, on our own motion and pursuant to our existing authority under section 1.113 of the Commission’s rules, we hereby set aside the Letter Order and reinstate the complaint.”

The decision to reinstate the complaints come as president Donald Trump has previously called for the broadcast licenses of ABC, NBC and CBS to be revoked over their coverage during the campaign.

Meanwhile, a fourth complaint filed by the Media and Democracy Project, which pushed to revoke the broadcast license of Fox Philadelphia’s WTXF-TV, will not have its dismissal reversed. The complaint, which was supported by former News Corp. government relations head Preston Padden, alleged that the Dominion Voting System lawsuit against Fox Corp. showed that Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch lacked the “character” to hold a broadcast license.

In the order denying the complaint against WTFX, the FCC said the character assessment requested is “at odds with the First Amendment and continued freedom of the press” and that previous actions that revoked broadcast licenses for “character” issues “involved the station’s clear failure to comply with agency rules (not at issue here) or a clearly adjudicated felony for the station owner (also not at issue here).”

In a joint statement, the Media and Democracy Project and Padden said they “look forward to presenting on appeal the multiple court decisions that raise serious questions about the Murdochs’ and Fox’s character qualifications to remain broadcast licensees.”

They noted that the petition is based on “judicial findings that Fox made repeated false statements that undermined the electoral process and resulted in property damage, injury and death; that Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch engaged in a ‘carefully crafted scheme’ in ‘bad faith’ to deprive Lachlan’s siblings of the control to which they are entitled under an irrevocable trust; and that ‘Murdoch knowingly caused the corporation to violate the law.’”

“As renowned First Amendment scholar Floyd Abrams stated in his filing with the Commission, the First Amendment is no bar to Commission action given the facts of this case. Our petition is clearly distinct from the other politically motivated complaints,” they added. “It simply will be wrong if the Murdochs and Fox escape any responsibility for their prominent role for the riot at the Capitol on January 6th and the efforts to overturn the results of a presidential election.”

Carr has previously said that the “news distortion” complaint against CBS is likely to arise in the context of the agency’s review of Paramount Global’s pending $8 billion merger with Skydance Media. The deal, which is on track to close in the first half of 2025, is subject to regulatory approval from the FCC due to a required transfer of broadcast licenses.

The Center for American Rights has asked that approval of the merger be conditioned upon Paramount’s commitment that it will avoid foreign influence and promote viewpoint diversity – going as far as suggesting the agency coordinate with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) or other national security agencies to review the transaction.

It argues that an investment in Skydance from Tencent Holdings raises questions about “troubling questions about undue foreign influence from China.” It also claims that CBS News has “exhibited improper ideological bias” and that CBS Television has “apparently engaged in illegal racial quotas for its hiring.”

Skydance and Paramount have asked the FCC to dismiss the firm’s objections to the merger, arguing the viewpoint neutrality condition would “improperly encroach on broadcasters’ editorial discretion” and violate the First Amendment. They also said that the allegations of Chinese influence have “no factual foundation and are legally unavailing” and that Tencent’s “entirely passive, non-attributable, minority interests present no basis for concern about undue influence.”

The post Complaints of Bias, ‘News Distortion’ Against CBS, ABC and NBC Reinstated by Trump-Appointed FCC Chair appeared first on TheWrap.

The media giant is accused of breach of contract after South Park Digital Studios made two special episodes available to Paramount and MTV and not WBD; “tortious interference” for causing SPDS to breach its agreement with WBD and “unjust enrichment” because it benefitted from streaming the specials that were outside the scope of the deal.

In a ruling on Tuesday, Justice Margaret A. Chan of Manhattan’s State Supreme Court advanced the case to the discovery stage and denied a motion for partial summary judgement to dismiss the unjust enrichment claim, which Paramount had argued is duplicative to the breach of contract and tortious interference claims.

The ruling moves the case to the discovery stage, clearing the way for a trial.

Warner Bros. Discovery claims that Paramount’s priorities “changed drastically” upon the launch of Paramount+ in 2021, resulting in a “multi-year scheme to unfairly take advantage” of the former conglomerate by breaching its agreement and “stealing its content.”

Per the 2019 agreement, where Warner/HBO outbid others in a highly competitive situation to garner the exclusive rights to the series, the company acquired the series’ entire catalog (23 seasons at the time) in addition to three new installments, totaling more than 300 episodes. Based on the representations made in the deal, WBD alleges that Paramount Global promised exclusivity in hosting all 333 episodes — the 303 existing at the time, in addition to the 30 that would be added across the three new seasons — and that sharing rights was a “non-starter.”

However, as a result of the pandemic, Paramount delayed filming on Season 24, instead producing two nearly hour-long COVID-themed specials that released initially on Comedy Central and were later put on HBO Max. Because of the specials’ longer runtime, WBD paid double the typical single-episode rate. The company says it did not receive Season 24 episodes despite the entry of a new deal in 2021 between the show’s creators and the Paramount subsidiary MTV worth $900 million to produce 14 original movies for Paramount+. At the time, the series was also renewed through Season 30.

Chan found that the “ambiguous contract” is “silent on vital details,” such as “how to decide what is in the Seasons 24-26 and whether plaintiff can pursue disgorgement against third parties who stream content before the plaintiff.”

“As such, the dispute is not properly addressed by the contract,” she wrote. “Given the ambiguity of the Term Sheet, parol evidence will likely be necessary to determine whether and how the Term Sheet applies — parol evidence that is unavailable at this early stage of litigation. Thus, summary judgment is denied as premature.”

Chan also said that the unjust enrichment and tortious interference claims in the case “share little overlap,” making it premature to determine whether the former claim is duplicative.

“Because there are still disputed facts regarding the scope of the parties’ relationships and the rights to the Specials, plaintiff is not required to elect between tortious interference and unjust enrichment at this stage,” Chan added. “After discovery, when the facts are no longer in dispute, plaintiff can choose a claim.”

In addition to the three existing claims, Paramount previously faced two additional claims of “breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing” and “violation of New York Business Law,” though those had been dropped in November.

The post ‘South Park’ Streaming Rights Battle Between Paramount and WBD Moves to Discovery Stage appeared first on TheWrap.

The deal, which is available for a limited time and marks savings of approximately 25%, will give eligible subscribers access to Starz’s library of original series, including “Outlander,” the upcoming fourth season of “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” and the new thriller “The Couple Next Door,” as well as action-packed films such as “John Wick: Chapter 4,” “Borderlands” and “Spiderman: No Way Home.”

It also includes original series, blockbuster movies, documentaries and more from HBO, Warner Bros., A24, Adult Swim and the DC Universe, including “The Pitt,” the upcoming seasons of “The White Lotus” and “The Last of Us,” “The Penguin,” “House of the Dragon,” “Hacks,” “Barbie,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” both “Dune” films, and classics like “Friends,” “The Big Bang Theory” and many more.

“We are thrilled to team with Prime Video and Max to deliver this new offering of critically acclaimed programming to an even broader customer base,” Starz Networks president Alison Hoffman said in a Wednesday statement. “Together, our world-class libraries provide an unparalleled viewing experience, offering a diverse selection of high-quality series and films across multiple genres.”

The latest bundle comes after Vizio unveiled a Starz-AMC+ bundle for $13.99 per month, compared to $20.98 per month when purchasing the two services separately.

DirecTV also unveiled a $70 per month MySports bundle, which includes access to 40 sports and broadcast channels and is available in 24 metro areas. Its introduction followed the death of Fox, Disney and WBD’s Venu Sports.

In addition, Disney and WBD teamed up on a Disney+/Hulu/Max bundle, which launched back in July for $16.99 per month with ads and $29.99 per month without ads.

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Previously, Bonner held the role of Home Entertainment president. His shift to president of Global TV Distribution was shared internally with employees late last month with Bonner expected to step into the role in January.

“As Michael Bonner officially steps into his new role as president of Global TV Distribution, we needed a leader to guide UPHE’s next chapter, while maintaining the innovative spirit and unique culture that sets our team apart. I’m pleased to announce that our own Justin Che will become president of UPHE,” Peter Levinsohn, chairman of Global Distribution for NBCUniversal Studio Group, wrote in an email to staff that was obtained by TheWrap.

This corporate realignment comes in the wake of Belinda Menendez’s announced retirement, which first came to public light in September of 2024. As president of Global TV Distribution, Bonner will report to Levinsohn and will oversee the licensing of NBCUniversal’s film and television content globally across free, pay and new media platforms. He will also be responsible for 20 offices around the world, which support over 200 territories and 1,800 clients.

Over his 30 years in content distribution, Bonner has witnessed several changes in the television landscape from the rise of cable to the dominance of streaming. He also helped develop NBCUniversal’s Hulu partnership and spearheaded Universal’s dive into premium video-on-demand.

As for Che, he has been part of NBCUniversal for nearly three decades in a variety of jobs that have spanned international and domestic roles in finance, business development and content distribution. Previously, he spent 10 years leading NBCUniversal’s Asia-Pacific TV distribution business while overseeing its international networks and streaming businesses in the area. Che will be traveling back and forth for several months before returning to Los Angeles permanently in April.

Following Che’s promotion, Levinsohn and Bonner will work with HR to find a new leader for its TV distribution division in the Asia-Pacific region.

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The new method for analyzing TV ratings combines the firm’s panel measurement — which tracks a specific group or market’s viewing habits — with data from cable, satellite set-top boxes and smart TVs across 45 million households and 75 million devices, giving advertisers access to cross-platform audiences at scale. It also will help inform content programming and licensing decisions, along with carriage fees for TV distribution deals.

The offering was first introduced to advertisers and the company’s broadcasting and streaming clients prior to last year’s upfront. Amazon has notably used Nielsen’s big data panel measurement tools for its “Thursday Night Football” ratings.

“The accreditation of Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel is a landmark moment for TV ratings, as it will forever change audience measurement,” Nielsen CEO Karthik Rao said in a Wednesday statement. “I believe Big Data + Panel gives the industry the most accurate measurement in the history of TV. We’re grateful to our clients for helping us innovate once again.” 

Nielsen has dominated media measurement for the better part of a century, with advertisers depending on its Streaming Top 10 and Gauge reports in order to help determine their spending on commercials as audiences shift from linear TV to streaming.

But TV networks have complained that the firm is not measuring audiences as well as it should amid this transition. In 2021, the MRC found that the firm undercounted viewers during the COVID-19 pandemic, which temporarily resulted in a suspension of their accreditation.

Paramount Global, which is in the midst of a contract dispute with Nielsen, has switched advertisers’ campaigns to VideoAmp as the two sides continue to negotiate. They’ve suggested that they’re also prepared to make that switch permanent if the two parties are unable to reach a deal.

VideoAmp, which is not accredited by the MRC, is certified by the Joint Industry Committee, which represents advertisers, agencies and media owners. Other ratings measurement competitors include Comscore and iSpot.tv, which have both received accreditations from the MRC.

The MRC’s Wednesday endorsement comes ahead of the 2025 upfront season and after it recently signed off on Nielsen’s integration for first-party live streaming data and renewed the accreditation for its traditional panel measurement.

“We appreciate Nielsen’s inclusion of this in the MRC accreditation process,” MRC CEO and executive director George Ivie added. “This effort marks the first time MRC has accredited a hybrid panel/big-data product inclusive of persons level estimates.”

In addition to the launch of its Big Data + Panel measurement, Nielsen is expanding its national TV out-of-home measurement, which is also being submitted to MRC for evaluation and is in process. It also plans to submit its expanded version of Nielsen ONE, which will include outcome capabilities in addition to advanced audience, planning and measurement tools, for MRC auditing and evaluation at a future date.

The post Nielsen’s New Ratings Method Approved by Media Rating Council appeared first on TheWrap.

The stock finished the day’s trading session at $953.99 per share, up over 9%. Its market capitalization currently sits at $407.79 billion — more than the combined market cap of competitors Disney, Paramount Global, Comcast and Warner Bros. Discovery.

“It was clear that Netflix was in the perfect position to deliver its last report on subscriber numbers with a boom. However, this was above our best expectations, testifying to the continued success of the company’s global, high-margin turnaround strategy on both the financial and consumer interest sides,” Investing.com senior analyst Thomas Monteiro said. “Not only did Netflix manage to bring sustained global interest in the core business without burning through the same type of cash as the competition, but it also showed fantastic momentum on the live events front, which remains an area of the market where streaming has massive room to grow.”

Wall Street analysts celebrated the news with a flurry of price target raises on the stock.

Pivotal Research’s Jeff Wlodarczak, who raised his price target from $1,000 to $1,250, declared that “this is what winning looks like” in the global streaming race. Going forward, he said that the company needs to “press their advantages” and keep the subscriber/ARPU flywheel going.”

“The larger they get, the more leverage they have over their peers/content creators, the better their product gets (allowing them to drive subscriber/ARPU growth), the more cash they have to spend on compelling content and the bigger the moat grows around their core business model,” he noted.

Piper Sandler analyst Matt Farrell, who called the quarter a “knockout,” raised the firm’s price target from $950 to $1,100.

“We remain impressed with the company’s execution, as management continues to deliver positive surprises even at industry-leading scale,” he said. “Netflix remains our top large cap idea.”

Macquarie Research analyst Tim Nollen said Netflix is “going out with a bang” as he raised his price target from $965 to $1,150. The quarter marked Netflix’s last for quarterly subscriber disclosures as it shifts its focus to engagement, revenue and operating margins.

“With no more sub reporting to come, investor focus shifts to Netflix’s ability to monetize its member base,” Nollen said. “Advertising and price increases help answer this.”

MoffettNathanson analysts Robert Fishman and Michael Nathanson added that Netflix has proven the firm’s expectations wrong yet again and that it is “defying gravity.”

“At almost every turn we tried to apply the general laws of corporate physics as best as we understood them to a company that, at the end of the day,
is still in the business of selling video entertainment,” the pair wrote. “Yet,
Netflix executed almost flawlessly throughout the past year and, time and time again, demonstrated it is impervious to any notion of gravity. Or, perhaps better put, Netflix has proven itself to defy any notion of how a media company operates or grows.”

Still, Fishman and Nathanson remain more reserved than some of the other analysts, with a neutral rating on Netflix stock and a price target increase from $670 to $850.

Similarly, Wolfe Research analyst Peter Supino maintained a Peer Perform rating with a price target of $869.68. While acknowledging Netflix had a “quarter for the ages,” he expressed concern that the company’s high equity valuation is not discounting risks related to engagement growth, high penetration in the U.S. and Canada and Europe, Middle East and Africa regions and competition from short form.

He argued that it does “not provide much margin of safety to absorb the risk of paid sharing subscriber pull forwards nor the rapid rise of short-form engagement, YouTube and other streaming services aggressively investing in content vying for consumer time, limiting Netflix’s opportunity to grow viewership.” 

Netflix stock is up 99% in the past year, 49% in the past six months and 9% year to date.

The post Netflix Stock Soars to New All-Time High as Wall Street Celebrates Blockbuster Q4 Earnings Report appeared first on TheWrap.

Here are the top-line results:

Net income: $1.87 billion, compared to $938 million a year ago.

Earnings per share: $4.27 per share, up 102% year over year, compared to $4.19 per share expected by analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research.

Revenue: $10.25 billion, up 16% year over year, compared to $10.12 billion expected by analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research.

Subscribers: Netflix added 18.9 million subscribers in the quarter, up 15.9% to 301.63 million globally. For the full year, Netflix added a record 41 million subscribers.

Subscriber growth for the quarter was driven by broad strength across its content slate, improved product/market fit across all regions and typical seasonality, the company said in its quarterly shareholder letter. Netflix touted programming such as “Squid Game” Season 2, the action film “Carry-On” and its live events including the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight and its pair of NFL Christmas Day games.

With the impacts of COVID-19 and 2023’s Hollywood strikes behind it, Netflix anticipates approximately $18 billion in cash content spend in 2025 — up from $17 billion — as the streaming business remains competitive across traditional entertainment and big tech.

“We’re fortunate that we don’t have distractions like managing declining linear networks and, with our focus and continued investment, we have good and improving product/market fit around the world,” the streamer stated. “We have to continue to improve all aspects of Netflix — more series and films our members love, a great product experience, increased sophistication in our plans and pricing strategy (including more advertising capabilities) — and grow into new areas like live programming and games. If we do that well, we believe we’ll have an increasingly valuable company — for consumers, creators and shareholders.”

The last hurrah for quarterly subscriber disclosures

As it shifts its focus to revenue, operating margins and engagement, Netflix will stop reporting its quarterly subscriber count and average revenue-per-paid member figures beginning in the first quarter of 2025. It will continue to provide a breakout of total revenue by region, as well as the impact of foreign exchange changes, and announce major subscriber milestones as it crosses them.

Its next bi-annual engagement updates will be released in February and with its earnings results for the second quarter of 2025 in July.

Netflix added 4.82 million paid subscribers in the U.S. and Canada during the quarter for a total of 89.6 million; 5 million in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region for a total of 101.13 million; 4.15 million in Latin America for a total of 53.33 million; and 4.94 million in the Asia-Pacific region for a total of 57.54 million.

Average revenue per paid member grew 4% in the U.S. and Canada to $17.26, or total revenue of $4.5 billion, while ARM in the EMEA region grew 3% to 11.11, or $3.29 billion in total revenue. Meanwhile, ARM growth was flat in the APAC region at $7.34, or $1.2 billion in total revenue, and LATAM fell 7% to $8, or $1.23 billion in total revenue.

Netflix’s reported a 52% year over year increase in operating income to $2.27 billion and an operating margin of 22.2% during the quarter. It also generated $1.38 billion in free cash flow during the quarter and had $1.54 billion in net cash from operating activities.

As it looks to the first quarter of 2025, Netflix is forecasting 11.2% year over year revenue growth to $10.42 billion, which is modestly below its full-year guidance due to the timing of price changes and seasonality in its ads business. It also expects net income of $2.44 billion, earnings per share of $5.58, operating income of $2.94 billion and an operating margin of 28.2%.

For full year 2025, Netflix expects revenue growth of 12% to 14% to somewhere between $43.5 billion to $44.5 billion, up $500 million from the prior forecast. As a result, it’s targeting a 29% operating margin for 2025, up from previous guidance of 28%.

Netflix hikes prices as ad tier on track for ‘sufficient scale’ in 2025

In addition to its quarterly results, Netflix revealed that it would increase the price of most of its plans in the U.S., Canada, Portugal and Argentina, including the first for its ad tier.

Under the new pricing in the U.S., Netflix’s ad-supported tier will increase by $1 to $7.99 per month, while the Premium tier will increase $2 to $24.99 per month. Additionally, the ad-free Standard plan will increase from $15.49 a month to $17.99 a month. The cost of adding an extra member to a plan has also increased by $1, to $8.99 in the U.S. However, the cost of adding an extra member to a plan with ads still remains $6.99 a month.

In November, Netflix revealed that its ad tier has grown to 70 million monthly active users globally. The offering now accounts for over 55% of new sign-ups in the 12 countries where it is available, and its membership base grew nearly 30% quarter over quarter. Without disclosing specifics, the company said it has doubled its ad revenue in 2024 and expects to do the same in 2025.

Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said 2025 would be the year the ad tier transitions from the crawl to walking stage, noting the offering is on track to reach “sufficient scale” in all of the markets where it’s available.

The company will introduce an Extra Member with Ads feature in 10 of its ad-tier markets to give subscribers additional choice and flexibility. It also plans to roll out its in-house advertising technology globally through 2025, with Canada already operating solely on the new platform and the U.S. slated to begin in April.

Netflix’s live events remain focused on ‘big, memorable moments’

As Netflix continues to ramp up its live events programming to bolster its revenue growth going forward, the company said it would focus on delivering “big, memorable moments” rather than on the more expensive proposition of acquiring rights to large regular-season sports packages.

“Although our live programming will likely be a small percentage of our total view hours and content expense, we think the eventized nature will result in outsized value to both our members and our business,” the company said.

Looking ahead, the company’s live programming will include weekly WWE matches, the SAG awards, John Mulaney’s new variety talk show and the return of the NFL on Christmas Day. Netflix has also secured the U.S. rights for FIFA’s Women’s World Cup in 2027 and 2031.

The post Netflix Tops 300 Million Subscribers Globally, Adds Record-Breaking 19 Million in Q4 appeared first on TheWrap.

193 is described as “a global production and sales entity designed to capitalize on high demand for quality films for the independent market,” per Legendary. The new company “will develop and produce its own slate of films, and work with third-party producers and financiers, representing global distribution rights for completed films and providing capital and early territory sales activities for projects in their early stages.” Legendary and Wachsberger will co-own 193.

The new company is one of several ongoing growth initiatives for Legendary under CEO Josh Grode. 193 “offers a platform to identify and amplify emerging filmmaking voices, selectively leveraging Legendary’s substantial financial, creative, production and marketing resources. Harnessing the year-round cadence of international sales, 193 will immediately begin cultivating its slate, transacting both at and between established sales markets,” according to the Tuesday press release. It will complement Legendary Pictures, led by chair of Worldwide Production Mary Parent. Legendary’s Chief Marketing & Commercial Officer Blair Rich will oversee the marketing for 193 projects, “with consideration for territory nuances as well as the employment of innovative marketing and data analysis technologies.”

While Legendary is known for top-tier blockbuster features like Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” films, Guillermo del Toro’s “Pacific Rim” and the recent slate of stateside Godzilla movies (most recently, last year’s “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire”), in 2019 they became one of the principal financial partners in Library Pictures International, an entity focused on lower-budget independent films. Library’s recent films include Netflix’s Golden Globes juggernaut “Emilia Pérez” and Walter Salles’ “I’m Still Here.”

“I have known and worked with Patrick dating back to Summit Entertainment,” Grode said in an official statement. “We are excited to be partnering with him in this new stand-alone venture and know that 193 will be a leader in bringing top-quality films to markets around the world. This is an exciting moment for Legendary, as we continue to build on strong momentum and further diversify our film and TV portfolio.”

Wachsberger added, “I am thrilled to launch this new venture alongside Legendary, which has delivered many of the industry’s most compelling and successful films in recent years. Given the strong global demand for high-quality independent films, along with the input of Legendary’s world-class creative and production team, we are in a fantastic position for growth. 193 will bring exceptional stories from great filmmakers to audiences around the world.”

As a producer, Wachsberger won the Best Picture Oscar for “Coda.” In 2019, he became partner and head of Picture Perfect Federation, a joint venture between Picture Perfect Entertainment and top international studio Federation Studios dedicated to developing and producing premium television content for the U.S. and international markets. Before that he was chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, joining the company when they purchased Summit Entertainment.

193 is the latest big move by Legendary, which in October, flush with cash from “Dune” and “Godzilla x Kong,” bought out the remaining equity interest in the company held by Wanda Group. Now, Legendary is owned by Apollo. Upcoming projects include “A Minecraft Movie,” released by Warner Bros.; “Animal Friends,” with Ryan Reynolds and Jason Momoa (which recently went from Sony to Warner Bros.); and an upcoming Alejandro G. Iñárritu film starring Tom Cruise that recently started shooting in London that will be out on Oct. 6, 2026.

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As of Tuesday morning, founder Col Needham has become executive chair as former COO Nikki Santoro takes over as CEO. Since the Internet Movie Database was first established in 1990, it had only ever had the one CEO.

“After founding IMDb and serving as CEO for 35 years, I’ve chosen to transition into my new role as founder and executive chair, passing the torch to Nikki Santoro as our new CEO,” Needham said in a statement. “Nikki’s strategic vision, deep understanding of our customers and products, and commitment to innovation have already delivered impressive business results during her tenure as COO. Her track record of driving growth and enhancing our products and services makes her the ideal person to guide IMDb into a new era. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Nikki and the talented IMDb team in my new role as we build on IMDb’s legacy and shape the future of entertainment information.”

Santoro joined IMDb in 2016 and was promoted to COO in 2021. Prior to that, she held leadership positions at Amazon, Microsoft and The Weather Channel.

“Taking on the role of CEO at IMDb is both a tremendous honor and an exciting challenge,” Santoro added in a statement. “I’m committed to leading our global team as we continue to elevate IMDb as the world’s premier entertainment resource, connecting global audiences with the content they love and supporting industry professionals with unparalleled data and insights, all powered by cutting-edge technology and a passionate community. As we navigate the rapidly evolving landscapes of technology and entertainment, IMDb will be at the forefront, delighting fans, empowering creators and informing industry decisions.”

Under the new leadership, effective immediately, the Amazon-owned website insists it will “continue to focus on enhancing its core database, growing its advertising, IMDbPro membership service, and licensing businesses, and leveraging emerging technologies.”

IMDb will hold an industry dinner in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 27 to celebrate the changing of the guard.

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“Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXST) and Altice USA (NYSE: ATUS) today announced that they have reached a comprehensive partnership agreement and all Nexstar programming has been restored to Altice USA’s Optimum TV customers,” the companies announced in a statement.

“Together, Nexstar and Optimum thank our customers and viewers for their patience as we partnered on the best deal for them.” Details of the agreement have not been made public.

On Jan. 10 Nexstar insisted it has tried to negotiate with Altice since October and accused the latter of having “repeatedly demand[ed] special terms that are wildly out of step with both our longstanding relationship and the cable television marketplace.”

The resulting back and forth meant two million people in the United States were “deprived” of their programming, Nexstar also said.

“Altice has consistently made unreasonable and unprecedented demands of Nexstar, culminating with their decision to walk away from the negotiations,” said Nexstar’s President and Chief Operating Officer Michael Biard said in a statement. “Unfortunately, this seems to be a regular pattern of behavior for Altice, which dropped the MSG Network just last week, depriving millions of New York sports fans the opportunity to see their favorite teams in action. We understand the difficulty of Altice’s financial situation, burdened as it is by billions in debt, but the solution isn’t to force Optimum subscribers to continually pay more while getting less.”

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