Latest news with #HearstCommunications
Yahoo
06-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Disney's ESPN to Buy NFL Network, Other Assets in Stock Swap
(Bloomberg) -- The National Football League will sell most of its media businesses to Walt Disney Co. in exchange for a 10% stake in the ESPN sports networks, deepening the ties between the league and one of its top broadcast partners. Mayor Asked to Explain $1.4 Billion of Wasted Johannesburg Funds All Hail the Humble Speed Hump PATH Train Service Resumes After Fire at Jersey City Station Istanbul Policies Stalled as City Leaders Remain in Jail What England's New National Cycling Network Needs to Get Rolling The assets include NFL RedZone, a subscription-based highlights service, and the NFL Network cable channel, according to a statement Tuesday. Disney will also get to air more NFL games. Disney shares rose 2.2% in premarket trading Wednesday before markets opened in New York. The deal comes as ESPN prepares to launch a new streaming service. Called simply ESPN, it will cost $30 a month and give sports fans access to all of the company's traditional TV channels. Disney will also offer the new ESPN as part of a bundle with Hulu and Disney+ for $36 a month, with a promotional price of $30 monthly for the first year. Customers who already get ESPN through a cable or satellite-TV subscription will get the streaming version at no additional cost. ESPN is jointly owned by Disney, with an 80% stake, and Hearst Communications Inc., which holds 20%. The deal with the NFL is expected to close next year. The lines between sports leagues and their media partners have been blurring lately. In June, ESPN bought a stake in a lacrosse league in a deal that also includes media rights. Last week, Fox Corp. bought a one-third stake in Penske Entertainment, which owns the IndyCar Series racing circuit and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Disney plans to report fiscal third quarter financial results on Wednesday. NFL games attracted an average of more than 17 million viewers this past season, a 2.2% decline from a year earlier. The most-watched sport in the US continues to dominate ratings and made up the vast majority of the 50 most-watched prime-time broadcasts in 2024. (Updates with premarket shares in third paragraph.) Russia's Secret War and the Plot to Kill a German CEO AI Flight Pricing Can Push Travelers to the Limit of Their Ability to Pay Government Steps Up Campaign Against Business School Diversity What Happens to AI Startups When Their Founders Jump Ship for Big Tech The GOP Is Choosing Pesticides Over the MAHA Moms ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
06-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Disney's ESPN to Buy NFL Network, Other Assets in a Stock Swap
(Bloomberg) -- The National Football League will sell most of its media businesses to Walt Disney Co. in exchange for a 10% stake in the ESPN sports networks, deepening the ties between the league and one of its top broadcast partners. Mayor Asked to Explain $1.4 Billion of Wasted Johannesburg Funds All Hail the Humble Speed Hump PATH Train Service Resumes After Fire at Jersey City Station Istanbul Policies Stalled as City Leaders Remain in Jail What England's New National Cycling Network Needs to Get Rolling The assets include NFL RedZone, a subscription-based highlights service, and the NFL Network cable channel, according to a statement Tuesday. Disney will also get to air more NFL games. The deal comes as ESPN prepares to launch a new streaming service. Called simply ESPN, it will cost $30 a month and give sports fans access to all of the company's traditional TV channels. Disney will also offer the new ESPN as part of a bundle with Hulu and Disney+ for $36 a month, with a promotional price of $30 monthly for the first year. Customers who already get ESPN through a cable or satellite-TV subscription will get the streaming version at no additional cost. ESPN is jointly owned by Disney, with an 80% stake, and Hearst Communications Inc., which holds 20%. The deal with the NFL is expected to close next year. The lines between sports leagues and their media partners have been blurring lately. In June, ESPN bought a stake in a lacrosse league in a deal that also includes media rights. Last week, Fox Corp. bought a one-third stake in Penske Entertainment, which owns the IndyCar Series racing circuit and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Disney plans to report fiscal third quarter financial results on Wednesday. NFL games attracted an average of more than 17 million viewers this past season, a 2.2% decline from a year earlier. The most-watched sport in the US continues to dominate ratings and made up the vast majority of the 50 most-watched prime-time broadcasts in 2024. Russia's Secret War and the Plot to Kill a German CEO AI Flight Pricing Can Push Travelers to the Limit of Their Ability to Pay Government Steps Up Campaign Against Business School Diversity What Happens to AI Startups When Their Founders Jump Ship for Big Tech The GOP Is Choosing Pesticides Over the MAHA Moms ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Forbes
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Wimbledon 2025 Schedule, TV And Streaming Guide
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 16: Carlos Alcaraz of Spain with the Men's Singles Trophy following his ... More victory in the Men's Singles Final against Novak Djokovic of Serbia on day fourteen of The Championships Wimbledon 2023 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 16, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by) The excitement surrounding The Championships, Wimbledon, has reached anticipated blockbuster-movie level, and the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club can thank the French Open. The epic Roland Garros five hours and 29-minute match between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in the men's finals and the windy women's showdown between Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka, including the post-match comments, teases drama for a tournament that's produced centuries of theatrics. The tournament begins Monday, June 30, and runs through July 13. The grass stage is set and ready for storylines to unfold. Walt Disney Corporation and Hearst Communications, owners of ESPN, are among the best at producing sporting events, unscripted dramas. The ultimate reality TV, Wimbledon 2025, will feature contestants from all over the world competing for a record $72.6 million in prize money. Over the next fortnight, viewers will see heartbreak, triumph, Cinderella stories and real royalty. Where To Watch Primary Coverage Of Wimbledon 2025 LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 05: Coco Gauff of United States celebrates winning match point against Sonay ... More Kartal of Great Britain in her Ladies' Singles third round match during day five of The Championships Wimbledon 2024 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 05, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) ESPN and ABC will carry primary coverage for Wimbledon 2025 in the United States. The Disney networks have a tough act to follow. TNT drew record ratings for its men's and women's final. "ESPN is like the king of sports. It's taken the sporting scene to a whole new level," said John McEnroe, during an ESPN online press conference. " Chris Evert, who along with McEnroe worked on the TNT French Open coverage, believes like top tennis players, networks need competition, too. "It's like two players, top players, going at it, and they're both going to improve in the process," said Evert. 'They went outside the box and brought in some new elements that maybe ESPN will look at, and maybe TNT will look at some of the really classic, you know, elegant things also that ESPN does, and they'll both be better as a result.' Wimbledon 2025 Television Schedule Overview LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 04: John and Patrick McEnroe commentating for ESPN during day two of The ... More Championships Wimbledon 2023 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 04, 2023 in London, England. (Photo) Besides the more than 250 hours of live coverage on ESPN, ESPN 2, and ESPN Deportes, fans can expect expanded live coverage on the middle weekend, Saturday, July 5, and Sunday, July 6, starting at 6:00 a.m. EST. "Wimbledon Match Point," a panel-style recaps show, will air each day for the first five days. The Tennis Channel will air "Wimbledon Primetime," a nightly news show featuring highlights, commentary and analysis. You can find the daily match schedule on the Wimbledon website, under "Order of play." The Order of play schedule and court assignments are subject to change due to weather, extended play, or unexpected player retirements or withdrawals. Snapshot of Daily Coverage: (All Times ET) Where To Stream Wimbledon 2025 LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 12: Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates winning match point, with a violin ... More gesture, against Lorenzo Musetti of Italy in the Gentlemen's Singles Semi-Final match during day twelve of The Championships Wimbledon 2024 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 12, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by) The ESPN App will offer streaming for Wimbledon with every match across the two weeks from all 18 courts. Wimbledon 2025 Prize Money Breakdown LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 13: Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic and Jasmine Paolini of Italy ... More with there trophies after the award ceremony for the Womens Singles Final at The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship at the All England Lawn and Tennis Club at Wimbledon on July 13th, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images) Wimbledon increased the prize money across all rounds and events. Prize money ranges from $90,569 for first-round losers to more than $4.1 million for the champions in singles.* Singles Prize Money (Men & Women) Champion: $4,116,786 (£3,000,000) Finalist: $2,085,838 (£1,520,000) Semifinalists: $1,063,503 (£775,000) Quarterfinalists: $548,905 (£400,000) R16: $329,343 (£240,000) R32: $208,584 (£152,000) R64: $135,853 (£99,000) R128: $90,569 (£66,000) Doubles Prize Money (Men & Women per team) Champions $933,089 (£680,000) Finalists $473,405 (£345,000) Semifinalists: $238,761 (£174,00) Quarterfinalists: $120,067 (£87,500) R16 $60,033 (£43,475) R32 $35,677 (£26,000) R128 $22,641 (£16,500) *Dollar conversion based on exchange rate at the time of publication. Wimbledon 2025 Top Seeds LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 11: Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates against Roman Safiullin in the Men's ... More Singles Quarter Final match during day nine of The Championships Wimbledon 2023 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 11, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by) Players are seed 1-32, based on ATP and WTA rankings a week before Wimbledon. Below are the Top 10 seeds for men's and women's singles. 1. Jannik Sinner (Italy) 2. Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) 3. Alexander Zverev (Germany) 4. Jack Draper (Great Britan) 5. Taylor Fritz (USA) 6. Novak Djokovic (Serbia) 7. Lorenzo Musetti (Italy) 8. Holger Rune (Denmark) 9. Daniil Medvedev (Russia) 10. Ben Shelton (USA) 1. Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) 2. Coco Gauff (USA) 3. Jessica Pegula (USA) 4. Jasmine Paolini (Italy) 5. Qinwen Zheng (China) 6. Madison Keys (USA) 7. Mirra Andreeva (Russia) 8. Iga Switaek (Poland) 9. Paula Badosa (Spain) 10. Emma Navarro (USA) Top Storylines To Follow at Wimbledon 2025 PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 08: Carlos Alcaraz of Spain holds the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy as he ... More speaks with runner-up Jannik Sinner of Italy following his victory in the Men's Singles Final match on Day Fifteen of the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros on June 08, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by) Alcaraz and Sinner, the New Two, are the most intriguing rivalry in tennis. They have eight Grand Slam titles among them (Alcaraz, 5 Sinner 3). They are ranked No. 1 and No. 2. Coming off that epic French Open title, the only question is which players can challenge them? Djokovic remains in the mix, but the 38-year-old is trying to become the oldest player to win a Grand Slam. Meanwhile, perennial runner-up Alexander Zverev and struggling Stefanos Tsitsipas, are still seeking their first Major title. Will they finally break through or remain the lost generation between eras of the Big Four and New Two? Last year, Alcaraz dominated Djokovic 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (2). Sinner is ranked No. 1. They lead of legion of players 24 and younger. WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND - JULY 05: Roger Federer of Switzerland celebrates victory with the trophy as ... More Andy Roddick of USA (R) looks despondent after the men's singles final match on Day Thirteen of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 5, 2009 in London, England. Federer won 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14. (Photo by) The last American male to win Wimbledon was Pete Sampras in 2000. Ben Shelton wasn't even born then. The last American man to reach the final at Wimbledon was Andy Roddick in 2009. With two men in the Top 10, No. 5 Fritz and No. 10 Shelton, and American men are closer than we've been in a while, according McEnroe and Evert. 'I definitely think that we're closer than we've been in quite a while,' said McEnroe. The Americans have five players seeded. Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul are seeded No. 12 and No. 13, respectively. Alex Michelsen, ranked at a career-high No. 32, is seeded No. 30. Michelsen's seeding is higher than his ranking because Casper Rude and Arthur Fils, who would have been seeded, withdrew due to injuries. LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 12: Aryna Sabalenka celebrates winning match point against Madison Keys of ... More United States in the Women's Singles Quarter Final match during day ten of The Championships Wimbledon 2023 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 12, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by) Sinner and Sabalenka are your top seeds. However, Alcaraz is the favored to defend his title. Heading into the tournament, ESPN BET odds had Alcaraz at +120 to win his third Wimbledon title. Sinner was a close second at +190. Despite having never reached the final at Wimbledon, Sabalenka is the favorite on the women's side, +240, followed by 2022 champion Elena Rybakina, +550. Odds for women's defending champion and two-time Grand Slam winner Barbora Krejcikova is 66-1. Krejcikova is seeded No. 17. She was seeded No. 31 when she won last year. Men Carlos Alcaraz +120 Jannik Sinner +190 Novak Djokovic +600 Jack Draper 16-1 Alexander Zverev 25-1 Women Aryna Sabalenka +240 Elena Rybakina +550 Iga Swiatek +650 Coco Gauff +750 Madison Keys 12-1
Irish Examiner
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Book review: A forensic examination of the gutter press's race to the bottom
Citizen Kane (1941) is often described as the most influential movie ever made. The main character, Charles Foster Kane, is loosely based on American media mogul, William Randolph Hearst, who developed the largest newspaper chain and media company in the United States, Hearst Communications. Hearst began his career in 1887, aged 24, taking over the San Francisco Examiner from his father, George, who struggled to make it profitable. By 1890, the paper's circulation had tripled. 'The young Hearst demonstrated an extraordinary insight concerning journalism of the future,' writes English journalist, author, and academic, Terry Kirby, in The Newsmongers: A History of Tabloid Journalism. The book is a thoroughly researched, well-crafted history of tabloid journalism from the 16th century right through to the clickbait journalism of today. The real star of Kirby's book, though, is Alfred Harmsworth who became a newspaper man in 1894, when he bought the near bankrupt London Evening News. Within a year, it was the world's biggest selling evening newspaper. Harmsworth dominated the newspaper business in early 20th century Britain — he founded the Daily Mirror in 1903 and bought The Times in 1908. He died as Lord Northcliffe, aged 57, in August 1922. His media empire was passed onto his younger brother, Harold, then known as Lord Rothermere. During the inter-war years, his papers championed Mussolini and Hitler. Closer to home, Rothermere backed the British Union of Fascists, and their thuggish street gang associates, the Blackshirts. In the summer of 1939, just before Nazi Germany invaded Poland, Rothermere wrote a letter to Hitler praising his 'superhuman work'. An omen? The British tabloid press in the post-war period was dominated by outsiders. Robert Maxwell rose from poverty in Czechoslovakia, to become an academic publishing magnate, and a UK Labour Party MP. A crude egomaniac, Maxwell acquired the Daily Mirror in 1984 but his life ended in disgrace. The body of the millionaire publisher was found in early November 1991 off the coast of Tenerife. Maxwell was said to have fallen off the back of the yacht, Lady Ghislaine. He named it after his favourite daughter, who later became a criminal accomplice to serial sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Prior to his death, Robert Maxwell had defaulted on $2bn worth of loans and subsequently raided millions of pounds from his company's retirement fund, even stealing from his own staff's pensions and shares in Britain's Mirror Group. Robert Maxwell acquired the Daily Mirror in 1984 but his life ended in disgrace. File photo Rupert Murdoch, by contrast, was — and still is — a shrewd operator. He arrived in Britain, in late October 1968, aged 37. He was then already owner of a growing media empire in Australia that was started by his father. When Keith Murdoch became editor of the Melbourne Herald in January 1921, Lord Northcliffe (who was a good friend) sent him advice on how to make a newspaper profitable. Later that year, Northcliffe sent Murdoch £5,000 (£300,000 in today's money) to help him purchase the Sydney Morning Herald. By the mid-1980s, Murdoch owned The Sun, The Times, The Sunday Times and the News of the World. That decade, as market competition increased, the British tabloid press gradually evolved into the gutter press. Kirby examines this topic with forensic analysis. The emergence of HIV/Aids during the early 1980s, which devastated gay communities across the world, prompted little sympathy from the British tabloids. Typically, they sneered and mocked homosexuality. When EastEnders broadcasted the first ever gay kiss in a British soap in 1989, The Sun published a front-page story titled 'Eastbenders'. The article was written by Piers Morgan, then a young reporter for the paper, who wrote a regular column, The Poofs of Pop, where he speculated on whether various male pop stars were gay. There were numerous complaints made to Britain's Press Council over these stories, which the Sun's then-editor, Kelvin MacKenzie rejected. But Rupert Murdoch 'seemed unconcerned', as Kirby puts it. Rupert Murdoch 'seemed unconcerned' by Piers Morgan's regular column in The Sun, The Poofs of Pop, where he speculated on whether various male pop stars were gay. File photo: Arthur Edwards/PA/News International (NI Group Ltd) By July 2011, however, Murdoch had much to be concerned about. In fact, he voluntarily closed down his paper, the News of the World — after evidence emerged that a private investigator working there, Glenn Mulcaire, had hacked the phone of murdered schoolgirl, Milly Fowler. Journalists at the paper regularly used Mulcaire as a reliable source for stories they printed. The scandal led to then-British prime minister, David Cameron, to launch the Leveson inquiry, which began that year. It was supposed to bring back credibility and accountability to a press culture that was poisoned by years of criminal and unethical behaviour. In practice, after Leveson, the British media grew even more aggressive. In April 2015, Katie Hopkins published an article in The Sun claiming that all migrants coming to Britain by boat are 'cockroaches'. The new press watchdog, ipso, set up after Leveson, accepted the paper's defence that as an opinion piece, it was fair game. In November 2016, the Daily Mail ran a headline describing 'Enemies of the People'. The story, written by the paper's political editor, James Slack, claimed several High Court judges were risking a constitutional crisis. Actually, the judges were merely pointing out that Brexit needed to be passed in the House of Commons to become legally binding. Slack later went to work as a press officer for British prime minister, Theresa May. It's a route many prominent members of the British press have made. Take Andy Coulson, for instance. He was editor of the News of the World from 2003 to 2007. He stepped down after being given the director of communications job for the Conservative Party, staying in that role until January 2011. In July 2014, Coulson was jailed for 18 months for plotting to hack phones while he was editor of the News of the World. In October 2013, evidence emerged in London's Old Bailey that Coulson, while working at the News of the World, had a secret six-year affair with a fellow editor, Rebekah Brooks, while they both plotted to hack phones at the paper. Between 2003 and 2009, Brooks was editor of The Sun. Kirby cites a text message Brooks sent to David Cameron (then leader of the opposition) on October 7, 2009, on the eve of his Tory conference speech. 'I am so rooting for you tomorrow not just as a proud friend but because professionally we're definitely in this together! Speech of your life? Yes he Cam,' wrote Brooks. 'That last phrase was the Sun's headline the day after the speech,' Kirby explains. He argues convincingly that the line between the third and fourth estate has gradually eroded in Britain over the last few decades — where a motley crew of hacks, editors, press barons, and members of parliament, including several prime ministers, have all become a little too chummy for comfort. Kirby gives the last word to Britain's Prince Harry, the duke of Sussex. Last December, he was awarded £146,000 following a successful legal fight against The Mirror's publisher at the High Court in London, who ruled that he had been the victim of information gathering, including phone-hacking. 'Our country is judged globally by the state of our press and our government — both of which I believe are at rock bottom,' the duke of Sussex told the court in a witness statement that day. 'Democracy fails when your press fails to scrutinise and hold the government accountable, and instead choose to get into bed with them so they can ensure the status quo.' A British royal giving a lecture about democratic values? It's a bit rich. But he certainly has a point.
