Latest news with #MarkThompson
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
George Clooney Makes Broadway History as His Play 'Good Night, and Good Luck 'Is Broadcast Live on CNN
George Clooney's Broadway play Good Night, and Good Luck made history by being broadcast live on CNN on Saturday, June 7 No live Broadway play has ever been simultaneously televised, according to the network Clooney, who directed the 2005 film version, plays journalist Edward R. Murrow in his Broadway debutGeorge Clooney's play Good Night, and Good Luck just made Broadway history. The Tony-nominated play starring Clooney, 64, as journalist Edward R. Murrow had its penultimate performance from the Winter Garden Theatre broadcast live on CNN and on Saturday, June 7. This marks the first time a live Broadway performance has ever been simultaneously televised, according to the network. "I can't tell you how exciting it is to do something that's never been done," Clooney previously said in a statement about the televised event. "CNN is the perfect place to bring this story of courage to so many more people than we could have ever hoped. Live TV. No net. Buckle up, everyone." 'Good Night, and Good Luck is not just a celebration of a golden age in TV journalism,' added Chairman and CEO of CNN Mark Thompson. "It's also about the importance of the free press and the need for strong news organizations to report the facts in a fair-minded way. That's something we still care deeply about." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Nominated for five Tony Awards and directed by David Cromer, Good Night, and Good Luck has become the highest-grossing play in Broadway history, and the first play to surpass a gross of $4 million in a single week. The production marks Clooney's Broadway debut, and comes 15 years since the hit 2005 movie about CBS journalist Murrow's 1954 exposé on Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Clooney directed the film version, in which he played Fred W. Friendly. Clooney stars as Murrow onstage and co-wrote the stage adaptation with Grant Heslov. The two previously collaborated on the film's screenplay, nabbing a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination in the process. Clooney was also nominated that year for directing Good Night, and Good Luck, as well as for his supporting acting work in Syriana. The latter won Clooney his only acting Oscar. During an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers on June 2, Clooney joked that one of the first things he'll do after his final performance is fix his "bad" hair. Clooney appeared on the show wearing a hat to cover his head, and the first thing he mentioned after greeting host Seth Meyers was that the hat was necessary to "hide" his hair as it grew out. "It's bad. It's still dark on top, but it's gray at the bottom," he explained, telling Meyers, 51, that he hadn't dyed it for about two months. "So you get that really nice-looking grow-out of gray." Among the play's Tony nominations is Clooney's nod for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play. The actor made it clear that he isn't necessarily prepared to take home an award during the ceremony this Sunday: "I'm not thinking very positively about winning a Tony." The production is up for Best Sound Design of a Play, Best Scenic Design of a Play, Best Costume Design of a Play and Best Lighting Design of a Play. Tickets for Good Night, and Good Luck are now on sale. The play wraps up its limited run on Sunday, June 8. Read the original article on People
Forbes
5 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
45 Years Ago, CNN Changed The World. Then The World Changed CNN.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 15: Mark Thompson Chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide speaks onstage during ... More Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront 2024 on May 15, 2024 in New York City. (Photo byfor Warner Bros. Discovery) Here's a thought experiment for you: The U.S. has suddenly found itself at war, and the first shots of the conflict are being fired at this exact moment. What TV news channel would you turn on to learn more: CNN? Perhaps Fox, or your local news? Would you even turn on a TV at all? And if I'd asked you this question, say, five years ago — would you have a different answer? For decades, the answer to that first question — for millions of Americans, and much of the world — was CNN. It was the network people reached for in such moments of uncertainty, crisis, and global significance as the Challenger explosion, the Gulf War, 9/11, election nights, and presidential debates. CNN made its name by being on when no one else was, delivering live news around the clock and across the globe. It wasn't just the first 24-hour news network; it was a public utility during moments of chaos. Forty-five years ago this week, at 5 pm Eastern Time on June 1, 1980, CNN went live for the very first time. For its viewing audience, tuning in would eventually become a kind of Pavlovian response to breaking news — and to anything major unfolding anywhere in the world. The network's promise was the world's headlines, at all hours of the day, right from your TV set. On that score, CNN founder Ted Turner fundamentally 'changed the way people get their news,' network anchor Wolf Blitzer tweeted on Sunday. To mark the anniversary, some CNN employees across the organization this week have shared photos of red cupcakes, the tops of which were decorated with the words 'CNN: Celebrating 45 Years.' Many of the network's anchors and journalists, like Blitzer, opened the X app and dashed off their respective ruminations — journalists like international correspondent Larry Madowo ('When CNN says 'go there,' I'm always like: say less. And I've gone all around the world representing, bearing witness.') and anchor/correspondent Kristie Lu Stout ('...with technology and audiences ever on the move, you can find our reporting on linear, digital, social, streaming and audio. The revolution is not over yet.). That's the tendency, when arriving at such milestones — to celebrate the past, and the distance traveled. Alongside all the nostalgia, however, it's also worth noting an important truth that points toward the CNN of the next 45 years: The cable news network that changed the world, the one that acclimated everyone to the idea of always-on TV news and broadcasts filled with talking heads, has itself been changed by the world it helped to usher in. Consider: The traditional TV sector in the US lost $12 billion in subscription and advertising revenue in 2024, according to one report. Cable TV subscriptions are also projected to decline from 34.7 million in 2023 to 27.1 million by 2028, continuing a shift away from traditional cable services. CNN, like its rival networks, has dealt with declining viewership in cable news by cutting production costs where possible and laying off employees (several hundred over the past three years), but none of that can alter the trajectory that the cable news business is on. Pricey cable news subscriptions have all but gone the way of the printed newspaper, as mobile screens and personalized social feeds command an ever-growing share of their users' time — which is to say, news is now something most people scroll past as opposed to sitting down for. And as consumers get accustomed to getting headlines in 15-second bursts, often algorithmically tailored to their worldview, the idea of TV news feels increasingly out of sync with how people engage with the world today. Cable news is besieged on one side by changing user behavior and on the other by unforgiving economics — one eroding attention, the other bleeding resources. To put it bluntly, this is an alternately weird and unsettling time to be in the news business — especially so for the cable news business. Those of us who cover it are having to expand our vocabulary to include the emergence of new companies with strange names like Noosphere and Versant. Veteran cable news broadcast personalities like CNN's own Jim Acosta have decamped to new media platforms like Substack. The economics are such that CNN back in the fall even felt compelled to launch a paywall for by far the largest digital news in the US. The talk-heavy nighttime lineup of Fox News, meanwhile, consistently trounces CNN in the ratings, a trend that shows no sign of abating. I say all that not to bash CNN, but to reiterate that the network today is far different from the one that emerged 45 years ago. If anything, it's a more cost-conscious business these days, and its influence is no longer a product of simply platforming the loudest voices on cable. If covering the network's important journalism and interviewing its talent over the years has taught me anything, however, it's that no one will be writing its obituary anytime soon — never mind the daunting challenges ahead. By the end of the year, for example, CNN will have launched a standalone weather app, CNN Weather, as well as a new subscription product that the network says 'will provide a simple and centralized way for audiences to experience CNN's journalism and original programming. Subscribers will be able to choose from a selection of live channels, catch-up features and video-on-demand programming, across all platforms.' Both moves are part of CEO Mark Thompson's ongoing digital transformation effort that's still underway. CNN also in recent weeks announced major new hires including Choire Sicha, who joined CNN Worldwide as Senior Vice President of Features Editorial (Sicha came from Vox Media, where he served as Editor at Large for New York magazine). These aren't just survival tactics; they're signs of a network still evolving, still experimenting. Forty-five years in, the network that once defined what breaking news looked like is no longer the only voice in the room. But for its workforce of journalists, of course, the instinct to bear witness is one thing that hasn't changed. And that instinct will keep the network moving forward. Happy birthday, CNN.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CNN to Launch New Streaming Product and Standalone Weather App
CNN is stepping back into the streaming waters with the launch of a new streaming product in the fall of 2025. Network CEO Mark Thompson officially confirmed the launch during Warner Bros. Discovery's TV upfront at Madison Square Garden in New York on Wednesday. No official name or pricing was presented for the streaming service, but it will be part of CNN's new All Access subscription service tier. This will be CNN's second attempt at launching a full-scale streaming product. In April 2022, WBD shuttered CNN+, which had been in existence for less than a month. The network says this new offering will have plenty of options for subscribers to engage with the network's journalism and original programming. Those options include a selection of live channels, catch-up features, and video-on-demand programming across the CNN mobile app, connected TV apps, and 'CNN has been leading and innovating in video-led journalism since its inception, and the expansion of our subscription offering to include streaming embodies that pioneering spirit,' said Alex MacCallum, executive vice president of digital products and services. 'We're giving audiences an even more convenient way to access CNN's trusted reporting and original programming-brought together in one intuitive, easy-to-use experience.' Existing CNN linear subscribers will be able to log in to the new streamer at no additional cost, and the network says it will still remain part of the Max-soon to be renamed HBO Max-platform. CNN introduced its All Access tier in October 2024, with a metered digital paywall on its website for U.S. visitors. Users are able to read a select number of stories, before having to pay a $3.99 subscription fee of $3.99 to unlock additional access, plus subscriber-only content. CNN+ was priced at $5.99 per month and $59.99 annually, and allowed access to 8-12 live daily shows, new original series, and a library of more than 1,000 hours of programming. It was reported to have had around 150,000 subscribers at the time of its demise. That previous service was supposed to intended to serve as a placeholder for the network's streaming ambitions and a revenue-generating option apart from its linear channel. Since CNN+ was shut down, the network has had a minimal streaming presence apart from a dedicated tab on the Max streaming service. Besides the new streamer, the network also announced CNN Weather as its first digital lifestyle product. The standalone app will blend weather and climate reporting with user-friendly features that offer real-time weather information. CNN received acclaim for its coverage of the Los Angeles-area wildfires in January. The network also received an Outstanding Breaking News Coverage Emmy nomination for its coverage of Hurricane Milton.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
CNN's Mark Thompson Provides Some Additional Details For What He Calls Its 'First True New Streaming Service'
CNN's upcoming streaming service, set to debut in the fall, will be 'one simple way to explore the very best of CNN journalism on your phone, your connected TV or other digital device,' the network's chairman and CEO Mark Thompson told advertisers this morning. At the Warner Bros. Discovery upfront, Thompson said that the service, which he called 'the first true new streaming service,' would include live channels and news feeds and exclusive programming and other content. He said that further plans will be revealed in the coming weeks, but the launch will be first in the U.S. and then internationally. He also said that it would be part of a new 'all access' subscription, as the network has gone the subscription route on More from Deadline CNN Picks Up New Eva Longoria & Tony Shalhoub Series, Renews 'Have I Got News For You' As Part Of Originals Slate CNN Films Is Back: Chevy Chase Film & Cancer Project Usher In New Phase For Doc Strategy Octavia Spencer, Jennifer Love Hewitt & Tom Bergeron To Host WBD Cable Net Titles The service will be available to current cable and satellite subscribers at no additional cost. CNN said that it will continue to have a presence on Max, headed for a rebrand to HBO Max. The service will be the network's latest effort to establish a standalone presence to counter cord cutting and draw in younger audiences who have shunned traditional cable and satellite subscriptions. A previous effort, CNN+, lasted just less than a month when it was introduced in 2022, even though tens of millions were poured into drawing new talent for the platform. Thompson also said that the network's first lifestyle app, CNN Weather, would launch later this year. 'CNN is changing,' Thompson told advertisers. 'We're racing to find new ways to connect with our audiences across the day and around the world.' Best of Deadline Everything We Know About The 'Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' Movie So Far TV Show Book Adaptations Arriving In 2025 So Far Book-To-Movie Adaptations Coming Out In 2025
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New CNN Streaming Service to Launch This Fall With Free Subscriptions for Cable Subscribers
The upcoming new CNN streaming service will launch sometime this fall, CEO Mark Thompson informed employees on Tuesday. The news, first reported by the New York Times, comes 3 years after CNN shuttered CNN+, the network's previous attempt to enter the streaming marker, just one month after launch. While speaking to staffers, Thompson revealed at least one major difference between the new service and CNN plus — that existing cable TV subscribers will receive a free subscription. He also said the new streaming service will be tied to the network's new subscription product, according to NYT. The new service will also offer a more stripped-down experience very similar to watching CNN on television, and will feature a great deal of content from CNN itself. Details such as price and what the service will be called have not been made public. However, according to Oliver Darcy, the new service will simply be called CNN. When asked for comment, representatives for CNN confirmed the accuracy of the Times report and indicated more details will be provided Wednesday during parent company Warner Bros. Discovery's upfronts presentation. CNN first announced the new streaming service in January as part of a post-election pivot to a more digital focus that also included more than 200 layoffs. According to the New York Times, Thompson has indicated plans to hire around that many people for the new service. While CNN is expected to remain present on Max, this new streamer will be similar to its TV offerings. Another subscription-based model will be set around lifestyle content, such as food and fitness. The post New CNN Streaming Service to Launch This Fall With Free Subscriptions for Cable Subscribers appeared first on TheWrap.
