Amazon Raids Disney for Executive to Oversee Advertising on Prime Video

Disney announced that it was rebooting the hit teen series Lizzie McGuire, with the original cast returning. The series, which would’ve focused on an adult version of the lead character’s life, was cancelled in 2022 after just two episodes had been filmed.Now, Jonathan Hurwitz, a writer on the canceled reboot has opened up about the “adult” storylines the series would’ve covered, leading to Disney’s discomfort and its eventual cancellation.Taking to TikTok, Hurwitz revealed details of the first two episodes – which had already been filmed – and the plot for the third episode, which had been written but was rejected.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Rachel Maddow‘s next project will take her to Russia — in a sense. The journalist’s Surprise Inside production company will team up with Adam McKay‘s Hyperobject Industries to work on the Rakontur documentary project “From Russia With Lev.” All three production entities are clients of WME.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor A celebration of “The Daily Show” took place earlier this week — but not on the network that airs it. The program won an Emmy award for “Outstanding Variety Series” and its former host, Trevor Noah, and one of its former top contributors, Roy Wood, Jr., were on hand to take part. Veteran behind-the-scenes executives like Jen Flanz, who runs the program, and Daniel Radosh, a writer who has been with the series since the days of Jon Stewart, were easily viewed.

Jonathan Hurwitz, a writer on the canceled Lizzie McGuire reboot, is opening up about the storylines the series would’ve covered.

OK, this one is certainly hard to categorize, but let’s give it a shot. Inspired by Jennifer Lopez’s upcoming album of the same name due in February, the film “This Is Me…Now” is a quasi-documentary with narrative elements— an intimate, fantastical, and narrative-driven reflection of her personal journey of self-healing and self-love (perhaps inspired by some of Beyonce’s most recent documentaries).

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Digital media executive Alex MacCallum, who left CNN after a major streaming product she helped build was scuttled, has returned to the news outlet to help build some more. McCallum, who exited CNN in June of 2022 when she was interim chief digital officer, has been named executive vice president of digital products and services, and will be charged with developing new concepts to attract digital audiences — a key business objective as more of CNN’s cable subscribers find new broadband, social and mobile platforms where they can gain information and knowledge.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Diamond Sports Group has put together a plan to emerge from bankruptcy and remain a going concern, helped by a big new streaming deal with Amazon. Amazon has committed to making a minority investment in Diamond Sports Group, one of the largest operators of regional sports networks (RSNs) in the country, as part of Diamond’s bankruptcy reorganization plan, the RSN company announced Wednesday.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor The best home-theater experience coming to the market is one you’ll be able to strap onto your head, according to Apple. Apple unveiled several new entertainment experiences that will be available on Apple Vision Pro — its expensive new mixed-reality headset — when it begins shipping on Feb.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “Shtisel,” the popular series following the lives of a tight-knit ultra-Orthodox family in Jerusalem, is changing its U.S. home. Previously available on Netflix, all three seasons of “Shtisel” have been acquired by Amazon Prime Video from Yes Studios.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor One of the greatest plays in sports isn’t taking place on any athletic field. Walt Disney Co.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor And now the baton passes to Lily Collins. The actor will reprise her character Emily Cooper from the Netflix series “Emily in Paris” when she appears in the latest promo from NBC Sports for the 2024 Paris Olympics. In the spot.

After what feels like myriad delays and setbacks, “Mr. & Mrs.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Amazon is laying off “several hundred” employees at Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. “This is a difficult decision to make and one that my leadership team and I do not take lightly,” the company’s entertainment chief Mike Hopkins wrote in an email to staff Wednesday.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Marie Donoghue, who parlayed a stint at ESPN into a job helping Amazon break into the U.S. sports-media business, is leaving the company, according to a person familiar with the matter. Amazon declined to comment.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor There’s a new senior player in TV’s true-crime industry. Paul Ryan has been named executive producer of NBC News‘ “Dateline,’ reporting to Liz Cole, who became the long-running newsmagazine’s senior executive producer last year. Both elevations come after David Corvo, the NBC News executive who had long overseen the series, moved to tackle consulting duties.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor The founder of VideoAmp, a measurement-technology start-up that has been vying with Nielsen and others to create a new means of tabulating video audiences, is stepping down from his CEO role just as the company plans to lay off nearly a fifth of its staff, Ross McCray, who led VideoAmp as it struck deals with titans such as Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery, will remain as a shareholder and board member at VideoAmp, but will be replaced by Peter Liguori, an industry veteran who has led Fox Entertainment, FX and Tribune Media, among other companies. Peter Bradbury,, a former Nielsen executive, was named VideoAmp’s chief commercial and growth officer.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor CBS kicks off a new era in late-night on Tuesday, January 16, when it launches “After Midnight” at 12:37 a.m. hosted by comic Taylor Tomlinson. The series, which will rely on a rotating series of panelists to discuss the latest trends and memes in the digi-sphere, will follow an original hour of CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” “After Midnight,” based on the premise of “@midnight,” a program that ran on Comedy Central between 2013 and 2017,” breaks late-night tradition at CBS, which has long depended on a more typical program after 12:30 a.m.

Amazon Prime Video will introduce a price hike if they want to watch content on the platform ad-free.Subscribers to Prime Video today (January 3) received an email titled ‘An update on Prime Video’ in which they were told about changes to their “Prime Video experience” which will take effect just over one month from now. The changes were first announced by the company last September.From February 5, Prime Video will include what the company describe as “limited advertisements”.

Spoilers for “Saltburn” below.The movie follows Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan), a misfit college student at Oxford, who feels out of place among his wealthy classmates, especially the uber-cool Felix (Elordi). When Felix invites him to spend time at his family’s estate, “Saltburn,” Oliver’s obsession with Felix soon spirals into depravity and death.

Fans might be shocked to learn about what was canceled at Prime Video in the past 12 months, plus, what his TV show will be coming to an end.