Media Stocks to Hit More Turbulence with Wobbly Q2 Earnings and Weak Second Half Outlook

Josie Gibson was left comforting an angry and upset Craig Doyle as he returned to This Morning with bad news. The duo were back fronting the ITV daytime show on Monday (July 31) as they kickstarted their summer stint at the helm following on from Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary.

Sam Heughan has teased future seasons of his hit travel show with Outlander co-star Graham McTavish.

Young Fathers have spoken to NME about their 2023 Mercury Prize shortlisted album ‘Heavy Heavy‘, playing with Depeche Mode and the “abundance” of ideas they have for their next album. Watch our interview with the band above.Having already won the Mercury Prize back in 2014 for their debut album ‘Dead’, the Scottish trio of Kayus Bankole, Alloysious Massaquoi and Graham G Hastings find themselves nominated again for their 2023 fourth album ‘Heavy Heavy’ – a record they told NME was driven by “sense of togetherness”.“When we were making the songs, we recorded a lot of music, and the thread that held all the songs together was this communal aspect,” said Hastings at the launch of the prize yesterday (Thursday July 27). “Strangely we recorded this in a studio in a basement with no windows, just the three of us.

Molly-Mae Hague has given fans another glimpse into her surprise proposal as she shared the magical picture taken 'moments before' she became a fiancee. The influencer and her now-fiance Tommy Fury thrilled fans over the weekend when they announced they were engaged.

Disappointing news for Vanderpump Rules fans…

Ariana Madix is leaving her past in the past — despite having to work with him!A source tells ET that the star refuses to film with her ex, Tom Sandoval, whose affair with castmate Raquel Leviss (now Rachel) played out during the show's 10th season. «Tom and Ariana haven’t filmed one-on-one and she’s telling her friends she won’t,» the source says.

Ariana Madix is not ready for a sit down with Tom Sandoval.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor The world of documentary, news and nonfiction content is as varied as the work done by Rachel Maddow, Dawn Porter and Roy Wood Jr. Those three are among the industry notables set to appear at Variety and Rolling Stone’s third annual Truth Seekers Summit, a daylong gathering for the nonfiction production sector to be held Aug. 2 at New York’s Second, an event location on 6th Avenue.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor SAG-AFTRA and Hollywood’s largest employers are wrestling over complicated contract proposals in a business turned inside-out by the transition from linear to streaming. But some of what’s on the table isn’t so complicated. Some of the discord between labor and management that led SAG-AFTRA to go on strike on July 13 is rooted in money and the hard reality of making minimum rates in Hollywood. SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher has vowed publicly that securing a hefty increase in minimum pay rates across the board is a deal-breaker issue for the union. Talk to any established working actor and it becomes clear why. Most of them say they’ve been dragged back to working for scale in a marketplace that has paid high-wattage stars record fees but put the squeeze on everyone else down the call sheet.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor A dominant 3-0 win by the U.S. Women’s National Team helped the Women’s World Cup get off to a strong start for Fox Sports and Telemundo on Friday night. Viewership of the USA-Vietnam match, which aired at 9 p.m. ET, came in just shy of the record set in 2019 by a comparable Group Stage match. The Fox broadcast network brought in 5.26 million viewers for its live 9 p.m.-11 p.m. ET coverage of the game, held at Eden Park stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. Telemundo, which has Spanish-language rights in the U.S., averaged 1 million viewers for the game across linear and digital platforms, including Peacock. The 2023 Women’s World Cup, hosted by Australia and New Zealand, is drawing heightened attention in the U.S. as Team USA pursues a historic third consecutive victory. The tournament runs through Aug. 20.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor There was a large crowd in the room when SAG-AFTRA and Hollywood’s major studios and streamers formally began contract bargaining negotiations on June 7. About 80 participants from both the labor and management sides gathered at the Sherman Oaks headquarters of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers for the first day of what everyone knew would be a difficult negotiation for the performers union, which has been on strike since July 13. One big presence in the negotiations process who was not there in person on Day One was Fran Drescher, president of SAG-AFTRA. But Drescher had no trouble making herself heard that day. She addressed the gathering via video conference call from Paris – and she definitely got management’s attention.

Sophia Scorziello editor Live Nation’s concert streaming platform Veeps has set its first-ever global film premiere with rock documentary “What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?” The doc’s exclusive PVOD release on Veeps follows its March 2023 theatrical release, which was helmed by Abramorama. The exclusive Veeps screenings will take place on August 20 at 12 p.m. ET and 8 p.m. ET. Veeps is offering two tiers of tickets, the first going for $12.99 which gives access to the screening, and the second for $24.99, which includes screening access along with a CD copy of the documentary’s soundtrack. Both tickets provide audiences with a 3-day rewatch window. In addition, each of the two PVOD screenings will host a live Q&A with filmmaker John Scheinfeld and Blood, Swear and Tear’s band member Bobby Colomby.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor In a milestone media moment for women’s sports, Fox Sports is about to deliver the most expansive coverage of a FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament in history – an investment driven by the success of the U.S. national team and its pursuit of an unprecedented third consecutive victory. From July 20 through Aug. 20, cabler Fox Sports 1 (FS1) and the Fox broadcast network will serve up more than 190 hours of live soccer programming from the tournament staged in Australia and New Zealand. The roster includes 64 matches, about half of which will air on Fox, the broadest platform for the games and for sponsors. All matches will stream live via the FS1 app. The quarterfinals, semifinals, third-place match and the big finish will all air live on Fox.

Fresh off falling agonisingly short of qualifying for the 2023 ICC World Cup, Livingston cricketer Jack Jarvis has been called into the Scotland squad for their T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier, which takes place in Edinburgh.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis held a packed union meeting at their Beverly Hills home. Desi Arnaz poured his heart out in an open letter to the industry while Lew Wasserman worked the numbers quietly behind the scenes. And it was none other than future Oval Office occupant Ronald Reagan who led the Screen Actors Guild through the war in 1960, the last time that Hollywood experienced such a season of labor strife with actors and the Writers Guild of America on strike at the same time. And it was already a tumultuous time for the industry. In 1959, Congress and the Justice Department were deep into their investigation of “payola” corruption involving music labels and radio station owners. Congress also held hearings that year on the notorious TV quiz show scandals (see 1994’s “Quiz Show” for a primer).

Variety + Sportico’s Sports and Entertainment Summit in Los Angeles, presented by City National Bank. Leaders, athletes and executives came together at the 1 Hotel West Hollywood to discuss the varying challenges, techniques and strategies that have served them well. Here are 10 key takeaways from a day of lively discourse.

Greater Manchester is bracing itself for a stormy weekend. After a day of unseasonably strong winds today (Friday) a yellow warning for wind has been issued covering the south of England and Wales whilst rain warnings have been issued in Scotland.

There’s only one thing we love more than a well designed, cooling and flattering midi dress: a well designed, cooling and flattering midi dress with pockets. Having handy side pockets is truly the epitome of good design, and it seems White Stuff got the memo because the brand included them in the design for its latest summer-ready midi dress.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor “Succession” planning paid off big time for HBO once again on Emmy nominations day. The family dynasty drama led the Emmy field pack for the second consecutive year. The series was the cornerstone of HBO’s total tally of 127 nominations, including shows that also ran on the streamer previously known as HBO Max (now just Max). Netflix weighed in with 103 mentions. “Succession” raked in 27 bids, including a history-making troika of noms in the lead actor drama category for Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin and Jeremy Strong. Last year the series grabbed 25 nominations and went all the way to take the top prize for drama series. Also adding heft to HBO’s tally this year was the acclaimed freshman drama “The Last of Us,” with 24,” and “The White Lotus” at 23.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Buckle up for a busy 72 hours. SAG-AFTRA’s already-extended contract talks will come to a head one way or another by the July 12 midnight PT expiration deadline. And as goes SAG-AFTRA’s negotiations with the major studios and streamers goes the rest of Hollywood’s year. By multiple accounts, progress in the negotiating room has been negligible since SAG-AFTRA granted a 12-day extension of talks hours before the contract expired June 30. The mood across town is grim with the expectation that Hollywood will soon endure its first “double strike” in more than 60 years. The Writers Guild of America, which has been on strike since May 2, stands ready to help SAG-AFTRA execute its first industry-wide work stoppage since Jimmy Carter was in the White House. SAG-AFTRA’s move would bring a burst of energy to the WGA’s public efforts at a time when union members privately acknowledge that strike fatigue is setting in. With little diminution in the resolve of WGA members to back their union, polite discussions of “what’s the endgame” are nonetheless rising among writers and showrunners who were busy juggling multiple projects for 2023 and 2024 before scribes went pencils down.