Xbox to make sure Activision Blizzard staff “feel safe” following acquisition news

Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker will be joined in Broadway’s upcoming revival of Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite by Danny Bolero (In The Heights), Molly Ranson (Prayer for the French Republic) and, in his Broadway debut, Eric Wiegand, producers announced today.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterEsports is the biggest opportunity in TV that nobody’s talking about — yet.That’s the view from video game industry veterans who see esports — or the exploding world of live video gaming competitions, complete with crowds of virtual fans cheering them on — as poised to explode in the coming years.Riot Games and Activision Blizzard are among the gaming giants making big investments to juice the burgeoning market for esports TV rights deals. A new round of consolidation and fresh capital coming into gaming, as evidenced by Microsoft’s pending $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, will raise the stakes, as esports content is a clear growth engine for gaming.“We don’t necessarily see obstacles in front of us — we see opportunity,” Brandon Snow, head of Activision Blizzard esports, tells Variety.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has said that he doesn’t believe its acquisition of Activision Blizzard should be blocked by the US Federal Trade Commission.The deal, worth around £50billion, was announced on January 18 but earlier this week it was announced that the US Federal Trade Commission would be conducting an antitrust investigation after fears the acquisition would harm competition.Talking to the Financial Times, Nadella said that the deal would only place Microsoft as the third largest player in the video games industry behind Sony and Tencent. He also believes the fragmentation of the market would prevent it from ever gaining a monopoly.“At the end of the day, all the analysis here has to be done through a lens of what’s the category we’re talking about, and what about the market structure?” said Nadella.“Even post-this acquisition, we will be number three with a low teens (market) share, where even the highest player is also in the teens (for market) share.

Creating quite a stir. As fans weigh in on the character of Che Diaz in And Just Like That, the Sex and the City revival series, Sara Ramirez opened up about how they have handled the more negative feedback.

Drake said “take care” all right!

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe CMT Music Awards, which agreed to move their date and venue when the 2022 Grammy Awards announced their relocation to Las Vegas, have unveiled the new date and venue for their inaugural broadcast on CBS: The show will now broadcast live from Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium on Monday, April 11, from 8 p.m – 11 p.m. ET; the West Coast broadcast will be delayed, although the show will also be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.“The biggest and best moments in music are coming to CBS this April,” said Jack Sussman, executive vice president, specials, music, live events & alternative programming for CBS.

Zack Sharf Graham Nash and India Arie are the latest music artists to announce they are following in the footsteps of Neil Young and Joni Mitchell by removing their music from Spotify. Nash said in a statement that he “completely agrees” with his Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young bandmate Neil Young after “having heard the COVID disinformation spread by Joe Rogan on Spotify.” Nash added, “I am requesting that my solo recordings be removed from the service.”While Young, Mitchell and Nash exited Spotify because of Joe Rogan’s podcast spreading COVID misinformation, India Arie noted on Instagram that she is leaving Spotify because of Rogan’s “language about race.”“Neil Young opened a door that I must walk through,” Arie wrote on Instagram.

Microsoft is to be investigated by the Federal Trade Commission over their proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.News broke last month that Call of Duty and Overwatch developers Activision Blizzard were being acquired by Microsoft. But the deal isn’t actually set in stone yet, and now according to Bloomberg, the deal will see the FTC conduct an antitrust investigation over the Activision Blizzard acquisition.

Peacock has set the cast for The Resort, a true-crime love story from Palm Springs writer Andy Siara, Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail and UCP. Luis Gerardo Méndez (Narcos: Mexico, Murder Mystery), Nina Bloomgarden (Hot Pink, Jane) and Gabriela Cartol (La Camarista, Hernán) are set as series regulars, and Debby Ryan (Insatiable), Dylan Baker (Happiness), Michael Hitchcock (Black Monday, Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar) and Becky Ann Baker (Girls, Freaks and Geeks) will recur in the ensemble series.

Managing your money might require a rethink in retirement, particularly as your savings may need to stretch over decades now that people are living longer.

There’s a lot going on in the world of Blizzard right now. Along with the announced acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft for £50billion, Blizzard itself just announced a brand new survival game that takes place in a new universe is coming to PC and console.

Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert fans on Thursday, as both singers have iHeartRadio nominations. Carrie and Jason Aldean have been nominated for Country Song of the Year for their duet If I Didn't Love You, and the song is also up for Best Collaboration.MORE: Carrie Underwood encourages fans with a fun new workout challengeMiranda is going head to head with Jason, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs and Thomas Rhett for Country Artist of the Year.

Updated article published on 27/01/22: Elliot Page is continuing to inspire fans and posted his first selfie of 2022. Dressed in a grey jumper, black T-shirt and a silver chain, the actor smiles as he stares down at his phone while taking a selfie. He captioned the post with a heart emoji.

Showcase” event.“Showcase,” an annual variety comedy show spotlighting up-and-coming performers, has served as a launching pad for the careers of numerous stars, such as Kate McKinnon (“Saturday Night Live”), Tiffany Haddish (“Girls Trip”), Ego Nwodim (“Saturday Night Live”), Nico Santos (“Superstore”), Drew Tarver (“The Other Two”) and Nicole Byer (“Nailed It!”). Formerly a live theatrical production attended by executives, casting directors and talent agents across the entertainment industry, this year’s Showcase will be a pre-filmed hour of sketch comedy shot on location in Los Angeles.

Lisa Kennedy Every now and again, a documentary filmmaker finds a bona fide star to pin the meaning of her film on, a figure so compelling she leaves a comet trail of thoughts and feelings after the movie’s end. Isabel Castro’s “Mija” boasts two: music manager Doris Muñoz and singer Jacks Haupt. Make that three, including the writer-director herself.

Good Morning America have sorely been missing Robin Roberts' presence over the past few instalments. MORE: Robin Roberts supported by fans for big achievement away from GMAShe finally broke her silence last week when she revealed that she had tested positive for COVID and was in the process of recovery. Her co-stars took to the air at the start of a new week to share news of her health and discuss when she would be returning to TV.

Marilyn Manson’s ex-partner Evan Rachel Wood claimed the singer “essentially raped” her on camera while filming the music video for his 2007 single “Heart-Shaped Glasses (When the Heart Guides the Hand)”.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefSony shares staged a recovery on Thursday in Japan after previously plunging on news of Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of games giant Activision Blizzard.At the Thursday lunchtime trading halt in Tokyo, Sony Group Corp. shares were priced at JPY12,860 apiece, up 3.6% from their Wednesday close of JPY12,410. On Wednesday, the shares had fallen by nearly 13% from JPY14230 as the deal appeared to herald a growing battle between Sony’s PlayStation console and Microsoft’s Xbox.Microsoft said that its $68 billion deal, which may take more than a year to close, would make it the world’s third largest games company by revenue, after China’s Tencent, and Japan’s Sony.The move would bring game titles including “World of Warcraft” and “Call of Duty” under Microsoft’s control.