Len Blavatnik Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

EXCLUSIVE: Warner Recorded Music has unveiled a new global joint venture with Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lee Daniels’ (The United States vs. Billie Holiday) company, Lee Daniels Music.

Warner Music Group said Wednesday that it has begun planning for the succession of chief executive Stephen Cooper and expects to announce a new CEO by the end of 2023.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSteve Cooper, CEO of Warner Music Group for the past 11 years, will step down next year, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal that was confirmed to Variety by a rep for the company.The transition will be a gradual one, the rep emphasized, as the company seeks a suitable successor.Warner is the third-largest major music group, after Universal and Sony, and Cooper has run it with a firm, calm and non-flamboyant hand through the first decade of the streaming era and as it went public for a second time in the early months of the pandemic in 2020. The company earnings were declining at the time of his arrival and he not only reversed that trend but doubled its revenue and embraced new technologies and business opportunities.

It’s been a busy few months for Lizzo and there’s no sign of slowing down.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorWarner Music Group has suspended all of its operations in Russia, the company has confirmed to Variety. “Warner Music Group is suspending operations in Russia, including investments in and development of projects, promotional and marketing activities, and manufacturing of all physical products,” according to a statement from the company. “We will continue to fulfill our agreed upon obligations to our people, artists, and songwriters as best we can as the situation unfolds.

EXCLUSIVE: Mars Media’s Ruben Dishdishyan and Amedia Production’s Len Blavatnik, two of the most significant figures in the Russian biz, have entered into a five-year agreement to co-produce and co-finance feature films.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentBillionaire Len Blavatnik’s live sports streaming service DAZN, which recently secured TV rights to all Serie A live soccer matches in Italy for the next three seasons, has come under fire across the country after a string of technical outages.These have now prompted DAZN to offer a one-month refund to subscribers who request it.The ongoing streaming snags are believed to be caused by Italy’s insufficient broadband infrastructure, which has caused some

A new stage musical adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald masterpiece The Great Gatsby is headed for Broadway, with music by Florence + the Machine’s Florence Welch and Oscar-nominated “Mystery of Love” song producer Thomas Bartlett.

Kevin Mayer, whose long tenure at Disney culminated in the successful launch of Disney+, is joining sports streaming outfit DAZN as chairman.

Former ESPN president John Skipper and radio host and former ESPN on-air talent Dan Le Batard are joining forces on a new content venture. The pair are launching Meadowlark Media, which will emphasize a "creator-centric point of view" to content, with its initial focus on sports.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorKevin Mayer, previously a top Disney executive and — briefly — CEO of TikTok, has joined Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries investment firm as a senior adviser, focusing on the media sector.Mayer, who worked at Walt Disney Co. for more than two decades and steered the launch of Disney Plus a year ago, will focus on Access’ strategic media-related businesses and identify new opportunities across media, entertainment and telecommunications sectors.

Also Read: Nat Geo Pushes 'Genius: Aretha' Premiere From Memorial Day to 'Later This Year'“I’ve always looked for new ways to bring a story to life. This is my passion.

Also Read: 'The Match' With Tom Brady and Peyton Manning Scores Record Golf RatingsCornerstone Films will finance together with Len Blavatnik’s film investment arm AI Film (AI) and BBC Films. The film was developed by BBC Films and the BFI with National Lottery funding.

On June 3, Warner Music Group went public in the year's biggest stock offering, and its share price rose 39% over the next two days. The company itself didn't raise any money — the shares were sold by Len Blavatnik's conglomerate, Access Industries — but it's now worth $18.3 billion based on its $31.05 per share closing price on June 10. After selling $1.86 billion in stock and adding

Warner Music Group (WMG) bosses have set aside $100 million (£79 million) to help combat racism in the music industry.Company officials launched the fund for charitable causes “related to the music industry, social justice and campaigns against violence and racism,” following calls from stars including The Weeknd to take action amid ongoing protests against racial injustice across the U.S.The fund, which has been established in collaboration with the Blavatnik Family Foundation – the charitable

Shares in the Warner Music Group were up 20.5% on the NASDAQ stock exchange at the close of trading Wednesday (June 3), its first day on the market as a public company under Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries. After being priced at $25 this morning, in line with its projected $23-$26 IPO price, and opening at $27, it finished the day at $30.12, according to MarketWatch, for a market capitalization of $15.36 billion and an enterprise valuation of $17.85 billion, when debt is included.

Warner Music Group has set its initial public offering (IPO) price at $25 per share. The size of the IPO has been increased from 70 million shares to 77 million shares.

By Jem Aswad

By Jill Goldsmith

By Jem Aswad

Warner Music Group continues to improve its margins and profitability in its fiscal first quarter of the year, a quarter that the company said was the highest in its history as a stand-alone company, which began in 2004 when Time Warner sold off WMG to a private equity consortium which in turn sold the company in 2011 to Len Blavatnik's Access Industries.