In late 2016, MTV began developing “MTV Floribama Shore,” part of the “Shore” franchise that began with “Jersey Shore” in 2009. MTV planned to broadcast the premiere in November 2017. ...more
The team behind cryptocurrency Litecoin is scrambling after an employee “retweeted what turned out to be an untrue announcement about a partnership with Walmart Inc,” a move that briefly sent Litecoin and other cryptos...more
New jobless claims fell dramatically in new figures released on Thursday, as “the improving public health situation and the easing of pandemic-related restrictions allowed the labor market to continue its gradual return to...more
In the wake of McKinsey’s $600 million settlement with states over sales advice it had given drugmakers on opioids, partners at the consulting powerhouse have voted out the firm’s top executive, Kevin Sneader. ...more
Business interruption insurance claims keep coming, cutting across a broad array of industries. The entertainment and media sectors are certainly not immune from pandemic-related losses. Last month, ViacomCBS became the...more
Delaware Court of Chancery Allows Stockholder Litigation to Proceed Against Viacom-CBS Over $30B Merger; Ninth Circuit Affirms Dismissal with Prejudice of Securities Class Action Against Tesla; Second Circuit Affirms...more
On November 24, 2020, Dave Chappelle posted his “Unforgiven” stand-up set to Instagram and publicly called out Viacom and Comedy Central over the streaming rights and revenues from his early-2000s hit, “Chappelle’s Show.” As...more
As the COVID-19 pandemic forced widespread postponement and cancellation of film and TV production in 2020, it brought a corresponding explosion of insurance claims by producers. This led inevitably to coverage disputes as...more
Just before Thanksgiving, Dave Chappelle posted to his Instagram account an 18-minute stand-up set titled “Unforgiven.” As expected, Chappelle’s fans ate it up, and the original video has been viewed more than six million...more
As we thought, stocks rallied on Monday thanks to Moderna’s news of promising results for its Covid-19 vaccine, with the Dow and S&P 500 hitting new record highs....more
Unlike much of the world, the U.S. has not turned the corner on the coronavirus outbreak. But you wouldn’t know it by looking at the markets. On Tuesday, the S&P 500 topped out at its highest level ever, “capping a remarkable...more
Ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft are warning that California’s new moves forcing them to classify their drivers as employees could force them both to shutter their operations altogether in that state (at least while they...more
Google cut costs by rescinding offers to more than 2,000 contract workers due to the strains of the pandemic....more
Anticipated House passage later today of the $2 trillion COVID-19 stimulus bill helped swing markets back to a bull run (though let’s keep that bubbly corked, shall we?). The news was enough for Wall Street to shrug off a...more
HP has officially rejected Xerox’s enhanced takeover bid, again calling the offer “too low” and decrying its “disproportionate[] benefit” for Xerox shareholders....more
CBS and Viacom are back together again. The deal to reunite the former partners, which closed late yesterday, was pushed by National Amusements’ chief Shari Redstone since 2016 and hasted along recently by the precipitous...more
In the internal battle between keeping China off balance and keeping Wall Street happy, the White House has decided once again to focus on the latter, walking back the latest tariff escalation by postponing promised...more
A volatile August on Wall Street has insiders asking whether we should be taking our cues from 1998 or 2007. With that in mind, our financial term of the week is “countercyclical capital buffer,” a wonkish special for you...more
Saudi Aramco’s mega IPO plans are back on, and while valuation and other stumbling blocks remain, the kingdom is hoping to raise billions via the public offering as early as next year....more
HSBC chief John Flint is out just 18 months after he assumed the role as head of the London-based bank, likely due to clashes with Board Chair Mark Tucker and the lender’s focus on expanding in China. HSBC also announced it...more
On May 22, 2019, a federal district court largely denied a facial challenge by Disney, Viacom, and several online advertising networks to claims alleging these defendants violated the privacy rights of children by collecting...more
Stop us if you’ve heard this one—Conan the Barbarian and a Romulan walk into the Krusty Krab. SpongeBob looks at Conan and says, “I know you, but where’s he from?”...more
Affirming a district court ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit agreed with Viacom International that a fictional underwater restaurant named The Krusty Krab featured in SpongeBob SquarePants is entitled to...more
Advocacy Groups Urge Senate to Support NOSB - A group of advocacy organizations has sent a letter asking the leaders of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry to “fully support organic agriculture in the...more
Europe’s much-ballyhooed (and feared) General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) officially goes into effect today. Here’s a look at the mad dash across all sectors (and outside of the EU) to comply....more