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NEW YORK, – Hearst Corporation today announced it has completed its previously announced acquisitions of Birmingham, Ala., NBC affiliate WVTM-TV, Channel 13, from Media General, Inc. and Savannah, Ga., ABC affiliate WJCL-TV, from LIN Media LLC. The announcement was made by Steven R. Swartz, president and CEO, Hearst Corporation and Jordan Wertlieb, president, Hearst Television Inc. Terms were not disclosed. The transactions were subject to requisite regulatory approvals and the completion of the Media General/LIN Media merger.

Birmingham is the 44th largest television market and Savannah is the 92nd largest. The acquisition increases Hearst Television’s audience reach of U.S. TV households to nearly 19 percent, and the reach of its NBC-affiliated stations to nearly 8 percent, across 11 markets.

Hearst also announced new management for the stations. Henry “Hank” Price, a highly recognized broadcast industry veteran who has served since 2000 as president and general manager of Hearst’s WXII-TV, the NBC affiliate in the Greensboro/Winston-Salem, N.C., TV market, will move to WVTM in the same role. His successor at WXII-TV will be announced at a later date. Timothy J. (Tim) Morrissey, most recently president and general manager of WCNC-TV, the Gannett-owned NBC affiliate in Charlotte, N.C., will become president and general manager of WJCL; the move marks a return to Hearst for Morrissey, who in the mid-1980s served as news director at Hearst’s WISN-TV in Milwaukee.

“Television stations with strong news brands attract the largest audiences,” Wertlieb said. “A dedication to quality local programming and community service will be our focus as we grow our audience in the region. Hank and Tim exemplify that dedication.”

During Price’s tenure at WXII, the station has become the region’s leader in Web, mobile and multiplatform programming, as well as the Piedmont Triad’s highest rated television station, winning all major newscasts. Prior to joining Hearst, Price was vice president and general manager of WBBM-TV, the CBS-owned television station in Chicago and, before that, he was president and general manager of KARE-TV, the NBC affiliate in Minneapolis. Price is also senior director of Northwestern University’s Media Management Center where he concentrates on future news and business models. He has served on the boards of numerous community organizations in North Carolina, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Chicago.

In 2010, Price received the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters Distinguished Service Award for “Outstanding Contributions to Broadcasting.” He is co-author of Audience First, scheduled to be released by Sage Publishing in mid-2015.

The move to Birmingham marks a return to the region for Price. A native of Gulfport, Miss., Price worked his way through college at The University of Southern Mississippi where he is a member of the School of Mass Communications and Journalism Hall of Fame.

Before becoming president and general manager at WCNC in 2007, Morrissey was divisional vice president of The New York Times Company Broadcast Group, after having served as its corporate vice president of news. Previously, he was president and general manager at television stations in Oklahoma City (KFOR-TV) and Ft. Smith, Ark. (KFSM-TV) and served in news management roles at stations in Baltimore (WJZ-TV), Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pa. (WNEP) and New Orleans (WWL-TV).

Morrissey has served as a member of the NBC network affiliate board, the NBC NewsChannel board, the ABC News advisory board and the FCC’s Media Security and Reliability Council (MSRC). He currently serves on the board of directors for the United Way of Central Carolinas. He received his undergraduate education at Marquette University and is a Fellow of the Loyola University of the South Institute of Politics in New Orleans.

About Hearst Television
Hearst Television (www.hearsttelevision.com), a national multimedia company, owns and operates 31 local television stations and two local radio stations, serving 32 U.S. cities and reaching nearly 19 percent of U.S. television households. The TV stations broadcast 60 video channels, featuring local and national news, weather, information, sports and entertainment programming and local community service-oriented programs. The stations also host and operate digital online and mobile platforms that extend the company’s brands and content to local, national and international audiences. Hearst Television is recognized as one of the industry’s premier companies and has been honored with numerous awards for distinguished journalism, industry innovation and community service. Hearst Television is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hearst Corporation.

About Hearst Corporation
Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com) is one of the nation’s largest diversified media and information companies. Its major interests include ownership of 15 daily and 34 weekly newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and Albany Times Union; hundreds of magazines around the world, including Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, ELLE and O, The Oprah Magazine; 31 television stations, which reach a combined 18 percent of U.S. viewers; ownership in leading cable networks, including Lifetime, A&E, HISTORY and ESPN; significant holdings in automotive, electronic and medical/pharmaceutical business information companies; a 50 percent stake in global ratings agency Fitch Group; Internet and marketing services businesses; television production; newspaper features distribution; and real estate. Follow us on Twitter @HearstCorp and subscribe to Hearstlink.

CBS News and CBS Interactive today launched CBSN, the first digital streaming news network that will allow Internet-connected consumers to watch live, anchored news coverage on their connected TV and other devices. At launch, the network is available 24/7 and makes all of the resources of CBS News available directly on digital platforms with live, anchored coverage 15 hours each weekday.

“CBSN is an important example of how CBS is able to leverage the unique strengths, talent and competitive advantages of its businesses to create exciting, highly competitive new services that meet evolving audience preferences for content consumption,” said Leslie Moonves, President and CEO, CBS Corporation. “There’s a tremendous opportunity on these platforms for a true round-the-clock newscast. We’re confident this service will appeal to both traditional news consumers and a whole new set of viewers.”

CBSN will be available on CBSNews.com and its mobile website, key connected TV devices including Amazon Fire TV, Roku players and Roku TV™, and others, as well as the newly launched CBS News app for Windows 8/8.1 and Windows Phone 8/8.1 available through the Windows Store and Windows Phone Store. CBSN will also be available on the CBS News apps for Android and other leading platforms before the end of the year.

The network features a 60-minute format delivering live, updated news content from 9:00 AM – midnight ET every weekday at launch, and it takes advantage of the interactivity of digital platforms through a unique video player and on-screen interface. It gives viewers the full flexibility within each hour to control what they watch and when they watch it via DVR-like functionality that allows them to watch previous segments and jump back into live programming seamlessly and across devices.

Features of the network will include:

· Live, anchored coverage from 9:00 AM – midnight ET every weekday;

· Simulcasts of CBS News special reports for breaking news;

· Additional content from a range of CBS sources including CBS News, CBS affiliate stations, CNET, CBSSports.com, Entertainment Tonight and more;

· Accessibility across key connected TV devices including Amazon Fire TV, Roku players, Roku TV™ and others, as well as additional core CBS News digital platforms including CBSNews.com, its mobile website and the newly launched CBS News app for Windows 8/8.1 and Windows Phone 8/8.1 available through the Windows Store and Windows Phone Store. CBSN will also be available on the CBS News apps for Android and other leading platforms before the end of the year.

· Personal choice and control through DVR-like functionality that enable viewers to watch the segments they’re interested in or tune into the live programming seamlessly;

· The ability to share content from the experience via social media accounts with compatible devices;

· The opportunity for advertisers to reach engaged news consumers with custom ad integrations.

CBS News, a pioneer in broadcast journalism since the earliest days of radio and television, is utilizing its award-winning newsgathering and reporting to redefine it for the digital age. CBSN offers original, up-to-the-minute coverage of national and global stories with dynamic on-demand video content, including video from CBS News’ extensive archives to add context and perspective. Viewers will have immediate access to breaking news reports, feature stories and interviews from among the most experienced teams in video journalism.

“CBSN gives audiences a new window on our original reporting – we’ll make it possible to see CBS News anytime, anywhere,” said David Rhodes, President, CBS News. “We are making an important investment in quality news coverage on any device.”

“CBSN demonstrates our continued advancement in the digital space, as we extend to new platforms and a wider audience,” said Jim Lanzone, President and CEO, CBS Interactive. “We are developing original content exclusively for online, connected platforms in a true interactive format that viewers can control, allowing them to lean back or lean in to the segments and stories that interest them.”

CBSN will be an ad-supported network across all platforms. Inaugural sponsors include Microsoft and Amazon. Other advertisers will also run in the service on all devices.

The live, linear stream will be led by both veteran and new CBS News correspondents.

Jeff Glor is the anchor of the Sunday edition of the CBS EVENING NEWS and Emmy award-winning correspondent for the CBS EVENING NEWS WITH SCOTT PELLEY. Since joining CBS News in 2007, Glor has traveled extensively to report on domestic and international stories.
Elaine Quijano is a CBS News Correspondent reporting for all platforms, including CBS THIS MORNING and the CBS EVENING NEWS, since 2010.
Michelle Miller is an award-winning CBS News Correspondent reporting for all broadcasts and platforms since 2004. Her work regularly appears on the CBS EVENING NEWS WITH SCOTT PELLEY, CBS THIS MORNING and CBS SUNDAY MORNING WITH CHARLES OSGOOD.
Don Dahler is a CBS News Correspondent and an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared on a range of programs and platforms since 2013.
Vladimir Duthiers is a CBS News Correspondent. He joined CBS News in August 2014 from CNN, where he was an international correspondent based in Lagos, Nigeria.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – A group of photographers, visual artists and affiliated associations have reached a settlement with Google in a lawsuit over copyrighted material in Google Books. The parties are pleased to have reached a settlement that benefits everyone and includes funding for the PLUS Coalition, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping rightsholders communicate clearly and efficiently about rights in their works.

Further terms of the agreement are confidential.

The agreement resolves a copyright infringement lawsuit filed against Google in April, 2010, bringing to an end more than four years of litigation. It does not involve any admission of liability by Google. As the settlement is between the parties to the litigation, the court is not required to approve its terms.

This settlement does not affect Google’s current litigation with the Authors Guild or otherwise address the underlying questions in that suit.

The plaintiffs in the case are rightsholder associations and individual visual artists. The associational plaintiffs are The American Society of Media Photographers, Inc., Graphic Artists Guild, PACA (Digital Media Licensing Association)., North American Nature Photography Association, Professional Photographers of America, National Press Photographers Association, and American Photographic Artists. The individual plaintiffs are Leif Skoogfors, Al Satterwhite, Morton Beebe, Ed Kashi, John Schmelzer, Simms Taback and Gail Kuenstler Taback Living Trust, Leland Bobbé, John Francis Ficara, and David W. Moser.

The case is American Society of Media Photographers, Inc. et al. v. Google Inc., Case No. 10-CV-02977 (DC) pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

About Google Inc. and Associational Parties

Google is a global technology leader focused on improving the ways people connect with information. Google’s innovations in web search and advertising have made its website a top Internet property and its brand one of the most recognized in the world.

Founded in 1944, The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) is the premier trade association for the world’s most respected photographers.

The Graphic Artists Guild (GAG) is a national union of graphic artists dedicated to promoting and protecting the social, economic and professional interests of its members and for all graphic artists including, animators, cartoonists, designers, illustrators, and digital artists.

PACA (Digital Media Licensing Association) is a trade association established in 1951 whose members include more than 80 companies representing the world of digital content licensing.

NANPA, the North American Nature Photography Association, is the first and premiere association in North America committed solely to serving the field of nature photography.

Professional Photographers of America (PPA) represents more than 27,000 photographers and photographic artists from dozens of specialty areas including portrait, wedding, commercial, advertising and art.

Founded in 1946, the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) is the “voice of visual journalists” promoting and defending the rights of photographers and journalists, including freedom of the press in all its forms.

The American Photographic Artists (APA) is a leading national organization run by and for professional photographers.
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SEATTLE & WASHINGTON – The Washington Post today announced an all-new tablet app built for a national audience, available starting today exclusively for Amazon Fire tablet customers and offering unlimited free access to the app for six months—no subscription required.

The new app experience is built specifically for a national and international readership, which The Post has grown tremendously over the past year. With a newsroom of almost 700 and the winner of 60 Pulitzer Prizes, including two this year, The Post is among the most highly respected news organizations in the world. This app gives new form to The Post while offering all that has made The Post a must-read destination for millions of readers around the country and the world.

“This unique app reflects the culture of innovation and experimentation at today’s Washington Post,” said Fred Ryan, Publisher and CEO, The Washington Post. “Our digital journalists and engineers are focusing on the multitude of ways to optimize the reader experience. With 42 million monthly readers and growing this is another step forward in our effort to serve an even larger national and global audience. We are thrilled to be working with Amazon to offer this first to Fire tablet customers.”

“Digital reading opens up so many possibilities for experimentation, and The Washington Post’s new app offers an immersive news-reading experience that we hope our customers find engaging and informative,” said Russ Grandinetti, Senior Vice President, Kindle. “We’re constantly looking for ways to bring more value to customers, and free access to this new app is another example of the benefits of being a Fire tablet owner.”

The new app will showcase The Post’s award-winning national and international news coverage, striking photography and informative graphics. The immersive tablet experience has a bold visual display that lets readers quickly and easily navigate stories, giving readers around the country everything they need to know in one, easy-to-use place.

Core features of the new app include:

“Pinch View”- a new way to browse: Readers can easily swipe through an edition as if they are flipping through the pages of a magazine, getting a bird’s eye view of the entire content offering, along with the ability to simultaneously read the stories.
Stunning Visuals: Bold, high-resolution photos and rich, informative graphics throughout each edition.
Deeply engaging “Read View”: When reading an article in full, it is intuitive and easy to engage with the immersive “Read View,” where the focus is on the storytelling through text, photography and video.
Intuitive Navigation: The easy-to-use navigation helps users seamlessly browse through and between sections, with stories placed in the content categories that the user would expect to find them and headlines that are clear and direct. A simple swipe moves from story to story.
Packaged for the Tablet Reader: Created specifically for tablet readers’ sensibility, the app has two distinct editions released at 5:00am and 5:00pm ET, with breaking news and other updates added in between.
Taking advantage of the offer will be easy for Fire customers. The app will be made available as part of a free over-the-air software update for Fire tablets, including Fire HDX, Fire HD, and Kindle Fire HD. Customers who do not wish to keep the app can simply delete it by pressing and holding on the app icon and selecting Remove.

Launch Sponsors for The Washington Post App are Sprint Business and The Lincoln Motor Company. The Washington Post app will be available on additional devices in 2015.

About Amazon
Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire phone, Fire tablets, and Fire TV are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon.

About The Washington Post
The Washington Post is an award-winning news leader whose mission is to connect, inform, and enlighten readers with trustworthy reporting, in-depth analysis and engaging opinions. It combines world-class journalism with the latest technology and tools so readers can interact with The Post anytime, anywhere.

I’m thrilled to announce that we are acquiring BrightRoll, a leading programmatic video advertising platform.

Video is display 2.0. It’s what brand advertisers love. It’s a format that elegantly and easily transitions from broadcast television to PC to mobile and even to wearables. This is why video is a key part of our strategy.

It’s one of our four strategic pillars: search, communications, digital magazines and video.

It’s also one of our growth businesses: mobile, social, native, video.

We say that video is display 2.0 because we believe it can reinvent and replace the branded banner advertisement. Video, along with mobile, social, and native, represents a new format of online advertising that has the potential to help us transform and modernize Yahoo’s display business and return it to growth.

As we discussed on the last earnings call, we have achieved significant momentum on mobile (projecting $1.2 billion in gross revenues this year, which maps to $700 million in GAAP revenues after TAC) and native (projecting approximately $250m in GAAP this year). Social, through Tumblr, we expect will be a $100m business for Yahoo in 2015. We have made good investments that are just beginning to pay dividends in these growth areas. We need to hit equally meaningful milestones for video.

Online video advertising is increasingly fragmented across thousands, if not millions, of sites and mobile apps. More so than with traditional broadcast television, advertisers are seeking ways to buy online video advertising at scale across many sites in fewer, simpler transactions. BrightRoll provides an effective solution, aggregating high-quality publishers together into a unified network and utilizing programmatic advertising to allow real-time buying on the largest set of online video advertising inventory available. BrightRoll’s approach not only benefits advertisers and publishers, but also improves experiences for consumers, through better quality, more relevant advertisements.

Acquiring BrightRoll will dramatically strengthen Yahoo’s video advertising platform, making it the largest in the US. BrightRoll is the industry’s leading programmatic video advertising platform for reaching audiences across web, mobile and connected TV.

BrightRoll powers digital video advertising for the world’s largest brands and agencies, including 87 of the AdAge Top 100 US advertisers, all of the top 15 advertising agencies, and all 10 of the leading demand-side platforms

BrightRoll served more video ads and reached more consumers in the US in 2014 than any other platform, according to comScore

Tens of thousands of sites and apps send approximately two billion requests per day to BrightRoll to monetize the inventory they worked hard to create

BrightRoll is a large, growing and profitable business with net revenues expected to exceed $100 million this year. I’ve spent time with Tod Sacerdoti and his leadership team and I cannot wait to have him, his vision, and his team here at Yahoo.

I’ve talked on our earnings call about the transformation to return our iconic company to greatness. This acquisition is an important step in that transformation and has been accomplished in a strategically and financially compelling way. I’m confident it will create shareholder value, especially since we expect it to enhance EBITDA.

At the same time, this acquisition in no way detracts from our commitment to being a good steward of capital, continuing our track record of returning excess capital to shareholders and exploring smart, tax-efficient solutions for our stake in Alibaba. We continue to be optimistic about our progress on those efforts, and we will be back to you with an update by our next earnings release.

In the meantime, please help me welcome Tod and the BrightRoll team to Yahoo!

www.yahoo.com

INDIANAPOLIS—CONNECTIONS –Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), the world’s #1 CRM platform (http://www.salesforce.com/), and Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC), a leading global advertising and marketing communications services company, today announced the first ever CRM alliance to create an integrated customer journey platform. The partnership will help Omnicom’s agencies create highly personalized communications that connect the dots between marketing, sales, communities and customer service, allowing its clients to create dynamic, end-to-end customer journeys.

Powered by the world’s #1 CRM, the platform will leverage data from numerous sources to deliver optimized content to audiences on every channel and every device, and across paid and owned media. By partnering with Salesforce, Omnicom will be able to help its clients drive higher levels of brand engagement and loyalty.

Annalect, Omnicom’s data, technology and analytics arm, will manage the new offering. The cloud, mobile and API-first platform can be easily customized for specific agencies and clients, and will be made available to all Omnicom agencies across marketing disciplines and geographies.

Comments on News

“Salesforce.com and Omnicom will empower companies to connect to their customers in entirely new ways,” said Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO, salesforce.com. “By utilizing Salesforce as its customer journey platform for clients, Omnicom will strengthen its role as a trusted advisor to the world’s largest brands, creating amazing customer journeys that extend far beyond traditional digital marketing.”
“In this always-on, always-connected world, marketers face more complexity than ever before,” says Jonathan Nelson, CEO, Omnicom Digital. “By bringing together Omnicom with Salesforce, the world’s leading CRM, in a way that has never been done before, we will be able to span every consumer-touch point, both online and offline, which is a real first-mover advantage for our clients.
Omnicom and Salesforce.com Partner to Deliver First Customer Journey Platform Across Omnicom’s Global Agency Networks

The new customer journey platform will allow Omnicom agencies to deliver a seamless experience for their clients across every customer touchpoint. Now, Omnicom agencies will be able to:

Deliver a complete view of the customer journey —Salesforce.com provides a powerful technology solution that will help Omnicom agencies effectively manage billions of customer interactions on behalf of its clients across digital marketing, sales and customer service. This will enable Omnicom agencies to more efficiently service top global accounts across different agencies and geographies, and be able to leverage and integrate first-party data from their clients’ deployments of Salesforce within Annalect’s data management platform to deliver more relevant communications.

Manage 1:1 customer journeys and engagement across any channel —Omnicom will also leverage ExactTarget Marketing Cloud’s best-in-class content and automation capabilities in email, mobile, social, advertising, web personalization, connected devices, wearables and apps. The partnership expands on Omnicom Media Group’s existing partnership with Social.com, ExactTarget Marketing Cloud’s advertising platform.

Deliver next-generation marketing analytics —Leveraging data from Salesforce, Omnicom Group will be able to integrate sales and customer service touchpoints into its existing solutions, providing a comprehensive view of the customer. This will enable Annalect to deliver the next-generation data management platform, linking offline and online customer engagement and providing “last mile” analytics for clients.

Build innovative connected apps —Omnicom’s creative network will be able to build and manage the kind of engaging, connected apps today’s consumers expect using Heroku, part of the Salesforce1 Platform. Agencies will be able to leverage salesforce.com’s next-generation platform to build and deploy apps for brands that drive customer engagement and loyalty.

The partnership was announced today by salesforce.com Chairman and CEO Marc Benioff and Omnicom Digital CEO Jonathan Nelson at Connections, the digital marketing event of the year.

Omnicom (www.omnicomgroup.com) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom’s branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries. Follow us on Twitter for the latest news.

About salesforce.com
Salesforce.com is the world’s largest provider of customer relationship management (CRM) software. For more information about salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com.

BURBANK, Calif. — Continuing its commitment to creating new and compelling programming for the digital marketplace, Warner Bros. announced today the name of its newly formed shortform series production unit and also unveiled its first slate of development projects. Blue Ribbon Content is the name of the recently created division, which is charged with developing and producing live-action series for digital platforms, tapping the creative talent already working at the Studio while also identifying opportunities for collaboration with new writers and producers.

All of the Studio’s narrative shortform digital content will now be produced under the Blue Ribbon Content banner, which is headed up by Sam Register, who took oversight of digital development and production efforts upon being named President, Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Digital Series in April 2014. Register’s team at Blue Ribbon Content also includes Andrew Mellett, Senior Vice President, Distribution and Strategy, who manages the new division’s financial operations, oversees business affairs, and handles all distribution and sponsorship deals. In addition to live-action, Blue Ribbon Content will produce animated programming and is also experimenting with emerging platforms such as virtual reality.

Sam Register said: “We are tremendously excited about Blue Ribbon Content’s initial slate of development projects, and we are incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to work with such a talented group of writers and producers on projects that they feel exceptionally passionate about. We look forward to delivering compelling and memorable programming for our fans and distribution partners.”

Blue Ribbon Content’s first development slate includes a number of original program concepts as well as new shows from Warner Bros. Entertainment’s wide-ranging collection of intellectual property. Projects include shows from or supervised by creative talents such as Akiva Goldsman (Paranormal Activity), Reginald Hudlin (Django Unchained, House Party movies), Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series) and Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars); a new Mortal Kombat series; multiple projects featuring DC Comics characters, including a live-action version of Static Shock; a virtual reality experience based on the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series; and more.

SERIES ORDERS

Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles (Machinima) — This animated shortform series from Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett (producers of the legendary Batman: The Animated Series) will debut on Machinima in 2015. The series is based on Justice League: Gods & Monsters, an original animated film executive produced by Timm and co-produced by Burnett that will be released by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment later in 2015. Chronicles explores a newly conceived reality in the DC Universe where Justice League members Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are much darker versions of the Super Heroes that people think they know.
Untitled Mortal Kombat Series (distributed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment) — The next generation of Mortal Kombat is coming! In association with the upcoming Mortal Kombat X video game releasing April 14, 2015, Blue Ribbon Content and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment are teaming up on an all-new series that showcases some of the franchise’s most storied characters, while introducing a new generation of fighters.
Play It Again, Dick (CW Seed) — The first project to have debuted under the Blue Ribbon Content banner is Play It Again, Dick, co-written and executive produced by Veronica Mars creator/executive producer Rob Thomas for CW Seed, the digital-only studio of The CW Television Network. Play It Again, Dick stars Ryan Hansen as himself as he begs, cajoles and pleads with his former Veronica Mars castmates (some of whom make guest appearances) and friends to help him get his character, Dick Casablancas, his own spinoff show.
In addition to those series orders, Blue Ribbon Content’s programs in development include:

LIVE-ACTION DEVELOPMENT: COMEDY
RejecTED — We’ve all witnessed countless inspiring words of wisdom from world-renowned speakers on technology, entertainment and design. But not everyone can get on that stage, due to an ultra-competitive selection process that leaves many behind. Check out some of the lesser-known and just completely rejected speeches that the world never got to hear — until now — in this original satirical comedy from Rachel Ramras, Larry Dorf and Hugh Davidson (all of Mike Tyson Mysteries).
Ginger Snaps — The world of scouting has never been so competitive … or ruthless. Follow a troop of young girls as they backstab, manipulate and sabotage their way through the seedy underworld of the Ginger Snaps and preserve their power and influence at the top of the cookie pile in this original comedy from writer Sonali Patel. Ginger Snaps emerged from the Warner Bros. Television Workshop’s Fresh Ink initiative, which is dedicated to seeking out new and diverse voices from within the creative community, with the goal of developing comedy and drama ideas from women and ethnic minority writers into viable scripts for presentation to the marketplace. Patel is currently a staff writer on the new Warner Bros. Television comedy A to Z for NBC.
Golden Revenge — Two adorable house pets — a cat and dog — love their life with their owner. His new wife? Not so much. After receiving an “it’s me or the pets” ultimatum, the husband takes the cat and dog deep into the forest and leaves them behind in this original comedy. Now it’s up to the pets to find their way across the country and back to their beloved owner — in order to exact their revenge! Golden Revenge is from Tom Stern and Josh Gardner (Saul of the Mole Men, Gerhard Reinke’s Wanderlust), and produced by Conaco.
LIVE-ACTION DEVELOPMENT: ACTION/SCI-FI

Ouroboros — Original horror/thriller from Weed Road Pictures, producer Akiva Goldsman (executive producer of the Paranormal Activity franchise) and writer/director/producer Damon Santostefano follows two police officers over the course of one night in a remote part of Wisconsin as they are overwhelmed by a series of mysterious attacks … and an epidemic of possession.
Static Shock — Writer/producer/director Reginald Hudlin (Best Picture Oscar® nominee for producing Django Unchained, writer/director of House Party, executive producer/director of acclaimed TV series The Bernie Mac Show) leads the creative team behind a live-action adaptation of Static Shock, featuring the African-American super hero Static, aka Virgil Ovid Hawkins. Static Shock is based on the Static comic co-created by the late Dwayne McDuffie with co-writer Robert L. Washington III and artist John Paul Leon, which was originally published by the DC Comics imprint Milestone Comics and, later, by DC Comics. Milestone Media co-founder/comic book artist/TV producer Denys Cowan (the original Static Shock animated series) is collaborating with Hudlin on the new Static Shock. The aforementioned animated version of Static Shock previously aired for four seasons during the Saturday morning Kids’ WB! programming block on The WB Network from 2000–2004.
Critters — Blue Ribbon revisits the world of the legendary New Line Cinema cult classic movie franchise, as a new batch of alien pests descends upon the planet in this new digital series written by Michael Jelenic & Aaron Horvath (Teen Titans Go!).
VIRTUAL REALITY

Batman: The Animated Series Experience — As previously announced, Blue Ribbon, DC Entertainment and visual effects pioneer OTOY are teaming up on an immersive entertainment experience that will see the Batcave from the acclaimed Emmy® Award–winning Batman: The Animated Series brought to life via interactive holographic video for virtual reality displays. OTOY is collaborating with series producer Bruce Timm on this interactive narrative experience which will give fans the opportunity to explore Batman’s world like never before, allowing them to feel what it is like to be inside the show’s stylized universe on devices such as the Samsung GALAXY Gear VR, the Oculus Rift, and on forthcoming “glasses-free” light field displays that will power future TV and mobile devices.
Additional Blue Ribbon Content development projects will be announced in the coming months.

New York, NY – ­ iHeartMedia Inc., one of the leading global media and entertainment companies specializing in radio, digital, outdoor, mobile, live events, social and on-demand entertainment and information services, and Omnicom Media Group, the media services division of leading global advertising, marketing and corporate communications company Omnicom Group, announced today up to a $200 million, multi-platform partnership providing Omnicom Media Group clients with one-of-a-kind exposure and access to iHeartMedia’s constantly expanding roster of unparalleled events, sponsorship opportunities and technologies. The partnership will result in increased access to exceptional creative services and campaign ideation for Omnicom Media Group’s vast array of advertising clients.

The agreement provides a wealth of innovative opportunities for Omnicom Media Group’s clients to develop more effective creative media campaigns that utilize iHeartMedia’s cutting-edge multiplatform content and data, allowing advertisers to best maximize and leverage campaign spending and marketing plans.

As part of this new partnership, Omnicom Media Group and iHeartMedia will collaborate on developing new, groundbreaking audio and cross platform opportunities for clients that leverage technologies and insights from both companies.

In addition, Omnicom Media Group and iHeartMedia will develop joint research to provide clients with more comprehensive assessments of their advertising campaign efficacy while also informing media mix modeling. Clients will also be able to access iHeartMedia’s expanding programmatic buying platform, with both companies working together to shape the programmatic landscape to best serve the evolving needs of clients.

“Our partnership with iHeartMedia exemplifies Omnicom Media Group’s go to market approach, focusing on doing deeper, more significant deals with partners who are innovating in their category and providing more opportunities for our clients to engage with consumers in meaningful and memorable ways,” said John Swift, CEO North American Investment, Omnicom Media Group.

“At iHeartMedia we’re constantly searching for ways to utilize our unparalleled reach and insights into our consumers to help our advertising partners cultivate creative and cost-effective individualized marketing campaigns. What makes this new partnership with Omnicom so exciting is that it allows us to do that and more,” said Tim Castelli, President, National Sales, Marketing and Partnerships at iHeartMedia. “Ultimately, our collective goal is to leverage iHeartMedia’s technologies, insights, and comprehensive media offerings to provide Omnicom clients with richer media and marketing campaigns. We believe that with this new partnership, Omnicom Media Group clients will have the ability to leverage their partnerships with us to accomplish bigger and more impactful solutions.”
About iHeartMedia
With 245 million monthly listeners in the U.S., 97 million monthly digital uniques and 196 million monthly consumers of its Total Traffic and Weather Network, iHeartMedia has the largest reach of any radio or television outlet in America. It serves over 150 markets through 859 owned radio stations, and the company’s radio stations and content can be heard on AM/FM, HD digital radio, satellite radio, on the Internet at iHeartRadio.com and on the company’s radio station websites, on the iHeartRadio mobile app, in enhanced auto dashes, on tablets and smartphones, and on gaming consoles.

iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia’s digital radio platform, is the No. 1 all-in-one digital audio service with over 345 million downloads; it reached its first 20 million registered users faster than any digital service in Internet history and reached 50 million users faster than any digital music service and even faster than Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. The company’s operations include radio broadcasting, online, mobile, digital and social media, live concerts and events, syndication, music research services and independent media representation.

NEW YORK, – Hearst Magazines today announced that Cosmopolitan Editor-in-Chief Joanna Coles has been named editorial director of Seventeen and Senior Vice President/Publishing Director Donna Kalajian Lagani will assume marketing and publishing responsibilities for the brand. The new group engages nearly 60 million readers across print and digital. Coles continues as editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan and Kalajian Lagani continues as publishing director of Cosmopolitan and Cosmo For Latinas.

Ann Shoket, who has helmed seven years of brand building and digital innovations for Seventeen, has decided to step down as editor-in-chief to pursue other media projects. She will continue as a consultant at Hearst on new product development with Hearst Magazines President David Carey and Editorial Director Ellen Levine; a new editor-in-chief will be named in the coming weeks.

“Joanna and Donna are the ultimate dream team, and they’ve taken Cosmopolitan to new heights, across multiple platforms—print, digital, e-editions, social media, consumer products, and soon, live events,” Carey said. “Like Cosmo, Seventeen speaks to an audience of millennial women, and while their readers are at very different life stages, they share a love of style and entertainment and value independence and equality. Both brands enjoy strong advertising support from a similar group of national marketers across a range of categories as well. Joanna will work with Seventeen’s editors, and Donna with the sales and marketing teams, to further cement its place as the No. 1 teen magazine media brand in the country.”

Seventeen is the champion of Girl Power, reflecting the definitions and ideals of each new generation of young women, building their confidence, supporting their ambition and evolving along with them.

“It’s been an honor to lead such an iconic brand through a period of tremendous innovation,” Shoket said. “At this moment of change in our industry, I’m looking forward to finding new ways to continue our important conversations with readers.”

“We thank Ann for her dedication to the brand and its 11 million readers,” Carey said. “Under her guidance, Seventeen has embraced new and emerging technology and social media platforms, making sure readers can find Seventeen everywhere.”

Cosmopolitan is the world’s largest and most popular young women’s magazine media brand. Coles was appointed editor-in-chief in 2012, and has reinvigorated the brand, reclaiming its stake in the culture as the ultimate, empowering monthly guide for young women leading full lives, as it was under the editorship of the late Helen Gurley Brown. In 2014, Cosmo won its first-ever National Magazine Award. In 2013, Cosmo was named Adweek’s Hottest Magazine of the Year, and Coles was named Adweek’s Editor of the Year for the second time.

“Cosmo and Seventeen are both iconic brands that dominate their respective markets,” Coles said. “Together, their reach spans the entire millennial generation, a consumer base poised to drive the economy for many years to come. We’re passionate about empowering our female audience to live their biggest, best, and fullest lives, whether that means applying to college or landing a big promotion at work. Both Cosmo and Seventeen speak to women as they navigate some of life’s most pivotal moments, so this feels like a natural partnership.”

“Working with Joanna is truly inspiring, and I am excited to extend our partnership to Seventeen,” Kalajian Lagani said. “So many marketers are looking to connect with millennial women, who are just beginning to develop their brand preferences in their teens, and Seventeen is the perfect way to reach them on every platform.”

Coles partnered with Facebook COO and Lean In author Sheryl Sandberg to launch Cosmo Careers, and expanded the magazine’s sphere of influence, featuring new guest contributors including Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to the president of the United States. Cosmo will launch a live conference series this fall in partnership with William Morris Endeavor and a branded TV series is in development.

Kalajian Lagani has been leading sales and marketing for Cosmopolitan since 1995, adding Cosmo For Latinas in 2012. She was elected to the American Advertising Federation’s Hall of Achievement, has been honored at the prestigious Look Good, Feel Better ‘Dream Ball’ and received the USO’s Annual Woman of the Year Distinguished Service Award.

About Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan is the best-selling young women’s magazine in the U.S., a bible for fun, fearless females that reaches 17 million readers each month. The 2014 ASME Award winner delivers the latest news on men and love, work and money, fashion and beauty, health, self-improvement and entertainment. Cosmopolitan.com reaches nearly 30 million unique users a month, with a social following of five million Facebook fans and one million Twitter followers. In addition to the U.S. flagship, Cosmopolitan publishes 60 editions around the world, including Cosmopolitan for Latinas, published in the U.S. five times a year.

About Seventeen
Seventeen is the largest monthly teen magazine, reaching 11 million readers in print every month. For 70 years, Seventeen has helped generations of girls navigate the tricky terrain of adolescence, giving them the confidence they need to become strong, self-assured young women. Never losing sight of the importance of delivering her world her way, Seventeen is a leader on the digital front with Seventeen.com, the largest teen magazine website, the Seventeen Shopping Insider app for her iPhone and Droid as well as with the monthly edition of the magazine on the iPad. Seventeen continues the conversation on social platforms, connecting with millions of girls. In addition to its U.S. flagship, Seventeen publishes five editions around the world. Follow Seventeen on Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook.

About Hearst Magazines
Hearst Magazines is a unit of Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com), one of the nation’s largest diversified media and information companies. With 21 titles in the U.S., Hearst is the leading publisher of monthly magazines in terms of total paid circulation (AAM 1H 2014) and reaches 83 million adults (Spring 2014 MRI). In addition, the company publishes nearly 300 editions around the world. Hearst Magazines Digital Media, dedicated to creating and implementing Hearst Magazines’ digital strategy, manages 18 websites for brands such as Cosmopolitan, Popular Mechanics, ELLE, ELLE DECOR, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire and Seventeen, as well as digital-only sites such as Delish.com. Hearst Magazines has published more than 150 apps and digital editions for the iOS and Android platforms. The company also includes iCrossing, a global digital marketing agency.

NEW YORK– Verizon and Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA) today announced a comprehensive renewal of their FiOS carriage agreement, under which FiOS carries 25 of Viacom’s industry leading networks, including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, VH1, Spike, TV Land and CMT, in addition to Viacom joint venture services EPIX and Aapka Colors.

Under the terms of the new agreement, Viacom joins a growing list of major programmers who have entered into ground-breaking, active user agreements with Verizon, granting national rights to distribute marquee content to Verizon Wireless customers. More details will be made available in the near future.

Additionally, Verizon FiOS customers will enjoy full access to all of Viacom’s networks, live and on-demand, in and out of the home. Early next year, Verizon will enable live, out of home viewing of all of Viacom’s channels via Verizon’s industry-leading FiOS Mobile app. FiOS customers can already access live feeds of most of the Viacom networks inside the home via the FiOS Mobile app. FiOS TV customers will also be able to access Viacom’s authenticated TV Everywhere websites and apps and the company’s complete selection of video-on-demand (VOD) programming across multiple platforms like smartphones and tablets. Additionally, Verizon FiOS will enable dynamic ad insertion in all Viacom TV Everywhere and VOD content.

The deal also enables Verizon to launch innovative new TV packages to better match content packaging with consumer preferences.

“People want to watch TV anywhere, not just in their living rooms. Disruption in the TV marketplace is happening and Verizon wants to reach agreements with content providers like Viacom that reflect that reality and give people what they want,” said Ben Grad, Executive Director, Content Strategy & Acquisition, Verizon. “We are thrilled to extend our long-term distribution partnership with Viacom Media Networks, delivering some of the most recognizable and popular kids, music and entertainment programming available to our customers anytime, anywhere on a variety of platforms from TV to wireless.”

“Verizon FiOS continues to be among the most innovative and consumer-focused video services on the market,” said Samantha Cooper, Senior Vice President, Content Distribution, Viacom Media Networks. “We’re glad to have reached an agreement with Verizon that covers the full spectrum of viewing options for their customers across platforms, including wireless, and extends our long-standing and productive partnership.”

About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America’s most reliable wireless network, with 104.6 million retail connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America’s most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries. A Dow 30 company with more than $120 billion in 2013 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 177,800. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

About Viacom
Viacom is home to premier global media brands that create compelling television programs, motion pictures, short-form video, apps, games, consumer products, social media and other entertainment content for audiences in more than 160 countries and territories. Viacom’s media networks, including MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, BET, CENTRIC, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., TeenNick, Nicktoons, Nick at Nite, Comedy Central, TV Land, SPIKE, Channel 5 (UK), Tr3s, Paramount Channel and VIVA, reach approximately 700 million television subscribers worldwide. Paramount Pictures, America’s oldest film studio, is a major global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment.

For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com.

LONDON & NEW YORK–Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), a division of Viacom Inc. (Nasdaq: VIAB, VIA), today announced the completion of its £450M acquisition of Channel 5 Broadcasting Limited from Northern & Shell Media Group.

The deal, which was announced on 1st May this year, was closed this morning after receiving unconditional clearance from the European Commission.

Philippe Dauman, Viacom President and CEO, said: “Our ownership of Channel 5 will significantly increase Viacom’s investment in British creativity and content. We are committed to strengthening Channel 5’s status as one of UK broadcasting’s premier brands, and we will continue to grow the network’s pipeline of original programming with more quality commissions, as well as acquisitions. The addition of Channel 5 will also benefit our existing UK pay television channel portfolio, as demonstrated by the announcement of our first two original programming commissions.

“We are excited about our stewardship of Channel 5 and we look forward to delivering added value for our shareholders, partners and, above all, our audiences.”

To coincide with taking ownership of the UK broadcaster, Viacom announced the first joint commissions between Channel 5 and its UK pay TV channels.

Viacom’s Nickelodeon is joining forces with Channel 5’s pre-school strand, Milkshake, to develop a new animated series, Nella the Knight, intended to be their first co-production under Viacom ownership. The series will be produced in the UK and co-funded by the two broadcasters, who will share broadcast rights, as they already do with a variety of other popular pre-school programmes including Peppa Pig, Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom and Bubble Guppies. Episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will also begin airing on Channel 5.

In addition, Channel 5 and Viacom’s MTV UK are jointly commissioning a new entertainment series, 10,000 BC, in which 20 volunteers will forgo the comforts and conveniences of modern life to go back to the Stone Age. A 10 x 60 minute series is being produced by The Garden and GroupM Entertainment to premiere on Channel 5 in 2015 with a 5 x 60 minute spin-off show airing on MTV UK – see separate release.

Viacom has confirmed Channel 5’s advertising sales team will be retained following the closure of the deal and will continue to sell the network’s airtime.

Channel 5’s Commercial Director of Sales, Nick Bampton, and its Chief Operating Officer, Paul Dunthorne, will report separately to David Lynn, EVP, Managing Director of VIMN UK, and join his UK senior management team, along with Channel 5’s Programme Director, Ben Frow.

Lynn said: “Channel 5’s senior executive and sales teams continue to perform strongly and, with an innovative approach to commercial partnerships, have delivered great results. We look forward to working with the senior team and in-house sales staff to build on this success.”

About Viacom International Media Networks
Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is comprised of many of the world’s most popular multimedia entertainment brands, including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount Channel, VH1, VIVA and COLORS. Viacom brands are seen globally in more than 600 million households in 170 territories and 37 languages via more than 200 locally programmed and operated TV channels and more than 550 digital media and mobile TV properties. For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com. Keep up with Viacom news by following Viacom’s blog at blog.viacom.com and Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/Viacom.

About Channel 5
Channel 5 launched as Britain’s fifth public service broadcaster in March 1997 and reaches 4 in 5 of the UK viewing public each month with a broad mix of popular content, including quality factual programmes, entertainment, reality, sport, acquired and original drama and pre-school children’s programming through its award winning Milkshake strand. Sister channels 5* and 5USA complement Channel 5 with a mix of must see entertainment and US drama, while Demand 5 is a free service to catch up with the latest programmes on Channel 5, 5USA and 5* available across platforms and devices including You View, Sky On Demand, Virgin Media, BT Vision, Xbox1, iOS, Android, Freesat, PS4 and Roku. For all the latest about Channel 5, follow us on twitter.com @channel5press and @channel5_tv.

NEW YORK, – Hearst Corporation today announced it has agreed to acquire Birmingham, Ala., NBC affiliate WVTM-TV, Channel 13, from Media General, Inc. The announcement was made by Steven R. Swartz, president and CEO, Hearst Corporation and Jordan Wertlieb, president, Hearst Television Inc.

Birmingham is the 44th largest television market. The acquisition would increase Hearst Television’s audience reach of U.S. TV households to nearly 19 percent, and the reach of its NBC-affiliated stations to nearly 8 percent, across 11 markets.

In conjunction with the acquisition of WVTM, Hearst Corporation also announced it will acquire Savannah, Ga., ABC affiliate WJCL-TV, from LIN Media LLC. Savannah is the 92nd largest television market.

“Hearst Television is a leader in news, innovation and community service and we look forward to welcoming our new colleagues into our family of award-winning stations,” Swartz said.

“This acquisition fits perfectly with Hearst Television’s portfolio of Southeast television stations,” Wertlieb said. “We continue to evaluate strategic opportunities to strengthen our station group by adding stations that serve their communities with news and local programming in growth markets.”

Terms were not disclosed. The transactions are subject to requisite regulatory approvals and the completion of the Media General/LIN Media merger.

About Hearst Television
Hearst Television (www.hearsttelevision.com), a national multimedia company, owns and operates 29 local television stations and two local radio stations, serving 30 U.S. cities and reaching approximately 18 percent of U.S. television households. The TV stations broadcast 60 video channels, featuring local and national news, weather, information, sports and entertainment programming and local community service-oriented programs. The stations also host and operate digital online and mobile platforms that extend the company’s brands and content to local, national and international audiences. Hearst Television is recognized as one of the industry’s premier companies and has been honored with numerous awards for distinguished journalism, industry innovation and community service. Hearst Television is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hearst Corporation.

About Hearst Corporation
Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com) is one of the nation’s largest diversified media and information companies. Its major interests include ownership of 15 daily and 34 weekly newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and Albany Times Union; hundreds of magazines around the world, including Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, ELLE and O, The Oprah Magazine; 29 television stations, which reach a combined 18 percent of U.S. viewers; ownership in leading cable networks, including Lifetime, A&E, HISTORY and ESPN; significant holdings in automotive, electronic and medical/pharmaceutical business information companies; a 50 percent stake in global ratings agency Fitch Group; Internet and marketing services businesses; television production; newspaper features distribution; and real estate.

Across the Asia-Pacific region, women are still significantly underrepresented in the media, where men continue to dominate the top positions and hard news reporting jobs. A 2011 report by the International Women’s Media Foundation on the global status of women in the news media showed that men occupied the vast majority of managerial and newsgathering positions in the region, with women taking up barely 13% of senior management positions. Factors like institutionalised prejudices and gender stereotyping are causing women in the news to be marginalised in terms of the career choices and opportunities for upward mobility available to them.

In order to accurately inform the debate on gender equality in the media and formulate concrete actions that relevant stakeholders in the region can take to improve the situation, and as a follow-up to the Global Forum on Media and Gender that took place in Bangkok in 2013, UNESCO and UN Women have partnered with the International Federation of Journalists Asia-Pacific (IFJ) to conduct a Research Study on Media and Gender in Asia-Pacific.

Building on IFJ’s earlier research in this area, the study will look at a sample of countries in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan), South East Asia (Malaysia, Cambodia) and the Pacific (Vanuatu). The study is guided by UNESCO’s Gender Sensitive Indicators for the Media and will use a combination of country-based surveys, media content analysis and case studies to gather data in areas such as the situation of women in the media; the number of women in senior, decision-making positions and the issues affecting this representation; the role that unions, associations and women´s networks could and do play and expectations of their actions; and best practice case studies of campaigns, media workplaces as well as coverage and representation of women. Based on the findings, the study will assess strategies to improve the situation of women in media and identify key indicators for women journalists’ safety at work.

The recommendations arising from this study will be presented to regional and global fora related to the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) +20 review process and the post-2015 development framework, ultimately aiming to inform relevant global, regional and national policies and programmes. A first draft of the report will be tabled at the Asian and Pacific Conference on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Bangkok in November 2014, and the final report is expected to be presented at the 59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in March 2015.

New York – News Corp announced today that it has completed its acquisition of Harlequin Enterprises from Torstar Corporation, bolstering and extending the global platform and digital presence of its HarperCollins Publishers subsidiary.

As previously announced, Harlequin will operate as a division of HarperCollins and remains headquartered in Toronto, as do the offices of HarperCollins Canada.

“We are pleased to formally welcome Harlequin and its employees to the new News,” said Robert Thomson, Chief Executive of News Corp. “The addition of such an iconic brand with a loyal audience, robust global expertise and digital depth is a proud and purposeful moment for our company. Onward to the next chapter.”

Added Brian Murray, Chief Executive Officer of HarperCollins Publishers, “We are happy to welcome Harlequin staff and authors into the HarperCollins family and excited to work together to expand the breadth of our publishing activities into more than 30 languages.”

As one of the world’s leading publishers of women’s fiction, Harlequin boasts a rich heritage with a devoted following and a business that will contribute to the digital and international expansion of HarperCollins to the benefit of both readers and authors. Harlequin titles are issued worldwide in 33 languages and sold in more than 100 international markets. It has offices in 17 countries.

The purchase price for the acquisition was C$455 million in cash, subject to certain adjustments, and the transaction was completed following approval by regulatory authorities and shareholders of Torstar.

About News Corp
News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) is a global, diversified media and information services company focused on creating and distributing authoritative and engaging content to consumers throughout the world. The company comprises businesses across a range of media, including: news and information services, cable network programming in Australia, digital real estate services, book publishing, digital education, and pay-TV distribution in Australia. Headquartered in New York, the activities of News Corp are conducted primarily in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. More information: www.newscorp.com.

NEW YORK – Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX) today issued the following statement regarding the announcement by Twenty-First Century Fox (NASDAQ:FOXA) that it has withdrawn its proposal to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Time Warner.

Time Warner’s Board and management team are committed to enhancing long-term value and we look forward to continuing to deliver substantial and sustainable returns for all stockholders. Time Warner is well positioned for success with our iconic assets, including the world’s leading premium television brand, the world’s strongest ad-supported cable network group, and the world’s largest film and television studio. We thank our stockholders for their continued support.

Citigroup Global Markets Inc. is acting as financial advisor to Time Warner. Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP is acting as legal advisor to Time Warner.

About Time Warner, Inc.
Time Warner Inc., a global leader in media and entertainment with businesses in television networks and film and TV entertainment, uses its industry-leading operating scale and brands to create, package and deliver high-quality content worldwide on a multi-platform basis.

This is courtesy of www.timewarner.com

SEATTLE– (NASDAQ: AMZN)—Today, Amazon Publishing and Alloy Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Television Group, announced a digital-first imprint that will focus on young adult, new adult and commercial fiction. The new imprint, named Alloy Entertainment, will be part of Amazon Publishing’s Powered by Amazon program. Powered by Amazon enables publishers and authors to leverage Amazon’s global distribution and personalized, targeted marketing reach.

Today also marks the publication date for the imprint’s first three titles:

Imitation by Heather Hildenbrand, which follows Ven, the clone of a wealthy, 18-year-old named Raven. Imitations like Ven only leave the lab when their Authentics need them—to replace the dead, be an organ donor, or in Ven’s case, serve as bait when Raven’s life is threatened. It is Ven’s job to draw out Raven’s assailants, but she must decide if she is prepared to sacrifice herself for a girl she has never met.
Every Ugly Word by Aimee Salter, a coming-of-age story about a teenager named Ashley who sees her 23-year-old self when she looks in the mirror. Her older self has been through it all before, and helps Ashley survive torment from high school bullies, unrequited love for her best friend and a volatile relationship with her mom. But her older self also carries the scars of a terrible and imminent event in Ashley’s life that she’s powerless to stop.
Rebel Wing by Tracy Banghart, a sci-fi fantasy adventure set in the war-torn Dominion of Atalanta. For Aris, the fighting is worlds away from the safety of her seaside town until her boyfriend Calix is drafted into the military. When Aris herself is recruited to become a pilot for an elite search-and-rescue unit, she leaps at the chance, hoping to be reunited with Calix. But what starts as a mission driven by love turns into one of duty as Aris becomes a true soldier determined to save her Dominion…or die trying.
Alloy Entertainment acquired the books based on the unique voices of the authors and originality of the stories. The company worked closely with each of the writers throughout the publishing process in an effort to gain the widest possible readership. The books will be published under the Alloy Entertainment publishing banner, which currently includes more than 75 New York Times bestsellers.

“One of our strengths is working with talented authors to create and develop properties that have mass entertainment appeal,” said Leslie Morgenstein, President of Alloy Entertainment. “This program is an exciting extension of our business and will allow us to leverage Amazon’s ability to distribute to an incredibly diverse and broad readership.”

“Rebel Wing is the book of my heart. It’s a story I felt compelled to tell, both from the perspective of an Army wife and as someone who believes you can never have enough strong female characters in the world,” said author Tracy Banghart. “Being given the opportunity to work with the incredibly talented folks at Alloy to make it the best version of itself was an exciting and affirming process, and knowing that its distribution will be handled by Amazon—a company that has already made so much possible for me as an indie author—is pretty much the definition of win-win as far as I’m concerned.”

“Alloy has a tremendous track record developing stories, like Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars and The Vampire Diaries, that our customers love,” said Jeff Belle, Vice President of Amazon Publishing. “We’re thrilled to promote these books from Alloy Entertainment with our Powered by Amazon program. It’s a great fit.”

Authors who publish with Alloy Entertainment’s new digital-first imprint receive an advance and royalties paid on a monthly basis. Alloy Entertainment will also look for opportunities to develop acquired titles as television series, feature films, and digital entertainment.

About Alloy Entertainment
Alloy Entertainment, a division of the Warner Bros. Television Group, develops and produces original novels, television series and feature films. More than 75 of AE’s books have been on The New York Times bestseller list, including The Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Luxe, Veronica Mars: The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line, and The 100. AE has successfully adapted several of its properties into hit television shows for broadcast across multiple networks, including The CW, ABC, ABC Family and Nickelodeon. Current Alloy Entertainment television series include Pretty Little Liars, The Vampire Diaries, The Originals and The 100. AE feature films include Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 1 & 2, Sex Drive and The Clique, with several additional projects currently in development including Sisterhood Everlasting, The Merciless and The Brokenhearted.

About Amazon.com
Amazon opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by three principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire phone, Fire tablets, and Fire TV are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon.

CBS Local Media has entered into an agreement to acquire Eventful, Inc., a leading digital media company in the events discovery, communication and personalization business, it was announced today by Anton Guitano, Chief Operating Officer, CBS Local Media. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Eventful connects consumers with information on millions of concerts, movies listings and local events by using its proprietary algorithms to aggregate, and deliver an ever-growing volume of content from across the United States and around the world. Serving its users via multiple platforms, including online, mobile and email, Eventful creates fan interest profiles and delivers highly personalized recommendations on behalf of artists, publishers and marketers to each of their more than 21 million registered users.

The combination of CBS Local Media and Eventful will:

· Provide users with more engaging content, whether they’re interested in music, entertainment, sports or where to go in their hometown;

· Create new opportunities for marketers to reach consumers through a combination of digital, broadcast and live event platforms;

· Enable Eventful’s growing publisher network of licensees to access CBS Local Media’s award-winning news, information and best of content;

· Empower fans to influence programming and events via its patented crowdsourcing service, Demand it! ®;

· Assist more than 500,000 musicians, comedians, filmmakers and others who have already used Demand it! ® to expand their relationships with fans.

“By offering audiences comprehensive local information all in one place, Eventful has amassed an engaged community that is passionate about finding experiences that match their lifestyle and personal tastes,” said Guitano. “This strategy reflects that of CBS Local Media, making this union a terrific complement to our growing digital business. Broadcast and online audiences will now have more insight into more events. Simultaneously, we are thrilled to offer our clients more options to reach their target customer.”

“The large volume of content available to consumers has created an environment where they are looking for credible brands to aid in the discovery process,” said Ezra Kucharz, President, CBS Local Digital Media. “Eventful’s talented and veteran team has created a best-in-class product that users have grown to trust. In combination with CBS Local Media’s assets and under the division’s leadership, we look forward to satisfying the increasing demand for customized event information regardless of how someone chooses to access it.”

“We are excited to join the CBS Local Media team, which shares our vision for delighting local audiences with highly personalized content,” said Jordan Glazier, CEO of Eventful. “I’m proud of the service that our team has built, and we look forward to working together to further innovate and expand our offerings to a substantially larger community.”

About CBS Local Media
Combining the assets of CBS’s owned television and radio stations, CBS Local Media brings together the most trusted brands in media offering visitors a truly “local” experience. Two dozen major market specific portals, music and lifestyle websites, apps and local commerce platforms take an active role in reaching more than 50 million unique monthly consumers with extensive coverage of news, traffic, weather, sports and entertainment headlines, as well as CBS Local Offers, Best of Guides, and business directories.

Live audio streams and a library of on-demand video from all CBS local market stations are available allowing consumers to experience award-winning original content whether at home, the office or on the go.

New York – News Corp announced today an agreement to sell its Community Newspaper Group (CNG) to Les and Jennifer Goodstein.

CNG, headquartered in Brooklyn, is a network of 11 community newspapers and web sites, including Caribbean Life, The Brooklyn Paper, The Bronx Times Reporter, Bay News and Bay Ridge Courier, Bayside Times and TimesLedger. CNG also publishes specialty magazines, including Family magazines, the Wedding Guide and Sweet Sixteen Magazine. CNG distributes over 235,000 newspapers each week in Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Manhattan.

“This sale, like our divestiture of the Dow Jones Local Media Group, helps us reshape the News Corp portfolio as we achieve greater globalization and digitization of our businesses with an eye towards long-term growth,” said Robert Thomson, Chief Executive of News Corp. “We’re confident that these newspapers and magazines will prosper under the leadership of Les and Jennifer Goodstein.”

“Besides my love of newspapers, it was an honor to complete this transaction with News Corp. I look forward to the continued success of the Community Newspaper Group,” said Les Goodstein. “Both my wife and I are members of the community and are pleased to continue serving the readers of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. We plan to expand local coverage with local news important to the neighborhoods we serve.”

The Goodsteins also own NYC CommunityMedia, publisher of The Villager, Downtown Express, Gay City News, East Villager News and Chelsea Now. Les Goodstein is a former News Corp executive who ran CNG between 2006 and 2013.

News Corp sold the Dow Jones Local Media Group, which operated 33 publications, to an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group LLC last September.

Financial terms of the agreement, which is expected to close next week, were not disclosed. News Corp launched its CNG business in 2006.

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About News Corp
News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) is a global, diversified media and information services company focused on creating and distributing authoritative and engaging content to consumers throughout the world. The company comprises businesses across a range of media, including: news and information services, cable network programming in Australia, digital real estate services, book publishing, digital education, and pay-TV distribution in Australia. Headquartered in New York, the activities of News Corp are conducted primarily in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. More information: www.newscorp.com.

NEW YORK – Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX) today confirmed that it rejected a proposal from Twenty-First Century Fox (NASDAQ:FOXA) to acquire all of the outstanding shares of the Company for a combination of 1.531 of Twenty-First Century Fox Class A non-voting common shares and $32.42 in cash per share (the “Proposal”).

The Time Warner Board, after consultation with its financial and legal advisors, determined that it was not in the best interests of Time Warner or its stockholders to accept the Proposal or to pursue any discussions with Twenty-First Century Fox. The Board is confident that continuing to execute its strategic plan will create significantly more value for the Company and its stockholders and is superior to any proposal that Twenty-First Century Fox is in a position to offer.

In making its determination, the Time Warner Board considered, among other things, that:

The execution of Time Warner’s strategic plan will continue to drive significant and sustainable value for Time Warner stockholders;
The unique value of Time Warner’s industry-leading businesses including its portfolio of networks and its film studio and television production business is only going to increase;
There is significant risk and uncertainty as to the valuation of Twenty-First Century Fox’s non-voting stock and Twenty-First Century Fox’s ability to govern and manage a combination of the size and scale of Twenty-First Century Fox and Time Warner; and
There are considerable strategic, operational, and regulatory risks to executing a combination with Twenty-First Century Fox.
Time Warner’s Board also noted the consistent track record of Time Warner’s proven management team in achieving superior returns as well as completing a series of transactions to unlock value in related businesses, including the separation of AOL, Time Warner Cable, and Time Inc. Under its strategic plan, Time Warner has delivered a total shareholder return of more than 150% since 2008, almost tripling the return of the S&P 500 over the same period, as management has pursued a disciplined approach to position the Company as a global leader in media and entertainment while managing its operations and capital structure to maximize shareholder returns.

Citigroup Global Markets Inc. is acting as financial advisor to Time Warner. Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP is acting as legal advisor to Time Warner.

About Time Warner Inc.
Time Warner Inc., a global leader in media and entertainment with businesses in television networks and film and TV entertainment, uses its industry-leading operating scale and brands to create, package and deliver high-quality content worldwide on a multi-platform basis.

Today we’re announcing that we have agreed to acquire LiveRail, an advertising technology company that helps companies like Major League Baseball (MLB.com), ABC, A&E Networks, Gannett, and Dailymotion serve better ads in the videos that appear on their websites and apps. LiveRail was founded in 2007 and offers a comprehensive platform for online video publishers that help them find and serve the best ads possible. LiveRail also helps marketers by providing them with access to premium video inventory and the information that they need in order to decide where to show their ads. What LiveRail ultimately offers is a complete advertising solution for video publishers.

We believe that LiveRail, Facebook and the premium publishers it serves have an opportunity to make video ads better and more relevant for the hundreds of millions of people who watch digital video every month. More relevant ads will be more interesting and engaging to people watching online video, and more effective for marketers too. Publishers will benefit as well because more relevant ads will help them make the most out of every opportunity they have to show an ad.

We’re just getting started with our partnership with LiveRail, but we’re very excited about the future for video publishers and marketers. We believe that LiveRail’s excellent product – known in the industry as a video supply-side platform or SSP – and Facebook’s expertise with relevancy, delivery and measurement will help us make video advertising much better for everyone.

LiveRail, welcome to Facebook.

By Brian Boland, Vice President of Ads Product Marketing and Atlas