Peter Lauria
The Archive
Malone in the mix
As if Barry Diller and Irving Azoff weren't enough of a handful -- now Live Nation Entertainment CEO Michael Rapino has to wrangle with John Malone, too. One day after...
The Weinsteins embrace mobile technology
Good news, film lovers -- The Weinstein Co.'s latest movie is coming to your mobile phone, so you can avoid watching it there, too!The audience-challlenged film studio founded by brothers...
Feds OK Live Nation/Ticketmaster with strings
Federal regulators gave the OK for Live Nation to merge with Ticketmaster -- with compromises to create more competition in the ticket retail market. Lawmakers and artists were worried that...
Justice Dept. OKs Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger
The merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster received regulatory approval today, but not without major concessions. Lawmakers were worried that the deal would be anticompetitve and harmful to the consumer...
GE loses Peacock pride
General Electric boss Jeff Immelt is probably glad NBC Universal could soon be someone else's problem. The entertainment giant was again the outlier within the giant company, posting a 28...
Here's an idea: NBC should sell DVDs of Conan's final week
As cruel as the back and forth between NBC and Conan O'Brien has been the past few weeks, there's a way the network could be crueler still: Package the last...
CNBC's slippery GE talk
Looks like CNBC is up to its old semantic tricks when it comes to reporting on parent company General Electric.On Friday morning's "Squawk on the Street," anchor Bob Pisani said...
Crawford satellite TV biz sold
Bruce Wasserstein loved magazines, but his investment firm has an affinity for the airwaves. In its first investment since the founder's death, Wasserstein & Co. yesterday acquired the satellite transmission...
Zaslav's big Di$covery
Discovery Communications CEO David Zaslav made more in one day last week than most of his bosses make in a year. Zaslav, who oversaw the cable network growth at NBC...
Live Nation puts assets on line to help merger
In an effort to get its merger with Ticketmaster approved, concert promoter Live Nation has signaled to rival Anschultz Entertainment Group that it's willing to sell its venues on favorable...
Peacock pity
In light of his comments on the Conan-NBC dust-up, it is becoming clear that Dick Ebersol is perhaps the most aptly named NBC executive. "What this is really all about...
Showtime at MGM
How disciplined Time Warner is in bidding for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer will determine whether the storied studio gets sold or is rescued through a bankruptcy. Bids for MGM are due today, and...
Appeals court rules labels can't skip suit
The major record labels are going back to court -- except this time they are the ones being sued. A US federal appeals court yesterday reinstated a 2008 antitrust case...
Disney production chief is latest casualty
If it were a TV show, it might be called "Extreme Makeover" -- or "Lost." Walt Disney Studios boss Rich Ross yesterday continued his systematic dismantling of the Mouse House's...
$20 bil Peacock deal now a turkey
Right about now, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts is likely in his office curled up in the fetal position wondering if Jeff Zucker is going to destroy his $20 billion investment...
Hitting the 'deck'
A major maker of baseball cards is being accused of playing dirty. Upper Deck could be facing hundred of millions of dollars in damages, as a result of a little-noticed...
CNBC special feature: Sex, drugs 'n' not AOL
It turns out CNBC's business-minded viewers aren't as interested in the media as they are in sex and drugs. Proving the adage that the only people who think the media...
Conan may be Jay-walking
Conan O'Brien will likely get a sweetheart offer from a rival network when Jay Leno returns to the coveted 11:35 p.m. perch -- and Fox could be leading the charge,...
Conan O'Brien likely heading to Fox: source
Conan O’Brien may come out of NBC’s Tonight Show debacle looking cagey as a fox. When Jay Leno takes over his old 11:35 p.m. late night spot — after his...
NBC will shuffle Leno in time-slot fiasco
NBC is finally fed up with the failed Jay Leno experiment. Facing mounting pressure from local affiliates, which are reeling from sagging ratings, the Peacock Network will yank the funnyman...