DirecTV Calls Disney ‘Obstacle’ in Carriage Dispute, Brian Stelter Returns to CNN and Summer Box Office Dips 11%

Plus: WGA East members mount one-day strike, School-aged viewers push YouTube ahead of Disney and Trump movie launches Kickstarter [DirecTV Calls Disney ‘An Obstacle to the Solution’ as ABC, ESPN Carriage Blackout Continues]( By Jose Alejandro Bastidas DirecTV won’t let the pressure of Monday Night Football, or the upcoming presidential debate on ABC, keep them from fighting Disney for a fair carriage deal for its lineup of linear networks. CFO Ray Carpenter told investors on Tuesday that the media conglomerate “is the first major programmer to take such an aggressive posture” to preserve its “multi-channel fat bundles” in discussions with the distributor, becoming an “obstacle to the solution” in creating a better model for TV distribution that benefits customers moving forward. [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [brian stelter cnn]( [Brian Stelter Returns to CNN as Chief Media Analyst and ‘Reliable Sources’ Author]( By Natalie Korach Brian Stelter is returning to CNN as chief media analyst and the author of the “Reliable Sources” newsletter, two years after being let go from the network. Stelter founded the media newsletter in 2015 and intends to “reimagine” the digest’s content, which will officially relaunch on Sept. 9 after a brief hiatus. [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Summer Box Office Falls 11%, but That Doesn't Tell the Whole Story | Analysis]( By Jeremy Fuster At first glance, the $3.6 billion the studios earned from the summer domestic box office would seem like bad news given that receipts dropped 11% from last summer’s “Barbenheimer”-fueled $4 billion season. But despite a sluggish start, Disney/Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” set theaters ablaze and helped put last year’s strikes in the rearview mirror. Now the industry is poised to enjoy the kind of consistently high business in the second half of the year that exhibition and studio executives have promised. [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) East hold signs as they walk on the picket-line outside of the Peacock NewFront on May 02, 2023 in New York City.]( [WGA East Members at Vox's Thrillist, The Dodo Mount One-Day Strike Wednesday]( [youtube-logo]( [School-Aged Viewers Push YouTube Ahead of Disney in Nielsen's Media Distributor Gauge for the First Time]( [the-apprentice-sebastian-stan-donald-trump-jeremy-strong-roy-cohn]( [Donald Trump Movie 'The Apprentice' Launches Kickstarter Campaign to Boost Theatrical Release]( [Rebecca Cheptegei (Getty Images)]( [Ugandan Olympian Set on Fire by Her Boyfriend After Running at the Paris Games]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [WrapPRO logo] Discover why entertainment executives and professionals rely on the WrapPRO platform daily for exclusive coverage, analysis, deeper reporting, and access to VIP events & screenings throughout the year. [Subscribe Today]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( TheWrap | 2034 Armacost Ave Los Angeles, CA 90025 [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( [LiveIntent Logo]( [AdChoices Logo](