Skip a newsletter last week? “In Case You Missed It” rounds up the top stories in each of our three daily editions, so you can be up on the latest news, Cynopsis-style, in the worlds of linear, digital, sports and kids television. Enjoy!
FLAGSHIP
Dish Network Corp. and T-Mobile US Inc. are in merger talks, reports the Wall Street Journal. Dish is the country’s second largest satellite TV operator; T-Mobile is the fourth-largest wireless carrier. The two sides have agreed that Dish’s Charlie Ergen would be chairman of the combo company, and T-Mobile’s John Legere would be CEO. This comes as AT&T is nearing completion of a $49 billion deal for DirecTV; Charter Communications recently announced a deal to acquire Time Warner Cable Inc. for $56 billion.
Stephen Colbert, set to launch CBS’s The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Tuesday, September 8, named Jon Batiste as the show’s bandleader. Batiste, whose most recent studio album, Social Music, reached number one on Billboard’s Jazz Album Chart, said, “This is a match made in heaven. Get ready for a love riot in late night.”
DIGITAL
Showtime is taking a page from HBO and launching an a la carte streaming service in mid-July without a cable subscription. The service will kick off through a partnership with Apple, and be available for $10.00 a month. It will coincide with the premieres of the new seasons of Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex on July 12, and subscribers will have access to live feeds of Showtime and unlimited viewing of every season of Showtime original series and additional programming. Customers who sign up through Apple in July will get a 30-day free trial of the service.
Snapchat raised a whopping $537 million, a filing reported last week. The disappearing-message app is now worth $16 billion (CNBC), with $800 million in prior funding from Alibaba, Fidelity, York Capital, Glade Brook Capital and other investors. At the Re/Code conference on Tuesday, Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel said the company won’t sell but will instead move toward an IPO. According to Snapchat, it has 100 million users who watch two billion videos per day, and captures 60 percent of smartphone users ages 13 to 34.
SPORTS
A surprise press conference delivered the end of Sepp Blatter’s reign atop FIFA, with the organization’s president stating that, less than a week after being reelected for a fifth term, he would resign from the position amid a growing scandal throughout the organization. Blatter then called for new elections to choose a successor, stating that he will remain at FIFA until a new name is selected, a process that is expected to take place between December and March. “FIFA needs a profound overhaul,” he said. “While I have a mandate from the membership of FIFA, I do not feel that I have a mandate from the entire world of football – the fans, the players, the clubs, the people who live, breathe and love football as much as we all do at FIFA. Therefore, I have decided to lay down my mandate at an extraordinary elective Congress. I will continue to exercise my functions as FIFA President until that election.”
Yahoo is about to make history, inking a deal with the NFL to become the league’s exclusive partner to deliver the first-ever live stream of an NFL game to a global audience. The matchup will see the Bills and Jaguars battle in London on Oct. 25, and will be showcased across devices for free via Yahoo, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Screen and Tumblr. “We’re thrilled that the NFL has chosen Yahoo for this historic opportunity,” said Marissa Mayer, President and CEO of Yahoo. “It marks a significant change in the way users can access this amazing content. The NFL and Yahoo have both long engaged football fans around the world. Our partnership provides the ultimate football experience — with digital availability, designed for the modern fan.” The game will be produced by CBS and will still be available on free, over-the-air television in Buffalo (WIVB-TV) and Jacksonville (WTEV-TV) markets at 9:30a.
