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  • Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020
Jon Stewart will be back in the host's chair for Apple TV+
Jon Stewart presents the Pat Tillman award for service on July 18, 2018, at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles. Stewart will return to television as host of an Apple TV+ public affairs show, the streaming service said Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020. (Photo by Phil McCarten/Invision/AP, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- 

Jon Stewart is returning to TV, more than five years after bowing out as host of "The Daily Show" and with a new home at Apple TV+.

Stewart will host an hour-long, current affairs series that will explore topics of national interest as well as his advocacy work, the streaming service said Tuesday. 

He has been a passionate supporter of military veterans and 9/11 first responders, last year pressing Congress to approve legislation to help the latter and their families. He and his wife, Tracey, are animal rights proponents.

The series is expected to debut in 2021 — so if Stewart wants to weigh in on a presidential race, as he relished doing on his long-running Comedy Central show, he'll have to wait until the 2024 contest. 

Each season of the show will have a companion podcast to "continue the discussion," Apple TV+ said. The platform also has a deal with Stewart and his production company that gives it first shot at other More

  • Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020
Video app TikTok leans into e-commerce with Shopify deal
This May 29, 2019, file photo, shows the Ottawa headquarters of Canadian e-commerce company Shopify. Shopify said Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, it’s made a deal with TikTok enabling merchants to create “shoppable” video ads that drive customers to online stores. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
By Matt O'Brien, AP Technology Writer

The popular short-form video app TikTok, still under U.S. government scrutiny for its Chinese ownership, is moving closer to becoming a marketplace for buying stuff.

Canadian e-commerce platform Shopify said Tuesday it's made a deal with TikTok enabling merchants to create "shoppable" video ads that drive customers to online stores.

The partnership was announced Tuesday amid stalled negotiations for Walmart to buy a 7.5% stake in the video app. Walmart's planned investment is part of a government-forced deal that would rescue TikTok from a threatened ban by President Donald Trump and advance Walmart's ambitions for the world of "social commerce."

"If you're watching a TikTok video and somebody's got a piece of apparel or an item on it that you really like, what if you could just quickly purchase that item?" Walmart CEO Doug McMillon told CNBC earlier this month. "That's what we're seeing happen in countries around the world. And it' More

  • Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020
T-Mobile offers up yet another TV streaming service
In this Feb. 14, 2018, file photo, the T-Mobile logo ppears on a screen at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York. Yet another service provider is jumping into the TV streaming wars. This time it is T-Mobile, with its TVision service offering live news, entertainment and sports channels and starting at $10 a month.(AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
By Mae Anderson, AP Technology Writer

Yet another service provider is jumping into the TV streaming wars. This time it's T-Mobile and its TVision service with live news, entertainment and sports channels, starting at $10 a month.

T-Mobile says it's aiming to offer a simpler and and cheaper service for people dissatisfied with cable. But it's entering a crowded field. And most similar streaming services have found it difficult to sustain low prices over time.

TVision will offer three branches of its service. TVision Live will have live news, entertainment and sports channels at three tiers priced at $40, $50 and $60, depending on how many sports channels you want. The $40 option offers around 30 channels including ABC, NBC, Fox, CNN, Fox News, ESPN, and Fox Sports Networks.

Then there's TVision Vibe, which is $10 a month and includes about 30 channels from AMC, Discovery and Viacom — but no sports. And TVision Channels, which lets you sign up for individual channel More

  • Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020
Cloud growth helps Microsoft beat Wall Street expectations
This April 12, 2016 file photo shows the Microsoft logo in Issy-les-Moulineaux, outside Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
REDMOND, Wash. (AP) -- 

Microsoft reported quarterly earnings Tuesday that beat Wall Street expectations, as it continued to weather the coronavirus pandemic amid increased demand for its flagship software and services.

The company reported fiscal first-quarter profit of $13.9 billion, or $1.82 per share, beating Wall Street expectations of $1.54 a share. Microsoft posted revenue of $37.2 billion in the July-September period, up 12% from last year. Analysts had been looking for revenue of $35.8 billion, according to FactSet.

The software giant has benefited from a COVID-19-fueled trend of working and learning from home that boosted demand for its cloud computing services and workplace productivity products, such as email and video conferencing. It's also experienced heightened demand for its Xbox gaming system.

The company's growth was led by its commercial cloud segment, which grew 31% from the previous year to generate $15.2 billion in revenue, said Amy More

  • Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020
"Brian's Song," "Roots," "Purple Rain" writer dies at 83
In this Sunday, Sept. 11, 1977 file photo, screenwriter William Blinn, left, Ed Asner, center, and David Greene pose with their Emmy statuettes at the annual Primetime Emmy Awards presentation in Los Angeles. William Blinn, a screenwriter for the landmark TV projects “Brian’s Song”, “Roots” and the Prince film “Purple Rain,” has died, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. He was 83. (AP Photo/File)
By Lynn Elber, Television Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- 

William Blinn, a screenwriter for the landmark TV projects "Brian's Song" and "Roots" and the Prince film "Purple Rain," has died. He was 83.

Blinn died Thursday of natural cases at an assisting living community in Burbank, California, his daughter, Anneliese Johnson, said Saturday.

He won Emmy and Peabody honors for the 1971 TV movie "Brian's Song," which dramatized the friendship of Chicago Bears players Brian Piccolo and Gayle Sayers. It was a hit when it aired and is a enduring favorite with sports fans and critics.

Last month, Hall of Fame running back Sayers died at age 77.

Blinn's work on "Roots," the blockbuster 1977 miniseries adapted from Alex Haley's book about his African American ancestors in slavery and freedom, won an Emmy and a Humanitas Prize. 

"He was a master of his art and a gentleman of the first order. Rest easy, my friend," actor Jim Beaver ("Deadwood," "Supernatural") posted on Twitter.

More

  • Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020
ASC sets awards date, opens submissions for TV competition
The ASC Clubhouse
LOS ANGELES -- 

The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) will celebrate the 35th ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards on April 18, 2021. The annual ceremony will be streamed live from the ASC Clubhouse in Hollywood, with plans for a simultaneous in-person component to be determined at a later date. The last time the ASC held their awards at the historic society headquarters was in February 1987--at the 1st Annual ASC Awards. The winner that year: Jordan Cronenweth, ASC for Peggy Sue Got Married, presented by Gregory Peck.

“The ASC Awards recognize the finest work of the year and its exceptional creators,” noted ASC Awards co-chair Dana Gonzales. “We look forward to celebrating the exceptional visual art of the many talented cinematographers contributing to the stories that are entertaining us through these unprecedented times.”

The organization has also officially opened the call for entries in four television categories:

  • Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020
AFM 2020 Online sets programming lineup
AFM 2020 Online campus
LOS ANGELES -- 

The American Film Market (AFM®) unveiled its initial speakers, topics, and programming calendar for AFM 2020 Online. Its 70+ sessions will take place over five days, November 9-13, alongside the AFM’s marketplace and screenings at AFM2020.online.   

The AFM’s opening Conference--The Future of Film--will launch with two marquee one-on-one conversations: Mark Gill, president and CEO of Solstice Studios, will take the online stage to discuss his views and predictions of how independent film, the marketplace, and audience consumption will change in the near future.  The morning will continue with a dialogue with Elissa Federoff, president of distribution for NEON, who will share her insights on the future of feature film distribution and exhibition.   

Gill just realized his goal of having the first new film in theaters since the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown with Unhinged, the first film his company also financed. Federoff recently made history More

  • Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020
Duke and Duchess of Sussex convene session on digital world
This screengrab released by Time shows Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, hosting a special Time100 talk Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020, focusing on the digital world. They said the idea is to help make online communities safer and free of misinformation. (Time via AP)
By Leanne Italie
NEW YORK (AP) -- 

Creating online communities free of danger and misinformation is crucial in building a better world, the Duchess of Sussex told an online audience Tuesday during a special Time100 Talks episode she curated with her husband, Prince Harry.

"This isn't just a tech problem. This isn't solely a mental health or emotional well-being problem. This is a human problem. And what's happening to all of us online is affecting us deeply offline," Meghan said in opening the two-hour session that gathered academics, experts in misinformation, advocates for teens and the marginalized, journalists and others.

Since the start of 2020, after the two left the U.K., they've been spending quality time with son Archie at their California home and also educating themselves on issues swirling in the digital space. They've made new friends among those working to make that space better, both said.

"What our job is, especially throughout these conversations, is More

  • Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020
Netflix reports a summer slump in subscriber growth
This Aug. 13, 2020 photo shows a logo for Netflix on a remote control in Portland, Ore. Netflix Inc. (NFLX) on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020 reported third-quarter net income of $790 million. The Los Gatos, California-based company said it had profit of $1.74 per share. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
By Michael Liedtke & Barbara Ortutay, AP Technology Writers

Netflix's subscriber growth slowed dramatically during the summer months after surging in the spring fueled by pandemic lockdowns that corralled millions of people in their homes.

The summer slump came as more people sought distraction from the pandemic outdoors and major U.S. professional sports resumed play, offering other entertainment alternatives to the world's most popular video streaming service.

The drop-off disclosed Tuesday in Netflix's latest earnings report was more dramatic than management had warned it might be. 

After picking up 2.2 million customers in the July-September period, Netflix finished the quarter with 195.2 million worldwide subscribers. Earlier, company had forecast an addition of 2.5 million subscribers during the quarter. 

Even so, Netflix is still ahead for the year. It has added 28 million subscribers through the first nine months of the year — locking in the company's largest annual increase More

  • Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020
Football  Rules Nationally, Dodgers In L.A.; Nielsen Week In Review
Los Angeles Dodgers' Cody Bellinger celebrates his home run with Enrique Hernandez against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning in Game 7 of a baseball National League Championship Series Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020, in Arlington, Texas.(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
By David Bauder, Media Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- 

The Los Angeles Dodgers played for their season Sunday night on Fox, the seventh game of the National League Championship Series. Win and go to the World Series, lose and go home.

At the same time, the Los Angeles Rams played a regular season game on NBC against the San Francisco 49ers, a loss that dropped the Rams to a 4-2 record.

There's no question which game meant more. But for a national audience, the football game was watched by 12.6 million people, while 9.7 million tuned in to see the Dodgers complete a memorable comeback against the Atlanta Braves.

There's no clearer illustration of how football is the more popular sport, and why networks line up with open checkbooks whenever television rights come due.

Baseball, despite its reputation as the National Pastime, is more of a local attraction. People have a limited interest if their favorite team is not involved.

Case in point: the Los Angeles market. The Nielsen More

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