Your Media Morning: Snap Inc CEO Profiled, Nikki Finke is Back, Viacom Shuffles Cable Networks, Jobs Family Cuts Disney Stake in Half

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER LAUNCHES DAILY VIDEO NEWS SERIES Following the successful launch of Billboard News, Hollywood Reporter is following right behind with Hollywood Reporter News which will deliver round the clock entertainment news on celebrities, awards shows... WAIT... SAY WHAT NOW? "If you want to understand Snap, look at Evan Spiegel" A SNAP INC INVESTOR ABOUT SNAP CEO EVEN SPIEGEL CBS IS BUYING BANKRUPTS COLLEGE SPORTS WEBSITE SCOUT The assets of college sports website network Scout Media are headed to one of its biggest rivals. Scout cancelled its bankruptcy auction Wednesday after no other company formally challenged CBS’s $9.5 million stalking-horse bid. NBC NEWS AND ANCHOR TAMRON HALL PART WAYS TO MAKE ROOM FOR MEGYN KELLY An industry source noted that the written exchange, along with Hall’s manner of departure, was highly unusual; given that Hall is one of television news’s highest-profile African-Americans, her unceremonious exit was not a good look for the first day of Black History Month. With Hall such a significant, and much-liked by viewers, member of the Today ‘family,’ to not have a correspondingly affectionate farewell for her is jarring—and perhaps telling of the circumstances behind her departure. FACEBOOK'S AD REVENUE CLIMBS 53%, SHARES BOUNCE Earnings were up from 79 cents per share on $5.84 billion in revenue in the year-earlier period. Facebook shares rose as much as 3 percent after hours, but were last up less than 1.5 percent. The company's ad business zoomed higher, as retailers poured money into snagging customers during the busy holiday shopping season. Only Google rivals Facebook when it comes to digital advertising dominance. VIACOM SHUFFLES SOME CABLE NETWORKS Viacom CEO Bob Bakish just followed through on the plan outlined in October to move CMT and TV Land to the Global Entertainment Group, to be overseen by Spike President Kevin Kay. The change “will strengthen these brands even further and will allow GEG to connect more deeply with our adult audience — which is well over 180 million viewers across Viacom brands globally,” Bakish said today in a memo to staffers. JAY PENSKE'S PENSKE MEDIA BRINGS NOTORIOUS HOLLYWOOD DISHER NIKKI FINKE BACK INTO THE FOLD Finke changed her Twitter bio Wednesday night to include “Penske Business Media: Sr. Editorial Contributor, Entertainment/Media” and well as, “Deadline.com Founder/Editor Emeritus.” But Finke — who equally terrorized and tickled the entertainment world with her breaking news blog nikkifinke.com — would not comment Wednesday night. Media mogul Penske had threatened to sue Finke and Mediaite based on the fact that her non-compete said she could not write about the “entertainment industry” which Penske said even included Trump. SONY CORP WILL HOLD ON TO ITS FILM BUSINESS Sony Corp on Thursday said it does not plan to sell its pictures business after suffering a $1 billion writedown, and instead aims to turn it around by adding sales channels and making more use of movie characters. "We believe in long-term upside potential for pictures," Chief Financial Officer Kenichiro Yoshida said at an earnings briefing, reiterating that Sony continues to regard the business as important to the group. SNAP INC IS KEEPING SOME INVESTMENT BANKS AT BAY Some investment banks seeking to be added as underwriters to Snapchat owner Snap Inc's initial public offering registration document have been denied access to review it before it is made public this week, according to people familiar with the matter. The unusual move underscores Snap's relentless campaign to crack down on information leaks. WALL STREET JOURNAL INSTALLS NEW CHIEF PRODUCT/TECHNOLOGY OFFICER FROM ARIANNA HUFFINGTONS'S THRIVE GLOBAL Rajiv Pant will be the first CTO at The Wall Street Journal to work directly for the Newsroom and in the Newsroom. I am delighted to have Rajiv join my senior management team. INSTAGRAM WILL SOON LET USERS SHARE MULTIPLE PHOTOS IN ONE POST Multi-photo Instagram galleries are finally coming soon — and for everyone. Currently, only advertisers have the ability to publish several photos in a single post, which users can swipe through horizontally. But inside the latest beta release of Instagram for Android is evidence that this same feature is making its way to the app’s 600 million users. DESIGNING NEWS FOR PEOPLE BURNED OUT BY THE NEWS Since the election, many people I know who don’t work in news have taken a break from the news, social media or some combination of the two. This is healthy and normal. Taking a small break from the news is recommended by psychologists who study the negative health effects caused by constant bad news. STEVE JOBS' FAMILY CUTS DISNEY STAKE IN HALF Laurene Powell Jobs, previously Walt Disney ’s largest single shareholder, recently cut her beneficial stake in the company in half, to about 64 million shares, according to regulatory filings. Powell Jobs is founder and president of Emerson Collective, an organization that supports “social entrepreneurs,” people who are improving education, reforming immigration reform and other issues. -Good Morning SEND US NEWS TO INCLUDE IN THE NEXT ISSUE: [email protected] SUBSCRIBE HERE» MEDIAMORNING.TODAY

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