Morning Fix: James Murdoch gives up a job. Layoffs at Summit.
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After the coffee. Before deciding if I really need to wear a sweater today.
The Skinny: I’m tired of coming up with new passwords. The more clever I am, the harder they are to type. Wednesday’s headlines include James Murdoch giving up his News International title, some layoffs at Summit as it merges with Lions Gate, and the question of whether Netflix will become a cable channel one day.
Daily Dose: Normally, broadcast networks don’t promote their shows on cable networks unless they own those channels. In other words, it’s not unusual to see NBC promos on Bravo or USA because they’re all owned by Comcast. But a lot of promos for NBC’s new dark drama ‘Awake’ have been popping up on AMC, home of the cable smash ‘The Walking Dead.’ It’s a smart move because NBC’s low ratings mean that it can’t count on its own shows to build awareness for something new.
Setting son? It was announced early Wednesday that James Murdoch was giving up his title of executive chairman of News International. Although the move is not a surprise given that Murdoch has relocated from London to New York, his future trajectory at media giant News Corp. has been tarnished by the ethics scandal at the company’s British newspapers, which he had overseen for the last few years. The company said he will now focus on News Corp.’s international television business. Early stories from the Los Angeles Times, New York Times and Wall Street Journal.
Cost of doing business. When companies merge, the executives talk about all the synergies and cost savings that will come from teaming up. That usually translates into layoffs, and that’s the case for Summit Entertainment, which is merging with Lions Gate. Variety on the first round of cuts.
I hope there is no bullying going on. The Weinstein Co., still mad that its documentary ‘Bully’ was slapped with an R rating, is now sparring with movie theaters over the film. Harvey Weinstein has suggested that the movie might be distributed with no rating. But theater owners might then treat it as if it were an NC-17 film, which would certainly limit its reach. Details from the Hollywood Reporter.
Coming to your cable system. Netflix is often seen as a cable TV killer, but could it one day become a cable channel? Its chief executive, Reed Hastings, didn’t rule out the possibility down the road when he was speaking at an investor conference Tuesday. More from Deadline.
Inside the Los Angeles Times: The movie ‘Being Flynn,’ based on a dark book whose title I can’t write because it has some naughty words in it, took a long time to get to the big screen.
-- Joe Flint
Follow me on Twitter. Every day’s a Super Bowl day for me. Twitter.com/JBFlint
