In the three years since the television industry’s biggest companies pitched their shows to advertisers in person at the so-called upfronts, the entertainment industry has been flipped on its head.
Seen as the future of CNN, the streaming channel was suddenly killed. Its soon-to-be owner, Discovery, had concerns but until the deal closed, it was constrained in guiding a competitor.
The publishing platform’s founders want Substack to be an “alternate universe on the internet.” But it faces copycat rivals, an exodus by writers and a need to move beyond newsletters.
The blockbuster merger of Discovery and WarnerMedia is expected to close as soon as Friday, putting many of the biggest names in movies, TV and news under one roof.