Emmy loves Netflix! Shake-up at Turner. Comic-Con time.
After the coffee. Before avoiding the onslaught of Comic-Con tweets.
The Skinny: Really hard getting motivated this morning. I keep getting distracted by all the Emmy coverage and being amused by reporters trying to top each other with arcane tweets and alleged snubs. Anyway, Thursday’s stories include early Emmy coverage and analysis, a shake-up at Turner Broadcasting and a preview of Comic-Con.
Daily Dose: While ESPN and Fox prepare to duke it out for sports supremacy in the U.S., Discovery Communications is looking to become a player overseas. SBS Discovery Media, which operates television and radio stations in the Nordic region (Denmark, Sweden, Norway), has landed rights for almost 550 European qualifying soccer matches to the 2018 World Cup and the 2016 Euro.
EMMYS 2013: Full coverage | Top nominees | Complete list
House of Emmys. The Emmy nominations were announced early this morning, and as expected the Netflix drama “House of Cards” got a lot of love. Stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright were both nominated. Otherwise, not a lot new. “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad” and “Homeland” got lots of drama nominations while “Modern Family” and “30 Rock” did well in comedy. Early coverage and analysis and, of course, snubs, from the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Deadline Hollywood, Variety and USA Today.
Turn the page. Time Warner is shaking up the leadership at Turner Broadcasting, the cable programming unit that houses TBS, TNT, CNN, HLN and Cartoon Network. Phil Kent, the longtime chief executive, will step down next year and Time Warner Chief Financial Officer John Martin will step in. The reorganization at Turner follows Time Warner’s restructuring of its Warner Bros. unit, and as was the case there, this could lead to bruised egos and departures of executives who feel passed over. Although Turner doesn’t get the attention of HBO or Warner Bros., it is the engine that drives Time Warner. More from the Los Angeles Times.
Clawing to the top. 20th Century Fox has high hopes for “The Wolverine,” starring Hugh Jackman. The studio will have a strong presence at Comic-Con hoping for a geek seal of approval. The Wall Street Journal looks at the importance of “The Wolverine” and the next “X-Men” movie as Fox tries to keep up with Disney and Warner Bros. on the franchise front.
ON LOCATION: Where the cameras roll
Cutting perks. Walt Disney Co. is phasing out some of its executive perks, including car allowances, according to Bloomberg. The move comes in the wake of other cuts throughout Disney including at ESPN, which is gearing up for a new competitive threat from Fox. If Disney really wants to save money and send a message, have it executives fly coach.
Inside the Los Angeles Times: Gina McIntyre on all you need to know about Comic-Con. John Horn on “Red 2,” which shows that older people like to watch older people shoot things and blow each other up.
Follow me on Twitter. There’s really no other way. @JBFlint.
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