All stories by Brian Steinberg on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Stephen Colbert and ‘The Late Show’ Make ‘Very Emotional’ Return to Ed Sullivan Theater by Brian Steinberg

Stephen Colbert has, nearly every weeknight for the past 15 months, led the nation’s most-watched late-night show without many of the trappings viewers have come to expect. He’s had no l…

SOURCE: Variety at 08:22AM
Monday, June 14, 2021

Disney Puts Focus on Streaming Ad Sales in Brisk TV Upfront (EXCLUSIVE) by Brian Steinberg

Madison Avenue’s interest in digital ads, sports and new concepts tied to bolstering messages of diversity helped Disney close a fast-paced upfront that saw more than 40% of total dollars …

SOURCE: Variety at 06:21PM
Thursday, June 3, 2021

Disney, NBCU, Fox Start to Sell in TV’s Accelerating Upfront Market (EXCLUSIVE) by Brian Steinberg

At least three of the nation’s big media companies are writing deals in an upfront ad-sales market that is moving more rapidly than in years past. Disney, NBCUniversal and Fox have all beg…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:59PM
Friday, May 14, 2021

CBS, Leslie Moonves Resolve Dispute Over $120 Million in Severance by Brian Steinberg

A whopping amount of money that has been held in trust for potential payout to former CBS chief Leslie Moonves is going back to the company. In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:27PM
Thursday, May 13, 2021

Disney in Discussions With NFL for ‘Sunday Ticket’ Franchise, Renews MLB Deal by Brian Steinberg

Disney is in discussions with the NFL about possibly picking up the “Sunday Ticket” franchise that has been a pillar of DirecTV for years. Disney CEO Bob Chapek said during the company�…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:45PM

Black-Owned Media Outlets See Chance to Capture Ad Dollars Long Denied by Brian Steinberg

In the space of just a few weeks, a group of Madison Avenue heavyweights — with names like General Motors, Interpublic Group and WPP — has made public guarantees of ad money for some of …

SOURCE: Variety at 05:44PM
Saturday, May 8, 2021

Elon Musk’s ‘SNL’ Debut Will Get Global YouTube Live Stream by Brian Steinberg

NBC started broadcasting “Saturday Night Live” live across the U.S in 2017. Now the network is preparing to live stream the show around the world. The network said tonight’s broadcast,…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:18PM
Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Kim Godwin Named President of ABC News by Brian Steinberg

Kimberly Godwin, a veteran of local and national TV-news operations, will be the next president of ABC News  — and the first Black executive to run a broadcast-network news operation. Dis…

SOURCE: Variety at 08:45PM
Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Disney Continues Pursuit of New ABC News Chief by Brian Steinberg

Disney’s search for a new leader for ABC News continues weeks after the company unexpectedly disclosed the former president, James Goldston, would leave the post. Goldston’s last day cam…

SOURCE: Variety at 06:13PM
Friday, March 26, 2021

Dominion Voting Systems Files $1.6 Billion Defamation Lawsuit Against Fox News by Brian Steinberg

Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News, alleging that the Fox Corporation-backed cable outlet made false claims about the company’s actions and in…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:16PM
Thursday, March 18, 2021

A Super Bowl Mega-Cast? It’s Under Consideration at Disney by Brian Steinberg

The Super Bowl is the TV industry’s biggest annual event. What if it became several? Walt Disney is considering a Super Bowl “mega-cast” that could create different broadcasts of the g…

SOURCE: Variety at 08:10PM
Wednesday, March 17, 2021

New Group Aims to Warn Advertisers About Podcast Perils, Hot Talk by Brian Steinberg

Madison Avenue is paying more money to podcasting. Now a group of people focused on the industry wants advertisers to pay more attention. The Media Roundtable, a group of organizations that …

SOURCE: Variety at 12:31PM
Thursday, March 4, 2021

Nickelodeon Set to Expand ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ With ‘Patrick Star’ Series by Brian Steinberg

Brian Robbins walked into a meeting where executives were deciding whether kids-media giant Nickelodeon should pick up “SpongeBob SquarePants” for a twelfth cycle, and asked what he thou…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:41AM
Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Disney Spotlights Ad Tech in Bid to Court Madison Avenue by Brian Steinberg

The company that usually talks to advertisers about properties like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Get Up!”  and Goofy spent some time last week chatting with them about technologies that wil…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:12AM
Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Disney Shares Spike as Investors Cheer Launch of Star Video-Streaming Service by Brian Steinberg

Shares in Walt Disney Co. rose for a second straight day as investors were encouraged by its official launch of a new streaming-video service aimed at consumers of general entertainment in E…

SOURCE: Variety at 01:37PM
Sunday, February 7, 2021

How Bruce Springsteen Agreed To Do a Super Bowl Commercial for Jeep by Brian Steinberg

After driving “Thunder Road” for decades, Bruce Springsteen is taking a detour on Madison Avenue. The musician known as “The Boss” will command two minutes of commercial time in Supe…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:17PM
Thursday, March 7, 2019

Disney Open to Running More Spanish-Language Ads on English-Language TV (EXCLUSIVE) by Brian Steinberg

When Verizon wanted to speak to viewers of the recent Oscars broadcast in Spanish, ABC had to change its rules to make it happen. Now the Disney-owned network is willing to do it again. The …

SOURCE: Variety at 10:20AM
Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Nickelodeon Will Revive ‘Blue’s Clues’ by Brian Steinberg

Nickelodeon is whistling for one of TV’s most famous dogs to come home and win over a new generation of kiddie viewers.  It’s not Rin-Tin-Tin or Lassie, nor it is Brian Griffin or Trium…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:00PM
Friday, January 26, 2018

E-Sports Deal Puts EA’s ‘Madden NFL’ on ESPN, Disney XD by Brian Steinberg

 E-sports are coming to ESPN2 and other Disney properties as part of a new deal brokered between Electronic Arts, the National Football League and ESPN. Electronic Arts will partner with ES…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:42AM
Friday, December 15, 2017

Disney’s Advertising Empire Could Get More High-Tech After Fox Purchase by Brian Steinberg

Walt Disney is likely to gain more traction on Madison Avenue. With an acquisition of a good chunk of 21st Century Fox, Disney takes control over many things it does not currently have. Its …

SOURCE: Variety at 09:51AM
Thursday, December 14, 2017

As Disney Catches Fox, What’s Next for Comcast? by Brian Steinberg

Comcast chairman Brian Roberts turned heads in 2004, when his cable company launched an unsolicited $54 billion bid for the Walt Disney Co. Today,  Roberts no doubt had mixed feelings watch…

SOURCE: Variety at 03:20PM

Fox’s Regional Sports Outlets Could Serve as Balm for Disney’s ESPN by Brian Steinberg

Disney’s $52.4 billion stock deal to acquire a good chunk of 21st Century Fox will give the backer of Disneyland new heft around the globe, including places like Europe and India. But …

SOURCE: Variety at 02:01PM

Disney-Fox Aftermath: A Roaring Mouse Could Force Rivals to Get Bigger by Brian Steinberg

It’s not a small world, after all. The Walt Disney Company, stocked to the gills with ESPN, the ABC television network, the Pixar studio, and the Marvel superhero franchise, was alread…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:27AM

Disney to Buy 21st Century Fox Assets for $52.4 Billion in Historic Hollywood Merger by Brian Steinberg

The Walt Disney Co. has set a $52.4 billion, all-stock deal to acquire 20th Century Fox and other entertainment and sports assets from Rupert Murdoch’s empire. The deal between Disney …

SOURCE: Variety at 07:04AM
Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Shares of 21st Century Fox Rise on Latest Report of Possible Disney Buy by Brian Steinberg

Shares of 21st Century Fox rose moderately in early trading Tuesday after CNBC added new fuel to speculation that the Murdoch-controlled company would sell a significant chunk of its assets …

SOURCE: Variety at 11:02AM
Saturday, December 2, 2017

Disney Is Back in the Hunt for Parts of 21st Century Fox by Brian Steinberg

Walt Disney and 21st Century Fox have re-started more serious discussions that could result in the owner of ABC and ESPN picking up pieces of the empire controlled by the Murdoch family, acc…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:10PM
Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Fox Enlists iHeartMedia to Boost Musical Competition ‘The Four’ by Brian Steinberg

Fox Broadcasting, which enjoyed one of its most successful periods when it aired “American Idol,” said it would make a new foray into the music-competition genre by launchingR…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:00PM
Thursday, October 5, 2017

Disney, Altice Strike New Carriage Deal by Brian Steinberg

Walt Disney Company and Altice said they had come to new terms on a carriage deal that will keep ESPN, ABC and Disney Channel, among other networks available to thousands of households in th…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:03PM
Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Disney CEO Bob Iger Decries Las Vegas Shooting: ‘A Huge Crisis for Our Country’ by Brian Steinberg

Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger spoke out forcefully about the recent mass shooting in Las Vegas, calling the violence a “human tragedy of huge proportion” and noting the incident is in…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:18PM
Friday, September 22, 2017

Disney Says Carriage Talks With Altice Could Reach Impasse by Brian Steinberg

Disney and the cable company once known as Cablevision are at it again. The two companies, whose fractious carriage negotiations in 2010 resulted in viewers in New York and Connecticut missi…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:00PM
Sunday, July 23, 2017

Disney’s Split With Jake Paul Spotlights Challenge for Social-Media Sensations by Brian Steinberg

Actor and vlogger Jake Paul had a good thing going: a burgeoning audience for his antics on social media and a group of die-hard fans who enjoyed his presence on the kooky Disney Channel pro…

SOURCE: Variety at 03:10PM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards