Media Beat: October 26, 2020

By David Farrell

However blue you may feel, just thank the bejesus you aren’t living in the madness that is the UK today

Jonathan Pie explains

Rogers tops forecasts as wireless, media units rebound from pandemic impact

Rogers Communications kicked off its industry's fall earnings season Thursday by reporting a healthy recovery from the early months of the pandemic, although the results remained lower than last year as its advertisers and consumers continued to grapple with the virus's economic fallout.

The Toronto-based wireless, cable and media company said Thursday it earned $512 million or $1.01 per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30. – The Canadian Press

Corus Q4 profit rises, revenues down

On an adjusted basis, Corus earned $33.2 million or 16 cents per share in its Q4, up from an adjusted profit of $27.9 million or 13 cents per share a year ago.

Corus Entertainment revenue totalled $318.4 million, down from $377.5 million, as the disruptions caused by the pandemic depressed advertising revenue -- especially in radio.

The television segment, which includes the Nelvana animation and merchandising business and Corus Studios, saw revenue fall to $299.1 million from nearly $343.8 million.

The Corus radio segment, which owns 39 stations that sell advertising time, saw revenue drop 43 percent from a year earlier to $19.3 million from $33.7 million. – David Paddon, The Canadian Press

Tommy Schnurmacher: My parents survived the Holocaust — I can get through a pandemic

I am a child of Holocaust survivors. I know how to catastrophize. With my mother’s milk, I ingested the panic and anxiety of impending disaster and not knowing if there will be enough food to eat. Within hours of our plane landing back in Montreal, I prevailed on a tsk-tsking Harold to indulge me in shopping for a food order big enough for a family of six.

Some of it is still in the freezer.

My family has not been short of food since we arrived in Canada from Hungary more than half a century ago. But never mind that. I can tell you the anxiety never disappears. There was an unstated reason why we all ate so quickly.

I only managed to calm down when I saw the pink towers of Rio tuna cans piled side by side in the pantry. – The Montreal Gazette

Terence Corcoran weighs in on the Big Tech debate

The only form of censorship that should be feared and opposed is that imposed by governments — a risk that could materialize if the U.S. Congress and the president have their way with their attacks on Twitter and Facebook and on Big Tech in general.

The objective of all the attacks has been clearly articulated in general terms, both by Democrats and Republicans. They want to revise or even scrap a section of the U.S. Communications Decency Act (CDA) of 1996, a revolutionary piece of legislation that has allowed America to become the global heartland of internet innovation and development — and a global force for free speech. – Financial Post

Netflix Q3 numbers

Netflix has just announced its Q3 results, showing that the streamer added 2.2 million subscribers for the quarter and reaching 195.15 million global subscribers in total by September 30. This quarter’s addition was slightly lower than the company’s estimated 2.6 million growth.

The company noted that the slowdown in growth was due to an incredibly strong first half of the year. – Jess Barnes, Cord Cutters News

Penske Media & MRC announce data joint venture

Penske Media Corporation, the media company behind publications such as Billboard, Variety, and Rolling Stone has announced a joint venture with MRC, to align their data businesses.

The newly formed company will combine MRC Data, formerly known as Nielsen Music, Alpha Data, formerly known as BuzzAngle, and Variety Business Intelligence, with control and ownership over the combined entity shared by MRC and PMC. – Ian Courtney, Celebrity Access

The problem with tech monopolies: from both sides of the political aisle

Both Democrats and Republicans don’t like tech companies right now. They both use the same words. They talk about antitrust, they talk about monopoly, but they both want different outcomes.

In the end, what’s happening is the companies are in the middle of a political fight over their ability to change the conversation. And two sides want very, very different things out of their ability to shape and to control speech. There’s not really a process here that is democratic or open. These decisions are being made in private rooms based upon external political pressure. – The Wall Street Journal

Woke-washing: How fast fashion brands use social issues for sales

When Channel 4’s Inside Missguided documentary aired this summer, critics were quick to highlight the disparity between the “boss babe” culture it presented and the reality of the fast-fashion brand’s operations.

The show placed female empowerment at the heart of the Missguided ethos, with no mention of the anti-feminist issues within the company – from the exploitation of female garment workers in their global supply chain to the 46 percent pay gap in favour of men.

This is just one example of what is being coined ‘woke-washing’. – Kavita Ashton, Euronews