Business

Verizon Sues FCC Over Net Neutrality

In what is seen as the first major challenge to the Federal Communications Commission’s new net neutrality rules, Verizon is suing the agency to try to get a court to overturn the rules, PC Magazine reports. “Verizon’s court challenge is…

Roger Ebert to Reveal His New (Old) Look When PBS Movie Review Show Debuts This Weekend

Veteran TV film critic Roger Ebert, whose appearance changed when he underwent treatment for thyroid cancer, plans to reveal his “new face” and his facial prosthesis when his new PBS show, "Roger Ebert Presents At the Movies," premieres this weekend,…

‘Idol’ Continues to Slip in Ratings, Still Easily Wins the Night

The "American Idol" results show was easily the top-rated program of Thursday night, even as the downward trend from last season continued for the Fox singing competition show, reports TVbytheNumbers.com. The second night of “Idol’s” new season averaged a 7.8…

Ricky Gervais Says He Did NOT Do What Most Producers Would Have Done Upon Hearing That Steve Carell Wanted to Leave ‘The Office’

Ricky Gervais said he didn’t try to stop Steve Carell from leaving the U.S. version of "The Office," which Gervais co-created and of which he is one of the producers, reports Deadline.com Reporting on a conversation Gervais had on CNN’s…

Google’s Eric Schmidt Plans to Sell Shares Worth $335 Million (Which Is Just a Fraction of the $5.8 Billion Worth of Google Stock That He Owns)

Outgoing Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt plans to sell shares in the company over the next year that could be worth $335 million, reports the Los Angeles Times’ Technology blog. Schmidt’s plans for a rich goodbye came in a regulatory…

Google CEO Leaves Post as Company Streamlines Management

Google announced today that Eric Schmidt will leave his position as CEO, assuming the role of executive chairman, while Google co-founder Larry Page will take over as CEO. The moves are part of a streamlining effort among top management that…

Wednesday Ratings: ‘American Idol’ Returns With a Bang–Albeit a Smaller Bang Than Last Year

Fox’s "American Idol" returned last night with its new faces at the judging table and big numbers in the Nielsen ratings, but not as big as last season, reports TVbytheNumbers.com. The two-hour “Idol” premiere was off 18% from last year’s…

Ricky Gervais to Make High-Profile TV Talk Show Appearance Thursday Night–Do You Think They’ll Talk About the Golden Globes?

Ricky Gervais has had a busy week. After drawing sharp criticism for his Golden Globes performance Sunday, he remained in the spotlight while news broke that he will make a visit to the NBC version of his former U.K. show…

New Syndicated Dating Show Gains Momentum

A new syndicated dating show from CBS Television Distribution has been sold to more than half the country, reports B&C. Joe DiSalvo, CTD’s president of sales, said the program, “Excused,” is “a fresh take on a dating show that will…

Viewers Appear to Be Losing Their Appetite for Food Network, HGTV

It appears Food Network and sister network HGTV are losing their appeal to their core female audiences, as both networks had their first major ratings falloff at the end of 2010, writes the New York Post’s Claire Atkinson. Food Network…