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NHL Season Salvaged as League, Players Agree to End Labor Dispute

The National Hockey League and its players reached a tentative agreement Sunday to end a labor dispute that was days away from leading to the cancellation of the season, reports Reuters. The deal was announced jointly by NHL Players’ Association…

HBO Re-Ups With Universal Until 2022

HBO has renewed its movie-distribution agreement with Universal Pictures until 2022 in a potential $200 million-per-year deal that’s designed to keep ahead of Netflix, reports the New York Post. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. "The move by Jeff Bewkes’…

CBS Distances Itself From the Pack as Several Series Hit Ratings Highs

With much of the prime-time broadcast competition airing repeat programming Thursday night, CBS dominated the ratings, based on Nielsen overnights. TVbytheNumbers.com reports that CBS averaged a 3.7 rating for prime time in the key 18-49 demo, well ahead of second-place…

Media Firm Earns Unflattering ‘Honor’: Worst Company and Worst Boss in America to Work For

A new study determined that a media firm is the worst company to work for in the U.S., with the man at the top blamed for the bulk of the unpleasantness. Bloomberg Businessweek reports that the “honor” goes to Dish…

In a Deal ‘Reeking With Irony,’ Al Gore May Come Away With $70 Million From Current TV Sale

Al Gore, who has made dozens of investments since he lost the 2000 presidential race, might gross about $70 million from the sale of his Current TV to the pan-Arab, Qatar-backed cable channel Al Jazeera, reports Bloomberg. Gore, who won…

Time Warner Cable Says It Will Keep ‘Open Mind’ on Al Jazeera

After taking Current TV off its systems following the channel’s purchase by the pan-Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera, Time Warner Cable said it would keep "an open mind" and size up the new network as it develops, reports The New York…

Warner Bros. Settles Vertical Integration Lawsuit Over ‘Smallville’

Warner Bros. has settled the bulk of a $100 million lawsuit over “Smallville” that raised questions about the sensitive issue of vertical integration, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The suit from Tollin/Robbins Productions sought more than $100 million in damages…

Sale of Current TV Ratchets Up Pressure on Small Channels — Is Move an Omen of Shrinking Cable Universe?

The sale of Al Gore’s Current TV to Al Jazeera, followed immediately by the ouster of the channel from the Time Warner Cable lineup, as we reported previously, has little-viewed networks feeling the heat, television writer Alex Ben Block writes…

HBO Is Sued Over Canceled Series

A short-lived HBO drama series continues to create problems for the pay-cable network, which has been named in a lawsuit over the series. HBO and the American Humane Association were sued by a former senior employee of the AHA, who…

Holiday Special Delivers Record Ratings for BBC America

BBC America hit an all-time ratings high in adults 25 to 54 with a special holiday telecast. The Hollywood Reporter’s Live Feed reports that the cable channel’s Christmas "Doctor Who" special set a record with a 0.95 rating in the…