Showtime has stayed in its lane as ViacomCBS overhauls its streaming strategy. But insiders worry it will fall behind with competition rising.

Wednesday, 14 April 2021, 15:48:53
Summary List Placement By the time Viacom and CBS announced their merger in August 2019, media giants like Disney and WarnerMedia already had plans to jump headfirst into the streaming space. Disney Plus would launch that November, and WarnerMedia's HBO Max came the following May. The looming Netflix competitors stirred chatter among staffers at Showtime, the CBS-owned premium-cable network. One former Showtime employee told Insider that there was talk among staffers about the potential for a marquee streaming service stemming from the Viacom-CBS merger. The former staffer thought it would be good for Showtime's relevance in a crowded marketplace to be incorporated into that flagship service. There was an air of excitement. Fast-forward to 2021 and the entire entertainment landscape has changed. Disney used Marvel superheroes and Star Wars to sell Disney Plus. WarnerMedia hitched its streaming star to HBO and made the “Game of Thrones” network the namesake of its HBO Max offering. And ViacomCBS launched its own big-bet streamer in Paramount Plus, a rebranded CBS All Access with an expanded library of titles from brands like Nickelodeon and Comedy Central.
— Business Insider

CBS News president Susan Zirinsky reportedly stepping down

Tuesday, 13 April 2021, 19:52:30
CBS News president Susan Zirinsky is nearing a deal to step down after just two years at the top and ink a wide-ranging production partnership with parent company ViacomCBS, according to a report. Zirinsky has been president under a short-term contract and is expected to remain in the role until her replacement is named, according…
— New York Post

Report: Susan Zirinsky Preparing to Step Down as CBS News President

Tuesday, 13 April 2021, 17:35:46
She's expected to sign a new production deal with ViacomCBS to return to her first love: hands-on producing.
— Adweek

Nomura to tighten financing for hedge fund clients in the wake of Archegos blowup, new report says (NMR)

Tuesday, 13 April 2021, 16:10:21
Summary List Placement Nomura is reportedly tightening financing for some of its hedge fund clients in the wake of the $20 billion collapse of Archegos Capital . Japan's largest brokerage is facing an estimated $2 billion loss due to the family office blowup, according to unnamed Bloomberg sources . The Archegos collapse started when the family office, run by Bill Hwang , used total return swaps to take on leverage and place concentrated bets on a handful of stocks like ViacomCBS and Discovery. Then a decline in share prices sparked a massive margin call that Archegos was unable to meet, leading banks to liquidate the family office's assets. The result was combined losses of $10 billion for global banks, according to estimates from JPMorgan. Now in order to prevent similar blow-ups in the future, banks are taking action to reduce risk associated with hedge fund clients. The Securities and Exchange Commission has also opened an investigation into the matter. Specifically, Nomura is tightening leverage for some clients that were previously granted exceptions to margin financing limits, Bloomberg said, citing people with direct knowledge of the matter.
— Business Insider

Goldman Sachs names 40 stocks to buy before they surge to meet its higher price targets – including 5 with more than 50% upside

Sunday, 11 April 2021, 12:30:00
Summary List Placement Markets saw a strong start to the second quarter. The S&P 500 rose to a record high on April 1 and surpassed 4,000 points for the first time on the back of increased confidence in the economy that stemmed from vaccinations and Biden's infrastructure plan. During the first quarter, all 11 stock-market sectors saw gains . Cyclicals were the biggest winners, with the energy, financials, and industrial sectors posting double-digit gains during that period given that they are closely correlated with the fluctuations of the economy. And although the utilities, tech, and consumer staples areas still enjoyed some returns, they ended up performing the worst. However, since reaching record highs, stocks have proceeded to trade in a flat manner. But that might change soon enough as earnings season kicks off this week with big banks like JPMorgan and Bank of America sharing their financial reports with investors. Investors assess earnings to determine a company's profitability and use earnings per share as a metric to estimate its valuation.
— Business Insider