This Week in Entertainment News: 13 Stories You Need to See

A roundup of the week’s most newsworthy entertainment industry press releases from PR Newswire, including a record-breaking month for streaming and 7-Eleven’s meet up in Fortnite.

NEW YORK, Aug. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the entertainment and media industries stay on top of the week’s most newsworthy and popular releases, here’s a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn’t be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

1. Streaming Climbs to Record High in July, Linear TV Falls Below 50%, according to Nielsen’s July 2023 Report of The Gauge
   Broadcast and cable each represented record low shares at 20.0% and 29.6% of total TV usage, respectively, to combine for a linear television total of 49.6%.
2. Celebrating Hip-Hop’s Golden Anniversary: Star-Studded Lineup at 2023 Pepsi National Battle of the Bands
   The event organizers announced an all-star lineup featuring Doug E. Fresh aka “Human Beat Box“, Slim Thug, Choppa, Lil Keke, Z-Ro, DJ Mr. Rogers, and a special artist announcement on Saturday, August 26. These artists will join the nation’s top Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) marching bands for an unforgettable musical experience.
3. BIC Joins Forces with Marvel Studios’ “The Marvels” to Empower Fans to “Write with Might”
   Fans can enter the sweepstakes via www.bicwritewithmight.com for an opportunity to win prizes, including limited-edition BIC pens inspired by Marvel Studios’ “The Marvels” (available exclusively at Office Depot and OfficeMax), film-themed memorabilia, Fandango Promotional Code, and free BIC products. One lucky grand prize winner will have the chance to win a trip to the premiere of “The Marvels”, complete with airfare, lodging, food, and more.
4. Wendy McMahon Named President and CEO of CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures
   In this newly created role and structure, McMahon will now lead all of CBS News’ broadcast and streaming operations, 27 local television stations in major U.S. markets, 14 local news streaming channels and CMV’s top-rated first-run syndication programming, as well as its content licensing to television stations and the division’s national advertising sales business.
5. Pringles^® Brings its Bold Flavor to Summer Festival Season with an Interactive Pop-Up Experience
   With stops at Rolling Loud Miami, HARD Summer and Life is Beautiful, music fans will experience Pringles in a whole new way via the Pringles Playground – an immersive experience where attendees can make their own music creations, meet artists and of course, snack on delicious Pringles crisps with their festival crew.
6. Luke Bryan Receives SoundExchange Hall of Fame Award
   SoundExchange, the premier music tech organization powering the future of music, announced today that five-time Entertainer of the Year and country music superstar Luke Bryan has been awarded the SoundExchange Hall of Fame Award as one of the most streamed artists in SoundExchange’s 20-year history.
7. New Subscription-based Streaming Network for filmmakers from BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ BIPOC Communities: FOR US TV
   FOR US TV is a unique platform that seeks to empower and unite marginalized communities by providing a space for their stories to be told. The network’s focus on BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ BIPOC voices is essential to addressing the lack of representation in mainstream media.
8. 7-Eleven Brings Fans the Ultimate Virtual Car Meet Up in Popular Online Game, Fortnite
   After years of cultivating a relationship with the car community on Instagram, 7-Eleven is taking car meet ups to the next level by inviting fans to meet up virtually for the ultimate scavenger hunt across three Fortnite maps.
9. Live Music Alert! The Artist Workshop presents Hip Hop, Pop, Rock, and More in The Summer Showcase
   The Artist Workshop, renowned for its commitment to nurturing creative talents in South King and Pierce counties, is thrilled to present its first Summer Talent Showcase that spotlights the musical abilities of its members.
10. US media market could grow by up to 20% by 2030 amid rise of immersive entertainment, finds Bain & Company
    “The media industry is on the precipice of a major disruption as we enter a new era of immersive content,” said Maureen Sullivan, partner in Bain’s Communications, Media and Entertainment practice. “Winning media companies will prioritize building robust franchise engines to cultivate fandoms, investing behind technology and talent, and testing and learning around new audience engagement strategies and monetization streams.”
11. Newest Crayola^® Family Attraction Slated for Popular Vacation Destination in Tennessee
    The 30,000-square-foot indoor family entertainment center planned for Pigeon Forge will have more than 20 hands-on attractions and a retail store featuring the world’s largest selection of Crayola products and unique souvenirs. Visitors will delight in innovative, never-before-seen attractions, as well as beloved, one-of-a-kind Crayola Experience activities.
12. Cineverse to Launch “Dog Whisperer” Channel on Heels of Securing Worldwide Rights to all 9 Seasons with Over 160 Episodes
    “Given the massive global fan base and success of this seminal brand, we expect its revenue performance will far surpass our most successful FAST channel, Bob Ross,” said Erick Opeka, President & CSO of Cineverse.
13. The Op Games Launches CLUE®: Diary of a Wimpy Kid Under license from leading toy and game company Hasbro and based on Jeff Kinney’s popular book series with over 275 million copies sold worldwide, the game will enable fans to play as their favorite characters from the Wimpy Kid world with a mysterious new twist.

Read more of the latest entertainment-related releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNtertainment on Twitter.

Can’t-Miss Earnings

In addition to these popular releases, several must-read earnings reports crossed the wire this week, including the quarterly results for Cineverse and Tencent Music Entertainment Group.

Catch up on all the latest earnings reports here.

Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News

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