Taylor Swift Concert-Ticket Mess Draws Scrutiny for Live Nation and Ticketmaster – Ticketmaster’s Taylor Swift tour fiasco last week renewed calls to investigate the 12-year-old merger that joined the world’s largest live event promoter with the dominant ticketing company. But some legal experts are skeptical that dismantling the behemoth would address the problems raised by officials and fans.
Lawmakers and attorneys general have lined up to hold Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and its Ticketmaster unit accountable for a botched ticket-sale process for Ms. Swift’s first concert tour in five years, blaming the website’s failure and high fees on a lack of competition. [WSJ]
The Crown star Emma Corrin calls for gender-neutral awards, doesn’t think categories are ‘inclusive enough’ – Corrin, who identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, told BBC News that they “hope for a future” in which gender-neutral categories are the norm for awards ceremonies.
“I don’t think the categories are inclusive enough at the moment,” they said. “It’s about everyone being able to feel acknowledged and represented.”
Some film and television awards ceremonies are slowly stepping away from gendered categories. The MTV Movie & TV Awards have been gender-neutral since 2017 and, in August, the Film Independent Spirit Awards announced that it would instate gender-neutral categories for its 2023 nominations, combining its previous male- and female-designated categories into Best Lead Performance, Best Supporting Performance, and Best Breakthrough Performance. The British Independent Film Awards, the Gotham Film & Media Institute, and the Berlin Film Festival have adopted a similar approach. [EW]
Black Friday online sales top $9 billion in new record -Consumers spent a record $9.12 billion online shopping during Black Friday this year, according to Adobe, which tracks sales on retailers’ websites.
Overall online sales for the day after Thanksgiving were up 2.3% year over year, and electronics were a major contributor, as online sales surged 221% over an average day in October, Adobe said. Toys were another popular category for shoppers, up 285%, as was exercise equipment, up 218%.
Many consumers embraced flexible payment plans on Black Friday as they continue to grapple with high prices and inflation. Buy Now Pay Later payments increased by 78% compared with the past week, beginning Nov. 19, and Buy Now Pay Later revenue is up 81% for the same period.
Some of this year’s hottest items included gaming consoles, drones, Apple MacBooks, Dyson products and toys like Fortnite, Roblox, Bluey, Funko Pop! and Disney Encanto, according to the report. [CNBC]
Twitter’s $5bn-a-year business hit as Elon Musk clashes with advertisers – Multiple top advertising agencies and media buyers told the Financial Times that nearly all of the big brands they represent have paused spending on the social media platform, citing alarm at Musk’s ad hoc approach to policing content and decision to axe many of its ad sales team. [FT]
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year Continues With All-New Episodes of ‘The Great Christmas Light Fight,’ Monday, Dec. 5 – The week gets a whole light brighter with two new back-to-back episodes of “The Great Christmas Light Fight,” airing MONDAY, DEC. 5 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EST), on ABC. The competition heats up as judges Carter Oosterhouse and Taniya Nayak take viewers to the biggest and brightest holiday displays where the families show off their stunning homes for a chance to win $50,000 and the coveted Light Fight trophy.
