Business
Vice Media Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
NEW YORK – Vice Media, the most recent digital media company to fall after a spectacular rise, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday.
A group of lenders, including Fortress Investment Group, Soros Fund Management, and Monroe Capital, is buying Vice Media for around $225 million and taking on a major portion of the company’s debt. Other parties will also be able to submit bids.
Vice Media anticipates completing the sale within the next two to three months. It stated that its media brands will continue to produce content and that the company will continue to pay its employees and vendors during the process.
Vice Media co-CEOs Bruce Dixon and Hozefa Lokhandwala stated in a prepared statement that the “accelerated court-supervised sale process” will strengthen the company and position it for long-term growth, “thereby safeguarding the kind of authentic journalism and content creation that makes VICE such a trusted brand for young people and such a valued partner to brands, agencies, and platforms.”
According to the disclosure on Monday, vice assets and liabilities are worth between $500 million and $1 billion.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the bankruptcy filing comes only weeks after the firm announced that it would eliminate its flagship “Vice News Tonight” program as part of a wave of layoffs affecting more than 100 of its 1,500-person workforce. The corporation also announced the demise of its Vice World News brand.
A broader wave of media layoffs and closures has occurred, including employment cuts at Gannett, NPR, the Washington Post, and other organizations. BuzzFeed Inc. stated in April that its Pulitzer Prize-winning digital media company BuzzFeed News would be shuttered as part of its corporate parent’s cost-cutting push.
Vice Media, the most recent digital media company to fall after a spectacular rise, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday.
This year, digital advertising has plunged, reducing the income of big technology corporations ranging from Google to Facebook.
“Advertising is down across the board, so it’s a litmus test for a lot of digital publications,” Megan Duncan, an assistant professor at Virginia Tech’s School of Communication, told The Associated Press.
Duncan and others also mentioned the shifting nature of social media, a sector where sites like Vice formerly flourished in terms of audience reach.
“One of the things I think really hurt Vice Media, and thus BuzzFeed, is social media networks like Facebook changing their algorithms,” said Jason Mollica, professor at American University’s School of Communication. “You’re losing money when you’re not bringing in the numbers you’d expect from advertising.”
Aside from advertising and the changing digital landscape, Mollica and Duncan highlighted today’s news consumers’ changing habits and the obstacles media firms face in reaching viewers.
Vice Media, the most recent digital media company to fall after a spectacular rise, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday.
“With such a focus on youth, it can be really difficult to keep being youth-oriented — and change your brand and appeal for the next generation,” Duncan explained.
Duncan also stated that Vice has relied on several rounds of investment and investors throughout the company’s existence and “never really found the business model in its most recent, modern digital age that was going to sustain it.” Aside from that, the corporation has a “complicated history” with issues in leadership and personnel, she added.
Vice Media’s origins may be traced back to 1994 when Vice’s inaugural punk magazine was launched in Montreal. Vice quickly relocated to New York and grew into a global media organization.
Vice Media has built a reputation for outspoken journalism that has covered bold subjects worldwide, particularly among new, youthful audiences on digital media. Other assets of the media organization include film and television production, an in-house marketing agency, and brands such as Refinery 29 and Unbothered.
In recent years, the media organization has struggled to earn a profit. According to the disclosures on Monday, Vice has a total outstanding debt of $834 million.
Vice Media was valued at $5.7 billion in 2017. However, according to The New York Times, most experts now believe the company is worth only a fraction of that.
The bankruptcy filing on Monday comes just months after Nancy Dubuc announced her resignation as CEO. Dixon and Lokhandwala, both experienced Vice executives, have been named co-CEOs.
Dubuc took over for Vice co-founder Shane Smith in 2018 after a 2017 Times investigation revealed systemic sexual harassment and misbehavior at the organization.
SOURCE – (AP)
Business
Sonic the Hedgehog Dominates Christmas Wish Lists
Sonic the Hedgehog is dominating Christmas wish lists this year. The lovable blue hedgehog is back in the spotlight, from sonic the hedgehog toys and games to sonic the hedgehog coloring pages and movie hype.
Sonic-themed holiday merchandise is on fire, from quirky sweaters to action figures flying off shelves. Sonic the Hedgehog Christmas outfits for kids are selling out fast, making them a go-to gift option for festive fun.
Retailers have been quick to recognize Sonic’s holiday appeal. Special promotions and exclusive items, like the Sonic holiday t-shirts, are everywhere.
Everyone’s stocking up on Sonic merchandise, from big-box stores to boutique retailers.
Online shopping platforms are seeing a surge in searches for Sonic items. Whether it’s Sonic Christmas-themed tops or Sonic the Hedgehog coloring pages, Sonic the Hedgehog toys or Sonic and the Hedgehog 3, the demand is skyrocketing.
Retailers who tap into this trend are sure to see strong holiday sales.
Sonic has been around since the early 90s, but his popularity never wanes. With the release of Sonic 3, fans are more excited than ever.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4
Meanwhile, Paramount Pictures is preparing “Sonic the Hedgehog 4,” with the newest addition in the family-friendly genre set for a spring 2027 release.
The announcement comes as “Sonic 3” opens in theatres on Friday, estimated to gross $55 million to $60 million from 3,800 North American locations.
The sequel is shaping up to be a good holiday season blockbuster for Paramount, which explains the desire in future “Sonic” adventures. On the international front, the film will be released on Christmas Day in 52 markets.
On Rotten Tomatoes, critics gave “Sonic 3” an outstanding 87% fresh score.
The first two films grossed a total of $725.2 million at the global box office and generated over $180 million in global consumer expenditure through home entertainment rentals and digital purchases.
They also inspired a spinoff Paramount+ series, “Knuckles,” which premiered earlier this year.
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Business
Amazon Strike Called By Teamsters Union 10,000 Walkout
An Amazon strike has hit facilities in the United States in an effort by the Teamsters union to pressure the corporation for a labour agreement during a peak shopping season.
The Teamsters union told the Associated Press that Amazon delivery drivers at seven facilities in the United States walked off the job on Thursday after the firm failed to discuss a labour contract.
According to the union, Amazon employees in Teamsters union jackets were protesting at “hundreds” of additional Amazon facilities, which the union billed as the “largest strike” in US history involving the company.
The corporation, which employs over 800,000 people in its US delivery network, stated that its services will be unaffected.
It was unclear how many people, including members of Germany’s United Services Union, participated in Thursday’s demonstration. The Teamsters union reported that thousands of Amazon employees were implicated in the United States.
Amazon Strike at 10 Locations
Overall, the group claims to represent “nearly 10,000” Amazon strikers, having signed up thousands of people at roughly ten locations across the country, many of whom have joined in recent months.
The organization has claimed recognition from Amazon going on strike, claiming the firm illegally neglected its obligation to bargain collectively over salary and working conditions.
The Teamsters is a long-standing US union with nearly one million members. It is well-known for securing lucrative contracts for its members at companies like delivery behemoth UPS.
Most of the Teamsters’ Amazon campaigns have concerned drivers working for third-party delivery companies that partner with the tech behemoth.
Amazon denies that it is liable as an employer in those circumstances, which is a point of legal contention. In at least one case, labour officials have taken a preliminary stance in favour of the union.
Stalled Contract Negotiations
Amazon employees at a major warehouse on Staten Island in New York have also chosen to join the Teamsters. Their warehouse is the only Amazon facility in the United States where labour officials have formally recognized a union win.
However, the Amazon strike is because contract negotiations have not progressed since the 2022 vote. It was not one of the areas scheduled to go on strike on Thursday.
Amazon, one of the largest employers in the United States, has long received criticism for its working conditions and has been the target of activists seeking to gain traction among its employees.
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Business
Amazon Encounters Numerous Strikes As Unions Aim At The Holiday Shopping Surge.
(VOR News) – Thousands of Amazon employees at various sites across the country were scheduled to go on strike on Thursday in an effort by the Teamsters union to pressure the retail behemoth to acknowledge its unionised workers in the United States.
The walkout is expected to concentrate on seven Amazon locations across the country during the holiday purchasing surge and may be the most significant union action against Amazon in the nation’s history.
The business announced on Thursday morning that there had been no effect on operations. It also stated that it is “continuing to concentrate on fulfilling customers’ holiday orders.”
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters maintains that it represents more than 10,000 Amazon employees and contractors in aviation centres, warehouses, and delivery centres.
Amazon has refused to acknowledge the union for many years.
The retail giant, which employs approximately 1.5 million individuals, excludes contractors and part-timers. A strike has been initiated by delivery couriers and warehouse employees at seven distinct locations in order to exert pressure on the company to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement that would encompass modifications to compensation, amenities, and working conditions.
Picketing was intended for New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Skokie, Illinois.
Also, the Teamsters assert that they are establishing picket lines at “hundreds” of additional warehouses and delivery centres by encouraging non-unionized workers to picket under U.S. labour law, which protects workers’ ability to take collective action to further their interests.
“Amazon workers are exercising their power,” Randy Korgan stated to NPR.
“They now realise there is a pathway to take on a corporate giant like this – and that they hold the power.” Amazon responds by accusing the Teamsters of fabricating information regarding the strikes, asserting that the participants are “entirely” outsiders rather than employees or subcontractors of the corporation.
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel stated that “the reality is that they were unable to secure sufficient support from our employees and partners and have invited external parties to harass and intimidate our team.” For more than a year, the Teamsters have been intentionally misleading the public by claiming to represent “thousands of employees and drivers.” They do not.
The Teamsters did not provide a specific duration for the strike; however, they informed NPR that it would extend beyond one day. Workers would receive $1,000 per week in strike money, as per the union.
Teamsters President Sean O’Brien issued a statement in which he stated, “If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can attribute it to Amazon’s insatiable greed.” We established a firm deadline for Amazon to attend the meeting and treat our members equitably. They disregarded it.
The Teamsters granted until December 15 to convene with its unionised employees and develop a collective bargaining agreement.
Amazon has opposed all unionisation efforts in court, asserting that unions were not advantageous to its employees and emphasising the compensation and benefits that the organisation currently provides.
Amazon has been accused of discriminatory labour practices on numerous occasions, including the termination of labour organisers. Furthermore, it has disputed its official status as a contract employer.
Teamsters organize Amazon delivery couriers and other employees.
In June, Amazon established its first unionised warehouse in Staten Island, New York, two years after making history by voting to join the fledgling Amazon Labour Union, which is also affiliated with the Teamsters.
The union is one of the most influential in the United States and Canada, with 1.3 million members. On Thursday, the German United Services Union declared that Amazon employees in Germany would participate in a strike in conjunction with their American counterparts.
In the past, Amazon has experienced demonstrations in Germany and Spain that were related to the holiday season in order to advocate for improved wages and working conditions.
“The holiday season has arrived.” Delivery is anticipated. Patricia Campos-Medina, the executive director of Cornell University’s Worker Institute, asserts that “this is the moment in which workers have control over the supply chain.”
The Teamsters have reported that Amazon’s profits have increased both during and after the pandemic. The corporation is currently valued at over $2.3 trillion, with net income of $15 billion in the most recent quarter alone. It is the second-largest private employer in the United States, following Walmart.
SOURCE: NPR
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