World News

Tag: Entertainment

  • Jiggly Caliente, drag queen who gained national prominence on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” dies at age 44

    Jiggly Caliente, drag queen who gained national prominence on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” dies at age 44


    Jiggly Caliente, a beloved drag queen who competed on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and transgender rights activist, has died at the age of 44, her family said in a statement posted on social media Sunday.

    Bianca Castro-Arabejo, known by her stage name Jiggly Caliente, was going through what her family said was a “serious health setback” over the last month.

    “Due to a severe infection, she was hospitalized and, as a result, has undergone the loss of most of her right leg,” the family’s statement said three days before they announced she had died.

    Her family said Castro-Arabejo “passed away peacefully” on Sunday morning and that she was surrounded by loved ones. They remembered her as an entertainer and advocate who had “infectious energy, fierce wit, and unwavering authenticity.”

    “Her legacy is one of love, courage, and light. Though her physical presence is gone, the joy she shared and the space she helped create for so many will remain forever,” her family’s statement read. “She will be deeply missed, always loved, and eternally remembered.”

    Caliente first walked into the spotlight as a contestant on the award-winning hit reality show “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” The Philippines-born drag queen competed on season 4 of the show and on the sixth season of its spin-off, “RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars.” She became one of the most recognizable names from the show and went on to act in other TV series including “Broad City” and “Pose,” as well as appearing as a judge on “RuPaul’s Drag Race Philippines.”

    In 2016, Castro-Arabejo publicly came out as a transgender woman. 

    “Drag was the awakening for my transness,” she told Mega magazine in an interview last year.

    Following the announcement of her death, tributes from fellow “Drag Race” contestants were posted to social media, including from Caliente’s “drag daughter” and season 14 contestant June Jambalaya.

    “Jiggly wasn’t just my drag mother she was my safe place, my human diary, my compass when I was lost,” Jambalaya said in an Instagram post. “There were so many moments I came to her broken, defeated by the business I love so much,a business that I felt didn’t always love me back. And every time, she reminded me of my worth: how beautiful, how talented I was, how my gift could never be measured by a placement on a show.”

    Kiki Intarasuwan

    Kiki Intarasuwan is a news editor for CBS News & Stations.



    Source link

  • Comcast stock drops as investors balk at weakness in broadband

    Comcast stock drops as investors balk at weakness in broadband


    Comcast on Thursday outlined changes to its broadband strategy as the business continues to shed customers in the face of heightened competition.

    The discussion came amid the company’s first-quarter earnings call with investors. Despite the customers losses, Comcast’s earnings surpassed analysts’ expectations.

    Comcast shares closed down nearly 4% Thursday.

    Here is how Comcast performed for the period ended March 31, compared with estimates from analysts surveyed by LSEG:

    • Earnings per share: $1.09 adjusted vs. 98 cents expected
    • Revenue: $29.89 billion vs. $29.77 billion expected

    While domestic broadband revenue was up 1.7% to $6.56 billion, Comcast lost 199,000 total domestic broadband customers, reflecting the continued pressure on the cable giant’s cornerstone business. Competition has ramped up in recent years due to the rise of alternative home internet options, including 5G, or so-called fixed wireless. 

    “In this intensely competitive environment we are not winning the marketplace in a way that is commensurate with the strengths of our network and connectivity,” said Comcast President Mike Cavanagh on the company’s earnings call.

    Analysts peppered Comcast executives with questions on Thursday regarding its Xfinity-branded broadband and mobile, and how the company will pivot the business.

    Cavanagh said that the company had identified a “disconnect” that’s translated to slowed growth despite a strong broadband network and related products. He noted the two primary headwinds are “price transparency and predictability and the level of ease of doing business with us.”

    During last quarter’s earnings call, Comcast executives alerted investors that they would shift the company’s focus to growing its mobile business following continued losses in broadband.

    Comcast’s less-than-10-years-old mobile business remained a bright spot during the quarter. Revenue for the unit was up roughly 16% to $1.12 billion, and it added 323,000 lines. There are now roughly 8.15 million total Xfinity Mobile lines. 

    On Thursday, CEO Brian Roberts said the company is “clearly facing some challenges, but as you’ve heard, with a lot of passion.”

    “The team has a sense of urgency, energy and focus to getting customer pain points resolved,” Roberts said. “While this may take a little time to fully take hold, our history of operational execution success would tell you that while sometimes we may not move first, once we get in motion we do it extremely well.”

    ‘Elevated competition’

    Igor Golovniov | Lightrocket | Getty Images

    On Thursday, Comcast CFO Jason Armstrong said the company is “in an incredibly strong position to successfully execute on tough decisions we’re making in the face of elevated competition in certain areas.”

    Broadband bloomed as a growth engine for cable companies like Comcast as the cable TV business began its decline. Comcast on Thursday reported 427,000 cable TV customer losses during the first quarter.

    Following years of consistent broadband customer growth, especially during the early Covid pandemic lockdown orders when many Americans used home internet for work and school, the green shoots of competing offerings began to take hold.

    The key competitive force has been the rise of fixed wireless offerings from Verizon and T-Mobile. There’s been the so-called overbuilding of fiber internet, as well as 5G, a fixed wireless high-speed internet offering.

    In 2022, Comcast and Charter Communications each reported their first quarterly losses in broadband customer growth.

    Last September, Charter unveiled a strategy shift, which centered around new pricing, internet speeds, a push to grow mobile and making customer service changes. CEO Chris Winfrey told CNBC the goal was to remove the longtime negative perception around cable companies.

    When Comcast noted the need to shift strategy earlier this year, executives said they would follow Charter’s lead in these areas. Comcast recently started to introduce changes to its mobile plans and pricing, and made a new hire.

    Comcast Cable President Dave Watson on Thursday said new offers — such as adding a mobile line for free for one year — that were introduced toward the end of the first quarter have already shown benefits.

    “It resulted in a great quarter to start with. We’re rolling here, and we expect continued acceleration in coming quarters,” he said.

    Watson also noted upgrades to services for existing customers as “a core piece of our strategy is innovation.”

    Despite the lack of growth, revenue for the broadband unit is consistently up due to strength in average revenue per user, or ARPU in industry jargon. Analysts questioned if that would take a hit with the strategy shift.

    “What we’re trying to do is really focus on the pain points in this market,” Watson said. “We can execute this tactically, surgically and do not view it as a broad repricing of our base. We think we can still drive healthy broadband ARPU growth, but these initiatives will require some investment, which in turn will impact our ability to grow EBITDA in the near future. But we view the impact as very manageable.”

    Bigger picture

    Guests ride the Stardust Racers rollercoaster in the Celestial Park area, at the Epic Universe theme park in Orlando, Florida, US, on Saturday, April 5, 2025. Epic Universe, the $7 billion attraction from Comcast Corp.’s Universal Destinations & Experiences division, offers five distinct lands and opens to the public on May 22.

    Bloomberg | Getty Images

    For the first quarter, Comcast’s net income was down 12.5% to $3.38 billion, or 89 cents a share, compared with $3.86 billion, or 97 cents per share during the same period a year earlier. Adjusting for one-time items including income tax expenses and costs related to the value of assets, among other items, Comcast reported earnings per share of $1.09. 

    Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, were up nearly 2% to $9.53 billion. 

    The company’s revenue was down slightly to $29.89 billion compared with $30.06 billion in the same period in 2024. 

    Revenue was helped by what Comcast refers to as its “growth businesses,” including mobile, streaming platform Peacock, the business services unit, residential broadband, studios and theme parks. Comcast is in the process of spinning out its portfolio of cable networks, including CNBC, in a transaction that’s expected to be completed this year.

    Revenue for the media segment, which includes NBCUniversal, was up about 1% to $6.44 billion, and revenue in the film studios unit rose 3% to $2.83 billion. 

    The media unit got a boost from Peacock, with adjusted EBITDA for the segment up 21% to $1 billion driven by the streaming platform. Revenue for Peacock itself was up 16%. The streamer’s quarterly loss narrowed to $215 million, compared with a loss of $639 million in the same quarter a year prior.  

    Peacock had 41 million paid subscribers, beating analyst estimates of 37.21 million for the quarter, according to StreetAccount. Peacock ended last fiscal year with 36 million paid customers. 

    Competitors including Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery have each seen their streaming platforms reach profitability in recent quarters. Streamers have shifted gears to focusing on ad-supported business models and cracking down on password sharing in a bid to reach profitability as Wall Street investors shifted focus to the metric rather than subscriber additions.

    NBCUniversal’s theme parks revenue was down 5% to roughly $1.88 billion – driven by lower guest attendance during a quarter plagued by the Los Angeles wildfires – weighing down the overall business. 

    The company is gearing up for the debut of Universal Epic Universe on May 22, which will be the first major theme park development in Florida in 25 years. In Thursday’s release, Comcast called the new theme park its “most ambitious parks experience ever created,” with more than 50 attractions.

    In August it will also open Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas. NBCUniversal also recently announced plans to build a Universal Theme Park and Resort in the U.K.

    Disclosure: Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC.

    Don’t miss these insights from CNBC PRO



    Source link

  • Oprah Winfrey selects

    Oprah Winfrey selects


    Oprah Winfrey has selected “Matriarch,” a memoir by Tina Knowles, as her latest book club pick. The personal memoir details Knowles’ life journey from growing up in segregated Texas to raising music superstars Beyoncé and Solange.

    During an appearance on “CBS Mornings,” Winfrey praised the memoir for its intimate yet universal appeal.

    “What you did is what I think is so hard to do when you’re writing a memoir, and that is to tell your story intimately, personally, but also make it universal,” Winfrey told Knowles. “I believe everybody who has a mother, and everybody who is a mother is going to love this story.”

    The book contains revelations that surprised even Winfrey, including Knowles’ previously undisclosed battle with cancer.

    Knowles, nicknamed “bad ass Tenie B” as a child for her outspoken nature, expressed both excitement and nervousness about sharing her story.

    “It’s a wonderful day … but I still have a little anxiety, because you’re just putting it out into the world,” she said. 

    The memoir began as a much larger project. 

    “I started off with 1,000 pages,” Knowles said, laughing that her publisher insisted on cuts, noting that “nobody’s gonna read a book that’s 1,000 pages.”

    “I tried really hard to tell the stories without telling other people’s stories. That is really hard,” Knowles said.

    Knowles said she hopes people will be inspired by some of the stories she has overcome.

    “I also hope that people will do their family trees and get into their legacy and their ancestors,” she said.

    She also said she has a desire to leave a legacy for her families future generations. 

    “I didn’t know my grandparents, so it’s one of the reasons why I want to do this, is to leave that for my grandchildren, that I want, my great grandchildren, that I might not meet, and they’ll have a story in my words, and not someone else interpreting a story.”

    “The best, important job” 

    The memoir also chronicles Knowles’ decades-long marriage to Mathew Knowles, the father of Beyoncé and Solange. She revealed that her children weren’t fully aware of the couple’s on-again, off-again relationship until they were older.

    “There was a time that I separated, and they were devastated because they were very young, and they never knew why,” Knowles explained. “It’s a difficult thing until they’re older, because you don’t want to put that on a kid.”

    Winfrey pointed out how Knowles sent both daughters to therapy at a young age to help them appreciate each other’s talents — a progressive parenting choice at the time.

    “She knew early on that the girls’ relationship with each other needed to be balanced and talked about in a way that she didn’t feel capable of doing completely herself,” Winfrey said.

    The book also reveals personal details about Knowles’ childhood, including experiences with racism and the fact that her maiden name was Beyoncé, which later became her famous daughter’s first name.

    Knowles also shares how she named the group Destiny’s Child.

    “I put their picture in my NIV study Bible, and one day I opened it, and it said ‘Destiny.’ And I was like, that’s the name. And my ex-husband added ‘child’ to it because it was already a group by that name.”

    When reflecting on motherhood, Knowles called it the “best, important job of your life,” explaining that despite her rebellious youth, “With my kids, I said I got to control myself. I have to be deliberate and intentional … I just didn’t want to screw that up, because I screw some stuff up.”

    “Matriarch” is available now, and Knowles will be embarking on a book tour to promote it. You can hear more on “The Oprah Podcast,” available on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

    Analisa Novak

    Analisa Novak is a content producer for CBS News and the Emmy Award-winning “CBS Mornings.” Based in Chicago, she specializes in covering live events and exclusive interviews for the show. Analisa is a United States Army veteran and holds a master’s degree in strategic communication from Quinnipiac University.



    Source link

  • Netflix posts major earnings beat as revenue grows 13% in first quarter

    Netflix posts major earnings beat as revenue grows 13% in first quarter


    Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos attends Netflix’s FYSEE event for “Squid Game” at Raleigh Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles, June 12, 2022.

    Charley Gallay | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images

    Netflix posted a major earnings beat Thursday, as revenue grew 13% during the first quarter of 2025.

    The streamer attributed its better-than-expected revenue to higher-than-forecast subscription and advertising dollars.

    In late January, the company increased its pricing across the board, raising its standard plan to $17.99 a month, its ad-supported plan to $7.99, and its premium plan to $24.99.

    The report marks the first time the streaming giant did not disclose quarterly subscriber data, as it shifts its strategy to focus on revenue and other financial metrics as performance indicators.

    Netflix’s earnings also come as traditional media stocks have been slammed by a tumultuous market prompted by President Donald Trump’s trade policy.

    Netflix, however, said it continues to forecast full-year revenue of between $43.5 billion and $44.5 billion.

    “There’s been no material change to our overall business outlook,” the company said in a statement Thursday.

    As investors worry about the potential impact of tariffs on consumer spending and confidence, Netflix’s co-CEO Greg Peters said on the company’s earnings call, “Based on what we are seeing by actually operating the business right now, there’s nothing really significant to note.”

    “We also take some comfort that entertainment historically has been pretty resilient in tougher economic times. Netflix, specifically, also, has been generally quite resilient. We haven’t seen any major impacts during those tougher times, albeit over a much shorter history,” Peters said.

    Netflix shares gained about 2% in extended trading Thursday.

    Here’s how the company performed for the quarter ended March 31, compared with estimates compiled by LSEG:

    • Earnings per share: $6.61 vs. $5.71 expected
    • Revenue: $10.54 billion vs. $10.52 billion expected

    Net income for the period was $2.89 billion, or $6.61 per share, up from $2.33 billion, or $5.28 per share, during the same quarter a year earlier.

    Revenue in the first quarter jumped nearly 13% year over year, reaching $10.54 billion.

    Netflix has been leaning on advertising as it seeks to soften slowing subscriber growth. “A key focus in 2025 is enhancing our capabilities for advertisers,” it said.

    The company launched its in-house ad tech platform in early April in the U.S., with plans to extend into other markets in the coming months.

    “We believe our ad tech platform is foundational to our long term ads strategy,” the company said. “Over time, it will enable us to offer better measurement, enhanced targeting, innovative ad formats and expanded programmatic capabilities.”



    Source link

  • Sony wins distribution rights to

    Sony wins distribution rights to


    CBS has lost distribution rights to “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!,” with a Los Angeles court rejecting the network’s bid for a preliminary injunction that would have blocked Sony from taking over. 

    Sony, which produces the two iconic game shows, filed a complaint In October 2024 alleging that CBS entered into unauthorized licensing agreements. Specifically, the entertainment company claimed CBS licensed the shows at below-market rates and failed to maximize advertising revenue, among other alleged contract violations (CBS News and CBS are owned by Paramount Global.)

    After accusing CBS of breaching its contract, Sony in February assumed distribution. In response, CBS sought, and was granted, a restraining order, which allowed the network to retain distribution rights to the programs. 

    In his ruling Thursday, Superior Court Judge Kevin Brazile stated that “Sony can begin distributing the shows and does not need to deliver episodes to CBS.” 

    CBS Media Ventures said that it would immediately appeal the court’s ruling on distribution rights for the two programs, which were created by Merv Griffin and which debuted in 1975.

    “This is only a preliminary ruling based on partial evidence, not the outcome of the full case,” CBS Media Ventures said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch. “We’re confident once all the evidence is heard at trial, we will prevail on the merits. In today’s ruling, the court itself recognized the balance of harm tips in CBS’ favor, so we will ask the appellate court for a stay pending our appeal.”

    Sony did not immediately respond to CBS MoneyWatch’s request for comment. 

    Megan Cerullo

    Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.



    Source link

  • E.A. Hanks on father Tom Hanks’ reaction to new memoir on her turbulent childhood with her mother

    E.A. Hanks on father Tom Hanks’ reaction to new memoir on her turbulent childhood with her mother


    Journalist E.A. Hanks shared that her father, actor Tom Hanks, and brother, Colin Hanks, were among the first to read her deeply personal new memoir, “The Ten: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road,” which details her childhood with her late mother.

    “The first thing my dad said is, ‘This is an accurate portrayal of what it was to love and fear this woman.’ Once I knew that I had gotten her right, everything else flowed,” she said during an appearance on “CBS Mornings” on Wednesday.

    The book details Hanks’ six-month journey along Interstate 10 from California to Florida, during which she sought to better understand Susan Dillingham — who died in 2002 — and reflect on her own difficult childhood.

    “I’m just another girl trying to make sense of her dead, crazy mother,” Hanks said.

    Hanks revealed that while growing up, she had language to understand addiction — her mother hosted 12-step programs in their home — but lacked vocabulary for mental illness.

    “My mom — I had language for addiction because we used to host 12-step programs in our house, and my mom would have sponsees stay with us. I had a language even from 8 years old about addiction, but there was no language for mental health and what was sort of wrong in the house,” Hanks explained. “A lot of the book is me trying to create that language and share it.”

    The author described her mother’s “fluid” relationship with reality, saying in the book that “mom’s relationship with reality was fluid. Truth was fed through the meat grinder of mental illness.” 

    She detailed both emotional and physical abuse in her childhood home. Hanks explained that in California during the late 1980s, family law typically required evidence of physical abuse before a child could be removed from a situation.

    “Family law in California in the late ’80s wasn’t enough room for it. At that time, you kind of had to have the receipts of physical abuse to get pulled out of a situation. And once we crossed that rubicon is when I moved to Los Angeles,” she said.

    What Hanks learned about her mother

    Despite the difficult relationship, Hanks said she remained protective of her mother. In writing the memoir, she incorporated her mother’s poetry as a way to reconnect with her.

    “At the time, my mom kind of had this stance like a thoroughbred who had been put out to pasture too soon, and she didn’t get her chance as an artist because of my dad’s, as I describe it, catastrophic fame,” Hanks said. “I think including her poetry in the book is a way of treating her seriously as an artist and getting back into conversation with her. And anybody who’s buried a parent knows that a two-way conversation suddenly becomes a one-way conversation.”

    When asked about the truth she now understands, Hanks reflected, “The truth is, my mother had good days and bad days. And I was lucky to experience the good days, and I was shaped by the bad days. All of the care and protection I had for the child that I was doesn’t diminish what happened between us. But it means that as I get older, there’s more wiggle room and acceptance for her flaws and mine.”

    The memoir also explores themes of place and identity. As a journalist accustomed to interviewing others, Hanks discovered, “When you’re talking to stone-cold strangers, you can’t start with, ‘Tell me about your mom,’ but you can start with, ‘Tell me where you’re from.’ If someone wants to talk about their hometown, it’s an elevator to their deepest self.”

    She added, “Identity and where you’re from, that’s the whole story. I learned that I’m the product of where I’m from.”

    “The Ten: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road” is available now.

    Analisa Novak

    Analisa Novak is a content producer for CBS News and the Emmy Award-winning “CBS Mornings.” Based in Chicago, she specializes in covering live events and exclusive interviews for the show. Analisa is a United States Army veteran and holds a master’s degree in strategic communication from Quinnipiac University.



    Source link

  • Toy prices could jump 50% following Trump’s tariffs on China, Vietnam

    Toy prices could jump 50% following Trump’s tariffs on China, Vietnam


    The toy aisle is about to get more expensive.

    President Donald Trump expanded his trade war this week, placing a 10% baseline tariff on almost every country and much steeper levies on dozens of others. Among those hit with higher tariffs were China and Vietnam — two nations that are vital to the domestic toy industry.

    For decades, U.S. toy companies have worked with Chinese manufacturers to bring the hottest action figures, dolls and games to retail shelves. Vietnam became a solid secondary market for companies looking to diversify their factory locations amid growing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing.

    Trump slapped China with an additional 34% duty Wednesday, bringing the total tax on goods from the nation to 54%, and hit Vietnam with a 46% tariff. The levy is far higher than what toy companies expected and could lead to massive price hikes on toys, industry experts said.

    “Everyone is really in scramble mode,” Greg Ahearn, president and CEO of The Toy Association, told CNBC. “This is going to have massive negative repercussions for the consumer and for our industry.”

    Adding to the tensions, China is set to impose a retaliatory 34% levy on all U.S. products, its commerce ministry announced Friday.

    “I think the Vietnam situation will be a little bit easier to negotiate, as far as I think we will see the Vietnamese country and government come to the table quicker than China trying to resolve any trade disputes,” said Curtis McGill, co-founder of Hey Buddy Hey Pal, which makes the Eggmazing Egg Decorator, a crafting tool that spins eggs so kids can use markers to color them. “They’re just not in a place where they can stand losing much of the business.”

    Around 77% of toys imported into the United States come from China, according to data from The Toy Association. Vietnam is third, just behind Mexico. Trump previously placed a 25% tariff on goods from Mexico that aren’t compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

    Hasbro and Mattel, leaders in the toy space, both incorporated a 20% tariff impact from China in their guidance projections for 2025 and had strategies in place to shift production to other countries, like Vietnam, Indonesia and India, all three of which were also hit with tariffs — 46%, 32% and 26%, respectively.

    “As a result, relocating production may not be financially viable,” wrote Eric Handler, analyst at Roth, in a research note to investors published Thursday. “The consumer should soon see price increases to partially offset the tariff impact.”

    Hasbro and Mattel report first-quarter earnings this month, and Handler said investors will likely see guidance cuts from both companies.

    Toy companies have already been slammed on Wall Street in the wake of the tariff announcement. Mattel shares fell more than 16.5% in Thursday trading, Hasbro lost more than 12% and Funko, which also has manufacturing in China and Vietnam, saw its stock plummet 18%. 

    While Handler expects companies to try and lower costs through contract renegotiations with manufacturers and, perhaps, even altering packaging to improve margins, he said there is little doubt that consumers will bear the brunt of Trump’s duties.

    “You could have anywhere from 35% to potentially even a point-for-point price increase on products depending upon what margin those products run at,” The Toy Association’s Ahearn said. “It may actually just be a 50% price increase, given it’s a 54% tariff.”

    Most toy margins are in the high single digits, he noted. So, there is very little wiggle room for companies to absorb these fees.

    “There’s no place for it to go, but to the consumer,” Ahearn said, noting that The Toy Association expects price hikes to coincide with this year’s back-to-school season.

    “The greatest budgetary impact on are the folks, unfortunately, who can afford it the least,” he said.



    Source link

  • Nintendo Switch 2 and new

    Nintendo Switch 2 and new


    Nintendo has announced a June 5 launch date for its latest gaming console, the Switch 2, which will introduce interactive chat and screenshare functions to connect gamers.

    At its 60-minute Nintendo Direct presentation, the company revealed a more vibrant display on the Switch 2, a larger screen and several games that will launch with the console.

    Central to its updated system is a new “C” button on its Joy-Con controller, which will launch a new “GameChat” feature that allows you to “communicate with friends and family while playing a game” and lets you share your game screen with other players. A built-in microphone will also allow you to chat with other gamers. The “GameChat” feature requires a subscription to Nintendo’s Switch online service.

    “When you think about some of the biggest titles on (the Nintendo Switch), it’s like Mario Kart, Super Mario Jamboree, even though that’s quite a new title, has cracked the top 10 of most play games on the console. So, it does make a lot of sense that the sort of headline feature is geared primarily towards that sort of use,” said Hannah Cowton-Barnes, a London-based video game industry expert for Tech Advisor.

    Perhaps the most contemporary function yet for the Switch 2 is the ability to use the Joy-Con controllers like a computer mouse. The developer displayed multiple ways to use the new function in games, such as angling a club in a golf game.

    The new portable console features a 7.9 inch LCD screen that displays in 1080p. Nintendo also revealed in the live stream that, when docked, the system will be able to support 4K resolution for compatible games.

    Wednesday’s presentation started off with an extended look at “Mario Kart World” — the console’s launch bundle game — which adds a bit of flair to the series with in-game characters doing tailwhips, flips, rail grinds and other tricks.

    The developer also unveiled a new James Bond game, dubbed “Project 007,” revisiting a classic Nintendo 64 console hit revered by many first-person shooter fans.

    Nintendo also announced two more Switch 2 exclusives featuring its marquee characters. “Donkey Kong Bananza,” a 3D adventure with the big ape punching his way through a huge underground world, arrives July 17. “Kirby Air Riders,” a racing game from the director of the “Super Smash Bros.” series, is due later in the year.

    Third-party exclusives likely to create some buzz include Koei-Tecmo’s “Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment,” a hack-and-slash prequel to “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,” coming this winter. From Software’s “The Duskbloods,” a baroque multiplayer title from the creators of Elden Ring, is scheduled for 2026.

    Miss the GameCube? Nintendo said Switch Online subscribers will be able to access a limited selection of GameCube titles such as “The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker” and “F-Zero GX.”

    The new console will be backwards compatible — able to play physical and digital Switch games — but users will need to purchase a microSD express memory card for the Switch 2. The presentation revealed that normal SD cards will not be compatible with the system. However, data from the original Switch can be transferred to the new console using a transfer feature.

    The original Switch, released in 2017, is “one of the most popular game consoles of all time,” Scott Stein, editor-at-large at CNET, told CBS News Boston in January.

    It became popular in part because of its unique design. Resembling a tablet, the device has detachable pieces on each side that can be used to control game play. It also allows users to continuing playing a game on a television screen when docked on a charging station, a first-of-its-kind feature at the time.

    But the original has aged, leading to some of the excitement for the new version, Stein said. 

    “There’s a lot of stuff it does well but there’s a lot of stuff that people I think want it to do better for playing games they can play elsewhere,” he said, noting the ability to take it on the go differentiates it from other gaming consoles.

    How much does the Nintendo Switch 2 cost?

    Nintendo will retail the Switch 2 for $449.99 at launch, which is significantly higher than the original Switch’s $299 price tag. A separate bundle that includes the new “Mario Kart World” game will also be available for $499.99.

    Gene Park, a Washington Post reporter covering video games and gaming culture, told CBS News the console is “a little pricey, but it is a more powerful system.” 

    He noted that the “Mario Kart World” game itself is priced at $80. 

    “It’s a little eyebrow-raising. It’s really the first Nintendo game to broach $80, and there’s a lot of talk about video games becoming $100 right now,” Park said.

    The Trump administration’s tariffs have hit the video game console industry at a fragile moment, said Joost van Dreunen, author of “One Up: Creativity, Competition, and the Global Business of Video Games.

    “At the beginning of a new hardware cycle, all of a sudden we’re looking at this price hike,” said van Dreunen, a games industry researcher. “I had originally predicted that the Switch 2 would be $400. Now it’s announced that it’s $450. That $50 difference is a Trump tax.”

    The tariffs, he said, impact games hardware because console devices are manufactured and shipped from China and that region at large.

    The early stages of a hardware life cycle are already very low margin, or usually a loss for hardware manufacturers, van Dreunen said. Those manufacturers typically eat the margin in order to get the devices out to stores.

    “But with an increased tariff, that means that margin is probably even worse than it historically is. But their hands are kind of tied. They can’t not progress. They can’t not launch a new hardware generation. So for the consumer base, people are just going to pay more.”

    The Consumer Technology Association also predicted President Trump’s tariffs would drive up prices of video game consoles, and retailers like Best Buy have warned they may have to raise prices due to the tariffs.

    Nintendo plans to host “Switch 2 Experience” events in several countries, where gamers can get a hands-on experience with the new system. Those events are planned for cities such as Los Angeles, New York, London and Paris beginning this month.



    Source link

  • Kim Delaney, best known for

    Kim Delaney, best known for




    CBS News Los Angeles

    Live

    Kim Delaney, an Emmy-winning actor known for her role on “NYPD Blue,” will not face criminal charges in connection with her arrest in Marina Del Rey in an alleged domestic dispute over the weekend.

    The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has declined to filed charges against Delaney and James Morgan, both of whom were arrested March 29, “due to insufficient evidence,” Pamela Johnson, a spokesperson for the DA’s office, confirmed in a statement Tuesday. 

    SHERMAN OAKS, CA – NOVEMBER 02: Kim Delaney attends a screening for ‘Searching For Home: Coming Back From War’ at ArcLight Sherman Oaks on Nov. 2, 2015 in Sherman Oaks, California.

    Tibrina Hobson / Getty Images


    After being arrested the prior Saturday, Delaney was released from custody Tuesday at 10:45 a.m., county records show.

    She was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon while James was arrested on suspicion of battery, according to the LA County Sheriff’s Department. 

    Deputies were called to a home along Marquesas Way around 9:45 a.m. for a reported disturbance, sheriff’s officials said. 

    Morgan was released on $20,000 bond and out of custody by Sunday evening, records show.

    Delaney, 63, is perhaps best known for her starring role as Detective Diane Russell on the ABC drama “NYPD Blue,” for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1997. She has also starred in other television shows including “General Hospital,” “Army Wives” and “All My Children.”

    Marissa Wenzke

    Marissa Wenzke is a journalist based in Los Angeles. She has a bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Santa Barbara and is a graduate of Columbia Journalism School.



    Source link

  • Shares of conservative cable channel Newsmax soar another 179% after massive debut

    Shares of conservative cable channel Newsmax soar another 179% after massive debut


    A NEWSMAX television crew member steam irons a backdrop during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, on Saturday, February 24, 2024.

    Tom Brenner | The Washington Post | The Washington Post | Getty Images

    Shares of conservative cable channel Newsmax soared nearly 180% Tuesday, a day after the stock’s dizzying debut on the New York Stock Exchange.

    Newsmax shares have risen more than 1,500% since its Monday debut, when it opened at $14 per share. It closed at $233 per share on Tuesday.

    The skyrocketing stock not only brought the company’s market capitalization to nearly $30 billion — surpassing the market cap of legacy media companies like Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox Corp — it also propped up the returns of its investors.

    Traditional media IPOs are hard to come by, especially given the significant changes to companies’ business models in recent years, and Newsmax’s meteoric debut was unexpected. The highly anticipated stock debut of CoreWeave on Friday — the biggest tech IPO since 2021 and first pure-play artificial intelligence offering — saw a tempered start in comparison.

    Founder and CEO Christopher Ruddy, who owns roughly 39.2 million Class A shares of the company and 81.4% of voting stock, joined the billionaire ranks after the initial public offering. As of the market close, Ruddy’s stake was worth more than $9 billion.

    Interactive Brokers founder and billionaire Thomas Peterffy is Newsmax’s second-largest shareholder with 23 million shares — worth more than $5 billion as of Tuesday — owned through a limited-liability company, Conyers Investments.

    Peterffy invested $50 million in Newsmax in 2019, according to an individual familiar with the deal. He declined to comment on his investment to CNBC. Peterffy has appeared on Newsmax before and is a prominent GOP donor.

    On Tuesday, Newsmax sent out an email to investors highlighting its stock rise on the opening day of trading.

    “Americans for a long time have been voting with their remote controls, downloads, apps to say they want Newsmax. Now investors powerfully are buying Newsmax shares because they like us, they value us and they want us to keep growing,” Ruddy said in a statement to CNBC.

    Rising red tide

    Fox News and Newsmax television studios are seen in the Fiserv Forum on the day before the Republican National Convention begins, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 14, 2024.

    Joe Raedle | Getty Images News | Getty Images

    Newsmax, which launched its right-wing cable network in 2014, has gained traction during President Donald Trump‘s second term and is the fourth most-watched cable news channel after Fox News, MSNBC and CNN, according to Nielsen.

    Ruddy said on Monday that Newsmax counts Republican and Democratic lawmakers as both contributors and viewers. “We believe we’re conservative with an independent news mission, and we ask tough questions of the Trump administration.”

    Last week, Ruddy posted on X that he received a call from Trump, adding “I shared with Potus my new saying: ‘A rising Trump lifts all boats!’”

    “This shows there continues to be financial support for all things MAGA. There is room for a multiplicity of voices on the right in a way we haven’t seen emerge on the left,” said Jonathan Miller, a former senior News Corp. executive who currently serves as CEO of Integrated Media, which specializes in digital media investments.

    Newsmax transitioned from a digital media outlet to a cable channel because Ruddy saw an opportunity to grab market share from Fox News, he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Monday.

    Still, its viewership pales in comparison to the dominant conservative channel Fox.

    Between Dec. 30 and March 20, Newsmax had an average of 309,000 prime-time viewers and 211,000 daytime viewers, according to Nielsen data. Fox News attracted an average of nearly 3.1 million prime-time viewers and roughly 2 million daytime viewers during the same period.

    The trading Tuesday continued a stunning rise for the pure-play cable TV stock. Even as news and live sports grab the biggest audiences, the industry has suffered in recent years as consumers flee cable bundles in favor of streaming.

    “We hate the bundle. The bundle is terrible for the cable industry. It’s terrible for consumers,” Ruddy said Monday, referring to the traditional pay TV package of a multitude of channels that once dominated the industry.

    Despite remaining profitable and raking in cash for media companies, the bundle has been losing subscribers at a fast clip as consumers opt for cheaper streaming options rather than the notoriously pricey package of channels.

    Ruddy pointed to this in his comments, noting that consumers who want access to networks like ESPN — which capture the bulk of viewers, and in turn, higher fees — are still stuck paying for a package of channels they may not want or need.

    Newsmax started receiving fees from pay TV distributors in recent years to carry its network after primarily receiving advertising revenue to support the business as it built its audience.

    Ruddy said Monday that Newsmax’s fees have been increasing. He added that Newsmax is also available on streaming and has podcasts — offerings that are typical of all media businesses currently.

    — CNBC’s Hayley Cuccinello contributed to this article.

    Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the parent company of MSNBC and CNBC.

    Don’t miss these insights from CNBC PRO



    Source link