NBC to feature customized episodes on Snapchat:
NEW YORK — NBCUniversal has agreed to make customized episodes of “The Tonight Show,” “Saturday Night Live” and several other shows for Snapchat under a multiyear deal between the broadcast network and social media app. NBC says episodes of “The Voice” and “E! News” from E! Entertainment Television, which is owned by NBCUniversal, will be the first of its programs to be shown on the Snapchat Discover platform. Those shows will be followed by original episodes of “Saturday Night Live” and Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight Show.” In return, NBC plans to develop and sell advertising packages that include Snapchat as part of the deal.
Wholesale businesses see slight rise in sales:
WASHINGTON — U.S. wholesale businesses increased their stockpiles slightly in June while sales rose at a faster pace. The Commerce Department says inventories at the wholesale level increased 0.3 percent in June, close to the 0.2 percent gain in May. Sales increased for a fourth consecutive month, climbing 1.9 percent in June. Since late last year, businesses have been slowing the rebuilding of their stockpiles in the face of weaker domestic sales and a fall in export sales. The slowdown in inventory restocking dampened overall economic growth, but many economists believe inventories will enhance growth in the second half of 2016.
Disney beats expectations with strong summer releases:
At Disney, content is king. The media conglomerate’s studio entertainment, including popular films such as the animated “Finding Dory,” ‘’The Jungle Book” and the Marvel saga “Captain America: A Civil War” helped boost the company’s third-quarter profit above expectations, although The Walt Disney Co.’s cable and broadcast channels such as ESPN and ABC remain weak. The company will also spend $1 billion for a 33 percent stake in the Major League Baseball video streaming service BAMTech. Net income rose 5 percent to $2.6 billion, or $1.62 per share, excluding one-time items. Revenue rose 9 percent to $14.28 billion, including a 40 percent jump in studio revenue, also beating expectations.