‘Entertainment Tonight’ to Lay Off 17 Online Staffers as Website Switches to Video-Heavy Focus (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large “Entertainment Tonight” is letting go of a substantial portion of its online editorial team, Variety has learned.

As part of a shift to a mostly video, around 17 staffers are expected to be impacted by the layoffs, which will take effect in September as the long-running syndicated entertainment news strip starts its new season. “’ET’ has long been a video first business, and we are doubling down on that success as we enter our 44th season this fall,” a spokesperson told Variety in a statement. “We are transforming ETonline.com to deliver more breaking news video and original interviews and streamlining our news gathering process to better reach our audiences across ET’s multiple platforms.” Insiders stressed that this isn’t a sign that ETonline.com is shutting down, and no existing content will be removed from the website.

But the news does come soon after parent Paramount Global shut down active posting and eliminated archives on its MTV and Comedy Central websites (among others).

The layoffs, which mostly impact digital and not the linear “Entertainment Tonight” TV show, won’t take effect until September 7, which means current Season 43 staffing remains unchanged.