Mediagazer: Comcast-Disney Pact Signals More Deals Aimed at Fighting Netflix (Alex Sherman/Bloomberg)

10:40 AM ET, January 6, 2012

Top News:

Peter Kafka / AllThingsD:

Warner Brothers Will Make Netflix, Redbox, Blockbuster Wait Longer for New Movies — Want to watch a new movie just out on DVD from Warner Brothers? You're going to have to buy it, or wait even longer to get it from Netflix or other disc renters. — A new deal between Time Warner's movie studio …

Discussion: Forbes, Engadget, Epicenter, FT Tech Hub, Deadline.com, Home Media Magazine, VentureBeat, Gizmodo, The Consumerist, Electronista and parislemon, more at Techmeme »

Greg Sandoval / CNET:

HBO forces Netflix to go elsewhere for its DVDs — Netflix will still be able to rent ‘True Blood’ and other HBO shows, but it won't get them directly from HBO. — HBO has stopped providing DVDs of its shows to Netflix as competition between the two companies heats up.

Discussion: Mashable!, Media Buyer Planner, Engadget, VatorNews, Multichannel, The Verge, paidContent, Broadcasting & Cable, Electronista, Media Decoder, The Next Web and VentureBeat

Steve Myers / Poynter:

How Google beat AP with Iowa caucus results (and why it matters) — WNYC's John Keefe decided to use Google's election results for his map tracking the results of Iowa's GOP caucus for three reasons: — Google's data were easier to deal with than the files provided by the Associated Press.

Discussion: Free Press and WebProNews

Foster Kamer / The New York Observer:

Nick Denton's 'State of Gawker 2012′ Memo: ‘Relentless and cynical traffic-trawling is bad for the soul.’ — Gawker Media publisher Nick Denton occasionally sends out missives for his company that usually contain a little bit of insight into the way his company is trending …

Discussion: @carr2n and Snarkmarket

Foster Kamer / The New York Observer:

Gawker Blogger Fired After Post Invoking N-Word — The Observer has just learned that Gawker blogger Seth Abramovitch was dismissed after a post that invoked a racial slur many considered to be in generally poor taste. Gawker.com editor A.J. Daulerio has confirmed: “Yes, he was fired.”

Discussion: FishbowlNY, @editorialiste, The Wrap, Speakeasy and Gawker

Tommy Christopher / Mediaite:

Current TV Source: Keith Olbermann Has Not Responded To Request To Cover New Hampshire — The plot of the bewildering, apparently one-sided dispute between Countdown host Keith Olbermann and Current TV is thinning as it thickens. A source at the network tells Mediaite that …

Discussion: Hot Air, entertainment.time.com, The Week, Media Decoder and Gawker

Alex Weprin / TVNewser:
Keith Olbermann Has a Point Regarding the Quality of Current TV's Production Values

Discussion: Erik Wemple, PopWatch and Big Journalism

Pandora Young / FishbowlLA:
Olbermann Skewers Media Coverage of His Clash With Current TV

Discussion: 10,000 Words, FishbowlDC, The Daily Caller, Yahoo! News, Washington Post and The Huffington Post

Lisa O'Carroll / Guardian:

Leveson inquiry: Dominic Mohan and Kelvin MacKenzie to appear next week — Lord Justice Leveson will focus on former and current editors from the Sun, Telegraph, Mail, Indy, FT and Express — The editor of the Sun, Dominic Mohan, and his best-known predecessor, Kelvin MacKenzie …

Discussion: Future of Journalism

Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette: Editors to face Leveson Inquiry next week

Jason Del Rey / AdAge:

Contently Raises $2 Million to Play Matchmaker for Journalists and Brands — Series A Led By Groupon Founders' Investment Firm — Contently, a New York City-based startup that runs an online marketplace for freelance writing and editing work, has closed a $2 million Series A round led by Lightbank.

Discussion: Betabeat

Michael Wolff / GQ:

Why I love Fox News — Forget the phone-hacking scandal, the real threat to News Corp comes from its enemy within - Fox News' president Roger Ailes has the power, profitability and political influence to bring the media empire to collapse — For more than a decade, the traditional media business …

Discussion: Erik Wemple

Andrew Phelps / Nieman Journalism Lab:

Remember the beacon? Newly formed NewsRight is the evolution of AP's News Registry — Twenty-nine major news organizations have signed on as investors in NewsRight, a newly launched company that aims to make it easier for publishers to license and track their content on the web.

Discussion: Bloomberg, Poynter, TechZwn, Future of Journalism, AdPulp and paidContent

Lucas Shaw / The Wrap:
New York Times, Washington Post, AP Found NewsRight

Discussion: Mashable!, Adweek, The Hollywood Reporter, Media & Entertainment, NetNewsCheck Latest, mnilive.com and Fast Company

Mark Sweney / paidContent:

BBC World Service To Run Ads On Some Websites And Radio Stations — The BBC Trust has approved plans to run advertising on a number of BBC World Service websites as well as in radio broadcasts for the first time in the corporation's history. — BBC World Service has been given the green light …

Alex Sherman / Bloomberg:

Comcast-Disney Pact Signals More Deals Aimed at Fighting Netflix — Comcast Corp. (CMCSA)'s rights agreement with Walt Disney Co. (DIS) may become the template for how pay-TV companies strike deals with programmers to defend their subscriber base against online rivals such as Netflix Inc.

Will Richmond / paidContent:
Disney, Comcast And Why TV Everywhere Alone Is Not Enough

Discussion: Comcast

Mimi Turner / Hollywood Reporter:

Elisabeth Murdoch's Shine Acquires U.K. Shortform Video Producer ChannelFlip — The deal marks the producer's second digital investment after buying social gaming start-up Bossa Studios last year. — LONDON - Elisabeth Murdoch's Shine Group underlined its commitment to online programming …

Discussion: paidContent, Guardian and Televisual

Robert Andrews / paidContent:

Lovefilm Adding More ITV, BBC Worldwide Archive TV — Amazon's Lovefilm is extending existing deals with ITV (LSE: ITV) and BBC Worldwide to gain a larger catalogue of their shows for online streaming, as it begins to defend against Netflix's imminent UK arrival.

Discussion: Guardian and Pocket-lint, more at Techmeme »

Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:

Analyst: Netflix Now the 15th Most-Watched TV ‘Network’ in U.S. — Netflix would now be the 15th most-watched TV “network” in the U.S. and could be the second most-watched in Netflix homes, BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield wrote in a blog post Wednesday. His math is based on news …

Discussion: C21Media and Free Press

Jeff Roberts / paidContent:

Amazon Ends Lawsuit Over Kindle Fire — In a surprise development, Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) has quietly resolved a lawsuit that alleges its Kindle Fire violates four patents related to touchscreen technology. — In court papers filed in Texas this week, Amazon and Smartphone Technologies …