Top News:
CNN:
Some question whether National Enquirer investigated Jeff Bezos to please Trump, but sources deny that Trump's animosity toward Bezos spurred the story — (CNN)A few hours after Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie announced their divorce, the National Enquirer had an announcement of its own.
Discussion:
@grynbaum, Mediaite, @mfkerr, @jazzmankyle, National Enquirer, TMZ.com, Vox, @ericgeller, @delrey, @jaketapper, @brianbeutler, @intelligencer, @conor64, New York Magazine, @brianstelter and @elise_jordan, more at Techmeme »
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Amazon's IMDb launches Freedive, an ad-supported streaming service offering movies and TV shows in the US; site now lists 130+ free movies and 29 shows — Amazon has extended its tentacles into the ad-supported VOD space — stocking IMDb with a back-catalog of dozens of movies and TV shows that are free to watch.
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter, @digitalshields, CNBC, Ad Age, @xpangler, MediaPost and The Wrap, more at Techmeme »
Paul Kane / Washington Post:
Washington Post Publisher Fred Ryan joins US lawmakers to memorialize Jamal Khashoggi 100 days after his death: “we can't just let Jamal's story fade away” — Dozen of lawmakers and Washington leaders paid tribute to slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Thursday at the Capitol …
Discussion:
The Hill and New Yorker
The Information:
Sources say Amazon is developing a game streaming service, but it isn't likely to launch until next year at the earliest — Amazon is developing a service for streaming videogames over the internet, joining Microsoft, Google and other companies that are building similar offerings …
Discussion:
@jtoonkel, BGR, Business Insider, @mattdrange, Gizmodo, The Verge, SlashGear, Variety, TechCrunch, GeekWire and Mashable, more at Techmeme »
Edmund Lee / New York Times:
Agenda, owned by The Financial Times, removes quotes attributed to Les Moonves from a story after representatives for Moonves denied he spoke with the reporters — Agenda, a news service owned by The Financial Times, published an interview with someone claiming to be Mr. Moonves shortly after he was fired as chief executive of CBS.
Discussion:
The Wrap, @levinejonathan, Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap, @edmundlee and Talking Biz News
Matt Donnelly / Variety:
Sources: layoffs hit the Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group and Valence Media, affecting about 22 people including the CMO and Billboard's managing editor — Roughly 22 people have been affected by layoffs at the Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group, as well as its corporate owner Valence Media …
Discussion:
The Wrap
Mark Di Stefano / BuzzFeed:
Memo: BBC executive Gavin Allen tells corporation staffers to stop using phrase “BBC understands”, claiming it is a “slightly pompous distancing phrase” — OK, so if you're a fan of BBC News you've probably noticed a phrase that pops up in its stories and headlines all the bloody time: “BBC understands...”
Discussion:
@markdistef, Press Gazette, @jamesrbuk, @mlle_elle, @cotslifeeditor, @kate_day, @charliebeckett and @mattnavarra
Adi Robertson / The Verge:
TiVo to launch Roku, Fire TV, and Apple TV apps in Q2 and Q3, letting people watch live or recorded video on multiple TVs without buying a separate TiVo Mini — TiVo is launching apps for the Roku, Fire TV, and Apple TV streaming devices later this year, letting people watch live or recorded video …
Discussion:
AppleInsider, 9to5Mac, FierceVideo, SlashGear and MacRumors, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
Jason Lynch / Adweek:
Super Bowl ad inventory is “over 90% sold”, CBS ad sales chief Jo Ann Ross says; prices are $5M+ for a 30-second spot — Title sponsors secured for each pre- and postgame hour — CBS ad sales chief Jo Ann Ross and her team began selling ads for Super Bowl LIII as soon as Super Bowl LII ended last year.
Discussion:
Ad Age, Broadcasting & Cable, Ad Age and TVNewser
Jacob Granger / Journalism.co.uk:
The Cube, the social media news desk for Euronews, shows TV viewers how it debunks false information that gets spread online — The social media newsdesk at Euronews aims to respond to falsehoods faster than TV studios to help rebuild trust in the media — The conversation …
New York Times:
Sources: White House Communications Chief Bill Shine has fallen out of favor with Trump, while many of his colleagues are disappointed with his performance — WASHINGTON — At the beginning of the government shutdown, Bill Shine was about as far away from the capital as President Trump's most senior communications official could get.
Discussion:
Baltimore Sun, @jayrosen_nyu, @jdawsey1, @simonwdc, @maggienyt, @matthewamiller, @anniekarni, @nytpolitics, @tvietor08 and TVNewser
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Sources: Tegna, Hearst, and E.W. Scripps plan to submit final offers for Cox Enterprises' 14 TV stations by January 30; sources say stations could fetch $2B+ — TEGNA, Hearst and EW Scripps are all planning on submitting final offers for Cox Enterprises' 14 broadcast TV stations at the end of January …