Top News:
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Source: Disney is in talks with AT&T to acquire WarnerMedia's 10% stake in Hulu to add to its existing 30% stake and the 30% Disney gains from 20th Century Fox — Disney wants to get even more control over Hulu: The company is in active discussions with AT&T to acquire the 10% stake …
Discussion:
/Film, Multichannel News and Fortune
Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:
Arbitrator awards the team behind TV series Bones $179M after ruling that 21st Century Fox execs fraudulently hid profit info from stars and executive producer — In a long-running legal battle over profits from the David Boreanaz-Emily Deschanel hit, an arbitrator's stunning decision calls …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Deadline, Fortune, Observer, @billsimmons, Wall Street Journal, @pareene, @eriqgardner, @jbflint, @thrmattbelloni and @jbflint
Washington Post:
White House excluded reporters from the AP, Reuters, and other outlets from covering Trump's dinner with Kim Jong Un because they had shouted questions earlier — HANOI — The White House abruptly banned four U.S. journalists from covering President Trump's dinner here Wednesday …
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Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
FTC settles with TikTok's Musical.ly for $5.7M over the app's violation of US child privacy laws; TikTok's app updates today with a new UX for those under 13 — A significant FTC ruling issued today will see video app TikTok fined $5.7 million for violating U.S. children's privacy laws …
Marguerite Clark / Radio World:
iHeartMedia, via its subsidiary RCS, has acquired Greece-based Radiojar, which offers tools to transition broadcast radio into digital stations and podcasts — The cloud-based audio playout platform lets users transition broadcast radio segments into other audio platforms
Discussion:
Engadget, Billboard and VitalThrills.com
Jon Lafayette / Broadcasting & Cable:
Sinclair Broadcast Group's Q4 earnings: net income fell to $206.2M from $443.5M last year but revenue was up 25.4% YoY to $893M — Sinclair Broadcast Group reported lower fourth quarter profits despite big gains in revenue, including political advertising.
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, TVWeek.com, Baltimore Business Journal, PR Newswire, AllAccess.com, StreetInsider.com and Deadline
Jim Waterson / The Guardian:
The BBC and UK broadcaster ITV have confirmed plans to launch a joint, paid streaming service called BritBox by the end of 2019 — Streaming service to launch this year will feature archive shows and new commissions — The BBC and ITV have confirmed plans to join forces and launch a paid …
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter, @jimwaterson, WIRED UK, @thr, @elenacresci, @tommundaycs, @leahhather, @mrjkilcoyne and @quendergeer
Cherie Hu / Bello Collective:
Investments in podcasts like Spotify's Gimlet acquisition will allow artists to share their own narratives directly with fans and avoid traditional music press — In sidestepping media middlemen, artists are creating their own DIY music-media economy — Over the past few decades …
Discussion:
@digg, @sesmith, @bellocollective, @chartroommedia, @cheriehu42, MediaPost and Digg
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Financial Times:
Study estimates 1,000-1,500 US newspapers, many owned by private equity and hedge fund investors, are “ghost newspapers” mainly filled with wire copy and ads — At the start of 2018, Denver Post journalists felt optimistic for the first time in years.
Discussion:
@mattdpearce, @nikkiusher, @empireburlesque, @jcstearns, @libsolomon, @micahmertes, @hilarykoss, @sarahkwiley, @tonyhoehner, @moorehn, @johnmrod, @saahil_desai, @amelscript, @mattdpearce, @nikkiusher, @tanarrowz, @cobillard, @annaknicolaou, @torrhl, @charlesornstein, @leahbecerra and @jlauck1941
Matt Donnelly / Variety:
Oscar winners behind Free Solo on why documentaries are hot now: sophisticated audiences, a “psychotic” news cycle, and big budgets from streaming companies — On a bustling post-Oscar Monday, “Free Solo” co-directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin arrive …
Discussion:
Multichannel News and MediaPost
Tanya Dua / Business Insider:
Former LA Times CEO and publisher Ross Levinsohn claims allegations of inappropriate behavior made against him amounted to “character assassination” — - A year ago, Los Angeles Times publisher and CEO Ross Levinsohn was put on unpaid leave after the publication of an NPR article accusing him of …
Discussion:
@digitalshields, @lmoses, @nichcarlson and @nichcarlson
Lucinda Southern / Digiday:
In late January, The Economist tightened its paywall to five articles per month from three per week, in hopes of increasing subscribers — The Economist has tightened its paywall so readers have access to five articles a month — rather than three a week — in order to nudge more registered users over into subscribing.