Mediagazer: 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 (Todd Spangler/Variety)

6:35 PM ET, February 27, 2019

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

Christine Schmidt / Nieman Lab:

Free Press has proposed a tax on targeted advertising, analogous to a carbon tax, to fund noncommercial journalism and to support new news distribution models — Facebook and Google aren't going to stop targeting ads to Internet users, and advertisers aren't likely to stop loving the data …

Discussion: Free Press, Free Press, @rispolimike, @freepress, @utknightcenter, @vincecathomas, @joeycoleman and @niemanlab

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

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 …

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 …

Discussion: Press Gazette, USA Today, East Bay Times, @jdawsey1, NPR, @elistokols, @seungminkim, @nakashimae, @scarylawyerguy, @peterwallsten, @godcallsbs, Mediaite, @hadas_gold, @cgseife, @philiprucker, Committee to Protect … and The Week

Washington Post:
The US press corps were forced to leave the Melia hotel in Hanoi, where TV crews had spent weeks setting up cameras, after Kim Jong-Un arrived to stay

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

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: Pandora launches Stories, a new marketing tool allowing artists to build music playlists combined with voice tracks, available for all users to stream

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.

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

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Hadas Gold / CNN:
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