Mediagazer: Comcast to invest ~$1.27B over five years in Sky Studios programming, which will produce content for NBC, Universal Pictures, and other distributors (Helen Coster/Reuters)

Aidan McLaughlin / Mediaite:

President Trump announces on Twitter that Press Secretary Sarah Sanders will leave the White House at the end of the month — President Donald Trump made a stunning announcement on Twitter Thursday: that his longtime press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is set to leave the White House next month.

Discussion: The Guardian, Mediaite, @jdawsey1, @mehdirhasan, @brianstelter and @davidmackau

Douglas Busvine / Reuters:

Axel Springer announces plans to merge Business Insider and eMarketer in 2020, with Insider CEO Henry Blodget leading the merged operation — Axel Springer, the German publisher, said on Thursday it would combine the operations of its two main U.S. units, millennial-focused financial news …

Discussion: Ad Age, Adweek, CNBC, Fast Company, @chris_ciaccia and MediaPost

Bloomberg:

Turkey indicts two Bloomberg reporters, accusing them of trying to undermine Turkey's economic stability; prosecutor wants jail terms of two to five years — - 36 others charged for comments about economy on social media — Charges relate to August 2018 news story amid lira meltdown

Discussion: @dwallbank, @emeyersson, @brad_setser, @retogregori and @aylushka_a

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

iOS app Mogul News offers curated articles from FT, Bloomberg, and The Economist ad-free for £9.99/month, with a 7am briefing; Android, desktop versions to come — A new app offering content from the Financial Times, Bloomberg and the Economist for a single monthly payment has been launched.

Ashley Carman / The Verge:

Spotify rolls out an updated library tab for premium users, separating podcasts and music more clearly — Making room for podcasts — After at least a month of testing, Spotify is rolling out an updated library look for its premium users that will separate podcasts and music more clearly.

Discussion: Spotify, MIDiA Research, MacRumors, Billboard, Engadget and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »

Nicholas Diakopoulos / The Conversation:

How artificial intelligence will create new types of work in journalism as human roles evolve to suit AI's capabilities and accommodate its limitations — Some estimates suggest that current levels of AI technology could automate only about 15% of a reporter's job and 9% of an editor's job.

Discussion: Nieman Lab and @charliebeckett

Helen Coster / Reuters:

Comcast to invest ~$1.27B over five years in Sky Studios programming, which will produce content for NBC, Universal Pictures, and other distributors — Comcast Corp will more than double its investment in European original programming and start an in-house studio at its European unit Sky …

Discussion: Bloomberg, @richbtig, @gerryfsmith and CNN

Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:

Several ad agencies tell a federal court Facebook agreed to a settlement in a lawsuit claiming Facebook misstated video metrics by 150-900% — Facebook was alleged to have been knowingly overstating viewership by as much as 900 percent. — Several advertising agencies told …

Discussion: MediaPost and @eriqgardner

The Intercept:

Sources: DarkMatter, a cybersecurity firm working for the UAE, discussed targeting The Intercept in 2016, though no evidence of an attack has been found — Operatives at a controversial cybersecurity firm working for the United Arab Emirates government discussed targeting The Intercept …

Discussion: @samfbiddle, @evacide, @weinbergersa, @aaschapiro, @maassp, @jennamc_laugh, @lhfang, @bmakuch, @dnvolz and @josephfcox

James Walker / Press Gazette:

The UK's Evening Standard and Independent may face a government inquiry after an investor with ties to the Saudi State bought a share in their parent companies — The UK Government could open an investigation into the Evening Standard and The Independent after an investor with “strong links” …

Mariam Cheik-Hussein / AdNews:

After recent press raids by federal police, Australian media owners and journalists publish open letter seeking laws to protect whistleblowers and journalists — Media owners have united in an open letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison asking him to defend press freedom in Australia.

Discussion: meaa.good.do, The Conversation, The Guardian, @nickgillespie, @jem2998, @annehummert and @hjarche

Jon Lafayette / Multichannel News:

Viacom partners with Emerge Gaming, which will develop NickX, an esports tournament platform for Nickelodeon gaming content, to launch in July in Africa — Viacom is getting into business with Emerge Gaming, which will develop an eSports tournament platform for kids using Nickelodeon gaming content called NickX.

Frontline:

With Knight Foundation funding, PBS Frontline will partner with local print, TV, radio, or digital outlets for projects, paying a $75,000/year reporter's salary — FRONTLINE, PBS's flagship investigative documentary series, is launching a new initiative to bolster local journalism in cities …

Discussion: @raneyaronson, @raneyaronson and @whatthebit