Mediagazer: RFE/RL's bank accounts in Russia have been frozen; Russia's media monitor has imposed fines on the news outlet for failing to label itself as a foreign agent (RFE/Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

CNBC:

Disney misses on subscriber estimates for Disney+, reaching 103.6M subscribers, below the expected 109M; revenue was $15.61B vs. $15.87B expected, down 13% YoY — - Disney reported second quarter results Thursday, posting lower-than-expected revenue and subscriber counts for its streaming service.

Jeff Kotuby / The Streamable:

ESPN renews rights deal with MLB until 2028, including ESPN+ simulcasts but not weekday games; report: the deal cost $560M/yr, down from prior deal's $700M/yr — Disney CEO Bob Chapek dropped some big news during his company's Q2 2021 call, announcing that ESPN and Major League Baseball …

Discussion: nexttv.com, MediaPost, MLB.com, @keitholbermann, Advanced Television, Sports Business Journal, Sportico, Awful Announcing, Chicago Sun-Times, Variety, Sports Media Watch, Cord Cutters News and Adweek

Senator Brian Schatz / U.S. Senator Brian Schatz …:

Three US senators and a US representative reintroduce the Future of Local News Act, which would create a group to study the state of local news and offer fixes — Local News Provides Important Public Service By Covering Stories That Matter To Communities, Holding Local Governments Accountable

Discussion: American Press Institute, @cforman, @notaaroncraig and @spj_tweets

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Jeff Blackburn, an Amazon exec who recently left after two decades, is returning as SVP of Global Media and Entertainment, reporting to Bezos, then Andy Jassy — Jeff Blackburn, a former high-level Amazon exec who just recently left after more than two decades, is coming back …

Discussion: Protocol, @quinnypig, @pkafka, Deadline and The Wrap, more at Techmeme »

RFE / Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:

RFE/RL's bank accounts in Russia have been frozen; Russia's media monitor has imposed fines on the news outlet for failing to label itself as a foreign agent — RFE/RL's bank accounts in Russia have been frozen following a visit by court bailiffs to the U.S. agency's Moscow bureau.

Discussion: @roachaugustine, @damelya_hrw, USAGM, @anneapplebaum and @rferl

Committee to Protect Journalists:

IDF destroyed two buildings in Gaza City housing 12+ media outlets; IDF says the buildings were targeted as sites of Hamas' intelligence and military offices — New York, May 13, 2021 - Israeli forces must refrain from bombing media outlets, and should ensure that journalists can work safely …

Discussion: The Guardian, Columbia Journalism Review, @agnescallamard, @shahidforchange, @gregpinelo and Reporters Without Borders

Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal:

Ad agency Dentsu has created a division aimed at helping minority-owned media businesses grow and connect with ad buyers — Veteran ad buyer Mark Prince to lead division that will consult with minority-owned media businesses and marketers seeking increasingly diverse audiences

Jeremy Fuster / The Wrap:

Southern Theatres follows Alamo Drafthouse and AMC, launching a service to let subscribers rent films after their theatrical run and before they're on streaming — Amid the hard work of reopening after the pandemic, some movie theater chains are venturing into the streaming business …

Brian Welk / The Wrap:

Sundance Film Festival will return to Utah in January 2022 for in-person events but will also remain online, after 2021's online festival saw record attendance — The Sundance Film Festival will return to Park City for 2022, setting Jan. 20-30 as the dates for next year's in-person event.

Discussion: Salt Lake Tribune, Park Record and Variety

Ben Munson / FierceVideo:

TiVo buys MobiTV's assets for $18.5M, including its live and on-demand video delivery offerings to launch app-based streaming TV services — TiVo emerged as the winner on day 2 of an auction for MobiTV's assets after fending off several raised bids from Amino in conjunction with Roku and RPX, a patent portfolio company.

Discussion: Light Reading

Paul Cheung / Knight Foundation:

Knight Foundation announces $3M initiative to help local news outlets expand AI use; it will initially fund four projects to address knowledge and skill gaps — A new, $3 million Knight initiative will help local news organizations harness the power of artificial intelligence to drive success.

Discussion: Knight Foundation, Poynter, @zhoyoyo, @hmason, @jenniferpreston, @partnershipai, @pcheung630, @browninstitute, @knightfdn and @dankennedy_nu

RTDNA:

Among 1,762 non-satellite TV stations, a record 1,116 aired local news in 2020, up 18 from the 2019 high; 29.3% report budget cuts vs. 9.1% in 2019 — Graphics credits: Talia Nikole Trackim / Syracuse University … TV — Despite facing revenue shortfalls, budget cuts …

Discussion: The Streamable and Poynter