Top News:
Lillian Rizzo / Wall Street Journal:
WarnerMedia-Discovery merger puts pressure on rivals without enough scale, like NBCUniversal, which sources say viewed WarnerMedia as a possible target — Deal to combine media businesses comes as competitors race to bulk up streaming content to lure viewers fleeing pay TV
Discussion:
Amol Sharma / @asharma: NBCUniversal viewed WarnerMedia as a potential merger partner, eyeing a pairing of HBO Max and Peacock. Now that it's off the table, ViacomCBS could be a backup plan down the road, reports @Lilliannnn https://www.wsj.com/... via @WSJ
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: I have no information, learning as I read - - and anything can change. But if John Stanley orchestrated the purchase of DirecTV and Warner under Stephenson, then took over as AT&T CEO, and sold off DirecTV and WarnerMedia after the fact, making millions in the process, jfc.
Lucas Shaw / @lucas_shaw: FWIW AT&T never clearly articulated a reason for buying Time Warner. No media reporter or executive ever thought it made a lot of sense. And yet... HBO Max is a great product.
Michael Grothaus / Fast Company: What's happening with AT&T and Discovery?
RELATED:
Brooks Barnes / New York Times:
Sources: Jason Kilar is negotiating his departure as CEO of WarnerMedia, after being kept in the dark about the deal with Discovery until recent days — Jason Kilar has hired a legal team to negotiate his departure as chief executive of WarnerMedia, according to two people briefed on the matter.
Discussion:
@rebeccaarubin, Variety, @brooksbarnesnyt, Digital TV Europe, The Week, @borys_kit, @theericgoldman, @film_girl, @karaswisher, Transistori, @mattbelloni, @rolandsmartin, ScreenRant, @_christopherm, @danprimack, @katierosman, @mattzeitlin, @jbenton, @sherman4949, @davidpoland, @sherman4949, @richardlnewby, @mchenryjd, @grynbaum, @panzer, @brianstelter, @richlightshed, CNN, @jbflint, The Streamable, Heroic Hollywood, FierceVideo, The Verge, TechCrunch, Cord Cutters News, @richlightshed, @optionshawk, Talking Biz News, @arcadegirl64 and @mediumbuying
Discussion:
Rebecca Rubin / @rebeccaarubin: WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar's compensation reached $52 million in 2020, which is nearly as much as #Tenet made at the U.S. box office https://variety.com/...
Andrew Wallenstein / Variety: OMG, They Killed Kilar! AT&T Backstabs Its Own Hatchet Man
Brooks Barnes / @brooksbarnesnyt: Jason Kilar, the WarnerMedia chief, is said to be negotiating his exit. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jonathan Easton / Digital TV Europe: WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar reportedly negotiating exit following mega merger announcement
Borys Kit / @borys_kit: A development that could be of interest to DC fans and observers. https://twitter.com/...
Eric Goldman / @theericgoldman: Man, WarnerMedia's executive change ups have been crazy. Can only hope the merger with Discovery will bring stability. https://twitter.com/...
Christina Warren / @film_girl: I cannot wait for the WarnerMedia book. What a fucking ridiculous 4 years. Stankey is such a clown. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: Not a surprise given new deal that elevated David Zaslav. Assume they are celebrating the Polo Lounge, given how pissed Hollywood was at @jasonkilar for telling the truth about the future: Kilar, WarnerMedia Chief, Is Said to Be Negotiating Exit https://www.nytimes.com/...
Robert / Transistori: AT&T:n mediaretki loppuu, Monday.com listautuu Nasdaqiin ja Michael Burry shorttaa Teslaa
Matthew Belloni / @mattbelloni: An absolutely savage kicker on this story... https://twitter.com/...
@rolandsmartin: Wow. @jasonkilar about to bounce from @WarnerMedia. Who is smiling? Jeff Zucker. Don't be shocked if he tries to be Zaslav's #2. “Jason Kilar, the WarnerMedia chief, is said to be negotiating his exit” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Richard Fink / ScreenRant: WarnerMedia Head Reportedly Negotiating Exit After Merger
Christopher Marc / @_christopherm: This is wild...Stankey got Kilar to butcher the film studio and give away high-budget films for free on HBO Max then goes behind his back to have him removed. Stankey is one cold-blooded motherfucker. Then again, Kilar was making more than Stankey. lol https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Dan Primack / @danprimack: This is another reason that the whole “today's announcement was always scheduled to be today” defies common sense. https://twitter.com/...
Katie Rosman / @katierosman: Privately, Jason Kilar hired a team of lawyers. Publicly he sent the company staff a rallying email punctuated by “a smiley face emoticon.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Matthew Zeitlin / @mattzeitlin: WSJ May 14 (Friday): “Jason Kilar might have a career as a tour guide if this WarnerMedia chief executive gig doesn't work out for him” https://www.wsj.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Joshua Benton / @jbenton: May 14: Jason Kilar “has led one of the most radical overhauls in the entertainment industry, undoing centurylong business practices” https://www.wsj.com/... May 17: “Kilar has hired a legal team to negotiate his departure as chief executive” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: And we can now soon add Jason Kilar's name to the section of recently departed WarnerMedia executives https://twitter.com/...
David Poland / @davidpoland: Didn't even make it to the summer. Jason Kilar, the WarnerMedia Chief, Is Said to Be Negotiating His Exit https://www.nytimes.com/...
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: To be fair, Kilar lasted longer than the last ... (checks notes) ... 463 other WarnerMedia leaders over the last two years https://twitter.com/...
Richard Newby / @richardlnewby: Turnover rate like a warehouse temp job, lol. https://twitter.com/...
Jackson McHenry / @mchenryjd: [succession theme music] https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Michael M. Grynbaum / @grynbaum: WSJ, 3 days ago: “Jason Kilar might have a career as a tour guide if this WarnerMedia chief executive gig doesn't work out for him.” Today: “Jason Kilar has hired a legal team to negotiate his departure as chief executive of WarnerMedia” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Matthew Panzarino / @panzer: my application is open. my only qualification is that I promise not to piss off every influential director in hollywood in one announcement https://twitter.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: “Jason Kilar has hired a legal team to negotiate his departure as chief executive of WarnerMedia,” @brooksbarnesNYT reports, citing “two people briefed on the matter.” He says “Kilar was kept in the dark about the deal until recent days...” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Rich Greenfield / @richlightshed: Not shocking after being left out of today's merger news @jasonkilar negotiating his exit from @warnermedia ahead of Discovery merger $DISCA $T https://www.nytimes.com/...
Joe Flint / @jbflint: “Jason's still the CEO of WarnerMedia,” says AT&T CEO John Stankey. And I'm still the guy who did a massive profile of him two days before this deal was announced. Hopefully my future is still relatively safe.
Ben Bowman / The Streamable: WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar Reportedly Eyeing Exit After Discovery Deal
Ryden Scarnato / Heroic Hollywood: WarnerMedia Chief Jason Kilar Negotiating Exit After Discovery Merger
Jay Peters / The Verge: WarnerMedia CEO reportedly negotiating departure after being left out of AT&T-Discovery deal
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch: AT&T confirms deal to combine its WarnerMedia subsidiary with Discovery Inc in ‘pure play’ $43B deal
Rich Greenfield / @richlightshed: Could certainly imagine the secularly declining Turner assets merged with Discovery for scale Harder to imagine HBO Max and Warner Bros. To Discovery Will Comcast emerge as a buyer for WarnerMedia to preempt? $DISCA $T $CMCSA https://twitter.com/...
Irina Slav / Talking Biz News: AT&T talks media merger with Discovery
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Sources: David Zaslav is staying on as Discovery CEO at least through 2027 and will bring most of his Discovery C-suite execs to lead the joint venture — David Zaslav will stay on as Discovery CEO through at least 2027, leading the massive joint venture with WarnerMedia announced on Monday, sources tell Axios.
Discussion:
Lindsey Ellefson / The Wrap: Will CNN Boss Jeff Zucker Stick Around After WarnerMedia-Discovery Merger?
Hollywood Reporter:
John Stankey and David Zaslav discuss their vision for the WarnerMedia deal, saying the company will have a content spend that exceeds most competitors at $20B — AT&T chief John Stankey and Zaslav, who will lead the new venture, also addressed the status of WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar and the future of CNN.
Discussion:
CNBC, @loudmouthjulia, Hollywood Reporter, @thr, @thr, @jbflint, @thejannissary, @felixsalmon, @stevekovach, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @alexweprin, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, Observer, The Playlist, Awful Announcing, IndieWire and @kimmasters
Discussion:
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Stankey reiterating it became clear they were hitting an escape velocity. Again, Stankey orchestrated a massive $150 billion purchase of DirecTV and Time Warner, only to sell both for a fraction of the cost and lean back into being a broadband and mobile company.
@thr: “The story of the Warner Brothers, is the story of everyone in our industry, success is about creative talent in front of the screen and behind the screen, and fighting for the culture that creates that vision,” he said of the impact of the four brothers https://thr.cm/HmEIa9V
@thr: Zaslav said that his “number one priority” will be building “relationships with the creative community,” adding that “we want our company to be the place where people that want creativity, they want flexibility, they want stories, they will come to us” https://thr.cm/4zPzEXL
Joe Flint / @jbflint: Discovery CEO David Zaslav on need to combine with WarnerMedia during investor call: “You gotta have content people love so much they would run home and pay for it before they pay for dinner or a roof over their head.”
Ceren / @thejannissary: We will see. They said that diversity and representation remain key drivers of the DC universe moving forward and look how they mistreat Ray Fisher. Hollywood is full with bigshittalkers so I won't believe a “hopeful” word having to do with the future of DC/WB for now. https://twitter.com/...
Felix Salmon / @felixsalmon: 🤔 “We had the right strategy, we just didn't have the right shareholders” https://twitter.com/...
Steve Kovach / @stevekovach: David Zaslav tells CNBC he wants his new company to reach 400 million streaming subsribers https://www.cnbc.com/...
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Zaslov: “By 2023, we'll be generating over $14 billion in EBITA and over $12 billion in cash. This company is going to be a cash generating machine [I think he said.]...We're going to execute on that synergy, and we're going to spend more [more than $20b] on content.”
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Zaslov: “Netflix is a great company, Disney is a great company....we think we can be in 400 million homes.” CNBC: “You think you can hit 400 million homes?” Zaslov: “There's billions of people in the world!”
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Zaslov: “We're probably the greatest entertainment company in the world.” Notes very specific IP: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Sex and the City, Entourage. This is how poorly Harry Potter was handled. When you think WarnerMedia IP you think Entourage before Harry Potter.
Alex Weprin / @alexweprin: What will a Discovery-WarnerMedia streaming service look like? What will happen to Jason Kilar? What about CNN? The CEOs of AT&T and Discovery convened reporters on Zoom this morning to discuss: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Zaslav says the HBO Max AVOD product is still happening. Reiterates that bundling has worked very well for some competitors (Disney) and one super product has worked for others, so what happens with the platforms is TBD, basically.
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Zaslav says they plan to invest heavily in CNN's DTC offering, which is something that Kilar spoke to in the past. So looks like CNN+ (CNN Go?) is absolutely going to happen.
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Zaslav, when asked if he plans to keep CNN or spinoff CNN, basically skirting around the question. He loves CNN, but no obvious, “yes, we're keeping CNN.” Stelter follows up with will Discovery allow CNN to run independently. Zaslav says yes.
Charles Barfield / The Playlist: WarnerMedia Is Merging With Discovery But The Big Questions Still Don't Have Answers
Ian Casselberry / Awful Announcing: AT&T to combine WarnerMedia assets with Discovery in blockbuster merger
Brian Stelter / CNN:
AT&T to spin off WarnerMedia and combine it with Discovery in a $43B deal; the new company will be run by Discovery CEO David Zaslav — New York (CNN Business)The streaming TV race is about to get even more competitive. — On Monday morning AT&T (T) and Discovery, Inc. (DISCA) …
Discussion:
New York Times, The Wrap, New York Times, Axios, Washington Post, @sherman4949, @frankpallotta, @claireatki, Los Angeles Times, Variety, CNN, Poynter, New Republic, The Week, Columbia Journalism Review, Los Angeles Times, The Wrap, The Ringer, Hollywood Reporter, The Information, Variety, Insider, MediaPost, @senblumenthal, @sherman4949, @lucas_shaw, @brianstelter, @lucas_shaw, Variety, @jbarro, @nycsouthpaw, @loudmouthjulia, @lucas_shaw, @sadogre, @kerrymflynn, @lucas_shaw, @gadyepstein, @pkafka, @hblodget, Discovery, Inc., @karlbode, @andrearene, @benyt, @panzer, @mattdraperyt, @thetruebrendanf, @magsvisaggs, @jeremymbarr, @dylanbyers, @dylanbyers, @jasonlynch, @sherman4949, @loudmouthjulia, @mims, @cnbc, @digitalshields, @pkafka, @erikdavis, @rakeshlobster, @karaswisher, @ditzkoff, @keithboykin, @cgasparino, @edmundlee, Forbes, @brianstelter, @jackmirkinson, @frankpallotta, @nichcarlson, @awallenstein, @jbflint, @scottporch, @sherman4949, @zakiscorner, @thatjakepc, @cgasparino, @gracerandolph, @backlon, @pkafka, Scrawler, @sarafischer, @richlightshed, @w7voa, IndieWire, @alexweprin, @carnage4life, @mbgelman, @sherman4949, @sherman4949, @loudmouthjulia, @kerrymflynn, @sherman4949, @brazilbrian, @brianstelter, @richlightshed, CNBC, @sivavaid, @sherman4949, @loudmouthjulia, @brianstelter, @sherman4949, @lucas_shaw, @jimwaterson, ScreenRant, Den of Geek, Vanity Fair, Digiday, @oliverdarcy, The Hill, Fast Company, Variety, Gizmodo, I have some questions, /Film, Protocol, Bloomberg, AppleInsider and Mediaite, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Sean Burch / The Wrap: The Brief Rise and Fall of Jason Kilar, WarnerMedia's $15 Million Soon-To-Be-Ex-CEO
Washington Post: WarnerMedia merger with Discovery Inc. will form a streaming behemoth that includes HBO, CNN, TBS, and TNT
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: David Zaslav officially will run the combined company. AT&T will nominate 7 members of the board including a chairperson TBD. Discovery will nominate 6, one of which will be Zaslav.
Frank Pallotta / @frankpallotta: Zaslav says of CNN that “not only are we going to keep it” but now the new mission is “to take everything we have in news, combine it with CNN, and be a world leader in news.”
Claire Atkinson / @claireatki: AT&T CEO John Stankey has the demeanor of a man who just had a great weight lifted off his shoulders.
Ryan Faughnder / Los Angeles Times: Confused by all those streaming services? This app is here to help
Brian Steinberg / Variety: David Zaslav to Lead Combined WarnerMedia-Discovery as Landmark Deal is Confirmed
Charles Riley / CNN: The next phase of the streaming wars is all about scale
Tom Jones / Poynter: What's next for CNN after the mega media deal?
Alex Shephard / New Republic: The Great Streaming Rebundling Is Here
Harold Maass / The Week: The daily business briefing: May 18, 2021
Mathew Ingram / Columbia Journalism Review: A new AT&T merger unwinds a previous one
Los Angeles Times: AT&T to spin off HBO, other WarnerMedia assets in a huge deal with Discovery. What went wrong?
Lindsey Ellefson / The Wrap: Discovery CEO David Zaslav Commits to CNN After WarnerMedia Merger, Vows to ‘Lean Into’ News
Steven Perlberg / Insider: Inside CNN, where staffers are mostly relieved its parent company is merging with Discovery and are now speculating about Jeff Zucker's future there
Wayne Friedman / MediaPost: AT&T Readies WarnerMedia-Discovery Inc. Merger
Richard Blumenthal / @senblumenthal: This mega-merger combining two of the country's largest media conglomerates demands close scrutiny to protect consumers' pocket books instead of accelerating further concentration among corporate behemoths. https://www.cnn.com/...
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: ViacomCBS and NBCUniversal, come on down! You're the next contestants on Media M&A Match Game! https://www.cnbc.com/...
Lucas Shaw / @lucas_shaw: I just got this text from a friend. Feels appropriate: “How does Stankey get to retain his position when he made the initial acquisition and now has to sell it off cause it didn't work exactly how everyone said it wouldn't work?”
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: 25 years ago, David Zaslav was instrumental in getting the brand-new cable news channel MSNBC into homes, sparking a new era of cable competition. Now Zaslav is in line to run a portfolio of media properties including CNN, the cable news pioneer... https://www.cnn.com/...
Lucas Shaw / @lucas_shaw: A brief addendum to yesterday's newsletter.... HBO has now been sold twice in 8 years. The timing of each deal couldn't have been worse for its efforts to figure out tis future.
Cynthia Littleton / Variety: Discovery-WarnerMedia Deal Chatter: John Malone's Big Move, Jason Kilar's Exit Plan
Josh Barro / @jbarro: Seems like a pretty good rule of thumb that deals where a boring company buys a fun company tend to involve the boring company overpaying. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Southpaw / @nycsouthpaw: Warner Brothers studios, HBO, CNN, etc. all being bought by... the Discovery Channel. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Is Discovery+ rolling into HBO Max? Will NBA games air on TLC? What happens to NetherRealm Studios? Your biggest questions about WarnerMedia/Discovery answered, for people who care about what it means for their monthly bills, not the companies involved. https://www.ign.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Lucas Shaw / @lucas_shaw: The AT&T deal led to the departure of most of Time Warner's leadership, and destroyed morale at the company. That deal also took so long to complete that HBO Max - a far more ambitious venture — was then one of the last major new streaming services to debut.
Shannon McCormick / @sadogre: These people pay me some pocket change now and again given how they've bought places I work for. All I can say is, what a bunch of dumbshits. https://twitter.com/...
@kerrymflynn: HBO Max is $14.99 per month. That's not cheap, so many consumers may ask themselves: Is it really worth paying for when I already pay for Netflix? Enter Guy Fieri. I mean, Discovery https://www.cnn.com/... — a collab with @frankpallotta
Lucas Shaw / @lucas_shaw: Just a few months into executing that vision, AT&T pulled the rug out from underneath the company. Again. Now it's looking at 2 more years of restructuring. And right as HBO Max expands overseas, a lot of the people working on it aren't sure about their future.
Gady Epstein / @gadyepstein: Easily the funniest thing about the AT&T-Time Warner deal was watching Jeff Bewkes pretend to see the business logic of AT&T buying his company for more than $100bn
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: Since AT&T didn't have the money to make WarnerMedia work, where will the newco - which starts off with a ton of debt - find the money for that investment? https://twitter.com/...
Henry Blodget / @hblodget: Cheap AT&T phone plans for CNN staff... Probably not the transformational vertically integrated M&A synergies the deal-models were based on... ;-) https://twitter.com/...
Discovery, Inc.: AT&T's WARNERMEDIA AND DISCOVERY, INC. CREATING STANDALONE COMPANY BY COMBINING OPERATIONS TO FORM NEW GLOBAL LEADER IN ENTERTAINMENT
Karl Bode / @karlbode: AT&T owned CNN's coverage of the Discovery move doesn't mention the 50k layoffs, the absolute chaos, the butchering of loved brands (Mad Magazine, DC's Vertigo imprint), nothing. Not a single mention of AT&T hubris or mistakes. Amazing: https://www.cnn.com/...
Andrea Rene / @andrearene: But will @iamjohnoliver still do his “business daddy” bit on @LastWeekTonight??? I'm curious what services will be combined into a mega streaming subscription. I'd love to not have a dozen different apps to use. https://twitter.com/...
Matthew Panzarino / @panzer: The chaotic good move would have been for Disney to buy DC
Matt Draper / @mattdraperyt: Huge but kind of inevitable. AT&T seemed to never know what to do with all the media it had bought, which isn't surprising because they have no experience in it. Now Warner Bros, DC Comics and more are about to undergo huge changes AGAIN https://twitter.com/...
Brendan Foley / @thetruebrendanf: The history of Hollywood is written in the blood of companies that think they can buy a movie studio and will know how to spin the chaos of cinema into gold, and failing. https://twitter.com/...
Magdalene Visaggio / @magsvisaggs: this feels like a good thing. i dont think AT&T has been a healthy influence. https://twitter.com/...
Jeremy Barr / @jeremymbarr: I'm told that CNN will be having a town hall for employees tomorrow at which the impact of the merger will be discussed: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Dylan Byers / @dylanbyers: Winners: - David Zaslav - Jeff Zucker - Disney/Netflix (better outcome for them than an NBCU-WarnerMedia tie up) Losers: - John Stankey - Jason Kilar - The Discovery/WarnerMedia staffers who will fall victim to layoffs ($3b in cost-cutting measures is... a lot)
Dylan Byers / @dylanbyers: not all that far off https://twitter.com/...
Jason Lynch / @jasonlynch: AT&T will retain Xandr, which had moved over to WarnerMedia, following the merger, AT&T CEO John Stankey told investors.
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: My first take of the day — with some details about how Elliott's investment in AT&T may have been the first catalyst for John Stankey's rejection of the decisions he helped make. https://www.cnbc.com/...
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Re: some of the questions I got about WarnerMedia & Discovery. 1) The sale includes some of Warner Bros. Interactive/Warner Bros. Games, but not all. 2) The sale does include DC Comics. So yes Discovery now owns DC Comics. 3) Rooster Teeth is part of the sale, yes.
Christopher Mims / @mims: The eternal cycle of media acquisitions by “tech” companies: 1. Company that makes money in unrelated way notices media companies growing 2. Buys them, messes them up or realizes not a fit 3. Spins them out, they die or start growing again Repeat. https://www.wsj.com/...
@cnbc: Discovery CEO David Zaslav tells @davidfaber he thinks the combined Discovery, WarnerMedia company can reach up to 400 million streaming subscribers across the world, up from the 100 million subscribers the 2 separate companies have today. https://www.cnbc.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Mike Shields / @digitalshields: Considering all that is going on now, is Hulu the biggest lost media opportunity of all time? https://mikeshields.substack.com/ ...
Erik Davis / @erikdavis: Big entertainment news to start the week! For anyone who's ever wanted to see the Justice League compete against one another on an episode of Guy's Grocery Games, we're getting closer to that becoming reality! https://twitter.com/...
Rakesh Agrawal / @rakeshlobster: Let's have Disney buy CenturyLink now. Bankers, sign painters and business card printers need to get paid!
Kara Swisher / @karaswisher: Yes John Stankey is as bad as we all knew at media strategery via @NYTimes https://www.nytimes.com/...
Dave Itzkoff / @ditzkoff: A unified mega-library of content dedicated to a single objective: cast Jean Smart in everything https://twitter.com/...
Keith Boykin / @keithboykin: Just three years after AT&T acquired Time Warner, it's now spinning off Warner Media to create a new company with Discovery. The new company will be bigger than Netflix or NBCUniversal and become the second-largest media company in the US, behind Disney. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Charles Gasparino / @cgasparino: Its amazing that Zaslav will run the combined biz given the economic involved. Reminds me of Chase buying the smaller Bank One to get its CEO, Jamie Dimon, to run the whole thing—AT&T, in Abrupt Turn, Will Shed Media Business in Deal With Discovery https://www.nytimes.com/...
Edmund Lee / @edmundlee: The deal came together very quickly. In February, Mr. Zaslav sent an email to Mr. Stankey to discuss a possible deal. He added some emoji flair to his signoff with several 🏌🏻and one 😎. $t $disca https://www.nytimes.com/...
Dawn Chmielewski / Forbes: WarnerMedia Deal Lands Another AT&T Win For Cable Billionaire John Malone
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: NYT: “The new company would create a new kind of media behemoth, one that is still living off the fat profits of old-school cable, while spending those profits (and more) on streaming.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Jack Mirkinson / @jackmirkinson: i'm shocked, simply shocked https://twitter.com/...
Frank Pallotta / @frankpallotta: .@brianstelter asks Zaslav if CNN will be spun off. Zaslav says “We love CNN... We think one of the true differentiators of the future is live news, live sports.”
Nicholas Carlson / @nichcarlson: The weekend started very differently for Jason Kilar (with this fancy WSJ profile) than it ended (with a new boss and king of WarnerMedia, David Zaslav). https://www.wsj.com/...
Andrew Wallenstein / @awallenstein: No better new name for WarnerMedia-Discovery than: WMD Now there's an acronym with some oomph to it, no? 😉 https://twitter.com/...
Joe Flint / @jbflint: As WSJ reported in last night's story, Discovery CEO David Zaslav met with John Stankey and WarnerMedia execs two years about a joint-venture but talks didn't go anywhere. https://www.wsj.com/...
Scott Porch / @scottporch: “Now sources believe NBCU will turn its sights on ViacomCBS.” — @kimmasters https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: Here's what we're expecting this morning: An announcement AT&T has merged WarnerMedia into Discovery. https://www.cnbc.com/... Things to look for upon announcement: *Leadership/executive departures (expect Zaslav to run co) *Name of newco *What eventually happens to Discovery+
Zaki Hasan / @zakiscorner: No idea what this means in the long term, but I do feel comfortable saying the folks who think this is because of WB's handling of certain superhero properties should probably get out more. https://www.cnbc.com/...
Jake Cole / @thatjakepc: No one knows anything but the same 60 idiots will just keep absorbing fired employees' salaries into their own as they trade the country's dwindling content reservoirs back and forth for tax reasons https://twitter.com/...
Charles Gasparino / @cgasparino: One issue that hasn't been discussed is the future of Jeff Zucker at @CNN. Before the deal talks, he was on the way out but he and David Zaslav are close so dont be surprised if he stays https://www.wsj.com/... via @WSJ
Grace Randolph / @gracerandolph: It's official. AT&T is going to spin-off Warner Media into a new company with Discovery. Discovery lead David Zaslov will run things, looks like Jason Kilar might be out after one year. I have a very busy day today with outside appts so might have to break this down tomorrow. https://twitter.com/...
Dieter Bohn / @backlon: Well, the entire “AT&T decides to be a media company for awhile” saga was a very expensive nothingburger that turned out to be a big waste of everbody's time. ...just like most of the new shows it had planned for HBO Max heyoooooo https://www.theverge.com/...
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: Reminder that @Caseybloys was the guy who made all the HBO shows you liked before AT&T showed up, and he's still there. For now.
Sara Fischer / @sarafischer: Big takeaways: —Major course correction by AT&T, fully leaving content —Zaslav ascends to big new role —Doesn't look very promising for Jason Kilar —Company will be live sports, news, movies, lifestyle —$20B combined content spend —Rushed announcement https://www.axios.com/...
Rich Greenfield / @richlightshed: of mentions of WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar in the Discovery WarnerMedia press release $DISCA $T https://twitter.com/...
Steve Herman / @w7voa: No sale of @CNN, according to Zaslav who vows to make it “a world leader in news.”
Tyler Hersko / IndieWire: Discovery and WarnerMedia Upfronts Take on Added Urgency After Proposed Merger
Alex Weprin / @alexweprin: In a press conference, David Zaslav confirms a detail in this story from @kimmasters and I last night: He approached John Stankey about an HBO merger a few years ago: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life: Verizon spins out Yahoo/AOL and now AT&T spins out WarnerMedia. These mergers never made sense since only synergy they brought was anti-competitive (i.e charging users less for HBO traffic vs Netflix) Highlights the importance of having an actual strategy https://www.cnn.com/...
Micah Gelman / @mbgelman: Zaslav FTW. A big deal. When Zaslav came to Discovery it was a provincial private company owned by John Hendricks and headquartered in Silver Spring, Md. He took it public, moved to NY, eased out Hendricks, bought Scripps, Eurosport, SBS and more. https://twitter.com/...
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: Also — Zaslav says his number one priority will be relationship building, which he's known for and which Jason Kilar struggled with re: HBO Max's decision to put all 2021 films straight to HBO Max.
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: Stankey: Expect the transaction to close in 2022. Plans for AT&T include focusing on mobile and broadband. More than double current fiber footprint. Tighter focus on the greater demand for connectivity. It's almost like AT&T realized it's a telecom company, not a media giant.
@kerrymflynn: Nothing says “broadly appealing content” better than DDD and GGG https://twitter.com/...
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: HUGE irony in Zaslav stressing building a creative culture — this was Richard Plepler's calling card, and yet, Plepler left HBO because he felt John Stankey was never on the same page with him.
Brian Winter / @brazilbrian: I still think we're headed for a world with just 3-6 subscription mega-content services, with everything (TV, newspapers, premium delivery, etc) bundled together https://www.google.com/...
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: AT&T CEO John Stankey's note to staff: “We are now in a world where relevance and future success will be tied to greater scale and growth globally,” he says, explaining the decision to spin off WarnerMedia and combine it with Discovery https://twitter.com/...
Rich Greenfield / @richlightshed: “Secretly architecting this deal for several months from my brownstone in NYC” says $DISCA David Zaslav to $T's John Stankey makes us think this deal has been in process since before Discovery launched @discoveryplus — very telling about the need for scale in the #streamingwars https://twitter.com/...
Alex Sherman / CNBC: Now that WarnerMedia and Discovery have tied the knot, the pressure's on ViacomCBS and NBCUniversal
Dr. Siva Vaidhyanathan / @sivavaid: If you follow the long story of media ownership over the past 40 years you see a constant churn of consolidation and spinning off, debt and more debt, with no discernible pattern and general failure all around. No model works better than any other. https://twitter.com/...
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: A quick note here: what a win for David Zaslav, who goes from running an after-thought media company to one of the biggest media companies.
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: “AT&T would receive $43 billion (subject to adjustment) in a combination of cash, debt securities, and WarnerMedia's retention of certain debt, and AT&T's shareholders would receive stock representing 71% of the new company.” AT&T paid $85 billion for Time Warner in 2018.
Brian Stelter / @brianstelter: It's official: AT&T and Discovery, Inc. have announced a deal under which AT&T's WarnerMedia will be spun off and combined with Discovery in a new standalone media company. Here's my full story... https://www.cnn.com/...
Alex Sherman / @sherman4949: Another major plot point to this story will be the follow-on copycat deals. NBCU ViacomCBS AMC Lionsgate MGM Sony Media bankers going to be busy tomorrow. https://www.cnbc.com/...
Lucas Shaw / @lucas_shaw: The best part of everyone writing takes on this AT&T/Discovery business is we all get to do it again soon.
Jim Waterson / @jimwaterson: One of the tiny side effects of this mega US media merger on the UK would be that CNN and GB News end up with the same corporate backers. https://twitter.com/...
Adam Bentz / ScreenRant: AT&T Officially Set To Merge WarnerMedia With Discovery In $43 Billion Deal
Alec Bojalad / Den of Geek: The Warner-Discovery Merger Proves That Big Is Never Big Enough in the Streaming World
Charlotte Klein / Vanity Fair: WarnerMedia-Discovery Merger Shows the Streaming Wars Are About to Go Nuclear
Tim Peterson / Digiday: Cheat Sheet: WarnerMedia and Discovery bundle up
Oliver Darcy / @oliverdarcy: @pkafka: “Adding TimeWarner to AT&T didn't help AT&T sell more wireless or broadband plans. And it didn't help TimeWarner compete against Netflix and the rest of the internet...” https://www.vox.com/...
Jared Newman / Fast Company: AT&T's WarnerMedia merger with Discovery could mean higher prices for you
Brent Lang / Variety: AT&T Chief John Stankey, WarnerMedia Head Jason Kilar Address Discovery Merger in Staff Memo
Sam Rutherford / Gizmodo: AT&T's Spinning Off WarnerMedia in Merger With Discovery in $43 Billion Deal
Mike Shields / I have some questions: Is Hulu the biggest media lost opportunity of all time? Or was it destined to be what it is?
Hoai-Tran Bui / /Film: AT&T to Spin Off WarnerMedia, Including HBO Max, in $43 Billion Deal with Discovery
David Pierce / Protocol: Bill Gates under the microscope
William Gallagher / AppleInsider: AT&T's WarnerMedia merging with Discovery in $43B deal to form new streaming service
The Information:
Source: Amazon is in talks to acquire MGM for between $7B and $10B, in what would be its biggest move to expand into entertainment — Amazon is in discussions to acquire MGM, said a person familiar with the situation, in what would be the ecommerce giant's biggest move yet to expand in entertainment.
Discussion:
CNN, @nickwingfield, Variety, Los Angeles Times, Forbes, New York Times, The Verge, Financial Times, The Wrap, @great_katzby, @ericjhonsa, Reuters, CBR, @mossanimation, @cinesnark, C21Media, MarketWatch, @awallenstein, @richlightshed, @daniel_toloko, @loudmouthjulia, The Desk, Deadline, Insider, @pkafka, @great_katzby, IndieWire, Bloomberg, Front Office Sports, The Week, Engadget and AppleInsider, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Nick Wingfield / @nickwingfield: Scoop by @jtoonkel and me. An MGM-Amazon deal, if it happens, might explain why Jeff Blackburn was keen to come back to run Amazon entertainment https://thein.fo/...
Ryan Faughnder / Los Angeles Times: Amazon in talks to buy ‘James Bond’ movie studio MGM
Sean Hollister / The Verge: Amazon is in talks to buy MGM for $9 billion
Tim Baysinger / The Wrap: Amazon in Talks to Buy MGM for as Much as $10 Billion
Brandon Katz / @great_katzby: M&A in just the last few years: Time Warner ($85B) Fox ($71B) WarnerMedia ($43B) Sky ($39B) MGM ($9B) Starz ($4.4B) Legendary ($3.5B) Crumchyroll ($1.2B) https://twitter.com/...
Eric Jhonsa / @ericjhonsa: Looks like $AMZN might have a use for the $18.5B in debt it just raised besides buybacks. Worth noting that Prime Video's licensed movie library is already arguably a competitive strength relative to $NFLX. https://variety.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Cass Clarke / CBR: Amazon in Talks to Buy MGM For $9 Billion
Charles Moss / @mossanimation: For five minutes, can you conglomerates not assimilate each other... FOR FIVE MINUTES!?!?!? https://twitter.com/...
Sarah Marrs / @cinesnark: What did @Ceilidhann and I say for literal years on The Hollywood Read? Amazon was bound to buy a studio eventually. Apple's next. https://twitter.com/...
Nico Franks / C21Media: Amazon ‘eyeing Bond studio MGM’
Mike Murphy / MarketWatch: Amazon reportedly in talks to buy MGM, the movie studio behind James Bond
Andrew Wallenstein / @awallenstein: Sounds like Amazon's entertainment portfolio could be expanding. If only Jeff Bezos could tap someone he used to work with to oversee it all. Someone with considerable experience working with streaming and studios. Someone looking for a new job... ...and vengeance! https://twitter.com/...
Rich Greenfield / @richlightshed: streamingwars heating up 🔥🔥🔥 https://twitter.com/...
Daniel Toloko / @daniel_toloko: $AMZN understands that its all about the content... https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
Julia Alexander / @loudmouthjulia: I always assumed it would be Amazon or Apple if any company was going to do it. A) They have the money, b) they could use the catalog of Bond movies, and Epix's library + pay 1 opportunity isn't a bad get for Amazon, and c) can brag about Bond. https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
Matthew Keys / The Desk: Amazon mulls buying MGM Studios to beef up content offering
Anthony D'Alessandro / Deadline: Amazon At Altar With MGM?
Insider: Amazon is reportedly negotiating to acquire MGM, the studio behind James Bond and Rocky, for about $9 billion
Peter Kafka / @pkafka: Con: Big Tech buying a big media asset is like waving a flag in front of @amyklobuchar @SenWarren et al. Pro: Actually just a studio that makes James Bond movies and Shark Tank. No news or sports to take away/hold hostage. https://twitter.com/...
Brandon Katz / @great_katzby: Figured it would be Apple as well. Amazon has always seemed to be content to be half-half out on its steaming endeavors. It'll spend $8.5B on annual content and $400M+ on a season of LOTR, but won't update its awful UI/UX or provide any tangible Prime Video growth data. https://twitter.com/...
Chris Lindahl / IndieWire: Amazon Wants to Buy MGM for Its 4,000-Film Library
Abigail Gentrup / Front Office Sports: Media Deals Reinforce Streaming As Future of Sports
Catherine Garcia / The Week: Amazon is reportedly in talks to acquire MGM
Richard Lawler / Engadget: Amazon is reportedly negotiating to buy MGM
Mike Peterson / AppleInsider: Amazon mulling MGM acquisition to boost media footprint
Tyler Falk / Current:
After an outside investigation, New York Public Radio has fired On the Media host Bob Garfield for violating its anti-bullying policy — New York Public Radio has fired On the Media host Bob Garfield for violating its anti-bullying policy, the organization said Monday.
Discussion:
Ben Smith / @benyt: NY Public Radio has fired Bob Garfield, the host of On the Media, for violating its “anti-bullying policy”, according to an email from Andrew Golis to staff.
Bob Garfield / @bobosphere: I was fired not for “bullying” per se, but for yelling in 5 meetings over 20 years. Anger mismanagement, sorry to say. But in all cases, the provocations were just shocking. In time, the story will emerge...and it is tragic. On the Media was the pride and joy of my career. https://twitter.com/...
Callum Borchers / Gothamist: ‘On The Media’ Co-Host Bob Garfield Fired Over Bullying Complaints
Kerry Flynn / CNN: Bob Garfield fired by New York Public Radio for allegedly violating anti-bullying policy
Katie Robertson / @katie_robertson: Bob Garfield, the longtime co-host of “On the Media,” says he was fired for yelling at two meetings: “In both cases, as will be clear eventually, the provocation was extraordinary and simply shocking.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@pareene: “On the Media” is one of the best shows on public radio, largely thanks to the work of people whose voices fans don't hear every week. Don't know any details here, including how the staff feels about how this was handled, but I support them. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Foster Kamer / @weareyourfek: don't know about bullying but many people have a “bob garfield is a dick!” story https://twitter.com/...
Lyz Lenz / @lyzl: in my experience “insubordination” usually just means “asked bosses not to be horrible” https://twitter.com/...
Chris Morran / @themorrancave: I'll always remember the time Bob Garfield spent a week trying to get me fired after I made an offhanded, mildly critical comment about him in a Consumerist story. Who'd have guessed he'd a be a bully to his coworkers? https://www.nytimes.com/...
McCaffrey Blauner / The Daily Beast: ‘On the Media’ Co-Host Bob Garfield Fired Over Bullying Allegations
Anne Helen Petersen / @annehelen: “In an email on Monday, Mr. Garfield said he was not yet able to speak fully about the circumstances surrounding his firing but defended his behavior as yelling.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
Joshua Benton / @jbenton: unshocking, tbh https://twitter.com/...
Theodora Kuslan / New York Public Radio: New York Public Radio Statement on Bob Garfield
Daniel Goldblatt / The Wrap: ‘On the Media’ Co-Host Bob Garfield Fired Over Accusations of Bullying
Lindsey Ellefson / The Wrap:
Vice News names its news director Michael Learmonth as new EIC, filling a role that has been vacant since 2019 — Michael Learmonth was named Vice News' new editor in chief Monday, filling a role that has been vacant since 2019. He was promoted from news director, a job he held since 2016.
Discussion:
Katie Drummond / @katiedrumm: Everybody congratulate @learmonth who is now Editor-in-Chief of @VICENews ! https://www.thewrap.com/...
Jason Del Rey / @delrey: Mike is one of the good good guys https://twitter.com/...
Ryan McCarthy / @mccarthyryanj: The best news! Learmonth is one of the best editors / humans out there. I was lucky to get to work with him. https://twitter.com/...
Kenneth Li / @kenli729: Best news of the week. @learmonth is the bomb. He once (more than once) finished my story while i went out for a smoke. Who DOES THAT?! https://twitter.com/...
Michael Learmonth / @learmonth: Personal news: Thank you to @katiedrumm for nice quotes and all the support!! https://twitter.com/...
Fern Siegel / MediaPost: ‘Vice News’ Taps Learmonth As Editor In Chief
Zack Zwiezen / Kotaku:
In a letter to management, 66 IGN staffers demand a post listing Palestinian charities be reinstated after its removal, saying editorial integrity was subverted — Today, the IGN editorial staff published an open letter decrying Sunday's removal of an IGN article and its associated tweet …
Discussion:
@satchelldrakes, @meaganmarie, @the_katbot, @genepark, @agentbizzle, @gameapologist, @adequateemily, @theericgoldman, @tanumb_, @kotaku and A. Khaled's Blog
Discussion:
Meagan Marie / @meaganmarie: Impressed and proud they are not backing down. Huge kudos to the staff who signed this. https://twitter.com/...
Kat Bailey / @the_katbot: An open letter to J2, Ziff Davis, and IGN concerning the unilateral take down of a post with charitable resources for Palestinian civilians Link: https://ignemployees.medium.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
@genepark: solidarity with IGN workers speaking out against corporate overreach and violation of the company's own policies. https://ignemployees.medium.com/ ...
Brian Altano / @agentbizzle: Immensely proud of our team at IGN for fighting for our voice today & our editorial freedom in the future. Wish things hadn't happened like this today but sometimes that's the only way to build a better tomorrow. An open letter to corporate leadership: https://ignemployees.medium.com/ ...
@adequateemily: Total respect for all of these employees standing up for what's right even when their employers refuse to. Free Palestine. https://twitter.com/...
Eric Goldman / @theericgoldman: Huge love and respect to my friends at IGN for their initial post that got pulled and for this response to that decision. https://twitter.com/...
@tanumb_: Editorial putting their livelihoods on the line to do what's right, and fighting back when ownership undermines it. That's solidarity. https://twitter.com/...
RELATED:
Zack Zwiezen / Kotaku:
After publishing and removing an article listing Palestinian charities, IGN says it didn't mean to make it seem “we were politically aligned with one side”
Discussion:
Medium, Washington Post, @heyrowanellis, @inkydojikko, @duckvalentine, @jasonschreier, @stephentotilo, VICE, @armanddoma, @hollywood_labor, @tha_rami, @tha_rami, @scully1888, @tropicalmaku, @dannyodwyer, @andyplaytonic, @austin_walker, @iyagovos, @papapishu, @mattbinder, @charalanahzard and Axios
Discussion:
Mikhail Klimentov / Washington Post: IGN staff pen letter to management following quiet removal of Palestine charity article
Rowan Ellis / @heyrowanellis: i've seen a lot of people question “what is so “complex” about what's happening in palestine??” - so i think stuff like what's happening at ign is important to note - it's not that people see the reality of what's happening and *then* think it's complex... https://twitter.com/...
Kallie Plagge / @inkydojikko: Very proud of all my friends at IGN who signed this letter standing up to cowardly upper management, and for using their platforms to raise awareness for Palestine in the first place https://ignemployees.medium.com/ ...
Rebekah Valentine / @duckvalentine: An open letter to the leadership at IGN, Ziff Davis, and J2 Global: https://ignemployees.medium.com/ ...
Jason Schreier / @jasonschreier: No matter one's feelings on Israel and Palestine, it's hard to see this as anything but corporate censorship of an editorial outlet. Solidarity with the staff of IGN as they band together to take on executive interference: https://ignemployees.medium.com/ ...
Stephen Totilo / @stephentotilo: More than 60 IGN staff have signed an open letter to corporate leadership, calling the deletion of an article about Palestinian relief as “a clear instance of corporate overreach.” They blame upper management for its removal; call for it to be republished https://www.axios.com/...
Patrick Klepek / VICE: IGN Staff ‘Pissed’ After Meeting About Deleted Palestine Charity Post
Armand Domalewski / @armanddoma: weird how none of the Gamergaters furious about censorship in games journalism spoke up about this https://twitter.com/...
DSA-LA Hollywood Labor / @hollywood_labor: Case in point, let's look at what happened to a non-union website: https://twitter.com/...
Rami Ismail / @tha_rami: This is heartbreaking. Not a single fiber of me believes that anyone in editorial at @IGN supports this text. I believe this is a corporate statement in IGN's voice by corporate @ziffdavis or @j2global. I can't see any alternative sequence of events leading to this statement. https://twitter.com/...
Rami Ismail / @tha_rami: “IGN Israel upset to learn IGN tries to raise money for Palestinian children harmed by Israeli bombs” is so cartoonesquely evil that I don't even know what to say https://twitter.com/...
Chris Scullion / @scully1888: Despite IGN management (because I can't see the editorial staff doing this) seemingly bottling it with a “we support both sides” argument, the IGN Israel Facebook post saying “we support the Israel state and the IDF soldiers keeping us safe” is still up. Draw your own conclusions https://twitter.com/...
Maku / @tropicalmaku: If it wasn't transparent enough how evil and cruel the world can be. This is IGN Israel's response to the main IGN acknowledging Palestinian people's suffering and doing what they can to help support those people. https://twitter.com/...
Danny O'Dwyer / @dannyodwyer: [update from IGN quoted] My thoughts; The false equivalence surrounding The Question of Palestine is what enables the right-wing government of Israel to get away with apartheid and state-sanctioned terrorism. Thanks to posts like this, it will continue. https://twitter.com/...
Andy Robinson / @andyplaytonic: IGN's Israel edition here, condemning IGN's support for charities aiding Palestinian civilians (source: Instagram) https://twitter.com/...
Austin Walker / @austin_walker: Would really love to know who the “we” is that's speaking here, because my bet is that it isn't the people who fought to make the post in the first place. https://twitter.com/...
James Bartholomeou / @iyagovos: IGN's Support Palestine page is down, but GameSpot also have an incredibly helpful page with important links. Please do not harass IGN editorial staff for this. They risked their livelihoods making that page, and need support now too. #FreePalestine https://www.gamespot.com/...
Chris Person / @papapishu: I'm just gonna say that I really don't think that whoever made them do this is going to accomplish what they sought out to accomplish. https://twitter.com/...
Matt Binder / @mattbinder: i have no idea what happened here as i have nothing to do with IGN, but i am employed by the same parent company. Israel is an apartheid state. the Netanyahu government is a fascist regime. stand with the people of Palestine. https://twitter.com/...
Alanah Pearce / @charalanahzard: IGN didn't take this down. Their parent companies, @j2global and/or @ziffdavis did. Note that they also haven't removed any of IGN's other articles supporting international humanitarian aid. Just this one. https://twitter.com/...
Stephen Totilo / Axios: U.S. gaming outlets remove posts supporting Palestinians
Jonathan Easton / Digital TV Europe:
Digital TV Research: pay TV revenue will fall from $173B in 2020 to $143B in 2026 across 138 countries; US revenue to fall from $80B in 2020 to $57B in 2026 — Global pay TV revenues are set to drop by US$30 billion over the next five years as cord cutting continues to prove decisive for the industry.
Discussion:
Chris Dziadul / Broadband TV News: Pay-TV revenues set to fall
Kristin Brzoznowski / WORLD SCREEN: Digital TV Research: Pay-TV Revenues to Decrease by $30 Billion
Michael Balderston / TV Technology: Global Pay-TV Revenue to Fall $30B by 2026
Karlene Lukovitz / MediaPost: U.S. Pay-TV Revenues To Plunge By $23B By 2026
Washington Post:
Researchers detail a sprawling disinformation network in the US, including media websites such as GTV, that's pushing falsehoods about COVID-19 and the election — Guo Wengui, living in self-exile in New York City, is at the center of a digital web pushing election and covid falsehoods, according to Graphika research
Discussion:
@farrukhkpitafi, @nicpwall, @froomkin, @zachweinberg, @camillefrancois, @oliverdarcy, @joshuahol, @bostonjoan, @jorge_guajardo, The Week, @scout_finch and Gizmodo
Discussion:
Farrukh K. Pitafi / @farrukhkpitafi: Dig deeper. You are looking at symptoms, neither the disease nor the source or even the patient zero. https://twitter.com/...
Nic Wall / @nicpwall: This (bonkers) Washington Post article about a US disinformation network run by a Steve Bannon ally features a node (called a “Himalaya farm” by the network) based here in Toronto: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Dan Froomkin / @froomkin: Nothing to see here. Move along. https://twitter.com/...
Zach Weinberg / @zachweinberg: Seems like Guo is likely a Chinese asset, posing as a dissident, but actually funneling money to Bannon and others to promote disinformation across America. That's the most likely setup right? Everything would make sense. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Camille Franois / @camillefrancois: 🆕 Our latest dive into a network that had previously surfaced in many of our analyses on US2020 disinfo and COVID19 misinfo: the complicated, coordinated, authentic and sprawling Guo Wengui online universe. Thread below and @washingtonpost story here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Oliver Darcy / @oliverdarcy: “A sprawling online network tied to Chinese businessman Guo Wengui has become a potent platform for disinformation ... attacking the safety of coronavirus vaccines, promoting false election-fraud claims and spreading baseless QAnon conspiracies...” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Joshua Holland / @joshuahol: Weird that our First Amendment protects foreign bullshit to the same degree as domestic disinformation. https://twitter.com/...
Joan Donovan, PhD / @bostonjoan: For everyone in the thick of this research on disinformation, we see more and more clearly the harms of disinformation campaigns when they manifest in physical violence. There is more work to do to assess the scale and impact of these G NWS disinfo networks. https://twitter.com/...
Jorge Guajardo / @jorge_guajardo: The other day a friend from China texted to ask if I was OK, as he sent images of Washington under siege, with sharpshooters on roofs, targeting protectors of Hunter's laptop. It took a little scratching to see it was part of Guo's disinformation. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Catherine Garcia / The Week: Researchers: Chinese businessman is ‘linchpin’ of disinformation network pushing COVID, election falsehoods
Peter White / Deadline:
Disney launches Onyx Collective, a new content brand for creators of color and underrepresented voices that will be found primarily on Hulu in the US — Creators of color and underrepresented voices including Natasha Rothwell and Ryan Coogler will craft content for a new curated content brand at Disney.
Discussion:
I-Hsien Sherwood / Ad Age: Shoppable social media gives brands a boost, and Disney showcases creators of color: Tuesday Wake-Up Call
Elaine Low / Variety: Freeform's Tara Duncan to Lead New Hulu Brand Focused on Creators of Color; Oprah, Ryan Coogler Among First Partners
thefutoncritic.com: Disney General Entertainment Unveils Onyx Collective, A Dedicated, Premium Content Brand for Creators of Color and Underrepresented Voices
Apple:
Apple says it will bring lossless audio to all Apple Music subscribers at no added cost and will support Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, available from June — The next generation of sound on Apple Music is coming to subscribers June 2021 at no additional cost
Discussion:
Engadget, T3, @quinnypig, @micahsingleton, @micahsingleton, @micahsingleton, @micahsingleton, TNW, The Indian Express, @film_girl, @film_girl, @snazzyq, @tldtoday, @caseynewton, @chrisbhoffman, Business Wire, @ianfogg42, ZDNet, 9to5Mac, @talkaboutdesign, @rayredacted, @caseynewton, Going against the grain, @hugorifkind, @bzamayo, @rsgnl, @reckless, @bzamayo, @chriswelch, @reneritchie, @tomwarren, @alexhern, @reneritchie, @richontech, @wongmjane, @journeydan, @viticci, @maxbalzer_, @brandonbutch, @stijndv, New York Post, The Register, MacRumors, BGR India, ScreenRant, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Variety, AppleInsider, TechCrunch, The Verge, 9to5Mac and MacRumors, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Corey Quinn / @quinnypig: So nothing Apple sells supports the format, and they killed the headphone jack making it really hard to bring your own. Courage! https://twitter.com/...
Micah Singleton / @micahsingleton: More importantly, the price decrease is a blow to Spotify's goal to raise its average revenue per user (ARPU). Launching its upcoming Hi-Fi service at $15/month could've helped move the needle on its ARPU, which has been in decline since 2017. $10/month will not.
Micah Singleton / @micahsingleton: Apple is taking the stance that lossless music can't be played over Bluetooth, which means AirPods (in all form factors) will not officially support lossless playback. Can you open settings, turn on lossless streaming and it'll play? Yes, but Apple officially won't recommend it.
Micah Singleton / @micahsingleton: Lurking in the background in both of these announcements is Dolby Atmos, which powers spatial audio from Apple and 3D audio (along with Sony 360 Reality Audio) from Amazon. Surround sound audio will be a major focus for both (and likely Spotify) moving forward.
Micah Singleton / @micahsingleton: AirPods Max also won't support lossless over the lightning cable, the company tells me. No Sonos support for lossless streaming just yet either.
Christina Warren / @film_girl: Are you fucking kidding me? https://twitter.com/...
Christina Warren / @film_girl: Don't give me the wireless doesn't have the bandwidth bullshit. First, it could. Apple just has a lousy codec. Second, the $40 cable I bought to use these with a headphone jack still isn't enough? Are you kidding me?
Quinn Nelson / @snazzyq: This is friggin' awesome. The catalog going lossless is the cherry on top. And at no added cost! Same price. Apple Music just became the streaming service value king. https://twitter.com/...
@tldtoday: damn Tim apple :o lossless audio for no extra $$ AirPods Max just leveled up https://www.apple.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Casey Newton / @caseynewton: @tylernol lossless audio has typically been a $10/month add-on. so either record labels approved a price decrease or Apple/Amazon are just eating the extra cost
Chris Hoffman / @chrisbhoffman: So when will us YouTube Music subscribers get lossless audio? Probably... never? https://twitter.com/...
Ian Fogg / @ianfogg42: Apple offers lossless audio to Music subscribers, but it's the spatial audio that is a more strategic move because of its synergy with AirPods Pro/Max today & likely future #AR products https://www.apple.com/...
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols / ZDNet: Apple, lossless audio, and the state of high-end audio
Filipe Espósito / 9to5Mac: Apple Music Lossless requires wired headphones, AirPods will only get Spatial Audio
Maksim Petriv / @talkaboutdesign: “At no additional cost...” is the best part of this announcement. https://twitter.com/...
@rayredacted: This is going to sell ALOT of airpods and airpods Max, but audiophiles will be quick to report that it isn't truly lossless if it is running on apple's implementation of BlueTooth. https://twitter.com/...
Casey Newton / @caseynewton: Apple and Amazon using their unlimited cash flow to subsidize ‘free’ lossless audio to music customers has big ‘Google offering free photo storage just long enough to starve its independent competitors to death before starting to charge’ energy
Hugo Rifkind / @hugorifkind: Quite proud to have just caught London's summer. It lasted from 13.15 to 13.42 and I went out in the garden and ate a sandwich. Thunder now. Hope next year is nice.
Benjamin Mayo / @bzamayo: Apple press release says they will send Dolby Atmos music to any W1 / H1 headphones, so we'll have to see how good the ‘spatial audio’ effect is. Currently, “Spatial Audio” is only supported on AirPods Pro and AirPods Max.
Joe Rossignol / @rsgnl: Apple Music with Spatial Audio + Lossless Audio is available in iOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.6, macOS 11.4, or tvOS 14.6 or later, according to Apple.
Nilay Patel / @reckless: Very cool of Apple for offering three tiers - including a higher quality tier than its devices can even support - instead of pretending the CD was the pinnacle of audio quality https://www.theverge.com/...
Benjamin Mayo / @bzamayo: “Lossless” and “Hi Res Lossless” coming to Apple Music https://9to5mac.com/...
Chris Welch / @chriswelch: Apple just confirmed to me that lossless audio is *exclusive to Apple Music.* Subscription required. There won't be an option to purchase tracks or albums in that quality, nor will it be offered with iTunes Match. https://www.theverge.com/...
Tom Warren / @tomwarren: Apple has officially announced lossless audio for Apple Music. It's arriving in June, and it tops out at 24-bit/192kHz https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Alex Hern / @alexhern: my most basic opinion is that I simply do not understand the point of any audio better than a 128kbps spotify stream https://www.apple.com/...
Rene Ritchie / @reneritchie: Apple Music Lossless: 🍎ALAC format 💿 Starts at CD-quality 16 bit 44.1 kHz 📡 Goes to 24 bit 48 kHz 📱 Plays natively on Apple devices Hi-Res Lossless: 🤯 Up to 24 bit 192 kHz 🎛 Requires external USB DAC, etc. https://twitter.com/...
Rich DeMuro / @richontech: Now Apple Music announces spatial audio, coming in June for free to subscribers will make music sound like it's coming from various directions... https://www.apple.com/...
Jane Manchun Wong / @wongmjane: Here it is — Apple introduces Lossless Audio in Apple Music https://www.apple.com/...
Daniel Bader / @journeydan: Wow, Apple isn't fucking around, will start offering up to 24-bit/48 kHz lossless for its entire Apple Music catalog starting next month without raising the $9.99 price https://www.apple.com/...
Federico Viticci / @viticci: Apple Music with Spatial Audio and lossless quality is official: - Spatial Audio powered by Dolby Atmos on all headphones with W1/H1 chip - Growing catalog of Spatial Audio music - Lossless quality (at 16 bit 44.1 kHz or 24 bit at 48 kHz) https://www.apple.com/...
Max Balzer / @maxbalzer_: “Apple Music announces Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos; will bring Lossless Audio to entire catalog.” Also coming at no additional cost to subscribers. https://www.apple.com/...
Brandon Butch / @brandonbutch: Apple just announced lossless & spatial audio! Coming next month at no additional cost. 🎵 https://www.apple.com/...
Stijn de Vries / @stijndv: Hmm look at what I found in the Apple Music website.... https://twitter.com/...
Richard Speed / The Register: Apple announces lossless HD audio at no extra cost, then Amazon Music does too. The ball is now in Spotify's court
Juli Clover / MacRumors: AirPods, AirPods Max and AirPods Pro Don't Support Apple Music Lossless Audio
Vanshika Malhotra / BGR India: Apple Music officially gets Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos support for high-quality music experience
Victoria Song / Gizmodo: It's Official—Apple Music's Getting Hifi Streaming
Jem Aswad / Variety: Apple Music Unveils High-Quality Audio Option; Amazon Expands Its High-Def Plan
William Gallagher / AppleInsider: How to listen to Apple Music Lossless Audio and what you need
RELATED:
Micah Singleton / Billboard:
Amazon Music HD is now available to Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers for free, effectively cutting the Hi-Fi service's price from $14.99 to $9.99 per month
Discussion:
John MacFarlane / @johnlmacfarlane: Apple and Amazon are clearly eating the incremental cost for the lossless, or higher bitrate streams. It's a good opportunity to learn if people, in any large numbers, actually prefer the formats (I would bet not). Hopefully it stays this easy to choose. https://www.billboard.com/...
Aaron Pressman / @ampressman: Monkey see, monkey do: Amazon Music drops HD tier surcharge, shaking up hi-fi streaming market after Apple announces lossless service at no extra charge https://www.billboard.com/...
@amazonmusic: Our highest quality audio. Now at no extra cost. Discover over 70 million songs in HD. Tag the artist you're most excited to listen to in HD 👇 https://www.amazon.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Kintan Brahmbhatt / @kintan: Starting today, all Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers will get access to HD at no additional cost. That's BIG news! https://twitter.com/...
Music Business Worldwide: The music industry just took a backwards step on streaming pricing... in glorious HD
Chris Davies / @c_davies: Meanwhile, Amazon is also adding lossless audio to its Music Unlimited package. Previously you'd have had to pay $5/mo extra for Music HD. Amazon also includes both Dolby Atmos (like Apple will) and Sony 360 Reality Audio spatial sound https://www.slashgear.com/...
Rich DeMuro / @richontech: I like how the Amazon Music App shows you the features offered on each song https://twitter.com/...
Rich DeMuro / @richontech: OK, so if you subscribe to Amazon Music (as in, pay a monthly fee each month to listen), you can tap the button on this page to upgrade your streaming to HD quality for free (I subscribed over the weekend, so I'll be testing this out soon) https://www.amazon.com/...
Rich DeMuro / @richontech: Oh wow. And Amazon Music HD plays nicely with Sonos. Will have to listen to this later this morning to see if I can discern a difference in audio quality! https://twitter.com/...
Micah Singleton / @micahsingleton: NEW: Amazon Music HD is now available to Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers for free, the company tells @billboard. Amazon is the first streaming service to make high-fidelity music streaming available at $9.99 a month ($7.99 a month for Prime members) https://www.billboard.com/...
Accounting Specialist Editor, Remote US — 
Senior Correspondent - Wealth, NY — 
Asia Credit Reporter, Seoul — 
Senior Editor, DC — 
Sr. Social Media Specialist, NC — 
Associate Editor - Aviation, TN — 
Assistant Editor - Digital, NC — 
Video Producer - YouTube, NY — 
Senior Managing Ed. - Daily Desk — 
Content Managing Editor — 
Editor, MA — 
Team Editor - Breaking News, ON — 
Senior Reporter & Event Host, NY/CA — 
Associate Editor, Remote — 
Retail Reporter, MN — 
Senior Data Editor, DC — 
Managing Ed. - Berks County, PA — 
News Editor - UK, Remote — 
Staff Writer, TX — 
Multimedia Journalist, PA — 
Service Journalism Editor, CA — 
Content Director, Remote — 
Sports Reporter, ME — 
Los Angeles Issues Reporter, CA — 
Reporter - Middle East — 
Executive Editor, OR — 
California Playbook Writer, CA — 
Senior Media Editor — 
National Investigative Reporter, NY — 
Lexington County Reporter, SC — 
Reporter - Offshore Wind — 
General Assignment Reporter, FL — 
Staff Reporter, CA — 
Data Editor, NY — 
