Top News:
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:
Variety, @nickwingfield, The Verge, New York Times, Financial Times, CNN, The Hill, /Film, Forbes, The Streamable, Vanity Fair, Observer, FierceVideo, Los Angeles Times, The A.V. Club, MediaPost, The Playlist, New York Post, The Wrap, @great_katzby, @ericjhonsa, @stroughtonsmith, C21Media, Mr. Buyside, @backlon, @cinesnark, @daniel_toloko, Cord Cutters News, @mossanimation, @awallenstein, @great_katzby, @pkafka, @richlightshed, @loudmouthjulia, The Desk, Insider, CBR, MarketWatch, Reuters, Deadline, IndieWire, Engadget, The Week, Front Office Sports, Bloomberg and AppleInsider, more at Techmeme »
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:
Insider, @sarafischer, @thedomino, The Wrap and The Week
RELATED:
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
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
Discussion:
AT&T, Variety, Axios, American Press Institute, The Wrap, Columbia Journalism Review, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, @sherman4949, Washington Post, @frankpallotta, @claireatki, Axios, American Prospect, Variety, The Week, New Republic, SHERO, The Ringer, CNN, @brianstelter, @jbarro, The Wrap, The Information, @kerrymflynn, @senblumenthal, @sherman4949, @loudmouthjulia, @lucas_shaw, @lucas_shaw, @lucas_shaw, @sadogre, @lucas_shaw, @nycsouthpaw, @gadyepstein, @pkafka, @hblodget, Insider, @karlbode, @andrearene, @benyt, Variety, @panzer, @mattdraperyt, @thetruebrendanf, @magsvisaggs, @jeremymbarr, @dylanbyers, @dylanbyers, @jasonlynch, @sherman4949, @loudmouthjulia, @mims, @cnbc, @digitalshields, @erikdavis, @rakeshlobster, @karaswisher, @ditzkoff, @keithboykin, Hollywood Reporter, @cgasparino, @edmundlee, @pkafka, @brianstelter, @jackmirkinson, @frankpallotta, @nichcarlson, @awallenstein, @jbflint, @scottporch, @sherman4949, @zakiscorner, @thatjakepc, @cgasparino, @gracerandolph, @backlon, @pkafka, @sarafischer, @richlightshed, @w7voa, @alexweprin, @carnage4life, @mbgelman, @sherman4949, @sherman4949, @loudmouthjulia, @kerrymflynn, @sherman4949, @brazilbrian, @brianstelter, @richlightshed, @sivavaid, @sherman4949, @loudmouthjulia, @brianstelter, @sherman4949, @lucas_shaw, @jimwaterson, Forbes, MediaPost, Scrawler, IndieWire, CNBC, @oliverdarcy, ScreenRant, Den of Geek, Vanity Fair, Variety, Digiday, The Hill, Fast Company, Gizmodo, /Film, Protocol, Bloomberg, AppleInsider and Mediaite, more at Techmeme »
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
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
Discussion:
CNBC, @loudmouthjulia, @mattzollerseitz, @thr, @thr, Hollywood Reporter, @jbflint, @thejannissary, @felixsalmon, @stevekovach, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @alexweprin, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @kimmasters, Observer, The Playlist, Awful Announcing and IndieWire
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
WarnerMedia-Discovery merger puts pressure on rivals without enough scale, like NBCUniversal, which sources say viewed WarnerMedia as a possible target
Discussion:
@raju, @asharma, @loudmouthjulia, @lucas_shaw, @rasmussen_poll and Fast Company
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
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
Discussion:
New York Times, MediaPost, @rebeccaarubin, Fast Company, Variety, Insider, @brooksbarnesnyt, @nytimesbusiness, Digital TV Europe, @doree, The Week, Transistori, @film_girl, @karaswisher, @rolandsmartin, @danprimack, @borys_kit, @theericgoldman, @mattbelloni, @_christopherm, @katierosman, @mattzeitlin, @jbenton, @sherman4949, @davidpoland, @sherman4949, @richardlnewby, @mchenryjd, @grynbaum, @panzer, @brianstelter, @richlightshed, ScreenRant, @jbflint, CNN, The Streamable, Heroic Hollywood, FierceVideo, The Verge, TechCrunch, @optionshawk, @richlightshed, Cord Cutters News, @arcadegirl64 and Talking Biz News
Kerry Flynn / CNN:
Forbes staffers announce plans to form a union; more than 80% of about 105 editorial staffers have signed union cards with the NewsGuild of New York — New York (CNN Business)At Forbes, a publication known for its coverage of the rich and powerful, its employees are fighting …
Discussion:
Talking Biz News, @dsilverman, @nyguild, @chloesorvino, @grace_panetta, @scottnover, @dawnc331, nyguild.org, @kerrymflynn, @kerrymflynn, @kerrymflynn and The NewsGuild - CWA
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:
@bobosphere, New York Times, @benyt, @katie_robertson, The Hill, CNN, Los Angeles Times, Media Nation, New York Public Radio, @bobosphere, Gothamist, @nicktheandersen, @jbenton, @elipariser, @pareene, @raju, @jbarro, @briangaar, @lyzl, @themorrancave, @annehelen, @weareyourfek, @jbenton, The Daily Beast, Washington Post and New York Post
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Sources: theSkimm is considering a sale to non-media companies like financial services firms or luxury brands and brought in ~$20M in revenue in 2019 — TheSkimm, a digital media company catering to millennial women, has hired JPMorgan Chase & Co. to evaluate deal offers, sources tell Axios.
Discussion:
@seangriffey, @rafat and @sarafischer
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Sources: Coinbase is launching its own media unit that will create content for retail and institutional investors and report to its marketing team — Crypto giant Coinbase is launching its own media operation and looking to poach a top media editor to guide the effort, sources tell Axios.
Discussion:
@jowyang, @thedomino, @adamsinger, @hsakatrades, @bowtiedbull and @ryan_browne_
Reporters Without Borders:
Reporters Without Borders launches an online tool for its Journalism Trust Initiative to identify and reward trustworthy news sources — - Reporters Without Borders (RSF) launches new web offer designed to identify and reward trustworthy news sources; — Media outlets can use the online app …
Discussion:
@adrianshahbaz, @roxyszal, @swissinfo_en, @cdeloire, @craignewmark, @rsf_inter, @emilybell and @alanmillernlp
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Piano, which offers analytics, subscription, and personalization tools for publishers, raises $88M Series B, bringing its total raised to $241M+ — As publishers face up to whatever might be their next existential crisis — there are so many options from which to choose …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Facebook debuts “Live Shopping Fridays” event series, featuring brands live streaming beauty, skincare, and fashion content on a weekly basis starting May 22 — Facebook wants to whet consumers' appetite for live streamed shopping with this week's launch of “Live Shopping Fridays” …
Discussion:
Adweek, more at Techmeme »
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:
Broadband TV News, WORLD SCREEN, TV Technology, MediaPost and Advanced Television
Paul Karp / The Guardian:
Australian high court is hearing a case on whether News Corp and Fairfax Media are responsible for defamatory third-party comments on their Facebook pages — News Corp and Fairfax Media challenge ruling they are liable for defamatory comments on their Facebook posts
Discussion:
@paul_karp
Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal:
VideoAmp, which helps brands measure ad campaigns across digital and traditional TV, raises $75M in debt financing; source: it expects $80M in revenue this year — Ad-tech company wants to expand its share of the digital and traditional media measurement pie
Brad Bender / The Keyword:
Google News Showcase launches in India with 30 news publishers; the Google initiative is now running in more than a dozen countries — At a time when the need for access to trustworthy information is critical, we are announcing a slew of investments to support India's large and diverse news industry.
Discussion:
The Indian Express, MediaNama and 9to5Google
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_ and @kotaku
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”
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, diabolical, Washington Post, @heyrowanellis, @inkydojikko, @jasonschreier, @hollywood_labor, @duckvalentine, @stephentotilo, @armanddoma, VICE, @tha_rami, @tha_rami, @scully1888, @tropicalmaku, @dannyodwyer, @andyplaytonic, @austin_walker, @iyagovos, @papapishu, @mattbinder and @charalanahzard