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
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
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
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
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”
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
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