Mediagazer: Sources: LeBron James' entertainment business, SpringHill Company, is exploring a sale at a valuation that could reach $750M, and Nike is considering an offer (The Information)

Brooks Barnes / New York Times:

Profile of Disney's powerful chief communications officer for 19 years, Zenia B. Mucha, who will leave in 2022; she was paid $4.9M in total 2020 compensation — For almost two decades, Zenia B. Mucha has been responsible for protecting the vaunted Disney brand and has held influence far beyond her official duties.

Discussion: @brooksbarnesnyt, Variety, Deadline, The Wrap, @davidclinchnews, @evargastv, @eva_palmer, @ksheekey, @amy_disneypr, @cityofthetown, @adamnagourney, @shelbygrad and @mattdpearce

Cynthia Littleton / Variety:

Emmy nominations: HBO and HBO Max gets 130, followed by 129 for Netflix and 71 for Disney+; NBC is the fourth most-nominated with only 46 nods — Netflix and the expanded world of HBO and HBO Max made it a duel this year in race to gather the most Primetime Emmy nominations overall.

Discussion: The Streamable, /Film, The Wrap, Mediaite, The Wrap, Variety, Variety, Variety, Fast Company, The Wrap, Mediaite, Los Angeles Times, TVNewser and Adweek

Gaspard Sebag / Bloomberg:

France fines Google $593M for failing to comply with a 2020 order to negotiate in good faith with publishers for displaying article snippets in Google News — - Tech giant penalized for not agreeing deal with publishers — Fine is the second biggest French antitrust penalty so far

Dylan Byers / NBC News:

Sources: in an employee meeting, Atlantic CEO said the magazine lost $20M+ in 2020, was on track to lose $10M this year, and would turn a small profit in 2023 — Nicholas Thompson, the chief executive of The Atlantic, gave a presentation to employees last month in which he disclosed …

Discussion: Mediaite, The Hill, @levinejonathan, @lucasgrindley, @stuartpstevens, @dylanbyers, @ckrewson, @dylanbyers and @karavoght

The Information:

Sources: LeBron James' entertainment business, SpringHill Company, is exploring a sale at a valuation that could reach $750M, and Nike is considering an offer — NBA superstar LeBron James' entertainment firm, SpringHill Company, is exploring a possible sale at a valuation that could reach $750 million …

Discussion: The Wrap, @awallenstein, @sizpatel and Business Wire

Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal:

Mediaocean, known for its ad-agency billing technology, buys adtech company Flashtalking for $500M as, sources say, it prepares for an IPO next year — Flashtalking, known for its ad server, is the latest in a string of Mediaocean acquisitions aimed at enhancing its digital ad technology

Discussion: Mediaocean, Beet.TV, MediaPost, Adweek, @billwise, @flashtalking, @joshsternberg and AdExchanger

Alex Sherman / CNBC:

A look at the different approaches that NYT, FT, WSJ, Bloomberg, USA Today, and Vox Media are taking to decide how employees will come back to the office — - News organizations have generally navigated pandemic life successfully as employees have figured out how to do their jobs remotely.

Discussion: @guildatbig, @risj_oxford and bookforum.com

Sara Fischer / Axios:

The Observer plans a relaunch in the coming months with a new EIC, Meg Marco, formerly of ProPublica; the outlet has a staff of 10 and wants to hire eight more — The digital-only company is looking to hire around 8 people this year.

Discussion: OBSERVER MEDIA, Talking Biz News, @matthewkassel, @meghann and @lydiadepillis

Lesley Goldberg / Hollywood Reporter:

Sources: Netflix is turning to live events, like the Bridgerton Ball in London, video games, and merchandising to complement subscriber revenue and engage fans — Sources say the streaming giant wants to work directly with creators on live events that will, in success, provide new revenue streams as subscriber growth slows.

Discussion: @thr

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Insider names Barbara Peng as president; since 2017, Peng has been president of its research arm Insider Intelligence, which the CEO says is a $60M+ business — The company today has more than 500 journalists globally.

Discussion: Talking Biz News and @nichcarlson

Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:

Judge dismisses a defamation suit by ex-Senate candidate Roy Moore against Sacha Baron Cohen over the Who Is America? show; Moore signed a form barring claims — The comedian is saved by a signed release, the First Amendment, and a judge who actually can take a joke.

Discussion: Insider

Kelly McLaughlin / Insider:

AP photojournalist Ramon Espinosa was assaulted by police while covering protests in Havana — - AP photographer Ramon Espinosa was left bloodied after an altercation with police during protests in Cuba. — Photos show him surrounded by a group of people, and later with blood dripping down his face.

Discussion: Associated Press and Babalú Blog