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Amazon finalizes its $8.5B acquisition of MGM, two days after the deal received clearance from the EU's antitrust regulator — Amazon has closed its $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM first announced last May, the companies said Thursday. — “MGM has a nearly century-long legacy …
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Justin Smith says his startup with Ben Smith will hire English-language-educated journalists globally and will launch in the US and at least one other market — The former Bloomberg Media C.E.O. offered new details on the venture he is starting with the journalist Ben Smith.
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@gerritd, @grynbaum, @niemanlab, @gabekahn, @shibanimahtani, @matinastevis, @heatherchen_, @africasacountry, @shibanimahtani, Columbia Journalism Review, @jyarow, @shibanimahtani, @jbhavan, @shibanimahtani, @d_jaishankar, @shibanimahtani, @f_potkin, @kenli729, @burgessev, @andrewbeatty, @joshgerstein, @dcbigjohn, @bensherwood, @taylorlorenz, @beachwoodreport, @robinsonmeyer, @dandrezner, @mikemadden, @leighgiangreco, @nanjala1, @maxjrosenthal, @mattyglesias, @bendreyfuss, @alicemuwu, @anthony, @adamfeuerstein, @amandabecker, @mediaevan, @katenocera, @missanabeem, @mattzeitlin, @jamesrbuk, @scottnover, Gawker, The Wrap, @craftworksxyz, @chrisgeidner and @ginaskchua


Gannett moves the printing of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and 10 other Wisconsin dailies 220 miles to Illinois' Peoria Journal Star, cutting 180 jobs — The move will result in the shuttering of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's printing plant and the loss of 180 jobs.
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members.charlesriverchamber …, @greg_reibman, Media Nation, @peterrobison and @bradhoylman


A study by The Advertising Research Foundation found 36% of Americans share their Netflix passwords with relatives, while 13% share them with friends — Streaming companies are cracking down on password sharing, as the number of quarterly subscription cancellations in the U.S. grows.
Discussion:
Variety, Light Reading, E! Online and @ashleyrgold
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Netflix will test an “add an extra member” feature in Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru, letting primary account holders pay a fee for users not in their household — Netflix will soon launch a test letting primary account holders pay an additional fee for users outside their households …
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About Netflix, Forbes, The Guardian, Washington Post, Decider, New York Post, Supercreator, Gizmodo, Insider, @_shamgod, @film_girl, @zigzaggyzagg, Broadband TV News, @steph_i_will, @iwriteallday_, NPR, @notcapnamerica, @scottbix, Nerdist, @mattnavarra, @shobz, @oneunderscore__, @gracerandolph, Engadget, Input, Glamour, IGN, The A.V. Club, The Week, UPROXX, Protocol, TechCrunch, Deadline, IndieWire, Tom's Guide, BGR, Polygon, The Streamable, 9to5Mac, AppleInsider and The Verge, more at Techmeme »


Interview with Amethyst Davis, founder of the six-month-old Harvey World Herald in a Chicago suburb, on her non-traditional journalism route and building trust — Tales of local news dying are abundant, but against the odds of today's media landscape, there are many new ventures taking root.
Discussion:
American Press Institute, @apurple_reign, Newmark J-School, @niemanlab, @ckrewson and @pilhofer


The Times says it crossed 400K digital subs earlier this year after gaining 60K in 2021, and added an average of 1,000/day during Ukraine war's first two weeks — The Times gained an average of 1,000 new digital subscribers a day during the first two weeks of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, one of its highest ever growth rates.


How Volodymyr Zelensky and associates from his former TV production company, now in government jobs, are using media expertise for strategic war communications — When President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking to U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday, aired a video documenting the human toll of Russia's assault …
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CNET, The Nation, @lrozen, @oknox, @fabiochiusi, @seanmcfate, @paulsonne, @aaronblake, @appcpenn, Today's Edition Newsletter, @tim_hayward_, @tim_hayward_, @nycjim, @thedeshbhakt and The Daily Beast


Media mogul Byron Allen sues Nielsen, claiming it committed fraud by misrepresenting its ability to produce accurate ratings for Allen's smaller TV networks — Media mogul Byron Allen is suing Nielsen, claiming the ratings company was not forthcoming about the reliability of its audience measurement data for smaller TV networks.
Discussion:
MediaPost, Radio & Television …, Bloomberg, Ad Age and Deadline


ITV announces an £80M Diversity Commissioning Fund to be spent over the next three years on shows produced by or related to BAME or disabled people — ITV has forged an £80M ($105M) Diversity Commissioning Fund to be spent over the next three years on shows produced by or related to Black …
Discussion:
Variety and Hollywood Reporter

Sarah Palin appeals the judgment tossing out her defamation case against the New York Times — Up to the 2nd Circuit we go: Sarah Palin has formally filed her notice of appeal of the judgment tossing out her defamation case against the New York Times. Prev from @davidmackau: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...


UK's Online Safety Bill, introduced in Parliament, exempts outlets from fines for false content but lets tech companies take down content without justification — The Government's Online Safety Bill has been introduced in Parliament, but still lacks promised protections for journalistic content.
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Reclaim The Net, HoldtheFrontPage and @pressgazette, more at Techmeme »