Mediagazer: Meta is hosting up to 300 content creators for two days at a villa in Cannes; an Instagram “Reels Squad” of 120 creators is covering The Cannes Film Festival (Manori Ravindran/Variety)

12:00 AM ET, May 23, 2022

Top News:

Nellie Andreeva / Deadline:

Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson, and Kyle Mooney depart Saturday Night Live after its 47th season finale; McKinnon was in a female-record 211 episodes — Saturday Night Live bid farewell to four veteran cast members tonight, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Pete Davidson and Kyle Mooney.

Dylan Byers / Puck:

Sources: Comcast CEO Brian Roberts approached Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson earlier in 2022 with a plan to merge NBCUniversal with EA; the plan fell apart — For months, the media elite have been wondering what the Comcast impresario might buy to scale up in the content wars.

Dwight Garner / New York Times:

Roger Angell, a baseball writer and editor at The New Yorker widely considered among the best the US has produced, dies at his Manhattan home at age 101 — In elegantly winding articles for The New Yorker loaded with inventive imagery, he wrote more like a fan than a sports journalist.

Discussion: New Yorker, @dvnjr, The Athletic, Associated Press, @marcosbreton, The Biblioracle Recommends, @jdickerson, @bgrueskin, @thejohnsonpost, @mickimaynard, @danielsilvabook, @nprmelissablock, @robinmacnab, @harrylitman, The Wrap, @jreinermd, @annehelen, @michikokakutani, @jmartnyt, @billkristol, @joelsherman1, @gabehudson, @jonmorosi, @jesseagler, @stigabell, @grantwahl, @dgoold, @joanwalsh, @alexgibneyfilm, @rachsyme, @fordm, @brentnyt, @nprmelissablock, @clydetombaugh, @timmurtaugh, @charlesbethea, @fuggirls, @keitholbermann, @hockeyesque, @chuckmodi1, @seanlahman, @williamfleitch, @nxthompson, @bgrueskin, @silviakillings, @mattwelch, @alexmassie, @nxthompson, @heybonanos, @threetwoeephus, @mattyglesias, @molly_knight, @guygavrielkay, @mikedigiovanna, @mariaramirezny, @clarajeffery, @heerjeet, @bijanstephen, @jeffpaternostro, @jonlemire, @mattnorlander, @sarahw, @grantbrisbee, @jaseidler, @chrisvognar, @jamessurowiecki, @aliceavizandum, @praddenkeefe, @alanna, @emmabaccellieri, @gdunbarap, @bymattmartell, @grynbaum, @tommytomlinson, @michaelluo and Awful Announcing

Manori Ravindran / Variety:

Meta is hosting up to 300 content creators for two days at a villa in Cannes; an Instagram “Reels Squad” of 120 creators is covering The Cannes Film Festival — The social giant formerly known as Facebook is taking the Croisette by storm and rolling out the red carpet for creators at the festival.

Discussion: The Wrap, Tubefilter and U-Studio's Newsletter

Patrick Frater / Variety:

Cambodian filmmaker Rithy Panh rejoins a jury for Cannes Film Festival's inaugural TikTok competition, after TikTok says it will respect the jury's independence — Panh resigned as president of the jury two days ago due to concerns over possible influence of the outcome by the organizers.

Discussion: The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline

Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:

The compensation and profile of TV news anchors have grown as the demand for content rises, due to news outlets' push into social media, streaming, and podcasts — The business of agents turning anchors into A-listers is being boosted by growth in social media and the rise of digital media and podcasts.

Discussion: @sophienadeau, @coachwithtish, @spj_tweets, @jeremymevansesq, @arianapekary, @erik_hayden and American Press Institute

Felix M. Simon / Taylor & Francis:

Research paper: platform companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft will increasingly control news production and the connection to news as outlets adopt AI — - https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2022.2 063150 — Theorising Dependency, Control, and News Autonomy in an Age of AI and Technology Behemoths

Discussion: @_felixsimon_, @djeditorialteam and @_felixsimon_

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Nielsen: streaming had a record 30.4% share of US TV viewing in April 2022; Netflix took 6.6%, YouTube 6.1%, Hulu 3.3%, Prime Video 2.5%, and HBO Max 1% — HBO Max previously was included in Nielsen's “other streaming” category. The measurement firm broke it out now that HBO Max hit the 1% share threshold.

Discussion: @automaticzen, @masasoncap, nielsen.com, @kasey__moore, Deadline, TVTechnology, Adweek, TechRadar, Fierce Video, PR Newswire, Advanced Television, Next TV, MediaPost, Hollywood Reporter and Next TV

Marie Woolf / Canadian Press:

Canada sanctions Alexander Lebedev, an ex-KGB agent who finances Novaya Gazeta and owns the Evening Standard and the Independent, as part of Russia sanctions — Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced a fresh wave of sanctions against Vladimir Putin's regime on Friday, including a ban on importing Russian vodka, caviar and diamonds.

Discussion: @harryyorke1, Telegraph and The Guardian

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Memo: CNN Digital Worldwide editor-in-chief Meredith Artley is leaving the company after more than 12 years; sources: she was frustrated with corporate shakeups — Meredith Artley, the longtime SVP and editor-in-chief of CNN Digital Worldwide, is out at the network, according to a memo obtained by Axios.

Discussion: @mitrakalita, @webjournalist, @katzish, @lisatozzi, @etanowitz, @froomkin, @moneyries, @stevekrak, Variety and Mediaite

Simon Fraser / BBC:

The Taliban order female Afghan TV presenters and other women to cover their faces while on air as of May 21, 2022; a spokesman called the ruling “advice” — The Taliban have ordered female Afghan TV presenters and other women on screen to cover their faces while on air.

Discussion: @kainazamaria, CNN, @spj_tweets, @risj_oxford, @sarasidnercnn, @zahrasrahimi, @cnni, @jodyvance, @nprkelly, Reuters and Insider

Murray Stassen / Music Business Worldwide:

Google agrees to not remove Bandcamp from the Play Store even if it doesn't implement Google's IAP; Epic will keep 10% of Bandcamp's in-app purchases in escrow — Bandcamp's had a rollercoaster couple of months. — In March, the online music store and direct-to-fan platform got both the music …