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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.
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Kotaku, @dylanbyers, @brunopresents, @soapboxgames, @one2escape, @mm2k, @swanyplaysgames, PC Gamer, ScreenRant, AppleInsider, PCGamesN, @shpeshal_nick, @jezcorden, @genepark, @a7zatru, @jacobwolf, @danstapleton, @chetfaliszek, @lamarrwilson, @paultassi, @brandolightshed, @pucknews and @richlightshed, more at Techmeme »

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.
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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.
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New Yorker, @dvnjr, The Athletic, Associated Press, @marcosbreton, The Biblioracle Recommends, @jdickerson, @bgrueskin, @robinmacnab, @thejohnsonpost, @mickimaynard, @danielsilvabook, @nprmelissablock, @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

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, @erik_hayden, @coachwithtish, @spj_tweets, @jeremymevansesq, @arianapekary and American Press Institute

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

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
RELATED:

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_

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

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

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

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 …
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Billboard, Protocol, TechCrunch, FOSS Patents and 9to5Google, more at Techmeme »

After ~30 buyouts, BuzzFeed News will have 70-80 staffers, down from a peak of ~250; the investigations team published five big projects in its last five weeks — The site's prized investigations unit is disbanding and dropping its last bombshells—"a triumphal exit," says the team's editor …
Discussion:
@zoetillman, @sheilacoronel and @mlcalderone