Mediagazer: Comcast launches its Xfinity Stream app, with live channels, DVR content, and on-demand video, for Apple TV, after making a deal with Apple in October 2021 (Richard Lawler/The Verge)

11:00 AM ET, July 1, 2022

Top News:

Knight Foundation support for Semafor's event with Tucker Carlson is a betrayal of its mission; the event frames media as a game of access and audience-building — By sponsoring a journalism event featuring Tucker Carlson, the philanthropy is mistaking openness for strengthening democracy.

New York Times:

Netflix execs say they plan no big programming changes; analysts for two banks say a cheaper ad-supported tier may cannibalize the higher-paying subscriber base — Long Hollywood's leading innovator, the streaming service is staying the course, despite serious challenges to its business and questions about its content.

Discussion: @richlightshed, @benmullin, @benmullin, @brooksbarnesnyt, @kennethturan and The Streamable

Peter Kafka / Vox:
Netflix faces higher subscription churn rates than in the past, apparently leading to a strategy of releasing Stranger Things and Ozark seasons in two chunks

Discussion: @masasoncap, Forbes and The Streamable

Wall Street Journal:

Sources: Group Black, which invests in and develops Black-owned media, is in talks to buy a stake in BDG Media and is exploring an acquisition of Vice Media — Group Black is in talks to buy stake in Bustle parent and has been eyeing a deal for Vice Media — Group Black, a company that aims …

Discussion: @jbflint, @juwanthewriter and PRWeek

Steven Nelson / New York Post:

A group of 68 journalists sent a letter to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre seeking more event access and an end to opaque screening of reporters — A group of 66 journalists sent a rare protest letter to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Thursday asking …

Discussion: @erikwemple, Mediaite, @jeffmordock, @debrajsaunders, @marisa_iati, @esaagar, @scottbix, @alexthomp, @stevennelson10, @froomkin, @mzhemingway, @stevennelson10 and The Daily Wire

Erik Wemple / Washington Post:

News outlets should stop publishing puff pieces about Supreme Court justices written by lawyers with ties to the court; a look back shows their bad predictions — Lisa Blatt, an attorney who has argued more than 40 cases before the Supreme Court, wrote an opinion piece for Politico Magazine …

Discussion: @bgrueskin, @erikwemple, Boing Boing, @donmoyn, @bgrueskin, @davidminpdx, @taniel, @mollyjongfast, @gadyepstein, @dceiver, @cwarzel, @gadyepstein, @soledadobrien, @xor, @ronhogan, @lschmeiser, @dangillmor, @nberlat, @keitholbermann, @gadyepstein, @rachellarris and Mediaite

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Roughly 65 Wired workers threaten to strike on July 12 and July 13, Amazon's Prime Days, seeking more pay and the inclusion of product reviewers in their union — The union representing roughly 65 editorial workers at Wired, the tech publisher owned by Condé Nast …

Discussion: @wiredunion, @fsp_nwu, @sarafischer, @knibbs, @stevenlevy, @lordravenscraft, @lilyhnewman and Talking Biz News

Daniel Kreps / Rolling Stone:

Universal Music Group acquires Frank Zappa's estate, including his catalog, film archive, publishing rights, name and likeness, and unreleased material — Deal between Zappa Family Trust and UMG includes publishing and the rights to the legendary rocker's name and likeness

Discussion: Variety, @jackshafer, @ethanwsj, @budhavara, Reuters, Digital Music News, Bloomberg, Billboard and Music Business Worldwide

Wall Street Journal:

Julian Assange filed two appeals on Thursday to the UK high court to contest his extradition; the court will decide whether the appeals can be heard — The WikiLeaks founder has appealed his extradition from the U.K., prolonging a yearslong fight against being sent to the U.S. to face spying charges

Sarah Scire / Nieman Lab:

The New York Times adds free access to The Athletic for all-access digital and home delivery subscribers and plans to implement a more flexible Athletic paywall — Good news for sports fans who subscribe to The New York Times's all-access digital bundle (or get home delivery) …

Julian Clover / Broadband TV News:

Amazon secures British rights to 17 Tuesday Champions League soccer games per season from 2024-27; BT Sport retains most live UEFA rights for £305M per season — About Julian Clover — Julian Clover is a Media and Technology journalist based in Cambridge, UK. He works in online and printed media.

Discussion: Reuters and The Guardian

Kerry Flynn / Axios:

Refinitiv: the value of M&As in media and entertainment fell to $105.1B in H1 2022 from $215.5B in H1 2021, with the number of deals down from 1,710 to 1,546 — Exit Content Preview — The deal value for global M&A activity in media and entertainment shrunk in half for H1 2022 compared to H2 2021.

Richard Lawler / The Verge:

Comcast launches its Xfinity Stream app, with live channels, DVR content, and on-demand video, for Apple TV, after making a deal with Apple in October 2021 — Comcast's cable TV joins Apple TV — Comcast's Xfinity Stream app replaced the old Xfinity TV setup in 2017, allowing cable TV subscribers …

Discussion: The Streamable, @rjcc, Light Reading, MacRumors, Variety, 9to5Mac and AppleInsider

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More News:

Matthew Bremner / Bloomberg:
Profile of Uzbek political blogger Bobomurod Abdullayev, who was detained and tortured for writing a pseudonymous blog criticizing the autocratic regime

Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg:
Twitter hires Maggie McLean Suniewick, formerly president of distribution and business development for NBCUniversal's digital properties, as VP of partnerships

Discussion: @nedsegal, @kurtwagner8, @jaysullivan, @maggiesuniewick, Adweek, Variety and Hollywood Reporter

Sewell Chan / The Texas Tribune:
Study: since 2005, Texas has lost 211 out of its 634 newspapers and about eight newspaper journalists per 10K residents; 27 of 254 counties have no newspaper

Discussion: @dansewell, @pohl_jason, @coreyhutchins, @lindashapley, Upstate New York, @caseyseiler, @shashib, @report4america, @ron_fournier, The NewsGuild, @leighmunsil, @psskow, @adamdavidson, @lydiadepillis, @pattmlatimes and @sewellchan

Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:
Wattpad launches a payout program for writers to earn up to $25K alongside an Engaged Readers metric, which counts those who spend over five minutes on a story

Discussion: @thegavgav7, @tamaralush, @nayiiiiin, Tubefilter and Variety

Earlier Picks:

Alex Heath / The Verge:
Snap launches Snapchat+, offering exclusive, experimental, and pre-release Snapchat features for $3.99 per month, starting in nine countries

Discussion: NBC News, @alexeheath, ScreenRant, @kiruti, @snapchat, @mattnavarra, Snap Newsroom, Insider, Music Ally, Axios, Doubt is Welcome, Tubefilter, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters, Variety, Adweek, The Hill, Engadget and 9to5Mac

Reuters:
Antonio de la Cruz, a reporter for Mexican newspaper Expreso, was shot dead in his home on Wednesday, the 12th journalist killed in the country in 2022

Discussion: @stalingrad_poor, American Press Institute, @kylie_madry, @jbwashing and Reporters Without Borders

Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:
Duke Reporters' Lab says fact-checking projects globally grew from 168 in 2016 to 391 in 2021; Meta says it spent $100M to underwrite fact-checking operations

Discussion: @jordylancaster, @maxblumenthal, @washingtonpost, @pcunliffejones and @neontaster

Joe Flint / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Nexstar Media Group is close to a deal to acquire 75% of The CW Network; Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery would each retain 12.5% stakes

Discussion: Axios, Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire, The Desk, The Streamable, @nottheribbons, @tim_bays, MediaPost, @tvgrimreaper, Benzinga, Deadline, Next TV and The Wrap

From Techmeme:

Foo Yun Chee / Reuters:
Sources: EU may accept Apple's proposal to open its NFC payments tech to rivals, and may close its antitrust probe in May, letting Apple avoid hefty fines

George Steer / Financial Times:
Nvidia closed down 10% on Friday, falling the most since March 2020 and losing more than $200B of its market value, as investors pull back from AI bets

Robert Burnson / Bloomberg:
Court filing: OpenAI says Elon Musk's claim that the company has abandoned its altruistic principles is “revisionist history” and a bid to boost his AI company

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