Top News:
Stuart A. Thompson / New York Times:
Analysis: “Democrats cheat” and similar ideas have been raised 5K+ times on radio shows in 2022; radio remains perhaps the most influential medium for the right — Election fraud claims from 2020 are widespread on talk radio, contributing to the belief that the midterm results cannot be trusted.
Mike Fleming Jr / Deadline:
Stranger Things' creators Matt and Ross Duffer form Upside Down Pictures, hire Hilary Leavitt to run the company, and recommit to Netflix with several projects — EXCLUSIVE: Following the record-breaking release of the two final episodes of Stranger Things' Season 4, creators Matt & Ross Duffer …
Discussion:
@danbarreirokfan, The A.V. Club, SlashFilm, @deadline, The Verge, @stephinteevee, Collider, @deadline, Decider, Variety, Looper, Polygon, CBR, @deadline and IndieWire
Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter:
Peter Chernin debuts The North Road Company, rolling up Red Arrow, Chernin Entertainment, and Words + Pictures, backed by $800M, source says at a $1B+ valuation — North Road will house Chernin Entertainment; U.S. assets of Red Arrow Studios; and Words + Pictures, with more acquisitions to follow.
Discussion:
Variety, @danprimack, @alexweprin, @loudmouthjulia, Axios, @sarafischer and The Wrap
Caitlin Huston / The Hollywood Reporter:
Comscore names Jon Carpenter as CEO, succeeding Bill Livek, who announced his planned retirement earlier in 2022; Carpenter served as CFO since November 2021 — The executive succeeds Bill Livek, who previously announced his retirement. … Carpenter takes over the role after having served …
Discussion:
Ad Age, MediaPost, TVNewsCheck, Next TV and Adweek
Ken Thomas / Wall Street Journal:
White House communications director Kate Bedingfield, a longtime aide to Biden, is leaving the administration later this summer — Longtime Biden aide who played a key role in his 2020 campaign to leave post later this summer — WASHINGTON—White House communications director Kate Bedingfield …
Discussion:
CNN, PRWeek, Next TV, The Wrap, Politico, @rflaherty46, @jrpsaki, @heatherbarmore, @kbeds, @mj_lee, The White House, Deadline, @jenmolina46, The Hill, @tducklo, @kthomasdc, @andrewjbates46, CBS News, New York Post and Axios
Megha Paul / Tech.eu:
San Jose-based Xperi, which runs TiVo, acquires Oslo-based OTT and hybrid TV solutions service Vewd for $109M in cash and debt, to help with its TiVo+ expansion — The deal will give Xperi an installed European footprint of about 15 million devices and pave the way for an expansion of TiVo+ …
Discussion:
Digital TV Europe, Light Reading, Light Reading, Next TV and Radio & Television …
Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Source: Glance, owned by adtech firm InMobi Group, is partnering with carriers to launch its media service for Android lock screens to the US within two months — Glance, a subsidiary of adtech giant InMobi Group, is planning to launch its lock screen platform on Android smartphones …
Discussion:
KTVX-TV, Ars Technica, @hankyeomans, The Verge, Gizmodo and Light Reading, more at Techmeme »
Erik Crouch / Committee to Protect Journalists:
The CPJ says the US should ensure accountability in Shireen Abu Akleh's killing, after a US investigation found “no reason to believe that this was intentional” — The U.S. government should ensure that those responsible for the killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akhleh …
Discussion:
United States Department …, @btselem, @eliclifton, @freedomofpress, Reporters Without Borders, @btselem, @bowenbbc, @pwidakuswara, @jstreetdotorg, @jjz1600, @pressfreedom, @maxberger, @colinkalmbacher, @kenklippenstein, Al Jazeera, Voice of America, New York Times and Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
Survey: Americans' confidence in major US institutions between 2021 and 2022 fell from 21% to 16% for newspapers and dropped from 16% to 11% for television news — WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans are less confident in major U.S. institutions than they were a year ago, with significant declines …
Discussion:
New York Times, @edokeefe, The Scroll, @akarl_smith, @elipariser, @mattdpearce, Press Watch, @sahilkapur, Reason, KTVX-TV, @patterdude, @jeffereyjaxen, @schwartztv, @oknox, @bijans, @ggreenwald, @sjdemas, @ryanlcooper, @ron_fournier, Mediaite, Monmouth University …, Fox News, Insider, New York Post, WGN-TV, The Hill and Opinion Today
Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter:
Amazon is using its fast-growing Prime Video programming in a promotional push for its core retail business, to sell more goods and drive Prime subscriptions — An exclusive sneak peek at the new ‘LOTR,’ steep discounts on big-screen TVs for optimal football viewing, and other deals are part of Amazon's pre-Prime Day promotions.
Discussion:
@alexweprin, @tvgrimreaper and TechCrunch
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
UK Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries decides not to intervene in Newsquest's takeover of fellow regional publisher Archant — Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has decided not to intervene in Newsquest's takeover of fellow regional publisher Archant. — She made the decision …
Discussion:
What's New in Publishing
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Netflix, Amazon, Warner Bros., and others cut costs, staff, movies, and TV shows; the industry released 559 scripted shows in 2021, up by 200+ compared to 2013 — The sudden decline in Netflix's share price and the growing fear of a recession have forced Hollywood into a new period of fiscal austerity.
Discussion:
@merrillbarr, Digiday, @mattrosoff, @trengriffin, @lucas_shaw, TechCrunch, The Streamable and @nickandmore