Top News:
Jake Kanter / Deadline:
The BBC says total talent pay rose by £10M to £139.8M in 2022-2023, a three-year high; salaries for presenters earning over £150K reached £23.4M, up 15% YoY — The BBC has revealed that the amount paid to its biggest stars has surged to a six-year high …
Discussion:
Press Gazette, The Guardian and BBC
RELATED:
Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
The BBC reports a £120M deficit and record income of £5.7B in 2022-2023, with license fee payments making up £3.74B, down £60M YoY — The BBC has posted a record income of £5.7 billion ($7.2 billion) for the 2022/23 period, up from £5.33 billion last year, but is in deficit by £120 million.
Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:
The BBC reports record BBC Studios revenue up 28% YoY to £2.09B in 2022-2023, EBITDA rose 6% YoY to £240M, and returns to the BBC reached a record £362M — Thanks to hit content, such as ‘Happy Valley,’ 'Bluey, and ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ the commercial arm …
Discussion:
Variety, Deadline and Broadband TV News
Meg James / Los Angeles Times:
Patrick Soon-Shiong and his family sell the San Diego Union-Tribune to an affiliate of MediaNews Group, the newspaper publisher owned by Alden Global Capital — Patrick Soon-Shiong and his family have sold the San Diego Union-Tribune to competing publisher MediaNews Group …
Discussion:
@maxwelltani, Media Nation, Voice of San Diego, @maxwelltani, Orange County Register, San Diego Union-Tribune, The Wrap, Los Angeles Times …, @megjameslat, Columbia Journalism Review, Axios, @jbenton, @cmarinucci, @silasallen1, @awinston, @mediaevan, @abby_aguirre, @tyska, @anissadmedia, @dickyoungsghost, @froomkin, @cbellantoni, @margotroosevelt, @jbenton, Times of San Diego, Associated Press, Times of San Diego, Variety, Bloomberg and Awful Announcing
James Gregory / BBC:
In a letter to the BBC, a lawyer for the teen allegedly paid £35K by a BBC presenter for sexually explicit photos says the claims made in The Sun are “rubbish” — Claims made by the mother at the heart of the BBC presenter scandal are “rubbish”, a lawyer representing the young person has said.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Adweek, Press Gazette, BBC, Daily Mail, Deadline, @craigoliver100, @jameskelly, @fisseha_tegegn, @semaforben, @elliemaeohagan, @aameranwar, @jomichaels17, @krishgm, @stevenicksmith, @anna_soubry, @oldenoughtosay, @stehoare, @charl_h79, @tomdunn26, @owenjones84, @marcsettle, @edwinhayward, @paoloiskandar64, New York Post, The Sun, NPR, Fox News, Hacked Off, New York Times and Press Association
RELATED:
Jim Waterson / The Guardian:
Tim Davie says police asked the BBC to pause its investigation into a suspended presenter as officers decide if there are grounds for a criminal investigation — Corporation's director general reveals request as officers consider if there is reason for a criminal inquiry
Discussion:
Press Gazette, Deadline, @snowleopardess, The Hollywood Reporter and The Sun
New York Times:
The NYT announces plans to disband its sports desk and rely on coverage from The Athletic online and in print; NYT sports journalists will move to other roles — Coverage of games, players and leagues will now primarily come from The Athletic, the sports website that the company bought last year.
Discussion:
@katie_robertson, Defector, Wall Street Journal, Front Office Sports, Nieman Lab, The New York Times Company, USA Today, Poynter, Washington Post, @mattstephens, @jbenton, Los Angeles Times, @mpolymer, @theseantcollins, @sulliview, @fox29philly, @elaheizadi, @jakejakeny, @jbenton, @danbarrynyt, @albaneselaura, @dcsportsbog, @feralvarez, @jackcurryyes, @mikebarnicle, @megreenwell, @jbflint, @katierosman, @genepark, @byjameswagner, @pkafka, @jakesherman, @ppistone, @digitalshields, @rafat, @rwesthead, @mrwaltershapiro, @marcpdumont, @eugenefreedman, @sportingtrib, @jessimckenzi, @mikebeauvais, @chrisdeville, @bgrueskin, @mattkatz00, @lmoses, @arnoldcommajon, @loudmouthjulia, @zeppelin_tours, @jamestylerespn, @hammbear2024, @rickyjmarc, @alexweprin, @richlightshed, @timfernholz, @zwoolfe, @aagave, @jasonshevrin, @bkoo, @tim_bays, @sherman4949, The Information, TVNewsCheck, Fox News, HuffPost, MediaPost, Media Nation, Newser, CNN, Sportico, CBS News, The Big Lead, The Wrap, New York Post, New Jersey Online, Variety, Press Gazette, Mediaite, The Hill, The Daily Beast, Awful Announcing, @jackmirkinson.bsky.social, The Daily Beast, Deadline and Washington Post
New York Times:
A look at a planned Fox News defamation case by Ray Epps, a Trump voter who attended January 6 and Tucker Carlson named in a conspiracy theory in ~20 episodes — Tucker Carlson, before he was sidelined by Fox, repeatedly endorsed a conspiracy theory about an Arizona man, who may sue for defamation.
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
The Financial Times leans into its B2B business with FT Professional rebranding, citing that 75% of the FT's paying readers come from B2B subscriptions — B2B subscriptions account for 75% of the FT's paying readers. — The Financial Times is targeting growth in its B2B division …
Discussion:
@nsmgmedia, Media Voices, @danfaggella, @seangriffey, City A.M., @pressgazette, @pressgazette and Talking Biz News
Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:
The Los Angeles Times debuts De Los, a free, standalone vertical to reach English-dominant Latinos on its website and young news readers on Instagram and TikTok — “There is no future for the L.A. Times without Latino subscribers, because that's who lives here.”
Rachel Ohm / Press Herald:
US nonprofit The National Trust for Local News plans to acquire all Masthead Maine's assets, including five of Maine's six daily newspapers and 17 weeklies — The National Trust for Local News has agreed to purchase 5 of the state's 6 daily papers and 17 of its weeklies in an effort to preserve local journalism.
Michael Geist:
Canada outlines planned regulations for Bill C-18 that cap liability and set minimum financial contributions by Meta and Google based on their Canadian revenue — Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez has insisted for months that Bill C-18, the Online News Act, is a market-based approach …
Discussion:
@mattgurney, @mgeist, @cselley, @_llebrun and Globe and Mail