Top News:
New York Times:
Paramount reaches a $1.62B deal to sell Simon & Schuster to private equity firm KKR; the prestigious US publisher was first put up for sale in March 2020 — The deal, for $1.62 billion, will put control of a cultural touchstone in the hands of a financial buyer.
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Max Tani / Semafor:
Sources: the NYT placed Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf on leave earlier in 2023 during a probe into her possible misuse of funds, like overpaying non-US staff — The Scoop — The New York Times fired its second Baghdad bureau chief in five years in a bizarre saga that has infuriated some of the paper's staff in the Middle East.
Financial Times:
A profile of German millionaire Holger Friedrich, who has been engulfed by controversies since acquiring and leading a turnaround of the daily Berliner Zeitung — East German entrepreneur has been engulfed by a string of controversies since buying historic Berliner Zeitung
Discussion:
@laurapitel, @a_reader_ft, @rubenanguiano and @tonytassell
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Sources: WBD is targeting the beginning of the MLB playoffs to debut a sports tier for Max, planning to use the Bleacher Report brand to target young audiences — - Warner Bros. Discovery plans to simulcast live games on cable TV and Max streaming in October.
New York Times:
Shoddy self-published guidebooks, which appear to be compiled with the help of generative AI and promoted via deceptive reviews, are proliferating on Amazon — In March, as she planned for an upcoming trip to France, Amy Kolsky, an experienced international traveler who lives in Bucks County …
The Ringer:
Apple is “out-HBOing” HBO with quality scripted content filled with marquee casts, but its dividends in viewership, subscriptions, and revenue are murkier — Apple TV+ has amassed a rich library of original content in less than four years—with the awards season nominations to prove it.
Discussion:
@shermanjeff, @sarthakgh, @tvgrimreaper, @serenepapenfuss, @nycsouthpaw, @peterschorschfl, @joshschoen and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »
Chris Lee / Vulture:
A group of 50+ Marvel VFX employees votes to be represented by IATSE, marking the first time VFX professionals have banded together to form a union — Call it the Hollywood-labor-organizing version of Avengers Assemble! On the heels of more than a year's worth of damning disclosures around …
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Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Bloomberg, IndieWire, SlashFilm, Screen Rant, The Wrap, Los Angeles Times, Deadline, Gizmodo, @stevie_mat, @glennf@twit.social, @darren_mooney, @oweeeeendennis.bsky.social, @elenaperez@mastodon.social, @parismarx, @__chrislee, @rocketdyke@yellowmustard.club, CNN, @hypercubexl.bsky.social, @henrytcasey, The A.V. Club, Collider, @rodhilton@mastodon.social, @labuzamovies.bsky.social and ET Canada
Jon Henley / The Guardian:
Over half of the journalists at France-based Sunday newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche resign after their strike didn't prevent the arrival of a far-right editor — Bitter strike at Journal du Dimanche ends with staff exodus - and arrival of Geoffroy Lejeune, a supporter of leading xenophobe Eric Zemmour
Discussion:
@photos_floues@bagarrosphere …, @helfriedcarl, @ariadne@climatejustice.social and @nycjim
Sapna Maheshwari / New York Times:
After social media upended the fashion, beauty, and lifestyle magazine industries, some women turn to Facebook Groups and Substack for curated recommendations — People still want to know what to wear and what is actually worth buying — and they want to trust the person telling them.
Lesley Goldberg / Hollywood Reporter:
NBCUniversal makes the first three Killing It Season 1 episodes available on YouTube and TikTok, as SAG-AFTRA's strike bars its stars from promoting Season 2 — Without star Craig Robinson to promote the return for season two, NBCUniversal is turning to other alternatives.
Discussion:
The Streamable, TechCrunch, Deadline and UPI
Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter:
RedBird IMI, led by CEO Jeff Zucker, makes its first media investment in EverWonder, a new non-fiction content studio led by former Time Studios COO Ian Orefice — The ex-Time Studios chief says that EverWonder Studio will be hiring journalists and filmmakers, with an eye toward content that could launch new IP or brand extensions.
Discussion:
@lmoses, @kerrymflynn, Yahoo Finance, @alexweprin, @danprimack and The Wrap
Caitlin Huston / The Hollywood Reporter:
Paramount reports Q2 revenue down 2% YoY to $7.6B and a $250M loss; subscription revenue grew 47% YoY to $1.2B+; Paramount+ added ~700K subscribers to hit ~61M — The media giant reported 60 million paid subscribers for Paramount+ last quarter. — Paramount Global reached 61 million …
Discussion:
Adweek, @tvgrimreaper, @lmoses, Variety, @lmoses, Paramount, @tvgrimreaper, The Information, @variety, The Streamable, The Wrap and Media Play News
Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:
UK broadcast regulator Ofcom launches four impartiality investigations into GB News, after upholding two Mark Steyn COVID-19 coverage complaints earlier in 2023 — Broadcaster faces four Ofcom investigations over impartiality. — GB News is facing four new impartiality investigations from broadcast regulator Ofcom.
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