Mediagazer: Automattic releases ActivityPub 1.0.0 for WordPress, letting fediverse users follow WordPress blogs on apps like Mastodon and receive replies as blog comments (Sarah Perez/TechCrunch)

9:45 PM ET, September 14, 2023

Top News:

Sources: Disney held talks exploring selling its ABC network and TV stations to Nexstar Media Group, which has 200 owned or partner TV stations in 116 markets — Walt Disney Co. has held exploratory talks about selling its ABC network and TV stations to local broadcaster Nexstar Media Group Inc. …

Discussion: TVLine, Variety, Los Angeles Times, The Wrap, The Verge, Insider, Bleeding Cool News, Sports Media Watch, The Hill, Deadline, Reuters, Next TV, 9to5Mac, Cord Cutters News, Deadline, The Wrap, The Messenger, The Hollywood Reporter and The Desk

Emma Roth / The Verge:

TikTok and Billboard launch the TikTok Billboard Top 50 Chart to track the most popular songs on the app each week in the US, refreshed every Thursday morning — TikTok is partnering with Billboard to launch a top 50 chart that tracks the most popular songs on the platform.

Discussion: CNET, Billboard, TikTok, MediaPost, The Messenger, Billboard, TMZ.com, Forbes, TechCrunch and Variety

Josef Adalian / Vulture:

Hulu launches Top 15 Today, updated daily to list trending movies and TV shows; source: the list uses a formula weighing viewership, popularity surges, and more — Hulu is finally getting into the numbers game — but on its own terms. Vulture has learned that the Disney-owned streamer …

Discussion: Variety, The Verge, The Streamable, Decider, 9to5Google, The Walt Disney Company and Cord Cutters News

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:

Pixis, which sells AI tools that help marketers run and monitor campaigns, raised an $85M Series C1 led by Touring Capital, taking its total funding to $209M — Pixis, an AI-powered platform for brands to monitor and orchestrate their marketing campaigns, today announced that it raised $85 million …

more at Techmeme »

Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:

X CEO Linda Yaccarino hires media executives to lead sales teams, including former TNT and TBS GM Brett Weitz as X's head of content, talent, and brand sales — Yaccarino also unveiled a new sales leadership team, including former NBCUniversal and Dow Jones executives.

Discussion: MediaPost, The Information, Variety, The Messenger, The Wrap and Deadline

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:

Automattic releases ActivityPub 1.0.0 for WordPress, letting fediverse users follow WordPress blogs on apps like Mastodon and receive replies as blog comments — In March, WordPress.com owner Automattic made a commitment to the fediverse — the decentralized social networks that include …

Discussion: @chrismessina@mastodon.xyz, more at Techmeme »

Jeremy Fuster / The Wrap:

The WGA and studios agree to resume labor negotiations next week, in a meeting that would be their first since August 22 — Date for discussions has yet to be determined, AMPTP says — The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have agreed to resume negotiations next week.

Discussion: TVLine, IndieWire, Los Angeles Times, Variety, Bleeding Cool News, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, @lucas_shaw and Los Angeles Times

Carolyn Giardina / The Hollywood Reporter:

Generative AI startup Metaphysic claims its new system can help actors navigate AI likeness rights, and says its early users include Tom Hanks and Anne Hathaway — The generative AI tech firm announced a new toolset on Thursday and revealed multiple actors who are using its products.

Discussion: National Review

Janko Roettgers / Lowpass:

Amazon adds IAP back to Prime Video for Android, letting users buy VOD rentals and more, after removing IAP from its apps in 2022 to avoid Google's 30% fee — Next up: The Kindle app, maybe? — Some news from the someone-must-have-struck-a-deal department: Amazon is once again allowing users …

Discussion: 9to5Google and The Verge, more at Techmeme »

Axios:

Source: audience and ad measurement company VideoAmp laid off ~10% of its workforce last week, or 40+ people, just before announcing raising a $150M Series G — Media measurement firm VideoAmp quietly laid off about 10% of its workforce last week, Axios has learned. … VideoAmp now has about 400 employees.

Discussion: VideoAmp, Ad Age and @sarafischer

Matthew Keys / StreamTV Insider:

US House hearing: lawmakers expressed frustration over rising pay TV prices and blackouts, and four industry experts called cable and broadcast rules outdated — Federal lawmakers this week expressed their frustration over rising cable and satellite television prices and numerous programming blackouts …

Bloomberg:

Sources: Disney expects to fall far short of its Disney+ subscriber target for 2024, set in mid-2022; its Charter deal will add millions, at a reduced price — Walt Disney Co. expects to fall tens of millions of subscribers short of its last publicly stated 2024 target for the Disney+ streaming service …

Discussion: The Wrap and New York Times

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More News:

Bloomberg:
DAZN plans to bid for Ligue de Football Professionnel media rights for which the local league is seeking €800M+ per year; source: beIN is also considering a bid

Victor Tangermann / Futurism:
Microsoft's Start news website published a garbled, seemingly AI-generated obit for former NBA player Brandon Hunter, headlined, “Brandon Hunter useless at 42”

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Newsquest reports 2022 revenue up 6% to £150.6M, passing 65K paying digital subscribers, and that almost 50% of its advertising revenue now comes from digital

Virginia Chamlee / People:
Fox News adds Lawrence Jones as a permanent co-host of Fox & Friends, starting on September 18; at 30, Jones will be the youngest Black co-host on cable news

Discussion: Adweek, TVLine, Mediaite, TV Insider, The Wrap, Fox News, Los Angeles Times, @blackamazon, @lawrencebjones3, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, The Hill and The Messenger

Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
Hipgnosis plans to sell 29 music catalogues, including Shakira, Kaiser Chiefs, and Nelly songs, to a Blackstone-owned fund for $465M, to strengthen its finances

Discussion: Billboard, Reuters and Music Business Worldwide

Joe Flint / Wall Street Journal:
Nielsen names Karthik Rao, a 23-year veteran of the company, as its CEO, succeeding David Kenny, who was CEO for five years and will become executive chairman

Discussion: Radio & Television …, Insider Intelligence, RAIN News, @nielsen, @bristei, Ad Age, Axios, Adweek, Inside Radio, Nielsen, Variety, WORLD SCREEN and MediaPost

Earlier Picks:

Bron Maher / Press Gazette:
UK fact-checking charity Full Fact names Chris Morris as its CEO, succeeding founding CEO Will Moy; Morris was BBC Reality Check's first on-screen correspondent

Discussion: @fullfact and Full Fact

Caitlin Vogus / Freedom of the Press Foundation:
Some US lawmakers retaliate against local news outlets for coverage they dislike by revoking public notice contracts or changing laws about newspaper notices

Discussion: Palm Beach Post and Media Nation

Tyler Cowen / Bloomberg:
Child content creators, or “kidfluencers”, some of whom make $20M+/year, show that protecting kids from labor exploitation is difficult in the social media age

Discussion: @tylercowen, @anecdotal and @michellemanafy@journa.host, more at Techmeme »

Futurism:
Analysis: the bulk of The A.V. Club's AI-generated articles appear to be copied verbatim from IMDb and have a “reviewed and edited by the editorial staff” note

Discussion: Plagiarism Today, @kbeninato@mstdn.party, @shivvyshiv.bsky.social, @charlescmann, @jhoffman, @thehighsign, @kphipps3000, @samuelaadams, @dceiver, @jon_christian, @pierogipowered.bsky.social, @dell.bsky.social, @baldur@toot.cafe, @Lazarou@mastodon.social and @tante@tldr.nettime.org

Kat Tenbarge / NBC News:
Rick & Morty creator Justin Roiland is accused of sexual assault and grooming underage fans, per interviews with 11 people, pictures, emails, texts, and more

Matt Pearce / Los Angeles Times:
Bill Maher says his show will return sans writers, as some talk shows resume production amid strikes; HBO says Real Time With Bill Maher returns on September 22

Discussion: @billmaher, CNN, The Wrap, Montgomery Independent, Fox News, Awful Announcing, @wgawest, TMZ.com, @wgawest, @davidkusnet, @fmanjoo, @nickknudsenus, @bradleywhitford, @michaelsocolow, @parkermolloy, Breitbart, New York Times, @parkermolloy, The Hollywood Reporter, NPR, TV Insider, Screen Rant, Vanity Fair, Boing Boing, New York Post, Decider, Bleeding Cool News, @elonmusk, @stephenking, @joshgnosis, @gennefer, @wgawest, @dannyzuker, @thor_benson, @thor_benson, @drewzachary, @ironstache, @guyendorekaiser, @robynelyse, @andrewperezdc, @cmclymer, @harrymwood, @ashtonpittman, @clairewillett, @annamerlan, @lehmannchris, @geoffreyplitt, Deadline, @aletheion.bsky.social, UPROXX, Variety, Rolling Stone, Deadline, The Messenger, The A.V. Club, Rolling Stone, CBS News, The Daily Beast, @EarthIsOurHome@mastodon.world, @nedhamson@campaign …, The Hill, @tylerjameshill.bsky.social, TVLine, @fazz.bsky.social, @fazz.bsky.social, @fazz.bsky.social, The Hollywood Reporter, @fazz.bsky.social, @fazz.bsky.social, Consequence and The A.V. Club

From Techmeme:

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple is working on a smart doorbell system with advanced facial recognition that can wirelessly connect and unlock third-party smart locks

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
Donald Trump announces that Sriram Krishnan, until recently a general partner at a16z, will serve as senior policy advisor for AI at the White House OSTP

Financial Times:
Sources: Palantir and Anduril are in talks with OpenAI, SpaceX, and more to form a consortium to bid for US defense contracts and plan to announce it in January

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