Top News:
Katie Strang / The Athletic:
Emmy Awards organizer NATAS says ESPN won 30+ Emmys using fake names in its “College GameDay” entries; ESPN blames “a misguided attempt” and returns the awards — In March 2023, Shelley Smith, who worked 26 years as an on-air reporter for ESPN, received a call from Stephanie Druley …
Discussion:
Mediaite, New York Times, Blaze Media, CNN, @film_girl@mastodon.social, Defector, Deadspin, The Wrap, New York Post, Variety, @jemelehill, TVLine, @goldman@threads.net, @jbflint, Awful Announcing, @cjscalia, @theathletic, @sherman4949, @theathletic, Sports Media Watch, @jasonkirk_fyi, The Comeback, @sarge__msu, @bkoo, Deadline, Fox News and New York Daily News
Charisma Madarang / Rolling Stone:
Dudesy, an AI-driven podcast curated by humans, releases an hour-long comedy special featuring an AI-generated recreation of George Carlin, who died in 2008 — The hour-long special arrived from Dudesy, a podcast run by artificial intelligence … Following the special's release …
Michael Hardy / Texas Monthly:
Houston Landing journalists write to the board to reverse CEO Peter Bhatia firing EIC Mizanur Rahman and an investigative reporter; Bhatia cited a “reset” — Seven months after its official debut, a billionaire-funded media start-up just fired its editor and top investigative reporter.
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, @mattdpearce, @jlbuch, @robertdownen_, @brizzyc, @gusbova, @amandabecker, @mkerrhardy, @michaelgreshko, @juliaguilbeau, @jbenton, @brookekushwaha, Nieman Lab, Poynter and @hou_landing
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Internal memo: Audible is laying off about 5% of its employees, or just over 100 staffers; a source says the layoffs do not affect Audible's content teams — The cutbacks come as other Amazon groups — including Prime Video, Amazon MGM Studios and Twitch — this week are pink-slipping several hundred workers.
Discussion:
Business Insider, TechCrunch, The Hollywood Reporter, The Information, CNBC and Engadget
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Sources: Pixar may lay off up to 20% of its workforce; Pixar says that number is too high and that the layoffs are not imminent, but will occur later in 2024 — Disney-owned animation studio Pixar is poised to undergo layoffs this year, TechCrunch has learned and the company confirmed.
Discussion:
@brianpshea
Moneycontrol:
ByteDance plans to shut down music streaming service Resso in India on January 31, after removing the App Store and Google Play apps in mid-December 2023 — ByteDance said all existing users of Resso in India will be offered a full refund for the remainder of their subscription fees
Discussion:
@tsuvik, Music Ally, TechCrunch and AppleInsider, more at Techmeme »
John Koblin / New York Times:
Peacock will become the first streamer to exclusively show an NFL playoff game, which cost NBCU $100M+, on January 13; the game airs free in KC and Miami — The game, between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins, is the biggest test yet for whether live sports will find a comfortable home on streaming services.
Discussion:
@onikuno, New York Post and Deadspin
Valerie Complex / Deadline:
Brat TV, a Gen Z studio that distributes on YouTube, Tubi, Roku, and other platforms, acquires Crypt TV, a studio that produces horror films and TV — EXCLUSIVE: Brat TV, the Gen Z studio behind digital series like Chicken Girls, has acquired Crypt TV, a similar company in the horror space.
Discussion:
Tubefilter and Darren Brandl on LinkedIn
Los Angeles Times:
California public radio station KCRW cuts about 16 jobs by offering buyouts and ends its Greater LA podcast, in a bid to reduce a projected $3M budget deficit — Santa Monica public radio station KCRW will part ways with more than a dozen staffers and end the popular podcast “Greater LA.”
Discussion:
@radiochio, Radio Ink, Inside Radio, @bigdanimals, @radiochio, Digital Music News and The Wrap
Michael Flaherty / Axios:
ValueAct says its investment plan for Disney is centered on the company's parks being high-return assets and the expectation that the streaming wars are ending — ValueAct's investment plan for Disney is centered on strong cash flows from its parks and consumer products …
Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
Netflix removes an Indian film depicting a Hindu character eating meat after backlash from Hindu groups; producer Zee apologizes and plans to edit the film — Tamil-language film “Annapoorani: The Goddess of Food,” headlined by “Jawan” actor Nayanthara, has been pulled from Netflix …
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Slate acquires the Death, Sex & Money podcast from New York public radio station WNYC; the terms of the deal weren't disclosed — The former WNYC-produced show will offer new episodes this year — Slate, the online magazine and podcast publisher owned by Graham Holdings Co. …
Discussion:
@alexjrlewis, @megganje, @ashleyrcarman, @katie_rayford and Slate
Thomas Buckley / Bloomberg:
Sources: Oppenheimer will start streaming on Peacock in February, the longest time ever between a theatrical opening and a streaming debut for a Universal film — - Golden Globe winner will be rereleased in theaters this month — Director Nolan is a longtime advocate for cinema experience
Discussion:
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