Top News:
Christopher Palmeri / Bloomberg:
Byron Allen makes a ~$30B offer, including debt and equity, to buy all of Paramount; sources: Allen plans to sell the Paramount film studio and keep Paramount+ — - The media mogul offering to pay a 50% premium for voting stock — Allen already has interest from investors for assets
Discussion:
Variety, The Wrap, Reuters, Deadline, @tvgrimreaper, @solomonmissouri, @ipodave, @authorrandallb, @gracerandolph, Cord Cutters News and Hollywood Reporter
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Alphabet CEO says its digital subscription services, including YouTube Premium and YouTube TV, are on a $15B annual revenue run rate, up fivefold since 2019 — Alphabet's suite of digital subscription services — including YouTube Premium, YouTube Music, YouTube TV and Google One cloud storage …
Discussion:
@xpangler, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
Reuters:
Alphabet reports Q4 Google advertising revenue up 11% YoY to $65.5B, vs. $66.1B estimated, with Google Search & other revenue up 13% YoY to $48B — Alphabet (GOOGL.O) disappointed Wall Street on Tuesday as holiday season advertising sales came in below expectations and overshadowed …
Discussion:
MediaPost, MarketWatch, @thetranscript_ and Reuters, more at Techmeme »
Dade Hayes / Deadline:
Google Chief Business Officer says “YouTube TV is doing well”, and the company is “closely looking” at an international expansion of YouTube TV — Google execs are actively considering an international expansion of pay-TV service YouTube TV, Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler …
Discussion:
The Desk, @tvgrimreaper, The Streamable and Business Insider
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Universal Music Group plans to cease licensing content to TikTok after their agreement expires on January 31, saying they failed to reach new licensing terms — UMG said that its agreement with TikTok is set to expire on Jan. 31. “The companies have not agreed to terms for a new agreement …
Discussion:
UMG, Mumbrella, Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, Los Angeles Times, Billboard, The Wrap, The Messenger, @russdiemon, @mikeisaac, @mikeisaac, Music Technology Policy, @tiktokcomms, @lucas_shaw, Rolling Stone, The Information, Financial Times, PR Newswire, @broderick, @umg, The Music Network, @jamesrbuk, @runciedan, @annaknicolaou, @xpangler, @broderick, 9to5Mac and The Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »
The New York Times Company:
The New York Times introduces a new format to its byline pages, called enhanced bios, highlighting journalists' expertise and ethics, how they operate, and more — The New York Times is introducing a new format to its byline pages. — Our journalists are what set The New York Times apart.
Discussion:
@ben@werd.social, @jayrosen_nyu, @nytimespr, @mattwelch, @mjnblack, @glenngabe, @froomkin, @froomkin, @edmundlee, @andrew_marshall, @jayrosen_nyu and @talmonsmith
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Minute Media, owner of The Players' Tribune, raised “tens of millions”, per its CEO, at a $1B+ valuation, and bought sports streaming service STN Video — Minute Media, the parent company to sports and entertainment sites like The Players' Tribune and Mental Floss …
Discussion:
@simondowens@threads.net, BetaKit, @kendallbaker and Minute Media
John Seabrook / New Yorker:
A profile of UMG CEO Lucian Grainge, who helped record labels rake in billions of dollars from streaming and now hopes to do the same with generative AI — Lucian Grainge, the chairman of UMG, has helped record labels rake in billions of dollars from streaming. Can he do the same with generative artificial intelligence?
Discussion:
@drorpoleg and Natalie Jacobs on LinkedIn
Emilia David / The Verge:
The NYT starts hiring for a team that will explore the use of generative AI in the newsroom “to help with reporting and how the Times is presented to readers” — The New York Times will begin building a team to explore the use of generative AI in its newsroom.
Discussion:
The Messenger, @technicallymims@threads.net, @palewire, @zseward@threads.net, @chris@threads.net and @palewire
Sara Fischer / Axios:
The Ankler hires David Lidsky as executive editor and signs a deal to bring Ankler reporting to LAist's radio station, website, and social media accounts — The Ankler, the entertainment media startup from veteran Hollywood editor Janice Min and insider columnist Richard Rushfield …
Discussion:
David Lidsky on LinkedIn, The Ankler and Janice Min on LinkedIn
Meg James / Los Angeles Times:
The Los Angeles Times Interim Executive Editor Terry Tang names Hector Becerra as the paper's managing editor; Becerra joined The Times in 1999 — Veteran Los Angeles Times journalist Hector Becerra has been named managing editor of the newspaper. — Interim Executive Editor Terry Tang announced …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Talking Biz News, @longdrivesouth, @shelbygrad, @stevepadilla2, @teresawatanabe and The Wrap
Bloomberg:
French media conglomerate Vivendi formally proposes splitting into four separately traded companies, including one for the film and TV studio Canal+ — - Vivendi has complained about its stock trading at a discount — Canal+ is largest unit, accounting for more than half of sales
Discussion:
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