Top News:
Lucas Manfredi / The Wrap:
Nielsen: US monthly TV viewership rose 1.4% YoY to a four-year high in January, which included three of the top 10 days with the most TV viewing since May 2021 — Monthly TV usage hit a four-year high in January 2024, according to Nielsen, with three of the top 10 days (Jan. 1, 14 and 28) …
Arijit Barman / The Economic Times:
Sources: Zee has re-engaged with Sony in a last-ditch attempt to revive their $10B merger, which had been called off on January 22; ZEEL closed up 7.93% — Zee Entertainment Enterprises has re-engaged with Sony Group Corp in a last-ditch attempt to revive their $10-billion merger.
Rick Porter / The Hollywood Reporter:
HBO delays posting Last Week Tonight With John Oliver segments on YouTube for a few days after episodes premiere, to nudge more people to watch the show on Max — The delay in posting to the video site is intended to nudge more people to watch the show on Max.
Discussion:
@iamjohnoliver, Variety, The Verge, @tvgrimreaper, @aagave, @ernie@writing.exchange, @tvgrimreaper, CarterMatt, Deadline, The Wrap, The Desk, 9to5Google, TVLine, Cord Cutters News and Decider
Jacob Pramuk / CNBC:
Walmart agrees to acquire TV maker Vizio for $2.3B, or $11.50/share, to boost its ad business via Vizio's SmartCast OS, which lets users stream content with ads — - Walmart is buying TV maker Vizio for $2.3 billion in cash. — The move is a bid to boost the big-box retailer's high-margin ad business.
Discussion:
Variety, The Streamable, MediaPost, The Wrap, TechCrunch, Walmart Inc., Fast Company, The Drum, Forbes, The Desk, CBS News, The Information, @lucas_shaw, @rasmus_kleis, @rasmus_kleis, Ad Age, @simondowens@threads.net, CNN, New York Post, Deadline, @eric_seufert, Search Engine Land, Axios, The Verge, KNSD-TV, MarketWatch, Wall Street Journal, @thetranscript_, @carnage4life, The Hollywood Reporter, @sarafischer, Broadband TV News, Media Play News, NBC Bay Area and Cord Cutters News, more at Techmeme »
Eduardo Suárez / Reuters Institute:
Q&A with AG Sulzberger on becoming the NYT publisher, what he misses about being a reporter, the NYT's goal of reaching 15M subscribers by 2025, and more — In this exclusive interview, he discusses his role in shaping the paper and preserving its values
Discussion:
New York Post, @davidiadeleke, @rasmus_kleis, @juanmabenitez, Politico, @rasmus_kleis, @eduardosuarez, @aaronhuertas_de@threads.net, @kennethpvogel@threads.net, @jeffjarvis, @risj_oxford, National Review, @nancylevine, Fox News, Mediaite, Marcia Parker on LinkedIn, Jeff Jarvis on LinkedIn, @thomasfuchs@hachyderm.io and The Hill
Bloomberg:
UMG pays $240M for a 25.8% stake in Chord, a company that owns 60K+ songs, giving UMG an outlet to invest in music catalogs without being the primary owner — - Chord was founded by KKR and the investment firm Dundee — Business controls copyrights to more than 60,000 songs
Discussion:
The Wrap and Music Business Worldwide
Blake Brittain / Reuters:
A US appeals court rules a $1B jury verdict from 2019 against Cox for users' music piracy was unjustified; a new trial to be held to determine suitable damages — Cox Communications [RIC:RIC:COXC.UL], the cable television and internet service provider, convinced a U.S. appeals court to throw …
Discussion:
Music Business Worldwide
Sara Fischer / Axios:
The New York Times is recruiting select advertising partners to test its new generative AI ad-targeting tool, which it plans to make widely available in H2 2024 — The New York Times is recruiting partners to test new ad-targeting solutions using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) beginning next quarter, executives told Axios.
Discussion:
The Wrap and @sarafischer
Samantha Chery / Washington Post:
Polk Awards: The New York Times and ProPublica both win three awards, Vice News wins for Television Reporting, Reuters wins for Business Reporting, and more — Now in its 75th year, the George Polk Awards for journalism honors stories from 2023 about wars in Ukraine and the Middle East …
J. Kim Murphy / Variety:
Apple says Masters of the Air was Apple TV+'s most-watched series launch ever and viewership across the service rose 65% globally vs. the prior seven-day period — Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman produced the streamer's high-flying hit
Discussion:
The Streamable, @tvgrimreaper, @bubbaprog.ilovecitr.us, 9to5Mac and Screen Rant
Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:
Q&A with Monty Sarhan, CEO of European streamer SkyShowtime, on adding a cheaper ad-supported tier, not revealing subscriber numbers, cutting spending, and more — The European streaming joint venture of Comcast and Paramount is not cutting back because “the U.S. narrative is not our narrative …
Discussion:
Media Play News
David Satin / The Streamable:
Ampere Analysis: Disney has the biggest library of desirable titles at 148, followed by Paramount Global's 72; Netflix would be Disney's best licensing partner — Disney's catalog contains the highest number of titles that other streamers might find desirable, according to new data from Ampere Analysis.
Discussion:
Broadband TV News, The Desk, The Hollywood Reporter and Media Play News
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