Top News:
Mark Stenberg / Adweek:
Sources: Amazon plans to shut its FAST service Freevee in the coming weeks, as part of a broader effort to focus its ad and product efforts on Prime Video — The service has become redundant following the introduction of ads to Prime Video — Amazon is planning to sunset its free …
Rebecca Rubin / Variety:
Sony Pictures Entertainment strikes a deal to manufacture, distribute, and market Disney's DVD, Blu-ray discs, and other physical media in the US and Canada — Disney is outsourcing a big piece of its home entertainment division to Sony Pictures Entertainment, which will manufacture …
HouseFresh:
How some big publishers are inundating the web with subpar product recommendations without testing the products, and how Google is helping them through inaction — And why you shouldn't trust product recommendations from big media publishers ranking at the top of Google
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, Mostly signs, Scott Messer on LinkedIn, Alison Barretta on LinkedIn, @jasonkoebler@mastodon.social, @dangillmor@mastodon.social, @jason_koebler, Search Engine Land, Jill Caren on LinkedIn, Jonathan Berthold on LinkedIn, @weaselproof.bsky.social, Jean-Christophe Chouinard on LinkedIn, Ian Betteridge on LinkedIn, Mark Williams-Cook on LinkedIn, @danack@threads.net, @clive@saturation.social, @mdekstrand@hci.social, @metin@graphics.social, @Infloop@indieweb.social, @mhucka@fediscience.org, @mpesce@arvr.social, @dmitriid, @ichbingisele, @ichbingisele, @thishousefresh, @shanejones, @stevage1 and Hacker News
Amelia Pollard / Bloomberg:
Filing: a US court gives Audacy, the second-largest radio broadcaster in the US, approval to exit bankruptcy, slashing ~$1.7B of its debt in a restructuring — - Soros Fund Management slated to own largest stake in company — Firm to slash $1.7 billion of debt through restructuring plan
Discussion:
The Desk, Inside Radio and Radio & Television …
Katie Paul / Reuters:
Israel-based BRIA, a Getty-backed AI image generation startup that licenses 1B+ images from 18 stock providers, raised a $24M Series A from Publicis and others — A “responsible” AI image generation startup backed by stock photo provider Getty Images (GETY.N) has raised $24 million in a Series …
Discussion:
AdExchanger, more at Techmeme »
Patrick Brzeski / The Hollywood Reporter:
Q&A with Disney President of Asia-Pacific Luke Kang on the Asian entertainment business, evolving Disney's streaming strategy, growing Disney+, ads, and more — Luke Kang shares how the media giant has come to its streaming strategy for the region and his current views on major content markets like China, South Korea and Japan.
Reuters:
Indonesia issues a regulation requiring digital platforms, including Facebook and Google, to pay media outlets that provide them with content — Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Tuesday he had signed a regulation requiring digital platforms to pay media outlets that provide them with content …
Discussion:
@courtneyr, Bloomberg and Digital Scholarship, more at Techmeme »
Will Sommer / Washington Post:
Five alleged neo-Nazis held flares and made “sieg heil” gestures outside the NC home of Raw Story reporter Jordan Green, who was investigating extremist groups — The chilling visit to Raw Story reporter Jordan Green's home represents an increasingly common tactic by extremist groups
CNBC:
Lawsuit document: FuboTV sues Disney, Fox, and WBD over their planned joint venture in sports streaming, citing “extreme suppression of competition” — - FuboTV is suing Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery over their recently announced sports streaming joint venture, according to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by CNBC.
Discussion:
The Streamable, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, KNSD-TV, Poynter, Broadband TV News, @soshnick, @benmullin, The Drum, Sportico, @eriqgardner, Sara Salinas on LinkedIn, Reuters, MediaPost, The Desk, Julia Boorstin on LinkedIn, Los Angeles Times, The A.V. Club, The Verge, Media Play News, The Drum, WORLD SCREEN, The Hill, Variety, Front Office Sports, The Information, The Wrap, Awful Announcing, Dan Rayburn on LinkedIn, Deadline, Next TV, Bloomberg, MarketWatch, Ad Age and Cord Cutters News
Max Tani / Semafor:
The Guardian US says progressive pundit Mehdi Hasan joins as a regular columnist; the outlet has been staffing up in recent months, adding well-known writers — The Scoop — The progressive pundit Mehdi Hasan is joining The Guardian following his abrupt departure from MSNBC.
Discussion:
The Hill, Press Gazette, The Wrap, The Guardian and @pressgazette
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Apple launches Apple Sports, a free app offering scores and stats for the NBA, Premier League, and more, in the US, Canada, and the UK, on iOS 17.2 or later — Game on! Apple launched a free standalone app for sports fans, Apple Sports, which is engineered to fire scores and stats to your iPhone as quickly as possible.
Lachlan Cartwright / The Hollywood Reporter:
Q&A with Jeff Zucker about RedBird IMI's approach to news investments, backlash from The Telegraph journalists, lessons from The Messenger launch, and more — Two years after his ouster from the network, the mogul explains why his investment firm RedBird IMI is snapping up media properties at a frantic clip.
Discussion:
@pressgazette, @lachcartwright and @jeremymbarr
Dade Hayes / Deadline:
As YouTube marks one year as Nielsen's top US streaming service, a Q&A with YouTube VPs Nicky Rettke and Tara Levy on the NFL, ad innovation, creators, and more — EXCLUSIVE: YouTube has been racking up milestones lately. Its pay-TV bundle, YouTube TV, just passed 8 million subscribers.
RELATED:
Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:
Nielsen: YouTube has been the top streaming service in the US for 12 consecutive months; YouTube says viewers watch 1B+ hours of YouTube per day on their TVs
Nielsen: YouTube has been the top streaming service in the US for 12 consecutive months; YouTube says viewers watch 1B+ hours of YouTube per day on their TVs
Discussion:
The Hill, Mashable India, CNET, MediaPost, YouTube Official Blog, The Verge, Radio & Television … and Media Play News