Top News:


Sources: Charter Communications is exploring a takeover of smaller rival Altice USA, which serves ~5M customers across 21 US states; Altice stock is up 50%+ — - Charter working with advisers on pursuing smaller rival — Both firms have suffered with surge in wireless competition
Discussion:
CNBC, Next TV, @fasulo_chris, @maffei_fake, @stopthecap and @lucas_shaw


Sesamy, launched by Acast co-founders to let users in Sweden and Denmark purchase single articles or podcasts as a one-time transaction, plans to expand to UK — Could one-off articles and podcast purchases be the future of publishing? That's the vision of the co-founders of Acast …
Discussion:
@johnspurlock, @rasmus_kleis and Benjamin Webb on LinkedIn


BLKFAM, a free, ad-supported streaming service focused on Black families, launches in the US with 1,000+ hours of kid-friendly animation titles and more — BLKFAM is a free, ad-supported, Black-focused family streaming service launching today to give Black Americans access to more than 1,000 hours …
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, The Streamable, @xpangler, The Wrap and Deadline


News reader Particle.news, which uses AI to summarize articles and aims to fairly compensate authors and publishers, enters private beta — A team led by former Twitter engineers is rethinking how AI can be used to help people process news and information.
Discussion:
@pandemona@threads.net, @pandemona@threads.net and @pandemona@threads.net


Former TV news executives and others criticize Ofcom for allowing GB News to violate broadcasting impartiality rules by dragging its feet with investigations — Ofcom is accused of not treating all broadcasters the same and of dragging its feet with investigations into the rightwing channel
Discussion:
@docrussjackson, @justicetrousers, @catrollo, @adrian_warner, @michaellcrick, @paulmarsha11 and Mediaite


Australian businessman Kerry Stokes launches The Nightly, a daily online newspaper with backing from billionaires Katie Page, Chris Ellison, and Gina Rinehart — Billionaires Katie Page, Chris Ellison and Gina Rinehart are the key backers of Kerry Stokes' new daily online newspaper …
Discussion:
@rachelrwithers, @ianpmcleod, @markdistef, @pollyanna_04, @matt_levinson, @john_macgowan, @chris_dengate, Crikey, Mumbrella and Sydney Morning Herald


British film censors change the age rating for the classic 1964 film Mary Poppins from U to PG citing “discriminatory language” — Mary Poppins, the classic film starring Julie Andrews, has had its age rating raised by British film censors because it features “discriminatory language”.


NBCUniversal names Gemma Garcia to lead Telemundo's news division as executive VP of news; most recently, she was the head of news at Spain's RTVE Play — The veteran news executive will report directly to chairman of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises Luis Fernández
Discussion:
Variety, Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline


Websites that shut down make it hard for journalists to preserve writing clips, but maintaining a defunct site creates technical issues including security risks — Vice workers scrambled this week to save their work, just in case. Would keeping it online really cost so much?
RELATED:

Vice leadership failed to act as responsible stewards of a good product, and instead paid themselves lavish salaries and burned through hundreds of millions
Discussion:
Pluralistic, @lfitzmaurice, @doctorow, @doctorow, @doctorow, @doctorow, @jason, @sorayamcdonald@threads.net, @jeremymbarr, @davidclinchnews, @tvgrimreaper, @mjgault, @ninastarner, @adamjkovac, @sarahscire, @sharonwaxman, @nick_kapur, @nina_metz, @juliaccarpenter, @defectormedia, Business of Fashion, CBS News, Slate, MobileSyrup, @quillmatiq@threads.net, Ian Greenleigh on LinkedIn, Gail J. Cohen on LinkedIn, 404 Media, @KarlBode@masto.ai, WWD, TVNewsCheck, CNN, CMU, Raw Story, Press Gazette and @jswatz.bsky.social


A profile of Dale Anglin, first director of Press Forward, a philanthropic effort to invest $500M over five years in local news and aiming to raise $500M more — Dale R. Anglin has spent more than twenty years in the nonprofit sector, channeling millions of dollars to social service organizations.


While Netflix is profitable in South Korea, local rivals Tving and Wavve lost a combined ~$165M in 2023 and are reportedly in talks to merge — After years of pumping out hit shows, South Korea's biggest media companies are cutting back and consolidating to survive a global pullback in entertainment.
Discussion:
@themarkrussell, @viveklath, @lucas_shaw and Lucas Shaw on LinkedIn


UK's Ofcom delivers its roadmap for implementing the Media Bill, saying regulation of streaming services will not come into place in full for two years — Streamer regulation in the UK will not come into place in full for two years, Ofcom said today. — Delivering its roadmap for implementing …
Discussion:
Broadband TV News


France's Canal+ Group says it has increased its stake in Asian streaming platform Viu to 30%, worth ~$300M, and retains an option to increase its stake to 50% — UPPING THE ANTE — France's Canal+ Group said that it has increased its stake in multi-territory Asian streaming platform Viu to 30%.
Discussion:
Deadline and Broadband TV News