Top News:
Wall Street Journal:
News Corp and OpenAI announce a multiyear agreement to bring News Corp's news content to OpenAI; sources: the deal could be worth $250M over five years — Agreement could generate over $250 million over five years for News Corp in cash and credits — Wall Street Journal owner News Corp struck …
Discussion:
Axios, News Corp, Bloomberg, The Hollywood Reporter, @jeffjarvis@mastodon.social and Platformer, more at Techmeme »
Tom Friend / Sports Business Journal:
Sources: the NBA is formalizing deals with Disney, NBC, and Amazon, which may prompt WBD to sue; ESPN may pay $2.8B annually, NBC $2.6B, and Amazon $1.8B to $2B — NEW YORK — The NBA is formalizing written contracts with Disney, NBC and Amazon this week, with sources calling it the final stage …
Discussion:
Awful Announcing, Deadline, Mediaite, Next TV, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Streamable, @dylanbyers, The US Sun, Sports Media Watch, UPROXX and Cord Cutters News
Max Tani / @maxwelltani:
[Thread] In a meeting, Washington Post CEO Will Lewis told staff that the paper lost $77M over the past year, and saw a 50% drop off in audience since 2020 — Washington Post CEO Will Lewis is introing the paper's new “Build It” plan today. In a meeting with staff, he noted that the paper lost $77 million over the past year, and saw a 50% drop off in audience since 2020: “To be direct, we are in a hole, and we have been for some time.”
Discussion:
Washington Post, @maxwelltani, @alttag.bsky.social, @worknowitzki.bsky.social, @cocktailhag.bsky.social, @natalieweiner.bsky.social, @missingthept.bsky.social, @markshatraw.bsky.social, @vortexegg.regretfully.online, @charles.littlegreenfootballs …, @hammancheez.bsky.social, @wilson__valdez, @macktubs, @maxwelltani, @tomscocca.bsky.social, @tomscocca.bsky.social, @thatweissguy.bsky.social, @jonastraxler.bsky.social, @sarafischer, @852dude.bsky.social, @cfaller96.bsky.social, @andrewsshi.bsky.social, @erinannmcc.bsky.social, @maxwelltani, @froomkin, @karlbode.bsky.social, @nslayton.bsky.social, @benharris1.bsky.social, @mcoatney, @maxwelltani, @darrylmason, @estarianne.bsky.social, @socio-steve.bsky.social, @scarylawyerguy, @tcarmody.bsky.social, @dextrosity.bsky.social, @jaycockburn, @reubenr80027912 and @eleanorofs.bsky.social
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
WBD and ESPN strike a five-year deal letting WBD's TNT carry two first-round college football playoff games in 2024 and 2025, adding two quarterfinals in 2026 — In a move to strengthen its sports offerings, Warner Bros. Discovery has signed a five-year sublicensing deal with Disney's ESPN …
Discussion:
The Desk, Variety, Next TV, New York Times, Cord Cutters News, Barrett Media and Sports Media Watch
STLPR:
Big Lou Media has sold The Riverfront Times, an alt weekly in St. Louis, Mo, to an undisclosed buyer, and the entire writing and editing staff has been laid off — The Riverfront Times, St. Louis' alt-weekly newspaper, is no more, at least in its current state.
Discussion:
KSDK-TV and @kallieecox
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
SEC filing: Vivek Ramaswamy owns shares and call options worth ~$4M in BuzzFeed, or a 7.7% stake, and seeks a shift in its strategy; BZFD jumps 10%+ — Ramaswamy has acquired just under 8% of BuzzFeed, with plans to push for “a shift in the company's strategy.”
Wall Street Journal:
As TV audiences get older, media executives are focusing more on the mass-market reach of TV, and playing down the importance of age for advertisers — With viewers in their 60s, networks aren't pretending to have youth appeal; they're touting the virtues of older audiences
Discussion:
@jeffjarvis, @jbflint, @jeffjarvis@mastodon.social and AdExchanger
Sara Guaglione / Digiday:
How sending fewer emails and giving paid subscribers early access to content improved The New Yorker's onsite page views and time spent from newsletter users — The New Yorker has refocused its newsletter strategy in an effort to retain its cohort of 1.2 million paid subscribers and grow …
Bloomberg:
Sources: Tata Group took full control of subscription TV broadcaster Tata Play after buying Disney's 29.8% stake, valuing Tata Play at about $1B — - Tata Group gains full control of Tata Play after Disney deal — Tata bought out Temasek's stake in platform earlier this year
Chris Kerr / Game Developer:
Rolling Stone launches RS Gaming, a game vertical in partnership with ESL FACEIT Group, which is owned by Saudi state-backed investment fund PIF — Rolling Stone is expanding its coverage of the video game industry with the launch of a dedicated gaming vertical.
Discussion:
Aftermath and Rolling Stone
Ted Johnson / Deadline:
Nexstar's NewsNation adds an early evening news block to its weekend schedule, completing its transformation into a 24/7 network — NewsNation is adding an early evening news block to its weekend schedule, completing its transformation into a 24/7 network.
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Desk, The Hollywood Reporter, Radio & Television …, Next TV, Cord Cutters News and TVNewsCheck
David Shepardson / Reuters:
US FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposes requiring the disclosure of content generated by AI in political ads on radio and TV, citing the use of deepfakes — U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on Wednesday proposed requiring disclosure of content generated …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, CNN, Inside Radio, The Verge, The Hollywood Reporter, @aram@aoir.social, Dave Gregorio on LinkedIn, FCC, UPI and Deadline, more at Techmeme »