Top News:
Chattanooga Times Free Press:
Carpenter Media acquires 10 newspapers in Alabama and Georgia and a Georgia printing facility from Community Newspaper Holdings — The Carpenter Media Group announced Thursday it has acquired the Dalton Daily Citizen in North Georgia as part of an acquisition of 10 newspapers and a Valdosta …
Discussion:
Editor and Publisher, The Tribune-Democrat and Media Nation
Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:
UK passes the Media Bill, repealing the not-yet-enacted Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act, which required publishers to pay all court costs, win or lose — The Media Bill has been passed removing the threat of state-backed press regulation and modernising broadcasting regulations for the streaming age.
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Wall Street Journal:
Trump says that if he's elected, Russia would release WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich; the Kremlin denies any contact between Putin and Trump on the matter — Kremlin says Russian leader isn't in contact with former U.S. president about journalist — Former President Donald Trump …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Washington Post, @dicktofel, New York Times, The Guardian, Reuters, Metro.co.uk, The Atlantic, New Jersey Online, The Daily Beast and The Hill
The Hollywood Reporter:
Paramount and Charter reach a new multiyear carriage deal, adding the ad-supported versions of Paramount+ and BET+ for free to Charter subscribers later in 2024 — The news comes at a critical moment for the entertainment company.
Discussion:
MediaPost, Reuters, Benzinga, Los Angeles Times, The Desk, Charter Communications, Inc., Variety, Media Play News, Cord Cutters News, Deadline and The Wrap
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Leave the World Behind was the most-watched title on Netflix globally in H2 2023, with 121M views, while One Piece was the most-watched series, with 71.6M views — Dystopian thriller “Leave the World Behind” was the most-watched film — and title overall — on Netflix globally in the second half of 2023 …
Discussion:
About Netflix, Deadline, @jake_kanter, Polygon, @marypot, @joshacarpenter, Benzinga, Business Insider, @zonozi, @kasey__moore, @whatonnetflix, @whatonnetflix, @jgolden5, @kasey__moore, @emohorgan, The A.V. Club, @podkatz, @shamankingnews, Screen Rant, @loudmouthjulia, Deadline, The Streamable, Next TV, Digital Trends, Deadline, Media Play News, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Bollywood and The Wrap
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Sources: Alphabet and Meta have talked to Hollywood studios about licensing content for AI video generation tools; Disney and Netflix aren't willing to license — - Studios seek to harness AI's promise without losing control — Warner weighs licensing content; Disney, Netflix say no
Discussion:
Benzinga, @lucas_shaw, @lucas_shaw, Engadget, @loudmouthjulia, The Information, @tv-ma.bsky.social, @villagegenius.bsky.social, @framethenarrative.bsky.social, @causamdicere.bsky.social, @rickywlmsbong.bsky.social, @coachfinstock.bsky.social, @sababausa.bsky.social, @tomlommel.com, @intelwire.bsky.social and @zitron.bsky.social, more at Techmeme »
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Ben Smith and Nayeema Raza plan to launch Mixed Signals, a podcast about media, on May 31, sponsored by Google and available as audio-only and on YouTube — Sponsored by Google, the show will be available as an audio-only production and as a video offering on YouTube — Welcome back to Soundbite.
Discussion:
@brianstelter, @mattdpearce@threads.net, @semafor@threads.net and Billboard
Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:
Documented, which covers immigration in New York City, experiments with posts on Nextdoor to reach Caribbean immigrants and uses WeChat and WhatsApp for others — “We are bringing onto this platform — where people usually talk about their lost cat or that they're looking for an apartment …
Ted Johnson / Deadline:
Media Matters lays off over a dozen staffers, citing its defense against legal action and the shifting media landscape — Media Matters for America, the progressive watchdog journalism organization, underwent a round of layoffs today, as its president cited the shifting media landscape as well as its defense against legal action.
Variety:
Sony India's head NP Singh plans to step down months after merger with Zee collapsed, citing age and personal reasons; Singh has been with SPNI for 25 years — NP Singh, the well-respected head of Sony's entertainment businesses in India, is to step down. — The announcement was made on Friday local time.
Discussion:
Deadline
Etan Vlessing / The Hollywood Reporter:
Lionsgate Q4: a net loss of $39.5M vs. a loss of $96.8M a year ago, overall revenue of $1.117B; Starz had 12.59M streaming subscribers, down from 12.63M in Q3 — The latest quarterly earnings follows a spin of its studio business into a separately traded company, Lionsgate Studios.
Discussion:
The Wrap, Media Play News, Variety, Deadline and Lionsgate
Selena Kuznikov / Variety:
Hollywood Commission, an advocacy organization chaired by Anita Hill, launches MyConnext, a website for entertainment industry workers to report workplace abuse — Since the #MeToo movement began gained momentum in Hollywood back in 2017, entertainment workers have voiced concerns …
Discussion:
IndieWire, The Wrap, Rolling Stone, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and Los Angeles Times
Sapna Maheshwari / New York Times:
TikTok limits the spread of videos from state-affiliated media outside their home countries and disrupted 15 influence operations in 2024, including from China — The platform will keep state-affiliated media accounts out of users' feeds if they “attempt to reach communities outside …
Discussion:
The Verge, Washington Post, TikTok and Bloomberg
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