Top News:
Max Tani / Semafor:
Details of CNN's ad packages for its Biden-Trump debate on June 27: a top-tier level with a $1.5M minimum, limits on spending by campaigns and PACs, and more — The Scoop — The Donald Trump-driven boom times are back for the business of American television — at least, for one night in June.
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Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Disney and Comcast's NBCUniversal hit an impasse in Disney's buyout plans for NBCU's 33% Hulu stake, with a significant disagreement over valuation — Companies are discussing a Disney buyout of Comcast's stake in streaming service; with a big valuation gap, the prospect of a court battle looms
Discussion:
The Streamable, The Desk, The Information, @tvgrimreaper and The Media Leader
Zheping Huang / Bloomberg:
Sources: TikTok pauses plans to launch its e-commerce business in major European markets to focus on growth in the US where it's fighting the divest-or-ban law — - ByteDance halts plan to roll out shopping from Spain to Italy — Company aims to entrench itself in its most lucrative market
Discussion:
@carnage4life, Benzinga, PYMNTS.com, Tubefilter, The Information and New York Times
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Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
MSNBC, CNN, and other networks cut away from Trump's speech, which included false statements about his trial; ABC and CBS did not interrupt their regular shows — It was the latest example of journalists having to weigh the news value of a major political moment against the challenges …
Discussion:
Adweek, Richard Rosenthal on LinkedIn and @thaddeus.zone
Brian Welk / IndieWire:
The Tribeca Festival and OpenAI plan to feature five short films made using OpenAI's text-to-video tool Sora on June 15 — “Nanny” director Nikyatu Jusu is among the five filmmakers who created a film for the festival using the tech. — Post — Short films generated by artificial intelligence …
Discussion:
Bloomberg and The Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »
Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg:
Meta says 40M+ US and Canadian adults aged 18 to 29 use Facebook daily, the highest number in three years, reflecting efforts to win back younger users — - Feed now features a broader array of posts based on interest — More young adults are back on Facebook after years of declines
Discussion:
Engadget, Reuters, Simon Owens's Media Newsletter and Meta
Michael Hytha / Bloomberg:
LA-based Webtoon, owned by South Korea's Naver, files for a US IPO; sources: the online comics platform could seek to raise up to $500M at a $3B-$4B valuation — Los Angeles-based Webtoon said in a filing Friday with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that South Korean internet company Naver …
Discussion:
The Korea Times, @ca_ecostrategy, US Securities and Exchange Commission and Reuters
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Moonbug Entertainment names Courtney Holt, previously Spotify's head of studios and video, as managing director for the Americas, taking over from Andy Yeatman — Holt takes over the position from Andy Yeatman, who is departing Moonbug for an unspecified new gig.
Discussion:
Courtney Holt on LinkedIn, The Wrap, Deadline and Advanced Television
Financial Times:
Sources: a Paramount special committee approved the sweetened offer from Skydance; Paramount's board, chaired by Shari Redstone, will vote on the deal June 4 — Final decision over Hollywood studio group rests with controlling shareholder Shari Redstone — A special committee …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, The Wrap, Reuters, The Desk, The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Times and Variety
Tom Dreisbach / NPR:
Salem Media is halting distribution of the film and book 2000 Mules and removing the film from its platforms; it apologized to a man who sued for defamation — The conservative media company behind the book and film “2,000 Mules,” which alleged a widespread conspiracy by Democrats to steal …
Diana Falzone / Mediaite:
Eric Bolling, formerly of Sinclair and Fox News and host of Newsmax's 8pm show The Balance, is leaving the network after three years — Eric Bolling has parted ways with Newsmax. — The veteran television host, who helmed the conservative network's 8 p.m. hour with The Balance …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Los Angeles Times, Deadline, @ericbolling, The Wrap and Media Matters for America
Jeremy Barr / Washington Post:
A look at Robert Allbritton's NOTUS, a nonprofit national politics outlet that employs 10 full-time fellows and is intended to act as a journalist incubator — When he was the owner of Politico, Robert Allbritton sat atop a farm system that hired scores of young reporters to work alongside veteran editors …