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New York Times:
Sources: Shari Redstone was irked that Skydance's revised Paramount terms reduced National Amusements' value from $2B to $1.7B, affecting her family's holdings — There were several hitches in the last week as Skydance, Paramount and its parent company, National Amusements, reached the final stages of negotiations.
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Wall Street Journal, CNN, The Hollywood Reporter, @lucas_shaw, Bloomberg, @richlightshed, @benmullin, Deadline, Fast Company, Next TV, The Guardian, The Wrap, Media Play News and The Hill
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Jessica Toonkel / Wall Street Journal:
National Amusements ends talks with Skydance; sources: Shari Redstone will likely seek a sale of just National Amusements, without including Paramount directly — Redstone likely to pursue sale of National Amusements, the family company that controls Paramount, with other potential bidders
Discussion:
Reuters, @nthonycarmen, @empirecitybo, @jtoonkel, @megjameslat, @loudmouthjulia, @richlightshed, @mattbelloni, @tim_bays, Deadline, @jbflint, Variety, TrekMovie.com, Cord Cutters News, Quartz, The Information, The Hollywood Reporter, @philthepill.wtf, CNBC, The Wrap and Los Angeles Times
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
In an email to staff, Skydance CEO David Ellison acknowledges Paramount merger talks have ended, and says that Skydance is “stronger” because of the talks — “I have great respect for the legacy of Paramount, value our ongoing partnership and wish them the best,” he added in the note …
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The Streamable, Deadline, Broadband TV News, The Wrap, The Desk, Financial Times, Variety, CBS News, Advanced Television, Reuters, New York Post, IndieWire, The Verge and Los Angeles Times
Rolling Stone:
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito suggests partisan funding of ProPublica is to blame for its coverage of the court, in a secret recording at a recent dinner — In a new, secret recording, the Supreme Court justice suggests partisan funding is to blame for coverage of justices' undisclosed luxury gifts
Discussion:
Poynter, CNN, Missouri Independent, The Daily Beast, @7im, @rollingstone, @eisingerj, @rollingstone, @markjacob16, @normornstein, @allysammarco@threads.net, @slackermom.bsky.social, @jstatepost@mstdn.social, @rollingstone, @eisingerj, @lawindsor, @justinelliott, @ernie.tedium.co, @macloo.bsky.social, @anatosaurus, @adamparkhomenko@threads.net, @JasonPerseus@mas.to, Mediaite, Boing Boing, Fox News, NewsNation, New Republic and New York Times
Laura Wagner / Washington Post:
The Baltimore Sun's union says the paper's new ownership has “tossed aside” ethical standards, reusing a below-standard Sinclair Broadcast Group story and more — “Ethical standards,” the Sun's union says, “have been tossed aside under new ownership.”
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Popular Information, @washingtonpost, Washington-Baltimore …, @healthcarerenew, @jamieson, @strannik_reb45, @jamieson, @tvnuggetfinder, FTVLive and CNN
Bron Maher / Press Gazette:
The UK Central Arbitration Committee approves an NUJ request to become the recognized union for PA Media's journalists, after PA resisted recognizing the union — The Central Arbitration Committee has approved an NUJ application to become the recognised union for journalists at , PA Media.
Discussion:
@pressgazette and National Union of Journalists …
Sophie Culpepper / Nieman Lab:
The Institute for Nonprofit News survey of 346 member outlets for 2023: 71% of outlets are digital-first, about 33% reported declines in web traffic, and more — While the sector is still growing, that growth is slowing, by some metrics. And audience data for 2023 shows that across all outlets surveyed …
Discussion:
@localnewsini, @risj_oxford and Institute for Nonprofit News
Mike Isaac / New York Times:
Apple News+, LinkedIn, Morning Brew, The Washington Post, and others are increasingly turning to games and puzzles to retain subscribers and attract customers — What's a five-letter word for an activity that media and technology companies are increasingly relying on to gain subscribers and keep them coming back?
Discussion:
@katie_robertson
Seb Starcevic / Politico:
A Dutch court convicts and sentences six men in connection with the murder of celebrity crime reporter Peter R. De Vries on an Amsterdam street in July 2021 — A Dutch court on Wednesday convicted and sentenced six men in connection with the murder of a well-known crime reporter and television presenter.
Discussion:
Deutsche Welle, RTÉ and Agence France-Presse
Calum Jaspan / Sydney Morning Herald:
Sources: News Corp Australia plans to cut up to 40% of its sales workforce, or about 80 roles, amid its ongoing restructuring — News Corp Australia will make up to 40 per cent of its sales workforce redundant, while editorial staff await their fate amid the media company's most significant restructure in more than a decade.
Discussion:
Crikey
Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:
YouTube plans to roll out its Thumbnail Test & Compare tool to all creators “in the coming weeks”, letting them test video thumbnails “evenly” across audiences — YouTube is preparing to roll out a new thumbnail testing feature to creators, which means you'll …
Discussion:
Google Support and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Cuneyt Dil / Axios:
Sources: WaPo CEO Will Lewis is floating Local+, a new offering for readers who want to pay extra for premium local content, including paid newsletters — - In pre-Bezos times, the Post made the world of Washington front and center, dedicating A1 columns to city hall and zoning disputes in the suburbs.
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