Mediagazer: In an interview, Metro executives say the free newspaper is now profitable in both print and digital, after it underwent a major restructuring in March 2023 (Charlotte Tobitt/Press Gazette)

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Lillian Rizzo / CNBC:

Netflix reports Q2 revenue up 16.8% YoY to $9.56B, vs. $9.53B est., paid memberships up 16.5% YoY to 277.65M, vs. 274.4M est., net income up 44% YoY to $2.15B — Netflix reported second-quarter earnings Thursday that showcased the media giant's position at the head of the streaming race …

Discussion: The Verge, AdExchanger, Engadget, Fortune, Lillian Rizzo on LinkedIn, BGR, The Wrap, IGN, New York Times, @ainemacdermot.bsky.social, Ad Age, Netflix, Variety and Advanced Television, more at Techmeme »

Reuters:

Netflix added 8M subscribers in Q2 vs. 5M est., as it benefited from a crackdown on password-sharing and popular titles like Bridgerton and Baby Reindeer — Netflix (NFLX.O) said on Thursday it added more than 8 million subscribers in its second quarter as the streaming service benefited …

Discussion: The Hollywood Reporter, The Desk, The Guardian, The Streamable, Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg, IndieWire, Deadline, Media Play News and TVNewsCheck

Caitlin Huston / The Hollywood Reporter:

Peter Naylor, Netflix VP of ad sales since August 2022, is leaving, and the company will hire a head of US and Canada ad sales to fill his spot — The executive has been at the streaming giant since August 2022. … Naylor has been at Netflix since August 2022.

Discussion: Variety, The Information, @pkafka, Ad Age, @pkafka, Next TV, @pkafka, TVNewsCheck, Adweek and Deadline, more at Techmeme »

Lucas Manfredi / The Wrap:

Netflix says its ad tier now accounts for over 45% of all signups in the markets where it's available, and ad tier memberships grew 34% QoQ in Q2 — The company expands its lead over competitors with 277.65 million subscribers globally — Netflix beat Wall Street expectations …

Discussion: The Media Leader, RTÉ, Financial Times, MediaPost, The Drum, TVNewsCheck, The Information, @sharonwaxman, Deadline, IGN, Quartz, Next TV, Business Insider and Reuters, more at Techmeme »

Aidan McLaughlin / Mediaite:

Veteran cable news host Lou Dobbs, who made his name on CNN and then Fox Business, has died at 78; Trump announced his death on Truth Social — Lou Dobbs, the veteran broadcaster who made his name on CNN and then Fox Business as an icon of financial news, passed away at the age of 78 …

Financial Times:

Sources: WBD weighs splitting off its streaming and studio businesses from its legacy TV networks including CNN, leaving most of its debt with the TV networks — Group behind CNN and HBO has discussed options including spin-off of its streaming service and movie studio

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

In an interview, Metro executives say the free newspaper is now profitable in both print and digital, after it underwent a major restructuring in March 2023 — Metro is growing commercially even as free London rival Evening Standard forced to reduce print output.

Washington Post:

Sue Mi Terry, wife of WaPo columnist Max Boot, has been charged with acting as an agent of South Korea; the indictment cites a WaPo column she wrote with Boot — Sue Mi Terry, a senior fellow for Korea studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, was charged with failing to register as a foreign agent.

Daryna Antoniuk / The Record:

Bangladesh orders a nationwide shutdown of its mobile internet amid student protests that killed dozens of people to “ensure the security of citizens” — Authorities in Bangladesh have reportedly ordered a nationwide shutdown of mobile internet networks amid student protests …

Discussion: Variety, Reuters, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, New York Times, Engadget, SWAMY WORLD, Semafor and Courthouse News Service, more at Techmeme »

Jack Dunn / Variety:

Fox Entertainment announces a restructuring of its operations that includes layoffs for about 30 people — Fox Entertainment has unveiled a restructuring of its operations that includes layoffs for about 30 staffers. — “While there are many exciting aspects to realizing our path forward …

Discussion: The Wrap, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter

NBC News:

Social media influencers backing Trump include Bryce Hall, with 23.7M TikTok followers, FaZe Banks, with nearly 5M YouTube subscribers, and Jake and Logan Paul — Following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, influencers with large followings spoke out in his support.

Discussion: Ad Age

Lisa Richwine / Reuters:

FilmLA: from April through June 2024, the number of on-location filming days in LA fell 12.4% YoY, driven by a 56.9% drop in reality TV production — Los Angeles experienced a hefty decline in reality TV production as Hollywood worked to recover from dual labor strikes last year, according to statistics released on Wednesday.

Discussion: The Wrap, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline