Top News:
New York Times:
Sources: Paramount extends its deadline for sales talks until early September to evaluate Edgar Bronfman Jr.'s new bid, which could shake up the Skydance deal — Edgar Bronfman Jr. and his bidding group now have until September to sell Paramount on their offer.
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Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Edgar Bronfman Jr. raises his Paramount bid to $6B, adding $1.7B to let non-Redstone, nonvoting Paramount shareholders cash out at $16 a share — The bid gives non-Redstone, nonvoting Paramount shareholders an option to sell shares at a premium — Edgar Bronfman Jr. has sweetened …
Bilge Ebiri / Vulture:
Lionsgate recalls its trailer for Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis that used fake quotes from multiple critics, and apologizes “for this inexcusable error” — Since this story published, Lionsgate has taken the trailer down and issued an apology: “Lionsgate is immediately recalling our trailer for Megalopolis.
Discussion:
Variety, SlashFilm, The Guardian, Dexerto, Metro.co.uk, The Playlist, British GQ, @bilgeebiri, @bilgeebiri, Mashable, CBR, @bilgeebiri, @bilgeebiri, AV Club, Newser, The Daily Beast, Associated Press, Boing Boing, USA Today, New York Times, The Verge, IndieWire, Consequence, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Empire, The Wrap, ComingSoon.net, New York Daily News, Screen Rant, HuffPost, Inverse, Digital Trends, The Indian Express and Rolling Stone
Lauren Irwin / The Hill:
Judy Woodruff apologizes for saying she had read reports that Trump urged Israel's PM not to cut a deal to end fighting in Gaza because it would help Harris — PBS NewsHour senior correspondent Judy Woodruff issued an apology Wednesday after her comments about former President Trump's role in Gaza cease-fire talks sparked criticism.
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@judywoodruff, Plain Dealer, Reuters, Poynter, @jeremyschulman, MSNBC, The Daily Wire, New York Post, Fox News, Mediaite and New Republic
Peter White / Deadline:
Sources: Chick-Fil-A plans to launch a slate of original media productions for its own streaming platform and has worked with studios on family-friendly shows — Deadline understands that the fast-food firm has been working with a number of major production companies, including some of the studios …
Discussion:
The Ankler, Business Insider, Fortune, New York Post, The Verge, The Hill, Los Angeles Times, @mikeorren, @deadline, Too Much TV Newsletter, Axios, @mfg_iwpj, @deadline, @c_a_huggins, The Overspill, Mashable, @cafastfoodunion, @chrisvalentino0, @deadline, Variety, @kennysmith.bsky.social, Ars Technica, Vibe, @LilahTovMoon@tech.lgbt, CBR, Vanity Fair, AV Club, @sleestak.bsky.social, The Daily Beast, The Desk, Streaming Better, @acidrains.bsky.social, Quartz, SlashFilm, The Media Leader and Cord Cutters News
New York Times:
The FBI has raided the homes of two US commentators for Russian state media in an effort to blunt foreign influence on elections; more searches are expected — The F.B.I. raided the homes of two prominent commentators on Russian state television channels as part of an effort to blunt attempts to influence November's election.
Politico:
Google and California strike a deal to jointly contribute $125M+ over five years to support local news; the deal also includes support for an AI project — The California agreement includes funding for artificial intelligence, a technology many journalists fear could replace their jobs.
Discussion:
Editor and Publisher, KQED, Media Nation, a14.asmdc.org, UPI, The Verge, CalMatters, Los Angeles Times, The Information, @eytanwallace, @gaufre, @jamesqueallylat, @jeffjarvis, @jeffjarvis, @eytanwallace, @eytanwallace, @eytanwallace, New York Times, CNN, @davidfolkenflik, @eytanwallace, MediaPost and Engadget, more at Techmeme »
Patrick Frater / Variety:
Chinese streamer iQiyi reports Q2 revenue down 5% YoY to ~$1.04B and net profit down 80% YoY to ~$9.6M, as subscription revenue shrinks for a second quarter — China-based video streaming company iQiyi recorded a 5% decrease in revenue in the second quarter and an 80% plunge in net profits.
Amanda Meade / The Guardian:
David Anderson, head of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, plans to step down in 2025 after ABC finds a managing director, after a 35-year career at ABC — In a note to staff Anderson - who was first appointed to role in 2019 - says it was an honour and privilege to lead the ABC
Reuters:
Russia's FSB opens criminal cases against British CNN reporter Nick Paton Walsh and two Ukrainian journalists for illegally entering Russia to report from Kursk — Russia's FSB security service said on Thursday it had opened a criminal case against a journalist working for CNN …
Discussion:
CNN, The Moscow Times, Al Jazeera and Politico
Michael Gwilliam / Dexerto:
Twitch plans to raise its new Tier 1 sub and gift sub prices on mobile in 40+ countries on October 1; in an email, Twitch says Tier 1 will rise by $2 to $7.99 — Twitch has announced yet another increase to the price of subs after already raising the cost earlier in the summer.
Discussion:
Neowin, @twitchsupport, PhoneArena, 9to5Mac, Engadget and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Rotten Tomatoes debuts a Verified Hot badge for films that have a Verified Audience Score of 90% or higher, among other requirements — Movies that are ‘Verified Hot’ by filmgoers will join those that are ‘Certified Fresh’ from critics, in a move meant to give more weight to consumer opinions …
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