Mediagazer: ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro says the company has suggested to sports leagues that it could help distribute games to specific markets via its streaming products (Brian Steinberg/Variety)

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David Pierce / The Verge:

ESPN launches a Where to Watch feature on its website and app, which aims to be a universal guide for streaming sports with data from 250+ streaming services — ESPN's newest feature will be a welcome bookmark for sports fans everywhere: the company just launched “Where to Watch,” …

Discussion: Awful Announcing, The Streamable, The Hill, 9to5Mac, @coreypein.bsky.social and What's On Disney Plus, more at Techmeme »

Brian Steinberg / Variety:

ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro says the company has suggested to sports leagues that it could help distribute games to specific markets via its streaming products — BRISTOL, Conn. — ESPN, best known for its comprehensive portfolio of national sports rights, sees a chance to get into the business …

Discussion: The Streamable, The Wrap, Deadline, TVNewsCheck, Front Office Sports, The Hollywood Reporter and Media Play News

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:

Sources: Apple lays off ~100 people in its services group, impacting Apple Books, News, and other teams, a rare move as part of a shift in the unit's priorities — - Layoffs will include some workers in Books and News apps — Company is eliminating about 100 positions in Tuesday's move

Discussion: MediaPost, TechCrunch, The Hill, The Verge, Ars Technica, New York Post, @aaronp613, @markgurman, Melanie Oyler on LinkedIn, @markgurman, @tolmasky@mastodon.social, @migueldeicaza.bsky.social and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »

Tom Friend / Sports Business Journal:

Sources: Amazon recently pulled its January 2024 offer to invest $115M in Diamond Sports Group, as the broadcast landscape changed — Amazon recently pulled its eight-month-old offer to infuse Diamond Sports Group with $115M in cash, multiple sources told SBJ, a development that has delayed …

Discussion: StreamTV Insider, Next TV, Front Office Sports, Barrett Media, The Streamable, Awful Announcing, Cord Cutters News, TVNewsCheck and Sports Media Watch

Jonathan Stempel / Reuters:

The Second US Circuit Court of Appeals grants Sarah Palin a new trial in her defamation suit against the New York Times over a 2017 editorial — Sarah Palin on Wednesday won her bid for a new trial against the New York Times (NYT.N) over an editorial that the former Alaska governor said was defamatory.

Discussion: New York Times, Mediaite, Reason, Deadline and Reuters

Bron Maher / Press Gazette:

The Daily Telegraph's annual statement shows it had the most UK Editors' Code breaches upheld by IPSO in 2023; IPSO had 8K complaints in 2023 vs. 36K in 2022 — The Daily Telegraph had the most breaches of the Editors' Code upheld by IPSO in 2023, its annual statement to the regulator shows.

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Gallery Media Group CEO Ryan Harwood says GMG, which owns PureWow and 50+ lifestyle brands primarily on social media, aims to end 2024 with $50M in revenue — - Its executives credit cautious spending, smart owners and a relentless focus on their consumers.

Discussion: Ryan Harwood on LinkedIn

The Information:

Memo: TikTok Global Head of Content Nicole Iacopetti plans to leave on September 6, after joining in 2020 from Disney; she helped shape TikTok's news strategy — It's been a tumultuous year for TikTok employees, between a looming potential ban of the app in the U.S. to its first widespread layoffs earlier this year.

Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch:

VerSe Innovation, the parent of Indian news aggregator Dailyhunt, buys digital marketing agency Valueleaf for an undisclosed sum in a cash and equity deal — VerSe Innovation, India's content tech unicorn that owns local language news aggregator Dailyhunt, digital newsstand platform Magzter …

Discussion: Entrackr

April Rubin / Axios:

Snap launches new safety tools and resources for US educators, and says Snapchat has 20M+ US teen users; Pew says 51% of US teens used Snapchat daily in 2023 — - Snapchat was the third most used app among teens in a 2023 Pew study, behind YouTube and Instagram.

Discussion: TechCrunch, Snapchat, Engadget and Christopher Rinkus on LinkedIn

Pavel Durov Detained / Bloomberg:

Russians, from Kremlin officials to Putin's harshest critics, see Telegram as a source of both uncensored info, including on Ukraine, and problematic content — - Many Russians view Telegram as source of uncensored content — Opposition, government united in outrage over Durov's arrest

Discussion: Al Jazeera and New York Post

Reuters:

India's antitrust body clears the $8.5B Reliance-Disney merger, a source says after getting commitments over not raising ad rates on cricket streaming and more — Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) and Reliance Industries (RELI.NS) have won approval for an $8.5 billion merger of their Indian media assets subject …

Discussion: Financial Times, Deadline, Aditya Kalra on LinkedIn, Variety, @adityakalra, What's On Disney Plus and Bloomberg