Top News:
CNBC:
Disney and DirecTV reach an agreement that will bring Disney's ESPN and other channels back to the pay-tv provider's customers after a roughly two week blackout — DirecTV and Disney have reached a deal that will bring Disney's ESPN and other channels back to the pay-tv provider's customers after a roughly two week blackout.
Discussion:
ESPN Press Room U.S., @matthewkeyslive, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, @matthewkeyslive, @ourand_puck, @ourand_puck, @ourand_puck, WXIA-TV, @sarafischer, @benmullin, @rafat, The Desk, IndieWire, Streaming Better, Sportico, CNN, Axios, The Verge, Variety, Deadline, 6abc, The Hollywood Reporter and CBS News
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Michelle F Davis / Bloomberg:
Sources: DirecTV is in talks with Dish for a merger, which could create the largest pay-TV provider in the US with about 20M subscribers — - On-again, off-again efforts date back more than two decades — DirecTV-Dish merger would create largest US pay-TV distributor
Peter Beaumont / The Guardian:
The Jewish Chronicle removes a series of sensational articles relating to the Gaza war after claims that they were fabricated by freelance journalist Elon Perry — Newspaper's due diligence is under scrutiny amid growing misgivings over its ownership and the role of its editor
Financial Times:
Sources: Mathias Döpfner and KKR near a deal to split up Axel Springer, valuing the company at €13.5B; KKR would get control of the €10B+ classifieds business — Agreement to be discussed next week could cement Mathias Döpfner's control over media outlets Politico and Bild
Discussion:
@hrreisen, @jeffjarvis@mastodon.social, Bloomberg and Reuters
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Disney+ to gain four channels in 2024: Real Life, Throwbacks, Hallowstream, which is seasonal, and Hits and Heroes, action stories from Marvel, Stars Wars, more — Dana Walden shares Disney's playbook to build the second global — and profitable — streaming service.
Discussion:
@lucas_shaw
Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:
Google TV rolls out Freeplay as a new home for its free, ad-supported TV channels, which grew to 150, up from 80 in early 2023 — After adding a few more new channels recently, Google TV has started rolling out “Freeplay” as a new home for its free, ad-supported TV channels.
Discussion:
Cord Cutters News, Neowin, Android Police, Gizchina.com, SamMobile, Android Authority, TechRadar, The Verge and BGR
Joseph Gedeon / Politico:
The US State Department says Russia's RT is operating a military procurement network to supply Russian forces and is growing global covert influence operations — The state-backed media outlet has been sending weapons to Russian units, including sniper rifles and suppressors, body armor …
RELATED:
David Klepper / Associated Press:
The US State Department announces new sanctions on Russian state media and their leaders, including RT parent TV-Novosti and a related group, Rossiya Segodnya — The U.S. State Department announced new sanctions on Russian state media Friday, accusing a Kremlin news outlet of working hand …
Jason Parham / Wired:
An interview with Maya Cade, founder of the Black Film Archive, on the Internet Archive lawsuit, Hollywood's business model, Black media's future, and more — “It's as if television, media, and filmmaking are becoming manifest destiny in the wrong ways,” says Maya Cade, founder of the Black Film Archive.
Discussion:
@mayascade and @nonlinearnotes
Simon Willison / Simon Willison's Weblog:
A leaked onboarding document gives a detailed look into the strategies and culture of MrBeast's operation, focusing on YouTube virality over production quality — It's a snapshot of what it takes to run a massive scale viral YouTube operation in the 2020s, as well as a detailed description …
Discussion:
@gregisenberg, @girdley, @patio11, @mattround@crispsandwi.ch, @jacobrintamaki, @simonw, @sebmellen, @matthewclifford, @simonw, @thepatwalls and @nearlydaniel
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Sources: Netflix is in talks with BuzzFeed to stream Hot Ones, to add to its live lineup; Sean Evans would host several live episodes specifically for Netflix — - Streaming company holds talks with show owner BuzzFeed — Program would add to lineup of live fare, including NFL, WWE
Discussion:
TechCrunch, TV Insider, Forbes, Variety, @daveleebbg@threads.net, AV Club, The Wrap, The Hollywood Reporter, TVNewsCheck and The Verge
Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:
Q&A with Ken Doctor, the news industry analyst who founded Lookout, on its Santa Cruz newsroom in California, expansion into Oregon, revenue streams, and more — After finding success — and a Pulitzer Prize — in Santa Cruz, Lookout aims to replicate its model in Oregon.
Discussion:
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