Top News:


TikTok says it plans to shut down TikTok Music on November 28 and will delete customer data; the app, originally called Resso, first launched in 2019 — TikTok Music will go offline on Nov. 28 and customer data will be deleted, the music division said in a post on its website.


The NYT aims to sell podcast subscriptions via Apple Podcasts and Spotify, requiring users to pay to access older episodes, starting Oct. for $6/mo. or $50/year — - “A big part of our strategy is building direct relationships with our customers,” said Ben Cotton, The Times' head of subscription growth.
Discussion:
The Verge, The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Times Company, The Streamable, The Hill, The Wrap, @sarafischer, Bloomberg and 9to5Mac


Vice relaunches its print magazine, on hiatus since 2019, and debuts $10 per month and $4 per month subscriptions with access to paywalled content — The publisher hopes to reach 10,000 subscribers by next spring — The digital media company Vice relaunched its print magazine and debuted …
Discussion:
VICE


Paramount's Pluto TV and M6+ strike a partnership that includes content channels and ad sales in France; French TV company M6 launched the AVOD platform in May — The strategic commercial and editorial partnership is designed to “scale and expand their free streaming and digital businesses in France.”
Discussion:
The Desk, Advanced Television, Variety, TVNewsCheck, Deadline, Broadband TV News, TVBEurope and WORLD SCREEN


Netflix pauses funding for some professional development programs in the Canadian film and TV industry as Canada imposes a 5% tax on foreign streamers' revenue — /arts/arts/arts//artsThe future of several professional development programs crucial to the health of the Canadian film …
Discussion:
@mgeist and iPhone in Canada Blog


Sources: Koch's PE arm is in talks with a media entrepreneur to partner on a bid for Forbes valuing the company at ~10% less than its $630M 2021 SPAC valuation — The firm often targets companies that are poorly managed or undervalued. — It will often partner with a strategic buyer …
Discussion:
Talking Biz News


Warner Bros. Discovery partners with Google to add its “caption AI” tool built on Vertex AI to Max to automatically generate captions for unscripted programming — Warner Bros. Discovery is partnering with Google to integrate the internet giant's AI technology …
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap, Variety, Engadget, TechHive, Quartz, The Keyword, Google Cloud, @dfwsam.bsky.social and The Verge, more at Techmeme »


Memo: Paramount unveils “phase two” of layoffs and says 90% of them will be complete after this round, following its August plan to cut 15% of its US workforce — Paramount Global unveiled a second wave of staff cuts Tuesday morning, part of a larger bid by the owner of CBS …
Discussion:
New York Post, Variety, The Wrap, @dylanbyers, Adweek, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Los Angeles Times, Deadline, TVNewsCheck, Next TV, Bloomberg and Advanced Television


Trending Now, which offers AI-powered B2B newsletters, changes its logo after BuzzFeed sent a cease-and-desist letter over alleged copyright infringement — An AI-powered aggregator newsletter publisher has changed its logo in response to a legal threat from Buzzfeed.


How WhatsApp Channels, launched in late 2023, are driving traffic to digital news outlets, especially readers from outside the US, as social media traffic falls — An illustration of a man sitting on a green chair reading a newspaper called “World News” as he looks at his phone behind it.Jackson Gibbs
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, @hanaatameez, @mikeisaac, @mikeisaac and @simondowens@threads.net


Roku unveils the $100 Roku Ultra, which is 30% faster than its other streaming players and has Wi-Fi 6, HDMI 2.1, Dolby Atmos, the Voice Remote Pro, and more — One day after the Google TV Streamer hit stores, Roku is announcing its own latest streaming player.
Discussion:
The Desk, Next TV, ZDNET, The Streamable, iPhone in Canada Blog, @roku, The Nerdy, TechHive, Business Insider, 9to5Google, The Shortcut, Engadget, How-To Geek, Digital Trends, CNN, Streaming Better, Cord Cutters News, TechRadar, MobileSyrup, Roku on YouTube, CNET on YouTube, Bloomberg, Tom's Guide, Next TV and CNET, more at Techmeme »


Reach CEO Jim Mullen says there is “too much power in the hands of platforms and their algorithms” and calls for regulation to make platforms pay for content — The chief executive of the UK's biggest commercial news publisher has called for big tech regulation so the platforms pay …
Discussion:
Liverpool Echo and HoldtheFrontPage