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12:00 PM ET, September 30, 2024

Mediagazer

 Top News: 
Todd Spangler / Variety:
A combined DirecTV and Dish would have ~18M customers total, down 63% from the peak levels in 2016; DirecTV has ~10M pay-TV subscribers, down from 25.5M in 2016  —  TPG will acquire AT&T's 70% stake in DirecTV, giving it 100% ownership in the pay-TV provider
RELATED:
Amy Thomson / Bloomberg:
AT&T agrees to sell its majority stake in DirecTV to private equity firm TPG for $7.6B in cash, including $1.7B in pre-tax quarterly distributions in H2 2024  —  The payments include $1.7 billion in pre-tax quarterly distributions in the second half of this year and $5.4 billion …
Georg Szalai / The Hollywood Reporter:
DirecTV and EchoStar reach a definitive agreement for DirecTV to acquire EchoStar's video business Dish DBS, including Dish TV and Sling TV  —  The combination “will benefit U.S. video consumers by creating a more robust competitive force in a video industry dominated by streaming services owned …
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Sources: Amazon Prime Video is in talks with veteran anchor Brian Williams to host a live Election Night special, its first entry into news-related programming  —  Brian Williams may have found his next TV-news job....except it won't be on traditional TV.  —  The veteran NBC News …
Jem Aswad / Variety:
YouTube blocks songs by Adele, Bob Dylan, Green Day, and others in the US, after its music licensing agreement with performing rights organization SESAC expired  —  Songs by Adele, Bob Dylan, Green Day, R.E.M., Burna Boy, Rush and many others are currently unplayable on YouTube in the U.S. due …
New York Times:
CBS plans to show an onscreen QR code for the VP debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz to direct users to fact checks on the CBS News website  —  CBS is experimenting with a novel way to offer real-time fact-checking of the vice-presidential debate on Tuesday.  Just don't expect the moderators to frequently jump in.
Nicole Sperling / New York Times:
CNN revives CNN Films, which was shut down in 2022, with plans to finance and release documentary series and films as part of an overhaul by Mark Thompson  —  The network is again financing and releasing documentary series and films after backing away from the genre two years ago.
Discussion: TVNewsCheck
Bron Maher / Press Gazette:
Gaming and entertainment media publisher Gamurs Group cuts 30 staff worldwide, blaming Google changes in late 2023, including its “helpful content” update  —  Gaming and entertainment media publisher Gamurs Group has cut 30 staff worldwide, saying the layoffs were necessitated …
Discussion: @matthewkeyslive
Gene Maddaus / Variety:
A US judge rules that Fiona Harvey can pursue her defamation lawsuit against Netflix over Baby Reindeer, saying the show was wrongly billed as a “true story”  —  A judge ruled Friday that the Netflix show “Baby Reindeer” did not live up to its billing as a “true story,” …
New York Times:
Google's lawyers wrapped up their defense of the company in the US DOJ ad tech antitrust trial last week; a judge's ruling is expected in the coming months  —  The tech giant, which wrapped up its arguments in the federal monopoly trial, simply says it has the best product.
 
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 More News: 
Lulu Garcia-Navarro / New York Times:
Q&A with John Oliver on why he doesn't consider himself a journalist, his frustration with HBO delaying putting his show's segments on YouTube, and more
Kate Knibbs / Wired:
A profile of Internet Archive founder Brewster Kahle, as the service fights existential battles over copyright, including from music labels like UMG
 Earlier Picks: 
Jessica Toonkel / Wall Street Journal:
Comcast's European pay-TV company Sky sues WBD, accusing it of violating a 2019 deal giving Sky exclusive rights to shows, including a new Harry Potter series
Cristiano Lima-Strong / Washington Post:
Meta will also block sharing of Ken Klippenstein's newsletter and other sources with the JD Vance dossier, citing foreign meddling and hacked materials policies
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Future announces the closure of several “low to no growth assets” including some events and magazines, among them 3D World, All About Space, and Total 911
Discussion: Ian Betteridge
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Memos: Scripps is “winding down” its linear national TV news business on November 15, resulting in ~200 layoffs, and president of news Kate O'Brian is leaving
Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple rethinks its movie strategy, including rolling back theatrical releases and cutting budgets for most to under $100M, after some box office misses
 

 
From Techmeme:

Wall Street Journal:
Gina Raimondo says holding back China in the chips race is a “fool's errand”, and investment, more than export controls, will keep US ahead of Beijing

Paresh Dave / Wired:
Google says it wouldn't force its device makers, browser, and wireless carrier licensees to distribute Gemini to US users for three years, in a proposed remedy

Reuters:
Albania bans TikTok for a year from January 2025, part of a broader plan to make schools safer following the killing of a 14-year-old near a school in November
 
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