Top News:
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 — - DirecTV is holding advanced talks to merge with rival Dish — AT&T and TPG are owners of DirecTV, which was founded in 1994
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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
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
Discussion:
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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.
Discussion:
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Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
Sony Pictures says CEO Tony Vinciquerra will step down at the beginning of 2025 and be succeeded by the studio's President and COO Ravi Ahuja — Mr. Ahuja, president and chief operating officer of Sony Pictures Entertainment, will succeed its current chief executive, Tony Vinciquerra.
Discussion:
IndieWire, Variety, The Wrap, @benmullin, Wall Street Journal, The Hollywood Reporter, @tvmojoe, Deadline, @megjameslat, Los Angeles Times, The InSneider, TVNewsCheck and Bloomberg
Umar Shakir / The Verge:
YouTube reaches a deal with SESAC that will bring back songs by Adele, Bob Dylan, Nirvana, and others that were removed over the weekend in the US — YouTube has reached a deal with the music licensing organization SESAC that will bring back songs that were removed over the weekend.
Jay Peters / The Verge:
Reddit moderators must now submit a request to Reddit staff before changing a subreddit's public/private status, making sitewide mod-led protests much harder — Reddit is giving its staff a lot more power over the communities on its platform. Starting today, Reddit moderators will not be able …
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
Matthew Keys / The Desk:
Fox News Media's streaming service Fox Nation plans to launch faith-based original shows under a new brand vertical called Fox Faith — Fox News Media's premium streaming service Fox Nation will debut a handful of faith-based original series under a new brand vertical called Fox Faith.
Discussion:
Variety, TVNewsCheck and Media Play News
Thomas Rid / Foreign Affairs:
An FBI affidavit and European media leaks show how Russia's Doppelganger disinformation project operated and give insights into the Kremlin's online tactics — The Country's Propagandists Target the West—but Mislead the Kremlin, Too — In early September, the infamous Russian disinformation project known …
Brian Stelter / CNN:
How WWNC and other local broadcasters became a lifeline for hard-hit North Carolina communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene — One caller was trying to find her brother. Another was asking about evacuation routes. A third was wondering if another tropical storm was on the way.
Discussion:
@bgrueskin, @brianstelter, @nicolemfoy, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, PolitiFact, @digiphile, @brianstelter, Inside Radio, @brianstelter, TVNewsCheck and DNyuz
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Audacy wins regulatory approval for the transfer of its licenses to George Soros-backed Fund for Policy Reform, letting Audacy emerge from Chapter 11 — Under the restructuring approved by the court in February, the new, closely held company will be controlled by the Fund for Policy Reform …
Discussion:
Inside Radio, RADIO ONLINE, New York Post, Radio Ink, CNN, Axios, Radio World, Radio & Television … and Reuters
Max Tani / Semafor:
Politico and Capitol AI partner for an AI tool to let users create topical reports from Politico and Politico Pro content, available for Pro users later in 2024 — THE SCOOP — Politico is launching a strategic partnership with a Y Combinator-backed artificial intelligence startup …
Nilay Patel / The Verge:
Q&A with Matt Strauss, the chairman of direct-to-consumer at NBCUniversal, about overseeing Peacock and other streamers, Olympics coverage, pay-TV decline, more — Matt Strauss, head of Peacock and global streaming, has plans to keep you watching.
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