Top News:
CNBC:
Comcast confirms plans to spin off its NBCUniversal cable TV networks, including MSNBC and CNBC, with Mark Lazarus as CEO; the separation may take about a year — Comcast is moving forward with the spinoff of its cable network channels, including CNBC, MSNBC and E!, the company said Wednesday.
Discussion:
Comcast, Engadget, New York Times, Axios, Variety, Radio & Television …, Marketplace, Mediaite, Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg, @sherman4949, RetailWire, Front Office Sports, Forbes, @benmullin, @mediaite, @jeffjarvis, The Wrap, Breitbart, Total Telecom, TechCrunch, Fast Company, USA Today, @sarafischer, AV Club, Ars Technica, CNN, @brianstelter, @sherman4949, One America News Network, @colbyhall, Philadelphia Business Journal, @nemalki.bsky.social, @benmullin, IJR, @brianstelter, Washington Examiner, @sherman4949, Adweek, The Guardian, Media Play News, Stephani Shelton on LinkedIn, Newser, HotAir, Cord Cutters News, The Desk, NBC News, @stark.soy, @joshuabenton.com, TVNewsCheck, Fox Business, @great_katzby, The Verge, HuffPost, acecomments.mu.nu, Fortune, Yahoo Finance, Barron's Online, Benzinga, Talking Biz News, Financial Times, The Information, @amolsharma.bsky.social, NBC News, Media Play News, Los Angeles Times, The Wrap, Variety, Ad Age, CNN, Awful Announcing, Cord Cutters News, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Business Insider and Wall Street Journal
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Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Sources: Comcast execs told staff that MSNBC may have to change its identity as part of the spinoff, including losing access to NBC News' newsgathering process — MSNBC fans who are disappointed in the progressive-leaning network after Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 election may no longer have it to kick around.
Discussion:
Deadline, New York Post, Fox News, Mediaite, @sherman4949, @bristei, @davidingram.bsky.social, @tvmojoe, @bristei.bsky.social, @igotarock2.bsky.social, @tomgara@threads.net, @colbyhall, The Desk, @jeffjarvis.bsky.social, @maxwelltani, @jbflint, @noblewatchman.bsky.social, @harveyjkaye.bsky.social, @bristei, Awful Announcing, PoliticusUSA and Instapundit
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Analyzing Comcast's spinoff of cable networks, purposefully structured with low debt: the move might be a signal to the industry that it's time to consolidate — Comcast shares posted modest gains Wednesday after the company announced its plan to spin off all of NBCUniversal's cable networks …
Discussion:
Business Insider, Alex Sherman on LinkedIn, Associated Press, The Streamable, Bloomberg, Reuters and MediaPost
Liz Hoffman / Semafor:
Sources: under current plans, Comcast's new spun off entity would carry little of its $101B of debt, giving it the ability to borrow for acquisitions
Discussion:
Bloomberg and @semaforben
Peter Kafka / Business Insider:
Comcast's spinoff is essentially a garage sale of its basic cable TV networks, as the number of people paying for and watching cable networks falls every year
Discussion:
@pkafka.bsky.social, Advanced Television, TVNewsCheck, MediaPost, Reuters and WHEC.com
Georg Szalai / The Hollywood Reporter:
Comcast spinoff: cable channel Bravo, the NBC broadcast network, and Peacock will remain part of NBCUniversal; the new entity's ownership will mirror Comcast
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Deadline, Business Insider, Forbes, Variety, @pkafka, TVNewsCheck and Screen Rant
James Warrington / Telegraph:
Almost 93% of 600 Guardian and Observer staff organized by the NUJ vote in favor of strike action over the proposed sale of The Observer to Tortoise — Union leaders say walkouts can be avoided if the company ends discussions with Tortoise — The Guardian is braced for strike action …
RELATED:
Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:
Tortoise says it plans to invest £25M in Observer over five years, aiming to turn it into a self-funded, paywalled newsbrand with 100K new digital subscribers — Guardian and Observer journalists have agreed to a 48-hour strike in protest at the planned sale of The Observer to Tortoise Media.
Discussion:
@shattenstone.bsky.social, @dominicponsford.bsky.social, @carolecadwalla.bsky.social, Telegraph, @shattenstone.bsky.social, @jobmaynooth.bsky.social, @michaelgoodier.bsky.social, @danielthomasldn, @jacksommers.bsky.social, @pressgazette.co.uk, @shattenstone.bsky.social and @annafazack.bsky.social
Manuela Vega / Toronto Star:
Rogers Sports & Media lays off more than two dozen employees in its radio and podcasting divisions, citing declining revenue and challenges in advertising — The company has said there will be no closures or terminations of stations, programming or podcasts.
Discussion:
Inside Radio, CBC News and Globe and Mail
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Trump says Republicans must kill the PRESS Act, which would protect journalists' records and sources from the US government; the bill is stalled in the Senate — The bill, known as the PRESS Act, would codify protections against federal investigators seizing reporters' records.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Media Nation, The Daily Caller, @kgosztola.bsky.social, Rolling Stone, @freedom.press and @freedom.press
Harrison Smith / Washington Post:
Reg Murphy, an editor and publisher in Atlanta, San Francisco, and Baltimore, died Nov. 9 at 90; he was kidnapped in 1974 by a man angry at “liberal news media” — As a top editor at the Atlanta Constitution, he was held for a $700,000 ransom. He was later the publisher …
Discussion:
@slbuffington.bsky.social, New York Times, @tomsherwood and @jeffjarvis@mastodon.social
Bloomberg:
News Corp shareholders reject Starboard's proposal to end News Corp's dual share structure, which Starboard said gives the Murdochs “outsized influence” — - Starboard argued that Murdoch family had too much influence — Murdoch family awaits ruling in contentious trust trial
Discussion:
Deadline, Reuters, @davidfolkenflik and The Guardian
Josh Hersh / Columbia Journalism Review:
Q&A with Vulture's podcast critic Nicholas Quah about how Trump tapped into the podcast world, podcasters like Joe Rogan being “politically squishy”, and more — Donald Trump surprised a lot of people when he appeared on a number of nonpolitical podcasts this summer …
Discussion:
@joeroganhq
Sam Gutelle / Tubefilter:
Streamlabs: Twitch accounted for 82.3% of total Q3 streaming hours, with YouTube Gaming in second place at 5.6%; Kick grew 204% from Q2 2023 to Q3 2024 — For years, the Logitech-owned creator dashboard Streamlabs and its data partner Stream Hatchet have compiled quarterly progress reports for the streaming industry.
Discussion:
@tvgrimreaper and Streamlabs
Oliver Darcy / Status:
Nielsen: Morning Joe's total audience fell 17% from the 6am hour to the 7am hour after Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski said they met Trump, an unusual drop — The decision from Comcast will notably rip apart NBCU News Group boss Cesar Conde's kingdom, with MSNBC and CNBC being spun off.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Vanity Fair, Al Jazeera, Trending Politics …, StreamTV Insider, Variety, Adweek, @jeremymbarr, @claeshs.bsky.social, The Hollywood Reporter, @jeffjarvis, @matthewkeyslive, @kellycripe, @michellesea.bsky.social, @brianstelter, @sallyshin, @asharma, @tvgrimreaper, @asharma, @asharma, Mediaite, @timkarr.bsky.social, Stephanie Smith on LinkedIn, @oliverdarcy@threads.net, The Desk, Reuters, TVNewsCheck, Matthew Keys on LinkedIn, Dan Rayburn on LinkedIn, @amolsharma.bsky.social, The Hill, Daily Mail and Daily Kos
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