Top News:
New York Times:
Sealed doc: Rupert Murdoch failed in an attempt to change his family trust to consolidate Lachlan's control of his empire and lock in Fox News' right-wing bent — A Nevada commissioner ruled resoundingly against Mr. Murdoch, who was trying to give full control of his empire to his son Lachlan …
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OpenAI:
OpenAI launches Sora, available as part of ChatGPT Plus, letting users generate up to 50 videos at 480p or fewer videos at 720p each month, in select countries — We're moving our video generation model out of research preview. — Learn more System Card
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Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
OpenAI says it will give only a “subset” of Sora users access to a feature for creating videos of a real person using uploaded photos or footage of the person — OpenAI launched its video-generating tool, Sora, on Monday. But the company's opting not to release a key feature for most users pending further testing.
Ben Sisario / New York Times:
Taylor Swift Touring says the Eras Tour made $2B in ticket sales, double the gross of any other concert tour in history, with an average seat price of ~$204 — Over 21 months, the pop superstar's culture-dominating stage show doubled the gross of its closest competitor, according to ticket sales figures confirmed for the first time.
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Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:
The Guardian publishes a letter by 125 Guardian and Observer staff contradicting Scott Trust claims of “extensive consultations” with staff over Observer sale — The Guardian has published two letters from current and former staff attacking the chair of the Scott Trust, the limited company which owns Guardian Media Group.
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The Guardian, Sky News, @carolecadwalla.bsky.social, The Guardian, @patrickbarkham.bsky.social, @soniasodha, @soniargallego, @gonuj.org, @hermionegingol1, @susannajrustin.bsky.social, @hadleyfreeman, @joolsjuevans, @soniasodha, @filmlecturer, @etansmallman, @stephmerritt.bsky.social, @soniasodha, @soniasodha, MediaPost, The Times, Associated Press, Reuters, London Evening Standard, New York Times, Financial Times and Le Monde
Max Tani / Semafor:
Source: Vox Media will not renew its deal to distribute Taylor Lorenz's video podcast, set to expire at the start of 2025; the first episode aired in March 2024 — The Scoop — Vox Media is ending its deal to distribute Taylor Lorenz's podcast and YouTube show.
Ben Smith / Semafor:
Source: Fox is talking to potential acquisition targets in political media, particularly on the right, including Daily Wire and Red Seat Ventures — THE SCOOP — My colleague Liz Hoffman has written that “SpinCo,” the new proprietor of NBC's cable assets, will be born with a strong balance sheet …
Discussion:
@brianstelter, @semaforben and @bmccandless
Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
ITV CEO Carolyn McCall has fared well in an embattled sector, turning around the UK's biggest commercial public broadcaster despite a stubbornly low share price — CEO has fared well in an embattled sector, turning around the UK's biggest commercial public broadcaster despite the stubbornly low share price
Dade Hayes / Deadline:
Brendan Carr, Donald Trump's pick to chair the FCC, vowed to back local TV stations even if it conflicts “with the interests of national broadcast networks” — Video … Appearing Friday on CNBC's Squawk on the Street, Carr continued to draw attention to broadcast networks' …
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, CNBC and Business Insider
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Comcast and WBD announce a multiyear distribution pact, including letting Comcast bundle Max in the US; Sky will launch the Max app in the UK in April 2025 — Sky gets U.K. rights to HBO's forthcoming Harry Potter series, will distribute Max in the country
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Oliver Darcy / Status:
Q&A with Vox Media CEO Jim Bankoff on The Verge's paywall, New York Magazine's new app, podcast renewal talks, and layoffs at Thrillist, PS, and Eater — The Vox Media boss spoke to Status about the tough reality digital publishers are facing, with “compounding changes in technology …
Discussion:
@oliverdarcy.bsky.social and @carlquintanilla.bsky.social
Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
GroupM expects global ad industry revenue to hit $1T for the first time in 2024; Google, Meta, ByteDance, Amazon, and Alibaba are set to earn 50%+ of the total — Google, Meta, ByteDance, Amazon and Alibaba expected to earn more than half the annual total — The global advertising industry …