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Costas Pitas / Reuters:
Donald Trump picks former news anchor and hardline Republican Kari Lake to be the director of US government-funded media outlet Voice of America — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said he was picking Kari Lake, a former news anchor and a hardline Republican who failed to win …
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Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
BuzzFeed reaches a deal to sell Hot Ones owner First We Feast for $82.5M in cash to a consortium of investors led by an affiliate of Soros Fund Management — The sale, to a group that includes the show's host, Sean Evans, and Soros Fund Management, will allow BuzzFeed to pay down tens of millions of dollars in debt.
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Todd Spangler / Variety:
BuzzFeed says selling First We Feast will cut its outstanding debt by $89M to $30M and let it operate with a cash balance larger than its total outstanding debt — “Hot Ones” is going solo. — BuzzFeed announced a deal to sell First We Feast, the studio behind the popular YouTube chicken …
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Warner Bros. Discovery announces a restructuring to create two separate units: one for linear TV networks and one for production studios and streaming platforms — The maneuver was unveiled just days after Comcast said it planned to spin off the bulk of its NBCUniversal cable networks …
Katie Robertson / New York Times:
The NYT Tech Guild and its 600+ members reach a tentative deal with management on a contract enhancing job security, setting flexible hybrid schedules, and more — The union, which represents some 600 tech workers at the publication, had been negotiating for a contract for more than two years.
Jessica Toonkel / Wall Street Journal:
Current and former Netflix staff say the company has walked back its parental-leave benefits, after shifting its focus from subscriber growth to profitability — Employees worry the pullback and other new restrictions mean the entertainment giant is losing the identity that fueled its success
The Guardian:
Guardian and Observer journalists hold a second 48-hour strike against The Observer sale to Tortoise Media; the Scott Trust has agreed to the sale in principle — Second two-day action follows news that the deal was agreed in principle last week by the Scott Trust
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Sources: CNBC plans to launch streaming outlet CNBC+ in Q1 2025, to make a “global feed” available that lets users follow programming from Asia and Europe — The bottom of a TV screen isn't the only place CNBC fans will be able to follow its famous ticker.
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Nic Fildes / Financial Times:
Australia plans a levy on tech companies like Meta with $250M+ in local revenue to force them to pay publishers for journalism, after Meta quit the prior deal — Move is designed to close loophole after Meta walked away from existing deal to use media content
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Ken Klippenstein:
Slack messages: NYT editors tell reporters to “dial back” on using photos of alleged UnitedHealth gunman Luigi Mangione and to avoid publishing his “manifesto” — Times management directs staff to “dial back” Luigi Mangione headshots
Julia Jacobs / New York Times:
The NLRB issues a complaint against Netflix's Love Is Blind and classifies its contestants as employees, a case that could have ripple effects across reality TV — The National Labor Relations Board's case against the Netflix hit could have ripple effects across the reality TV industry.
Discussion:
AV Club, Media Play News and The Wrap, more at Techmeme »
Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
In a letter to UK ministers, the Copyright Alliance, representing Disney, Fox, and others, opposes potential laws allowing AI companies to scrape their content — Body that represents Disney, Fox and Universal Music set out ‘strong opposition’ over weakening of copyright laws
Discussion:
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