Top News:
Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
Richard Parsons, who had a long career as chairman, CEO, and as a board member of media companies including CBS and Time Warner, died at 76 of bone cancer — Mr. Parsons's lengthy résumé is a catalog of corporate emergencies at Time Warner, Citigroup and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Discussion:
The Wrap, CNN, Variety, Wall Street Journal, The Hollywood Reporter, @benmullin.bsky.social and Deadline
Richard Deitsch / New York Times:
Netflix's first livestream of NFL games avoided major buffering and freezing issues that plagued the Tyson-Paul fight for the most part, after early glitches — If you believe in omens, Netflix appeared to be in for a very long day on Wednesday. As the streaming giant began …
Discussion:
Variety, The Desk, Front Office Sports, Awful Announcing, @awfulannouncing, NPR, Status, The Desk, @nflmedia, Netflix Tudum, NBCSports.com, @joepompliano, @kevinmkruse.bsky.social, USA Today, @lriddickespn, @tvgrimreaper, Defector, @tvgrimreaper, @bkoo.bsky.social, Associated Press, NBC News, Sports Business Journal, @joepompliano, Barrett Media, @lucas_shaw, @joepompliano, @buccigross, @terrymeiners, Awful Announcing, @theathletic.bsky.social, @mgsiegler, The Hollywood Reporter, @gruber, @iam_johnw, @aaronnagler.bsky.social, USA Today, @wingoz, @claytravis, @joepompliano, Barrett Media, Business Insider, @claytravis, @w_b_rick, Awful Announcing, The US Sun, Deseret News, Cord Cutters News, @colincowherd, @sizpatel, @james.loadingreadyrun.com, @nfldraftscout, @fos, @richarddeitsch.bsky.social, @amandamull.bsky.social, Media Play News, New York Post, Fox News, ABC News, People and Wall Street Journal, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
Lynette Rice / Deadline:
Netflix says it will provide on-demand access to Beyoncé's full NFL Halftime Show as a standalone special “later this week” — Don't fret if you missed Beyoncé's halftime performance during Netflix's first-ever NFL Christmas Gameday.
Discussion:
Billboard, Netflix Tudum, Bustle, @jasminelwatkins, New York Times, The Wrap, Elle, The Guardian, Media Play News, TVLine, Entertainment Weekly, @dezbryant, Sandra Rose, The Root, StyleCaster, NME, WWL-TV, @albertbreer, @hunteryharris, @cwilliamson44, Advanced Television, @lucas_shaw, Washington Post, UPROXX, Vibe, Full Feed, Suggest, Cord Cutters News, Just Jared, The Streamable, New York Daily News, E! Online, Rolling Stone, CBS News, USA Today, Digital Music News, PinkNews, People, Collider and Variety
Reuters:
Palestinian sources say an Israeli airstrike killed five journalists from Al-Quds Today; the Israeli military called the five “operatives posing as journalists” — Gaza authorities said an Israeli airstrike killed five Palestinian journalists in a vehicle outside a hospital …
Inside Radio:
iHeart reduces its total debt by over $440M and extends most of its debt maturities by three years, by using debt exchange transactions — The year is ending with a vote of confidence in where iHeartMedia is heading in 2025 and beyond from the financial community.
Discussion:
Radio & Television …, Billboard, Radio Ink, Business Wire and RADIO ONLINE
Washington Post:
How NewsGuard, which attained “sustainable profitability” six years after its launch, became a prime target of the GOP's battle against disinformation watchdogs — NewsGuard, which prizes its nonpartisan criteria, has become a prime target of the GOP's battle against disinformation watchdogs.
Discussion:
Kathy Haley on LinkedIn, Reclaim The Net, @newsguy.bsky.social, @johnsipher.bsky.social, @mbrauchli.bsky.social, @cscottp.bsky.social, @brodylevesque.bsky.social, @cpcville.bsky.social, @denisenorris.bsky.social, @victorasal.bsky.social, @KimPerales@toad.social, @teela.bsky.social, @psychunseen.bsky.social, @getmoresmarter.com, Kevin Drum, Election Law Blog, TVNewsCheck and r/Journalism
Jeremy Barr / Washington Post:
CNN hopes its paywall can offset some of the losses from its TV business, after seeing a 45% drop in prime-time viewership since the November 5 election — With traditional viewership on a decline, the cable news network leans into its strong digital presence as it heads into uncertain times covering the second Trump administration.
BBC:
The BBC says Gavin & Stacey: The Finale topped UK Christmas Day overnight ratings with 12.3M viewers, and its shows were the top 10 most-watched of the day — The BBC's cracking line-up dominated the ratings with ten out of ten of the most watched shows of the day
Discussion:
The Guardian, @lukepollard, The Guardian, GB News, UPI, @andrewpakes_, @jamesrbuk, @rogermosey, The Sun, @trilbeereviews, GB News, Variety, Deadline, The Independent, Leicestershire Live, @bbcpress, BBC, @supertv247, Daily Mail, Sky News, Advanced Television and The Mirror
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Predictions for the media industry in 2025 by 13 anonymous media executives: Comcast acquiring Charter, Trump bullying Bezos into selling the WaPo, and more — Ho, ho, ho! It's a holiday tradition: Anonymous media executives make their 2025 industry predictions.
Discussion:
The Mirror, Deadline, @sherman4949 and TVNewsCheck
Reuters:
Maoyan: China's Christmas Eve box office revenue hit its lowest point in at least 13 years at only $5.26M, less than 25% of 2023's $23.37M — China's box office revenues for Christmas Eve plummeted to the lowest in at least 13 years, data from ticket booking platform Maoyan (1896.HK) showed on Wednesday.
Discussion:
Benzinga
Hannah Miller / Bloomberg:
Newsweek says its “fairness meter”, added in Oct. 2023 to let readers decide if an article is biased based on five potential choices, has gotten strong support — - The LA Times is introducing a new bias tracker for editorials — Public support for the media has been hitting all-time lows
Discussion:
@drpatsoonshiong
New York Times:
How Netflix hopes to recapture the magic of Squid Game, its surprise worldwide sensation from September 2021 that hit a record 2.8B views, for its second season — The success of the show's first season surprised Netflix executives, reaffirming the company's global strategy.
Discussion:
Daily Mail, Screen Rant, Business Insider, The Sun, The Verge, NME, Elle, Forbes, Collider, The Wrap, Just Jared, Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg, The Hollywood Reporter, Benzinga and TVNewsCheck