Top News:
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Disney, Fox, and WBD say they have agreed to discontinue their Venu Sports streaming joint venture and will focus on existing products and distribution channels — The sports-focused streaming service will not move forward, the companies said Friday. — Venu is dead.
Discussion:
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CNBC:
Sources: Venu's cancellation came after the companies decided it was better to avoid the risk of an extended lawsuit that could jeopardize bundling in general — - News Tips — Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you. — CNBC Newsletters
Discussion:
Awful Announcing, The Desk, MediaPost, Advanced Television, Latest from Tv Technology, Ad Age, New York Post, Reuters, Axios, Fortune, Media Play News, @lionelhutz_esq, SportsPro, @sherman4949, @morningbrew, Streaming Better, @sherman4949, The TV Answer Man!, Front Office Sports, USA Today and Radio & Television …, more at Techmeme »
Peter Kafka / Business Insider:
Sources familiar with Fubo's plans say it's likely that Fox will end up licensing its sports programming to the Fubo-Disney JV streaming bundle — - Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery have canceled Venu, a would-be sports streaming service. — The decision was announced days after announcing plans to launch the service.
Discussion:
The Hill, Forbes, @andrewmarchand, @tvgrimreaper, WORLD SCREEN, @pkafka and Reuters
Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: The Washington Post's loss in 2024 was roughly 30% greater than the loss a year earlier, as advertising revenue fell to $174M from $190M in 2023 — Financial struggles and concerns over editorial strategy rattle staffers at the Jeff Bezos-owned publication; rivals poach top talent
Discussion:
@alexbruell, @tvgrimreaper and @alexbruell
Wired:
Live blog: The US Supreme Court hears oral arguments in TikTok's appeal against the divest-or-ban law — We're tuning in live as the justices consider what could be one of the most consequential First Amendment rulings of the past several decades. — The US Supreme Court is expected …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Politico, CNN, Associated Press, Daily Caller News Foundation, New York Times, New Republic, @willoremus.com, @wired.com, @jason_kint, @drewharwell.com, @mikesacksesq, @swiftstories, @drewharwell.com, @swiftstories, @davelee.me, Supreme Court of the United States, @mikesacksesq, @genevievelakier.bsky.social, @drewharwell.com, @mikesacksesq, @mikesacksesq, @mikesacksesq, @mikesacksesq, The Verge, @mikesacksesq, @davelee.me, @mikesacksesq, @mikesacksesq, @mikesacksesq, Poynter, CBS News, Vanity Fair, Bloomberg and USA Today, more at Techmeme »
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Apple releases season 1 of Severance, one of its biggest TV shows, on the free Roku Channel to lure new Apple TV+ subscribers; the promotion ends on January 19 — Apple is using the Adam Scott thriller to try and drive new subscribers to its streaming service, following a number of moves …
Discussion:
Deadline, The Streamable, TechRadar, UPROXX, Decider, @deadline, @er0ckr@threads.net, Just Jared, @selinaknope, MovieWeb, @maxisntheree, Screen Rant, @lionesspike, Deadline, @simonowens, Gizmodo, @burritoprophet, @Taweret@octodon.social, Collider, AppleInsider, @tvgrimreaper, @sum1saiditinnit, 9to5Mac, @mlsmoves, @hannahhamspoon, @moviemediax, The Manual, ComingSoon.net, Pocket-lint, BGR, r/tvPlus and r/television
Aisha Counts / Bloomberg:
Sources: OpenAI, Google, and other companies are collectively paying hundreds of content creators for access to their unpublished videos to train AI models — - YouTube, Instagram, TikTok creators licensing video footage — OpenAI, Google paying thousands for content to train AI models
Discussion:
The Information
Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
Court docs: Mark Zuckerberg approved the Meta team that trains AI Llama models to use data from LibGen, a “links aggregator” to pirated, copyrighted material — Counsel for plaintiffs in a copyright lawsuit filed against Meta allege that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave the green light …
Discussion:
Futurism, Mashable, Engadget, The Guardian, The Register, @kortizart, AV Club, MEDIANAMA, Evan Winston on LinkedIn, @brianfung.me, @elanderson.bsky.social, @ncweaver.skerry-tech.com, @benkline.bsky.social, @lilithsaintcrow.com, @donmoyn.bsky.social, David Atkinson on LinkedIn, Nina George on LinkedIn, @brunojnavarro.bsky.social, @alextecplayz@techhub.social, @jwharris.bsky.social, Bloomberg Law, Neowin, Wired, @botwiki@mastodon.social, Reuters, @the-jaguarr.bsky.social, @kortizart.bsky.social and @SuffolkLITLab@esq.social, more at Techmeme »
Nate Silver / Silver Bulletin:
Fact-checking has long been a part of every journalist's job, and having some journalists designated as misinformation experts hasn't benefited journalism — “Fact-checkers” as the high priests of journalism had a political beginning at Facebook — and have met a political end.
Jon Keegan / Sherwood News:
A case study of the amount and kinds of ads in 12 shows on the ad-supported tiers of Netflix, Peacock, Disney+, Max, Paramount+, and Hulu — We watched 12 shows on six platforms to find out how much of your life you give up to save a few bucks each month. — 7H — It's getting harder to avoid ads on streaming video.
Discussion:
@walthickey, @jonkeegan.com and Mashable
Denny Jacob / Wall Street Journal:
Former WWE boss Vince McMahon reaches a $1.7M settlement with the SEC over his failure to properly disclose payments linked to sexual misconduct allegations — Wrestling entrepreneur settles charges he failed to properly disclose payments to women alleging sexual misconduct
Ben Smith / Semafor:
Vogue Arabia's publisher Nervora filed a US lawsuit last summer claiming Condé Nast improperly terminated their licensing arrangement — The Scoop — Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch will host local partners on Jan. 30 at a party in Dubai ("Dress: A touch of gold!")
Discussion:
MediaPost and The Business of Fashion