Top News:
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Fox EVP of Ad Sales Mark Evans says there is an increase in Super Bowl ad buys from AI companies, while ad buys from movie studios and streamers are down — AI-focused ads are up, and movie spots are down, Fox says, as 30-second ads hit an eye-watering $8 million.
Discussion:
RetailWire, Gizmodo, The US Sun, Awful Announcing, @mousterpiece.bsky.social, The Verge, Ad Age and Adweek
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Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Sources: Fox has sold at least ten 30-second Super Bowl ad spots for $8M+, a record; pre and post-game ad prices have also increased, reaching $4.5M and ~$4M — Super Bowl LIX is still days away, but someone has already scored a key Big Game touchdown.
Discussion:
Awful Announcing, CNBC, Sports Business Journal, Associated Press, Benzinga, Bloomberg, @alexweprin, CNN, @jason_kint, Us Weekly, The Mirror US, The Wrap, Forbes, Adweek, TVNewsCheck, Deadline and Just Jared
Wall Street Journal:
Meta agrees to pay ~$25M to settle a 2021 lawsuit that Trump brought against Meta and Mark Zuckerberg after it suspended his accounts following the Jan. 6 riot — The president had sued the social-media company after his accounts were suspended following Jan. 6 riot
Discussion:
Mediaite, New York Times, Washington Post, The Desk, The Wrap, Variety, CNN, The Guardian, Reuters, RedState, CNBC, One America News Network, Politico, @davidfrum.bsky.social, Le Monde, Reclaim The Net, Forbes, NPR, @katarinacorleone.bsky.social, The Verge, Engadget, Raw Story, @derfbackderf.bsky.social, @philipmai.com, ABC News, The Gateway Pundit, @zacheverson.com, The Post Millennial, Business Insider, Axios, Associated Press, The Information, The Hill, The Atlantic, NBC4 Washington, @mattgertz, @kjhealy.co, @brianstelter.bsky.social, @annmlipton@esq.social, @documentingmeta@threads.net, @jeffhorwitz.bsky.social, @noupside.bsky.social, @brianfung.me, The Independent, @bgrueskin.bsky.social, @rebeccaballhaus, ZeroHedge News, Deadline and CBS News, more at Techmeme »
Gene Maddaus / Variety:
The US Copyright Office says using AI tools to assist in creative processes doesn't compromise copyright protections as long as the content has human authorship — The U.S. Copyright Office declared Wednesday that the use of artificial intelligence tools to assist in the creative process does not undermine the copyright of a work.
Dan Kennedy / Media Nation:
The co-founder of the nonprofit National Trust for Local News, Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro, is stepping down as the organization's CEO after four years — Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro, who co-founded the National Trust for Local News four years ago, is stepping down as the organization's CEO.
Discussion:
Press Herald, The Maine Wire, NTLN and @dankennedy.net
Zaheer Kachwala / Reuters:
Trump Media unveils fintech brand Truth.Fi with an investment of up to $250M, which can be allocated to various investments, like BTC and other cryptocurrencies — Truth Social parent Trump Media and Technology Group (DJT.O) said on Wednesday its board of directors has approved the launch …
Discussion:
CNN, Reclaim The Net, Forbes, Axios, Fast Company, The Guardian, Benzinga, Motley Fool, Wall Street Journal, Wccftech, Financial Times, Quartz, The Independent, Trump Media & …, Fortune, Yahoo Finance, American Banker, Capital Brief, CoinDesk, CNBC, Reuters, Fox Business, Barron's Online and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »
Jordan Valinsky / CNN:
Save the Music, a nearly 30-year-old nonprofit promoting music education in public schools, goes independent after Paramount's decision to end financial support — New York CNN — — Save the Music, the nonprofit foundation that grew in popularity on cable TV in the late 1990s through the 2000s, is going indie.
Discussion:
Billboard, Digital Music News and Associated Press
Aisha Counts / Bloomberg:
The NFL plans to let retired players use official game footage on their YouTube channels, part of its strategy to draw in younger, more diverse audiences — - NFL, YouTube expand partnership ahead of Superbowl LIX — Brandon Marshall, Cam Newton to use league footage on YouTube
Discussion:
Tubefilter and Fast Company
Jill Goldsmith / Deadline:
US Rep. Zoe Lofgren introduces the Foreign Anti-Digital Piracy Act that would require US ISPs to make “a good faith effort” to block foreign-run piracy sites — U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (Dem-CA) has introduced H.R. 791, the Foreign Anti-Digital Piracy Act (or FADPA) …
Discussion:
Ars Technica, @misctakes.com and CMU
Alexandra S. Levine / Bloomberg:
Employer.com founder Jesse Tinsley says his US investor group vying to buy TikTok has secured $20B+ and recruited the CEOs of Roblox and Anchorage as investors — - Tinsley's group has recruited Roblox CEO among investors — Unclear if TikTok parent ByteDance will consider Tinsley bid
Elsa Keslassy / Variety:
Disney+ agrees to invest 25% of annual sales in France into French and European shows; in return, it can access new films nine months after theatrical release — As a payoff for this commitment, the streamer will be allowed to access newly released films nine months after their theatrical release …
Discussion:
@revan.social and Deadline
Meta Investor Relations:
Meta reports Q4 revenue up 21% YoY to $48.4B, net income up 49% YoY to $20.8B, and family daily active people up 5% YoY to 3.35B on average for December 2024 — Meta Platforms, Inc. (Nasdaq: META) today reported financial results for the quarter and full year ended December 31, 2024.
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