Top News:
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Sources: Paramount is in talks with Donald Trump to settle his $10B 60 Minutes lawsuit, believing a deal would persuade Trump to not block its planned merger — A settlement, if reached, would be an extraordinary concession by a major U.S. media company to a sitting president.
Discussion:
Status, @joshsternberg.com, @greenwell.bsky.social, @davidenrich.bsky.social, @coachfinstock.bsky.social, @ianbassin.bsky.social, @aricohn.com, The Daily Wire, The Wrap, Mediaite, Raw Story, Deadline, @dfriedman.bsky.social, @benmullin.bsky.social, @reckless.bsky.social, @jasonzinoman.bsky.social, @spignal.bsky.social, @radleybalko.bsky.social, Associated Press, @daveweigel.bsky.social, Vanity Fair and WPMT
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FCC Chairman Brendan Carr told CEOs of NPR and PBS that he had ordered a probe into whether member stations are airing commercial ads when they air sponsorships — Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said the inquiry could help Congress decide whether to continue funding local stations.
Discussion:
NPR, TVNewsCheck, Variety, NPR, @agomezfcc, ZeroHedge News, The Bulwark, @stgael.bsky.social, The Wrap, @olivierrupert.bsky.social, Newsbusters, @jordaneckerling.bsky.social, @evangreer.bsky.social, @fbajak.bsky.social, New York Post, @Skepticat@mstdn.social, Ars Technica, Salon, Justin's Political Corner, RadioInsight, @seth-stern.bsky.social, The Desk, Current, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, The Boston Globe, USA Today, Fox News, New Republic, CNN, Cord Cutters News, @victorpickard.bsky.social, @thebradking@mastodon.social, The Verge, @markey.senate.gov, @plopseven.bsky.social, Engadget, @newsjennifer.bsky.social, Deadline, Federal Communications Commission, @monscience.bsky.social, @ryanjhaas.bsky.social, @ryanbeckwith.bsky.social, @jetjocko.bsky.social, @pamspaulding.bsky.social, @hallijayne.bsky.social, @bee990.bsky.social, @ndhapple.bsky.social, @mediaevan.bsky.social, @timbays.bsky.social, @onthemedia.bsky.social, freebeacon.com, @ppopiel.bsky.social, @joesonka.lpm.org, The Hill, @brendannyhan.bsky.social, @mattdpearce.com, @benmullin.bsky.social, Free Press and Radio & Television …
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Over 25 streaming partners including Disney+, Apple TV+, Netflix, and Prime Video simulcasted the FireAid fundraiser for Los Angeles, bypassing linear TV — Over 25 streaming partners will simulcast a mammoth five-and-a-half-hour FireAid benefit concert on Thursday to fundraise …
Discussion:
The Mirror, Fox News, CNN, Deadline, CNN, Time Out Los Angeles, CBS News, Variety, New York Times, Daily Mail, The Independent, The Mirror US, Los Angeles Times, The Wrap, Just Jared, Page Six, The Streamable, New York Post, Digital Music News, The Hollywood Reporter, USA Today, Deseret News, Rolling Stone, UPI, Fast Company, CBS News, Decider, Entertainment Weekly and WTIC
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Adobe Chief Strategy Officer Scott Belsky leaves the company to join A24 film studio as a partner; he co-founded Behance, which Adobe acquired for $150M in 2012 — Belsky is an entrepreneur, author and creator who in 2006 founded Behance, an online platform that is used by more than 50 million professionals …
Discussion:
The Adobe Blog, @dobata, The Hollywood Reporter, @scottbelsky, Deadline and Bloomberg
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Experts say the Kremlin's throttling of YouTube is driving Russians to state-controlled platforms; Google data shows Russian traffic to YouTube is down ~66% YoY — The Kremlin is trying to cripple YouTube in Russia, internet experts say, pushing some people to state-controlled domestic alternatives.
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Apple Services revenue reached an all-time high of $26.34B in Q1, up 14% YoY, beating estimates and helping lift the company's gross margin to a record 46.9% — Apple is struggling to squeeze growth out of its flagship iPhone unit, but its profit margin keeps going up thanks to a flourishing services business.
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, TechCrunch, CNBC, DNyuz, Reuters, City A.M., Reuters, Media Play News, TechCrunch, Yahoo Finance, TechCrunch, The Information, 9to5Mac, The Wrap, MacRumors, The Hollywood Reporter and AppleInsider, more at Techmeme »
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How resident-run Facebook groups in Colorado are filling the void left by shuttered local newsrooms; in three counties, Facebook groups are the only news source — TRINIDAD, Colo. — “Trinidad is a Facebook town,” said Karen Jo (KJ) Agnello, the founder and moderator of The Voice of Trinidad …
Discussion:
Sarah Stonbely, PhD on LinkedIn
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How Robert Kennedy Jr. implementing his proposal to ban pharmaceutical ads on TV, if he is confirmed as HHS secretary, could reshape the advertising landscape — Pharmaceutical ads account for a huge chunk of TV ad revenue. If Kennedy is confirmed, he wants to ban them. — 2H
Discussion:
@stokel.bsky.social and Mediaite
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Sources: Amazon is ramping up ad spending on X, as companies re-evaluate their stances in a changing political climate; source: Apple considers a return to X — Shift occurs after many brands cut advertising on the platform over hate-speech concerns; Apple considers a return to site
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Sources: ITV has been holding early talks with Abu Dhabi-backed RedBird IMI about a potential merger of their production businesses, ITV Studios and All3Media — British broadcaster ITV (ITV.L) has been holding early-stage talks with Abu Dhabi-backed group RedBird IMI about a possible merger …
Discussion:
The Times, Variety, Yahoo Finance and Deadline
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SiriusXM reports Q4 revenue down 4% YoY to $2.19B, vs. $2.17B est., FY 2024 self-pay subscribers down by 296K, and 33M total subscribers at the end of 2024 — SiriusXM, which has been trimming staff and regrouping in several areas in a bid to reverse subscriber losses, reported better-than-expected results in the fourth quarter.
Discussion:
Inside Radio, Billboard, Music Ally, Radio Ink, Digital Music News, The Desk, Reuters, Benzinga, Barrett Media and Advanced Television
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Abu Dhabi's English-language newspaper The National laid off 28 journalists; sources: cuts included employees on the multimedia, digital, and foreign desks — The Scoop — Abu Dhabi's The National laid off 28 journalists Thursday, a spokesperson confirmed, amid a restructuring of the English-language publication.