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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, The Bulwark, @timkarr.bsky.social, @joshsternberg.com, Associated Press, The Daily Wire, Mediaite, @dfriedman.bsky.social, @jasonzinoman.bsky.social, @spignal.bsky.social, @daveweigel.bsky.social, Raw Story, Deadline, @greenwell.bsky.social, @aricohn.com, @benmullin.bsky.social, The Wrap, @ianbassin.bsky.social, @reckless.bsky.social, @radleybalko.bsky.social, @coachfinstock.bsky.social, @davidenrich.bsky.social, Vanity Fair, Althouse 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, @thrasherxy.bsky.social, Inside Radio, @agomezfcc, ZeroHedge News, @olivierrupert.bsky.social, @jordaneckerling.bsky.social, New York Post, @stgael.bsky.social, Newsbusters, @evangreer.bsky.social, The Bulwark, @Skepticat@mstdn.social, The Wrap, Salon, @fbajak.bsky.social, The Gateway Pundit, Ars Technica, Justin's Political Corner, RadioInsight, @seth-stern.bsky.social, The Desk, Current, Mediaite, New Republic, The Boston Globe, USA Today, Fox News, 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, freebeacon.com, @hallijayne.bsky.social, @bee990.bsky.social, @ndhapple.bsky.social, @mediaevan.bsky.social, @timbays.bsky.social, @onthemedia.bsky.social, The Hill, @ppopiel.bsky.social, @joesonka.lpm.org, @brendannyhan.bsky.social, @mattdpearce.com, @benmullin.bsky.social, Free Press and Radio & Television …
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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, The Verge, @kayvz, @mignano, @om, @scottbelsky, @dobata, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and Bloomberg
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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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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:
@matthewkeyslive, @douglasemhoff, The Mirror, Fox News, CNN, @gregoryellwood.bsky.social, CBS News, Deadline, @coughlinbrett.bsky.social, Variety, Daily Mail, @tvmojoe.bsky.social, The Mirror US, CNN, Variety, The Independent, Time Out Los Angeles, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Just Jared, The Wrap, 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 WVEC
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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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The estate of Superman co-creator Joseph Shuster files a lawsuit alleging DC Comics' rights to Superman expired in 2017 and 2021 in UK, Canada, other markets — Estate of superhero co-creator Joseph Shuster alleges overseas copyright infringement against Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Comics
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Cloudflare Radar: TikTok has nearly bounced back to its original traffic levels after usage fell 85% when the app temporarily shut down on January 19 — TikTok has nearly bounced back to its original traffic levels after usage fell 85% when the app temporarily shut down earlier this month, according to Cloudflare Radar.
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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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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.
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Charter lost 123,000 video subscribers in Q4 vs. a decline of 257,000 in Q4 2023, ending 2024 with 12.9M total video customers, down ~9% from the end of 2023 — Charter Communications, which offers TV, internet and wireless services under the Spectrum brand, reported fourth-quarter results that exceeded Wall Street expectations.
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, Benzinga, Bloomberg, @waltlightshed, @tvgrimreaper, The Hollywood Reporter and Charter Communications
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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
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, New York Times, @dcjohnson.bsky.social, Patrick Notaro on LinkedIn, Jessica Toonkel on LinkedIn, Benzinga, The Wrap, Fox Business, @hallijayne.bsky.social, Reuters, AppleInsider, New York Post, @gregorthemendel.bsky.social, 9to5Mac, MacRumors, @rmac.bsky.social and The Information, more at Techmeme »