Mediagazer: How Trump shutting down USAID, which boasted in recent years of supporting 6,000+ journalists and 700 newsrooms in 30+ countries, affects journalism globally (Jon Allsop/Columbia Journalism Review)

The NYT says it spent $10.8M on costs associated with generative AI litigation in 2024, one of the few outlets that can afford to engage in yearslong litigation — The paper, buoyed by its 11 million-plus paid subscribers, is one of the few news outlets that can afford to engage in yearslong litigation with Big Tech.

Discussion: TVNewsCheck, Plagiarism Today, @proggrrl.bsky.social and @tvgrimreaper

The NYT reports Q4 revenue up 7.5% YoY to $726.6M, subscription revenue up 16% YoY to $334.9M, and operating profit up 13.6% YoY to $146.6M — NEW YORK, February 5, 2025 - The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT) announced today fourth- quarter and full-year 2024 results. Key Highlights

Katie Robertson / New York Times:
The NYT reports adding 350K digital-only subscribers in Q4, and 1.1M+ in 2024, taking its total count to 11.4M+; digital ad revenue rose 9.5% YoY to $117.9M

Discussion: Adweek, Streaming Better and The Wrap

Bron Maher / Press Gazette:
The NYT says 32% of its subscribers do not pay for its news product and subscribe only to either its Games, Cooking, Wirecutter, Audio, or The Athletic products

Discussion: Yahoo Finance and @labelbda.bsky.social

Todd Spangler / Variety:

In Q1, Disney+ lost a net 700,000 customers worldwide while Hulu gained 1.6M, and operating income hit $312M, up from a $224M loss in Q1 2024, driven by Moana 2 — Domestic theme parks operating income hurt by hurricane expenses in fiscal Q1 2025 — Animated blockbuster “Moana 2” …

Discussion: The Streamable, Ad Age, Yahoo Finance, The Information, Benzinga, @xpangler, Matthew Searfoss on LinkedIn, Los Angeles Times, IndieWire, Deadline, Pocket-lint, Media Play News, Associated Press and Cord Cutters News

Sarah Whitten / CNBC:

Disney reports Q1 revenue up 5% YoY to $24.7B, net income up 23% YoY to $2.64B, and entertainment division revenue up 9% YoY to $10.87B — Disney posted fiscal first-quarter earnings Wednesday that beat on the top and bottom lines, but revealed the beginnings of expected streaming subscriber losses at Disney+.

Discussion: Fast Company, Adweek, Yahoo Finance, Sherwood News, Motley Fool, Broadband TV News, WORLD SCREEN, Financial Times and Walt Disney

Emma Roth / The Verge:
Bob Iger says an ESPN streaming service will have “some form of betting and fantasy and a high degree of customization” at its fall 2025 launch

Discussion: Awful Announcing, The Streamable, Business Insider, Front Office Sports, Variety, The Wrap, Cord Cutters News, @jfc2024.bsky.social, @lmoses, Deadline, Media Play News and Streaming Better

Isabella Simonetti / Wall Street Journal:
In Q1, Disney+ and Hulu had 178M paid subscribers, up from 177.3M at the end of Q4, and streaming had a $293M profit, up from a $138M loss in Q1 2024

Discussion: Ad Age, StreamTV Insider, Adweek, @lmoses, @sherman4949, The Hollywood Reporter and The Wrap

Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:

Lara Trump will begin hosting a weekend show on Fox News on Feb. 22; there is no precedent for a sitting president's relative to host a show on a major channel — There is no precedent for a sitting president's relative to host a show on a major television news channel.

Bron Maher / Press Gazette:

FT Policy Director Matt Rogerson tells a UK parliamentary committee that creating “opt-out” copyright exemptions for AI companies would be “a huge mistake” — Preserving copyright protections for news publishers against theft by artificial intelligence companies is …

Discussion: Talking Biz News, CMU, The Mirror, @thattimwalker.bsky.social and The Independent

Liam Reilly / CNN:

As Trump and Elon Musk remake the federal government, traffic surges at Government Executive and other small outlets that specialize in the federal workforce — As President Trump and Elon Musk remake the federal government through firings, orders and brute force, small news publishers …

Discussion: Talking Biz News, @brianstelter and @brianstelter

404 Media:

Sources: DOGE staff were ordered to stop using Slack while it transitions from the OMB to the Executive Office of the President, which is not subject to FOIA — Employees at Elon Musk's agency have been told: “OMB is asking us to stop generating new slack messages starting now.”

Discussion: @zeeshanaleem.bsky.social, @michaelbishop.me, @josephfcox, @nathanheller.bsky.social, KTVU-TV, @sjvn@mastodon.social, @tyleraking.com, @metacurity@infosec.exchange, @olivia10.bsky.social and masslive.com

Jon Allsop / Columbia Journalism Review:

How Trump shutting down USAID, which boasted in recent years of supporting 6,000+ journalists and 700 newsrooms in 30+ countries, affects journalism globally — What the aid funding freeze means for independent journalism around the world. — Over the weekend, amid spiraling headlines …

Discussion: @pm_viktororban, The Daily Signal, Reporters Without Borders, The Daily Caller, Townhall, Talking Points Memo, New York Daily News, Daily Kos, TESLARATI and Deep Left Field

Gene Maddaus / Variety:

The foreperson of the Florida jury that found CNN defamed a US Navy veteran says she would've awarded ~$100M, not $5M, and the “public is fed up with fake news” — In a Florida courtroom last month, a plaintiff's attorney asked jurors to “send a message” by holding CNN accountable …

Discussion: TVNewsCheck

Jake Kanter / Deadline:

UK news anchor Kay Burley retires from Sky News after 36 years and “over a million minutes of live TV news”; Burley was one of Sky's original presenters in 1989 — Kay Burley, one of the UK's best-known news anchors, is retiring from Sky News after 36 years.

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

The UK's Reach names Digital Spy EIC Laurence Mozafari as editorial director for youth audience, responsible for growing its Gen Z readers and viewers — The editor-in-chief of Hearst UK entertainment website Digital Spy has left to lead the push to attract a younger audience at Reach.

Discussion: Laurence Mozafari on LinkedIn