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7:40 PM ET, February 18, 2025

Mediagazer

 Top News: 
CNN:
Sources: Trump's administration fired multiple staffers who handle FOIA requests, limiting reporters' access to security clearance records for Musk and DOGE  —  The Trump administration has quietly fired multiple members of the “privacy team” and other officials from the office that oversees …
Evan Drellich / New York Times:
SportsNet New York will launch a paid streaming service to watch the Mets' games without paying for a TV bundle; 22 MLB teams can be watched without a TV bundle  —  SportsNet New York, the Mets' local television partner, will launch a subscription streaming service on Tuesday …
Rick Porter / The Hollywood Reporter:
HBO restores next-day YouTube posts for Last Week Tonight clips after imposing a few days delay in February 2024; sources say Max viewership saw little increase  —  HBO reverses a decision to keep John Oliver's show off of the platform for several days.
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
Starting Feb. 19, Meta will store Facebook Live broadcasts for 30 days instead of storing them indefinitely and will remove videos currently older than 30 days  —  Facebook announced on Tuesday that live videos will now only be stored on the social network for 30 days, after which they will be deleted.
Nika Schoonover / Courthouse News Service:
A US federal judge orders Carlos Watson and Ozy Media to pay $36M+ in restitution and nearly $60M in forfeiture for lying about finances; Watson plans to appeal  —  A federal judge ordered Watson and his company to pay over $36 million in restitution and nearly $60 million in forfeiture …
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Letter: Hearst CEO Steve Swartz told staff Hearst brought in a record $13B in revenue in 2024, and a tough ad market and cord-cutting is impacting A+E Networks  —  Steve Swartz says that Hearst had $13 billion in revenue in 2024 thanks to political advertising, but adds that a tough ad market …
Jim Acosta / The Jim Acosta Show:
Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta calls on news outlets to unite in opposition to the Trump administration's treatment of journalists and news organizations like AP  —  It was only a matter of time.  —  The Trump White House placed unconstitutional restrictions on the Associated Press last week …
RELATED:
Marc Caputo / Axios:
Sources: Trump is targeting AP to amplify GOP and conservative criticisms that the AP Stylebook shapes political dialogue by favoring liberal words and phrases
Shahana Yasmin / The Independent:
India's top court criticizes podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia over controversial comments on a YouTube show, and orders him to stop doing shows until further orders  —  Ranveer Allahbadia faced severe backlash after his appearance on an episode of YouTube comedy show India's Got Latent where he made the comments
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Google Play Books for iOS will now let users complete their e-book or audiobook purchase on the Google Play website, under Apple's “reader apps” exception  —  Google has gained permission to sell its e-books and audiobooks directly to customers through its iOS app, Google Play Books.
The Wrap:
TheWrap announces additions to its editorial team, including Tom Lowry in the newly created role of SVP of editorial strategy and Brian Lowry as media editor  —  Tom Lowry joins as SVP, Editorial Strategy; Jen Laski heads photography and video; Graham Starr joins as Business Editor; Brian Lowry as Media Editor
 
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 More News: 
Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
MPA: South Koreans streamed 131B minutes of premium VOD in 2024, up 18% YoY, as sector revenue reached $2B; Netflix held 35% viewership share, as Tving hit 34%
Discussion: WORLD SCREEN
Jim Zarroli / New York Times:
As local cinemas close around the US, residents in some small towns are forming nonprofits to buy and operate them; 250+ cinemas across the US are nonprofits
 Earlier Picks: 
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
The UK's Advertising Standards Authority tells Reach to stop posting ad features on social media without clearly labeling them as ads
Financial Times:
Surj, the sporting arm of Saudi Arabia's PIF, plans to invest $1B in DAZN and a new joint venture with the sports streamer; source: Surj will take a <5% stake
Katie Robertson / New York Times:
The New York Times wins three 2024 Polk Awards, the most of any publication; The New Yorker, ProPublica, Vanity Fair, and The Baltimore Banner also won
Mike Butcher / TechCrunch:
Olyn, which bills itself as a “Shopify for filmmakers” that lets makers directly sell their films to viewers, launches, offering 90% of revenue to creators
Discussion: Financial Times
 

 
From Techmeme:

Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg:
Sources: Meta is considering deep budget cuts to its metaverse efforts in 2026, potentially as high as 30% and most likely including layoffs as early as January

Kif Leswing / CNBC:
Apple says general counsel Kate Adams and policy chief Lisa Jackson will retire, and Jennifer Newstead, Meta's former chief legal officer, will replace Adams

Will Oremus / Washington Post:
Two studies suggest AI chatbots can shift political views more effectively than TV campaign ads, especially by presenting many claims, regardless of accuracy
 
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