Top News:
Kylie Robison / The Verge:
Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy says the Disney+ show's scripts will not be released as planned, due to fears that they could be used as AI training data — Tony Gilroy doesn't want his work to become training data. … Andor showrunner Tony Gilroy told Collider he has killed plans to publish …
Discussion:
Collider and News/Talk 94.9 WSJM
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Ziff Davis' Everyday Health acquires women-focused newsletter company theSkimm, whose co-CEOs will stay on with no plans to lay off any of its 75 staffers — Ziff Davis, one of the largest publicly-traded digital media companies, has acquired TheSkimm, executives told Axios.
Camille Bromley / Columbia Journalism Review:
Q&A with Rest of World Senior Reporter Viola Zhou on covering China's tech industry and Chinese entrepreneurs' reluctance to talk with international media — The Trump administration thinks of Chinese tech as a dangerous rival to Silicon Valley. How do Chinese companies see it?
Discussion:
Bloomberg
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Newsletter service Ghost launches support for ActivityPub integration in beta for Ghost(Pro) subscribers, letting them share their posts across the fediverse — Newsletter platform Ghost, an open source competitor to Substack, is now connected to the fediverse, also known as the open social web.
Discussion:
Ghost, The Verge, The Fediverse Report and One Man & His Blog, more at Techmeme »
Leena Tailor / The Hollywood Reporter:
How Bluey became a brand worth an estimated $2B, spawning immersive experiences, books, podcasts, toys, albums, themed hotel rooms, and more — The brand has spawned immersive experiences, books, podcasts, toys, albums, clothing, homeware, themed hotel rooms, Facebook groups and a mobile game …
Variety:
Q&A with Netflix's Ted Sarandos on his 25-year anniversary at Netflix, his cameo on Apple TV+ series The Studio, competing with suppliers like Disney, and more — In a few weeks, Ted Sarandos will make his acting debut — playing Ted Sarandos. The co-CEO of Netflix is lampooning himself …
Discussion:
@tvgrimreaper, HELLO!, New York Post, Blogcritics, @variety, @discussingfilm, @loudmouthjulia, Screen Rant, People, The Wrap, Variety, 9to5Mac, TVNewsCheck, Observer and Just Jared
Miranda Green / Nieman Lab:
Greenpeace accuses Dakota Access Pipeline's owner of using a direct mailer, stylized as a local newspaper called Central ND News, to sway the jury in a lawsuit — Though Central ND News promises to “fill the void in community news after years of decline in local reporting by legacy media” …
Discussion:
Al Jazeera, ABC, Washington Examiner, Reuters, @mirandacgreen, @mirandacgreen, @mirandacgreen, Associated Press, @mirandacgreen, DNyuz, Joy Mayer on LinkedIn, @mirandacgreen, CBS News, i shall wear …, @mirandacgreen, NPR, The Hill, WKYC-TV, HotAir, Financial Times, @mirandacgreen, Washington Post, The Guardian, Daily Caller News Foundation, Raw Story, UPI, Central ND News, RedState, Fox News, CNBC, East Bay Times, @jpmarthoz.bsky.social, @shannonmattern.bsky.social, @niemanlab.org, KDFX-TV and Forbes
Laura Hazard Owen / Nieman Lab:
The NYT says it will start tracking public opinion surveys to build “on the work of the politics website 538”, providing the data in the same format as 538 — When ABC shut down FiveThirtyEight early this month, the site's publicly available polling databases …
Financial Times:
Sources detail how Jeff Bezos making peace with Trump has stunned WaPo's newsroom, which has seen at least a dozen seasoned journalists leave for competitors — In the past year, the Amazon founder has executed a sharp public reversal in his relationship with the president that has surprised even longtime associates
Discussion:
Raw Story
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
David Novak, co-founder of Yum Brands, has been named chairman of the new company that will be formed by Comcast's NBCUniversal spinoff — Your Privacy Rights — PMC, its service providers, and third-party partners collect information about you and how you use our services …
Discussion:
The Desk, The Wrap, The Hollywood Reporter, Business Wire and Deadline
Andreas Wiseman / Deadline:
Source: Ketchup Entertainment is negotiating an all-rights acquisition for ~$50M for Warner Bros' movie Coyote vs. Acme, which was shelved in November 2023 — Gareth West's distributor-financier Ketchup Entertainment is negotiating an all-rights acquisition in the $50M range for the animated-live-action hybrid project.
Discussion:
Variety, Gizmodo, @waffyworld, @jolsontweets, @animated_antic, The InSneider, @markosemustard, @theinsneider, @tylerortegatube, @capybaroness, @ooccouchgags, Animation Magazine, Cord Cutters News, @talkinghenry.bsky.social, The Wrap, SlashFilm, Collider, AV Club, Empire, CBR, Nerdist, IndieWire, Comic Book, @auzzy@zirk.us, @matbrunetvo.com, @billkuchman.bsky.social, @naveryw.bsky.social, The Hollywood Reporter, Screen Rant and Oh No They Didn't!
Financial Times:
Sportradar will take over Endeavor's IMG Arena data platform and its portfolio of sports betting rights in a deal where Endeavor will pay Sportradar $225M — Entertainment group is slimming down ahead of private equity takeover — Entertainment conglomerate Endeavor is paying a US rival $225mn …
Discussion:
@mukund, @sportradar, @sportradar, @novy_williams, @butlerbets, @mattrybaltowski, Bloomberg, Sportradar AG, Sportcal, Benzinga, Sportico and The Straits Times
