Mediagazer: British startup Synthesia, whose AI-generated avatars are used by companies in corporate videos, strikes a deal with Shutterstock to train its latest AI model (Dan Milmo/The Guardian)

Oliver Darcy / Status:

White House officials appear to be withholding pool reporters' dispatches that contain information the Trump administration finds inconvenient or unflattering — Some White House pool reports are no longer making it to the official distribution list, Status has learned …

Abid Rahman / The Hollywood Reporter:

Comcast-owned Sky and NBC sign a deal to bring a local version of Saturday Night Live to the UK in 2026; Lorne Michaels will be the executive producer — The London-based offshoot of NBC's long-running live sketch comedy show will hit screens in 2026 and be executive produced by ‘SNL’ creator Lorne Michaels.

Jess Weatherbed / The Verge:

The China Film Administration says it will “moderately reduce the number of American films imported” due to US tariffs and allow more “films from the world” — The Chinese Film Administration claims that recent events have reduced local appeal for American movies.

Discussion: Bloomberg, Variety, Screen Rant, CBS News, @paulskallas, @repjackkimble, Newsweek, @mischiefanglo, Wired, The Wrap, The Hill, Wall Street Journal, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, The Gateway Pundit, Xinhua and Barron's Online

Ece Toksabay / Reuters:

Turkish police detain two prominent opposition journalists and seize their electronic devices as part of an investigation into alleged threats and blackmail — Turkish police detained two prominent opposition journalists in early morning raids on Thursday in Istanbul as part of an investigation …

Discussion: Deutsche Welle, BBC, @sebnemarsu, @gonultol, Telewizja Polska S.A, Turkish Minute and Associated Press

Reuters:

A Delaware judge rules Newsmax defamed Dominion Voting Systems with its false reporting accusing Dominion of rigging the 2020 US presidential election — Conservative news outlet Newsmax Media (NMAX.N) defamed Dominion Voting Systems with its false reporting accusing the voting machine company …

Discussion: New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Independent, NPR, Motley Fool, CNN, The Hill, Barrett Media, The Desk, TVNewsCheck, @robertscotthorton.bsky.social, The Gateway Pundit, Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, @passantino.bsky.social, Deadline and CNBC

Andrew Marchand / New York Times:

Sources: MLB has held talks about licensing its MLB.TV game package; MLB.TV has been exclusively controlled by MLB since launch — Major League Baseball has held discussions about licensing its MLB.TV game package to networks and/or digital platforms, sources briefed on the discussions told The Athletic.

Discussion: TVNewsCheck, Sports Business Journal, The Streamable, @themizzler1, @imperfecttl, @catherinetinker, @masonkeith25, @latino_chill, Cord Cutters News, Awful Announcing and Barrett Media

Dietrich Knauth / Reuters:

Publishers Clearing House files for bankruptcy and will shed its direct mail catalog marketing and magazine subscription businesses to focus on digital ads — Publishers Clearing House, the sweepstakes company known for showing up on prize winners' doorsteps with oversize checks …

Discussion: Newsday, Wall Street Journal, @denisethewriter.bsky.social, KHBS, Bloomberg and 960 The Ref

Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:

In an interview with Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth, James Cameron says he is cautiously optimistic about generative AI's role in filmmaking, including cutting costs — In an interview with Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth, the filmmaker weighs in on Stability AI and VFX, “in the style of” prompts …

Discussion: Meta on YouTube, The Wrap, Daily Mail, Variety and Deadline, more at Techmeme »

Alexander Lee / Digiday:

Marisa Kabas, Luke O'Neil, Jonathan M. Katz, and Ryan Broderick, who all left Substack in early 2024, say they now get a higher revenue share via rival services — This article was provided as an exclusive preview for Digiday+ members, who were able to access it early.

Discussion: Garbage Day, @lilithsaintcrow.com, @glennf.com and @marisakabas.bsky.social

Calum Marsh / New York Times:

A look at Sound of Freedom maker Angel Studios, which uses its streaming subscribers' feedback to greenlight projects, as it expands beyond faith-based content — The company behind “Sound of Freedom” follows an unusual strategy that relies on an army of subscribers to its streaming platform.

Discussion: Decider, Brandon Purdie on LinkedIn and Rolling Stone

Jonathan Stempel / Reuters:

The retrial in Sarah Palin's defamation lawsuit against the New York Times is scheduled to begin on April 14 in New York; she lost the first trial in 2022 — Sarah Palin and the New York Times (NYT.N) are headed back to a courtroom where the former Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential candidate …

George Winslow / TV Tech:

The Associated Press launches a new AI-powered content delivery platform, featuring a redesigned interface, AI-powered search and content recommendations — The platform makes it easier to discover and use the global news organization's vast collection of visual, audio and text content

Discussion: TVNewsCheck