Top News:
Ethan Gach / Kotaku:
Polygon staff, including co-founder and EIC Chris Plante, say the video games publication has laid them off, after Vox Media sold Polygon to publisher Valnet — One of the biggest gaming sites around was just blown up — The video game website Polygon has been sold to click-farm powerhouse Valnet …
Discussion:
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Dade Hayes / Deadline:
Roku acquires Frndly TV, a provider of low-cost TV bundles delivered via streaming, for $185M, which includes $75M in performance-based holdbacks — Roku is paying $185 million to acquire Frndly TV, a provider of low-cost TV bundles delivered via streaming.
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Todd Spangler / Variety:
Roku reports Q1 revenue up 16% YoY to $1.02B vs. $1.01B est., a net loss of $27.4M, compared to $50.9M a year ago; ROKU drops 5%+ after hours — Roku turned in first-quarter 2025 earnings that edged over Wall Street forecasts and announced a $185 million deal to buy Frndly TV …
Discussion:
The Desk, The Wrap, Reuters, The Streamable, Benzinga, Streaming Better and Roku, more at Techmeme »
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Apple reports Q2 revenue from Services, which includes the App Store, Apple TV+, and Apple Music, up 12% YoY to $26.65B, a new record but below $26.7B est. — The company overall topped Wall Street estimates for the quarter as investors awaited word on how President Trump's tariffs might hurt its business.
Discussion:
The Desk, TechCrunch, New York Times, The Verge, Quartz, iPhone in Canada Blog, Media Play News, The Hollywood Reporter and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »
Jonathan Vanian / CNBC:
Amazon reports Q1 ad revenue up 18% YoY to $13.92B, vs. $13.74B est., and subscription services revenue up 9% YoY to $11.72B — Amazon reported a 19% increase in online ad revenue in the first quarter, beating analyst estimates. — Ad sales climbed to $13.92 billion …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Quartz, @carnage4life.bsky.social and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »
Aisha Counts / Bloomberg:
LinkedIn says it will share ad revenue with creators for the first time, starting with 30 B2B creators, and says users now watch 36% more videos than a year ago — - Networking site to share ad sales with 30 content creators — LinkedIn users watch 36% more video content than a year ago
Jonathan Vanian / CNBC:
Reddit reports Q1 revenue up 61% YoY to $392M, vs. $370M est., global daily active uniques up 31% to 108.1M, Q2 guidance above est.; RDDT jumps 5%+ after hours — Reddit reported first-quarter earnings Thursday that beat Wall Street expectations on sales and guidance.
Discussion:
Business Insider, The Information, Investor's Business Daily, Reuters and Sherwood News, more at Techmeme »
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Ari Emanuel acquires Frieze, an art events and media company, from Endeavor, and will make Frieze a part of his unnamed global events and experiences company — Ari Emanuel has acquired Frieze from Endeavor Group Holdings, the company where he until last month headed as CEO and now serves as executive chairman.
Discussion:
The Wrap, New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, ArtReview, Artforum, Observer, Los Angeles Times, The Art Newspaper, ARTnews, Financial Times, Bloomberg and Deadline
Lawrence Abrams / BleepingComputer:
A California man pleads guilty to illegally accessing Disney's Slack channels and stealing 1.1TB of data in 2024; he later posed as hacktivist group “NullBulge” — A California man who used the alias “NullBulge” has pleaded guilty to illegally accessing Disney's internal Slack channels …
Discussion:
Variety, The Wrap, @usao_losangeles, Inside the Magic, Deadline, US Department of Justice and The Hollywood Reporter
Thomson Reuters:
Thomson Reuters reports Reuters News Q1 revenue down 7% YoY to $196M and adjusted EBITDA down 34% YoY to $39M — TORONTO, May 1, 2025 - Thomson Reuters (TSX/Nasdaq: TRI) today reported results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025: — Good revenue momentum continued in the first quarter
Discussion:
Globe and Mail, Benzinga, Reuters and Talking Biz News
Etan Vlessing / The Hollywood Reporter:
SiriusXM reports Q1 revenue down 4% YoY to $2.07B, a $204M net income, down from $241M in Q1 2024, and self-pay subscribers down 303K, for 33M total subscribers — The auto giant, led by CEO Jennifer Witz, reported its first-quarter results as it faces the impact of U.S. tariffs on new car sales.
Discussion:
Inside Radio, Digital Music News, Billboard, The Desk, Deadline, Benzinga, Advanced Television, SiriusXM and Reuters
James Manso / WWD:
Gallery Media Group acquires fashion and beauty outlet Coveteur, which was closed in 2024, and names Faith Xue, who joins from Bustle Digital Group, as the EIC — It marks the media company's first foray into luxury publishing. — Gallery Media Group, the digital media company behind PureWow …
Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy says “we would be very reluctant” to introduce a levy on streaming platforms, despite a parliamentary committee recommending it — The politician was speaking at the inaugural WAVES summit in Mumbai, where she championed U.K.-India film collaboration
Beatrice Verhoeven / The Hollywood Reporter:
The 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris that is at the center of the Trump lawsuit gets an Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Edited Interview category — The winners will be announced in two ceremonies on June 25 and June 26. — The National Academy of Television Arts (NATAS) …
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Christopher Palmeri / Bloomberg:
After Trump criticized 60 Minutes for what he said were too many critical stories, 60 Minutes will air a piece on May 4 about his efforts to target law firms
Discussion:
@jonathanfriedman.com and Deadline
Washington Post:
Filing: Smartmatic says Fox News' “pivot” to amplify 2020 election fraud claims came after backlash from Trump and supporters for calling Arizona for Biden — In a new legal filing, the election technology company says backlash from Trump and supporters spurred false accusations …
Discussion:
The Wrap, @patrickdmarley, @farhip, Law & Crime, @scottnover.bsky.social, Raw Story, The Desk, Los Angeles Times, New York Post and Washington Examiner
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Peacock plans to debut on May 19 four new original series developed by digital creators who participated in an NBCUniversal accelerator program — The creators, who were all part of an NBCUniversal accelerator program, will launch ‘The Warehouse Phase,’ ‘The Kouncil,’ ‘Older Hotter Wiser,’ and ‘People Like Me’ on Peacock May 19.
Discussion:
TechCrunch
