Top News:
New York Times:
California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he wants to work with the Trump administration to craft a $7.5B federal film tax credit; the state allocates $330M annually — The proposal for a federal program came after the president called for tariffs on movies filmed overseas, causing confusion and concern across the industry.
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Scott Roxborough / The Hollywood Reporter:
Experts are baffled by Trump's “movie tariff” proposal, as what constitutes a “foreign” production is unclear, and tariffs won't make US filming any cheaper
Experts are baffled by Trump's “movie tariff” proposal, as what constitutes a “foreign” production is unclear, and tariffs won't make US filming any cheaper
Discussion:
Yahoo Finance, The American Spectator, @brianstelter, New York Times, The Straits Times, Variety, Associated Press, USA Today, One America News Network, Finance News Network, People, TV Tech, Fox News, Fast Company, The Hill, Media Play News, HotAir, Washington Post, The Verge, Reason and Bloomberg
Bloomberg:
Over the weekend, Jon Voight presented Trump with a plan to boost the US entertainment industry, including tax code changes to encourage investment in US films
Over the weekend, Jon Voight presented Trump with a plan to boost the US entertainment industry, including tax code changes to encourage investment in US films
Discussion:
Status, Deadline, Decider, The Hill, Benzinga, The Guardian, Forbes, Rolling Stone, Hindustan Times, Business Insider, @oakmarie.bsky.social, NPR, IndieWire, The Wrap, Variety, Wall Street Journal, TheStreet, The Hollywood Reporter, Fox News, Digital Music News, Mediaite, Blaze Media, No More Mister Nice Blog and New Republic
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Comcast's spinoff of the majority of the NBCU cable network portfolio will be named Versant; the “holding company” name is for “business-to-business purposes” — Comcast's spinoff of the majority of its NBCUniversal cable network portfolio will be named Versant …
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
NBC plans to use generative AI to recreate the voice of famed NBA narrator Jim Fagan, who died in 2017, to use in promos, title sequences, and show opens — Fagan passed away in 2017, but when the ‘NBA on NBC’ returns this fall, his voice will appear in promos, title sequences and other segments.
Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:
Spotify debuts a “plays” metric for podcasts that shows users and creators how many times people have actively listened to or watched an audio or video episode — YouTube continues to dominate the podcasting space, but Spotify is actively working to close the gap.
Discussion:
Spotify, Android Authority, WeRSM and @joshuaogundu, more at Techmeme »
Andrew Liszewski / The Verge:
Amazon updates its iOS Kindle app to add a prominent orange “Get book” button, enabling purchases via the mobile browser, after the recent Epic v. Apple ruling — Amazon has updated its Kindle iOS app to take advantage of recent changes to Apple's App Store rules.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Business Insider, GeekWire, AppleInsider, Android Authority, The Information, Mashable, MacRumors, Six Colors, 9to5Mac and Stratechery, more at Techmeme »
Erik Hayden / The Hollywood Reporter:
CNN hires Choire Sicha as SVP of features editorial; Sicha joins from Vox Media where he served as editor at large for New York Magazine — The editor, formerly at New York magazine and the Styles desk at The New York Times, is the latest to join as the brand rebuilds its digital operations
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Swedish podcast conglomerate PodX acquires a majority stake in Lemonada Media, the network behind Meghan Markle's podcast, a source says for around $30M — The network behind podcasts from Julie Louis-Dreyfus and Meghan Markle will be PodX Group's first US-based acquisition
Discussion:
Variety, Podnews and The Hollywood Reporter
Alexandra Alter / New York Times:
MrBeast is teaming up with James Patterson on a thriller, to be published by HarperCollins in 2026 in 15 languages, after a reported eight-figure bidding war — Jimmy Donaldson, known to his social media fans as MrBeast, is teaming up with the mega-best-selling thriller author.
Discussion:
@schooley.bsky.social, HarperCollins, @complexpop, @oddletters.bsky.social, @globalstats11, @jscram3254.bsky.social, @simonowens.bsky.social, Sportskeeda, Dexerto, @biggestjoel, Michael Cruz on LinkedIn, AV Club, @karlbode.com, @premiumsteve.bsky.social, @mrbeast, @mrbeast, HypeFresh Inc, @drewharwell.com, The Bookseller, @alexshephard.bsky.social and The Hollywood Reporter
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
News reader Particle launches on the web, featuring news headlines and AI summaries, key quotes, links to sources, and reader questions answered by AI — Particle, the startup behind an AI-powered newsreader that aims to help publishers, not just steal their work, is bringing its product to the web.
Ina Fried / Axios:
Memo: Wikimedia Foundation CEO Maryana Iskander announces plans to step down: “the hope is to welcome a successor by January 2026” — Maryana Iskander, CEO of the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation, plans to step down early next year, Axios has learned first.
Discussion:
Diff and @wikimediafoundation.org
Kendra Barnett / Adweek:
Google unveils AI Max for Search ad campaigns, a suite of AI-powered targeting and creative enhancements, rolling out to advertisers in beta later this month — AI Max for Search has led to an average lift of 14% in conversions without raising cost-per-acquisition
Wall Street Journal:
US v. Google: the DOJ says in a May 5 filing that Google should sell its AdX business and DFP ad platform; Google says divestiture isn't warranted or feasible — A federal judge ruled last month that the tech giant had created a monopoly in advertising — Google should sell …
