Mediagazer: The BBC plans to expand its Local Democracy Reporting Service beyond local authorities and “dramatically” increase BBC's presence on YouTube and TikTok (Charlotte Tobitt/Press Gazette)

A.G. Sulzberger / New York Times:

A.G. Sulzberger says the role of a free press is under attack, and that the anti-press playbook used in eroding democracies is now being deployed in the US — This essay was originally delivered as a talk at the Notre Dame Kellogg Institute for International Studies on Tuesday.

Discussion: The Nation, The Wrap, The Hill, TVNewsCheck, @nickkristof.bsky.social, @nytimespr, @maxwelltani, @brianstelter, @froomkin.bsky.social and @sydney-bauer.com

Jeanna Smialek / New York Times:

The EU General Court rules the EU should not have denied an NYT journalist's request for text messages between Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla — The case revolved around whether texts between a top official and a drug company executive counted as a public record that might need to be disclosed.

Discussion: Talking Biz News, The Guardian, UPI, Le Monde, City A.M., Associated Press, Bloomberg and Politico

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

The BBC plans to expand its Local Democracy Reporting Service beyond local authorities and “dramatically” increase BBC's presence on YouTube and TikTok — BBC director-general Tim Davie has revealed plans to expand the Local Democracy Reporting Service outside of its current focus on local authorities.

Discussion: BBC, Broadband TV News and HoldtheFrontPage

Lauren Feiner / The Verge:

FTC v. Meta: Meta's lead attorney disparaged tech journalists Kara Swisher and Om Malik, calling Malik a “failed blogger”, resurfacing years-old media tensions — Meta's lead attorney called a once-prominent tech journalist a “failed blogger.”

Discussion: @karaswisher.bsky.social, more at Techmeme »

Jennifer Maas / Variety:

Warner Bros. Discovery says it will change the name of its Max streaming service back to HBO Max this summer, and tweaks its logo; WBD dropped HBO in May 2023 — Turns out, Warner Bros. Discovery thinks HBO has some pretty good brand equity, after all.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The Streamable, Bloomberg, Adweek, TVLine, New York Times, IndieWire, TechCrunch, The Wrap, Entertainment Weekly, Axios, The Verge, Business Insider, Reuters, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »

Stewart Clarke / Deadline:

Sony says it is doubling down on anime, including with Crunchyroll, which had 17M paid subscribers at the end of March 2025, up from 15M in August 2024 — The new subs number, for paying customers as of end-March, compares to the 15M total that previously out in the market.

Discussion: Screen Rant

Katie Razzall / BBC:

Some leading UK TV executives call for collaboration or consolidation among public broadcasters, amid funding pressures and competition from US streaming giants — Just before Christmas, in a private dining room in the upmarket Charlotte Street Hotel in the heart of London's Soho …

Discussion: TVNewsCheck and Andrew Ailwood on LinkedIn

Joanne Kaufman / New York Times:

Elizabeth Pochoda, a journalist who worked as an editor at many publications, including The Nation, Vanity Fair, and House & Garden, has died at 83 — She was a writer and a top editor at publications as diverse as The Nation, Vogue and Entertainment Weekly. She also helped found Grand Street and reboot Vanity Fair.

Discussion: @markharris.bsky.social

Sophie Culpepper / Nieman Lab:

Some NYT local investigation fellows discuss their experience getting the time and resources their local newsrooms didn't have to conduct investigations — “Newspaper wars are out. I think the future of local news is collaboration.” — If last year's Pulitzer Prizes were a …

Discussion: Sona Patel on LinkedIn, @pculpepper.bsky.social and @niemanlab.org

The Economic Times:

Mumbai-based gaming company Dream Sports has invested $50M in cricket media platform Cricbuzz and cricket broadcaster Willow TV, both owned by Times Internet — Dream Sports, a Mumbai-based gaming company, has invested $50 million in Cricbuzz and Willow TV, both owned by Times Internet, securing a strategic minority interest.

Discussion: BMI

Abid Rahman / The Hollywood Reporter:

Sony Pictures reports Q4 revenue flat YoY to $2.73B and operating income up 70% YoY to $354M; FY 24 revenue fell 4% to $9.9B, operating income fell 4% to $774M — The studio's top performing films in the period were ‘Venom: The Last Dance,’ ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die,’ ‘The Garfield Movie,’ and the scandal-plagued ‘It Ends With Us.’

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Reuters, The Wrap and Associated Press, more at Techmeme »

Ryan Scott / SlashFilm:

Sinners passes $215.3M domestically, making it the first original movie to make $200M+ since 2017's Coco, and the first live-action movie to do so since 2013 — Following its blockbuster debut in theaters in mid-April, “Sinners” has been on a box office tear that has defied even the most optimistic expectations.

Discussion: @socalbat.bsky.social, @ryanscottwrites.bsky.social, @heartimecia.bsky.social, @timcarvell.bsky.social and New York Times