Top News:
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:
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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, Le Monde, @matisaksk.bsky.social, Associated Press, The Guardian, UPI, Bloomberg, City A.M. and Politico
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.
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, WORLD SCREEN, National Union of Journalists … and HoldtheFrontPage
Sarah Scire / Nieman Lab:
National Trust for Local News plans to sell 21 local Denver publications to Times Media Group, a for-profit media company with a history of reducing newsrooms — The Times Media Group is an out-of-state, for-profit media company with a history of reducing roles in local newsrooms.
Sara Salinas / CNBC:
Netflix says its ad-supported tier now has 94M MAUs, up from 70M in November 2024, and reaches more 18- to 34-year-olds than any US broadcast or cable network — Netflix said Wednesday its cheaper, ad-supported tier now has 94 million monthly active users — an increase of more than 20 million since its last public tally in November.
Discussion:
Reuters, TVNewsCheck, The Wrap, Adweek, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, The Verge and Media Play News, more at Techmeme »
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:
RFE/RL receives $12M from USAGM, its congressionally appropriated funds for the month of April, after a six-week delay and says it will continue its lawsuit — In Legal Win, RFE/RL Receives April Funding; Lawsuit Continues for Remainder of FY 2025 Funds — Share: — Share this page on Facebook
Discussion:
@newsguy.bsky.social
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 »
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Xumo founder Colin Petrie-Norris launches Fairground, a production studio focused exclusively on AI-generated TV series that has raised a $4M seed round — Now he's hoping to stake a claim on the future of AI entertainment. — Petrie-Norris' new company is Fairground Entertainment …
Discussion:
The Desk, Media Play News, @tched.com and Colin Petrie-Norris on LinkedIn
Mark Kleinman / Sky News:
Source: the UK plans to let foreign state investors hold stakes of up to 15% in British national papers, following RedBird IMI's attempt to buy The Telegraph — Ministers are to impose the new threshold on foreign state ownership amid a two-year row about the future ownership of The Daily Telegraph, Sky News learns.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Reuters, Financial Times, Telegraph, Bloomberg and The Times
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
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:
The Streamable
