Top News:
Stuart Dredge / Music Ally:
Open letter: SoundCloud CEO Eliah Seton says a 2024 TOS update did not intend to allow AI training on user content; SoundCloud revised the wording on May 14 — - Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email — Music Ally NEXT 2025: Tickets on sale now!
Zach Vallese / CNBC:
YouTube unveils Peak Points, a pilot Gemini feature for targeting ads after viewers are most engaged with a video, aiming for more impressions and a higher CTR — YouTube on Wednesday announced a new tool that will allow advertisers to use Google's Gemini AI model to target ads to viewers when they are most engaged with a video.
Discussion:
Benzinga, TechCrunch and Quartz, more at Techmeme »
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Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:
YouTube previews new ad formats coming to the platform, including an enhanced shoppable connected TV offering that has an interactive product feed on the right — YouTube made its pitch to advertisers on Wednesday, accompanied by a flashy performance from Lady Gaga and special appearances …
Discussion:
Radio & Television …, WORLD SCREEN, YouTube Official Blog, Variety, Adweek and TheStreet, more at Techmeme »
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:
About Netflix, Profit, The Desk, The Indian Express, @minddestroyedx, Tubefilter, Streaming Better, 9to5Mac, TechCrunch, Reuters, Adweek and Media Play News, more at Techmeme »
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Johnny Ryan / Irish Council for Civil Liberties:
The Belgian Court of Appeal rules the Transparency & Consent Framework, used by Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and much of the internet, is illegal across Europe — Landmark court decision against “TCF” consent pop ups on 80% of the internet — 14 May 2025
Discussion:
@CCC@social.bau-ha.us, @mario_gug, @johnnyryan.bsky.social, @chronotope, @aral@mastodon.ar.al, Sophie on LinkedIn, @johnnyryan.bsky.social, @lilianedwards.bsky.social, @andrewhinton.bsky.social, @johnnyryan.bsky.social, @openpolicy.bsky.social, @bthalpin.bsky.social, @hannejakobsen.bsky.social and Engadget, more at Techmeme »
Tyler Falk / Current:
New York adds $4M in state funding for public radio stations to the FY 2026 budget, set to be divided evenly, in response to threats to CPB funding — New York's governor signed a budget bill last week that included $4 million in state funding to public radio stations.
Discussion:
New York Public Radio on LinkedIn
Paul Farhi / Vanity Fair:
C-SPAN, with revenue down 35% since 2018 and an $8M budget shortfall in 2025, looks to multichannel streamers; YouTube TV cites a lack of subscriber interest — Despite fans across the aisle—including Trump—the cable network's financial path is “not sustainable,” per CEO Sam Feist …
Discussion:
TVREV, @calderone.bsky.social, @benjaminoc.bsky.social and @mlcalderone
Marshall Cohen / CNN:
Court filings: Smartmatic accuses Fox News execs, including Rupert Murdoch, of intentionally destroying damning evidence in its 2020 election defamation case — A voting technology firm suing Fox News for defamation over its 2020 election coverage claimed senior corporate executives …
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck and The Wrap
Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:
Hedra, which offers a web-based video generation and editing suite used by creators to make video podcasts, raised a $32M Series A, after a $10M seed — People are using AI video generation tools to contribute to an unexpected new viral trend: podcasts featuring AI-generated talking babies.
Discussion:
Investing.com, Reuters, @hedra_labs, StartupNews.fyi and Tech Funding News, more at Techmeme »
Wall Street Journal:
A profile of Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks, who is trying to settle President Trump's CBS lawsuit, calm nerves at CBS News, and complete a merger with Skydance — Co-CEO George Cheeks is trying to settle Trump's ‘60 Minutes’ lawsuit and mollify wary CBS News staff while completing a merger with Skydance
Discussion:
Radio & Television … and TVNewsCheck
Alondra Nelson / Time:
Alondra Nelson resigns from the National Science Board and Library of Congress Scholars Council, citing DOGE's interference and eroded institutional integrity — Today, I am resigning from the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council.
Discussion:
Timnit Gebru on LinkedIn, John Butler on LinkedIn, Andrew Pace on LinkedIn, @alondra.bsky.social, @heidilifeldman@mastodon …, @mszll@datasci.social, @grrlscientist@mastodon.social, @tornatrix@wx.social, @Sheril@mastodon.social, @kfitz@hcommons.social, @Axomamma@mastodon.online and CleanTechnica
Barbara Moens / Financial Times:
The EU provisionally finds that TikTok breached the DSA by failing to offer a publicly searchable ad library, potentially opening the platform up to a fine — Ad transparency investigation is one of several ongoing European cases against social media platform
Discussion:
Reuters, Euractiv, Bloomberg, Associated Press, Politico, Wall Street Journal, European Commission and The Business Times, more at Techmeme »
The Times:
Andrew Norfolk, investigative journalist for The Times who exposed systematic sexual abuse of vulnerable girls by grooming gangs from 2011 onwards, died at 60 — Investigative journalist whose forensic reporting revealed the systematic sexual abuse of girls by men of Pakistani heritage, dies aged 60
Discussion:
The Guardian, GB News, @katierazz, @jgriffintimes, @cdp1882, @nazirafzal, @exstrategist, @recusant_raja, @rosamundurwin and @sarahchampionmp
