Top News:
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Meta aims to help brands fully create and target ads using AI by the end of 2026, including images and budgetary goals, building on its current tools — AI-powered advertising is part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's vision for the company's future — Meta Platforms is betting that automation is the future of ads.
Discussion:
Marketing Dive, MediaPost, AdNews News, CNET, Motley Fool, PYMNTS.com, Benzinga, Deadline, WebProNews, Investor's Business Daily, Reuters, WeRSM, PCMag, Morningstar, Inc., Neowin, WinBuzzer, Proactive, Yahoo Finance, Adweek, @hypervisible.bsky.social, The Guardian, Trak.in, Dora Moldovan on LinkedIn, Cryptopolitan, Beet.TV, @meghanbobrowsky, Business Today, KnowTechie, TVNewsCheck, The Economic Times, Quartz, TheCable and Sherwood News, more at Techmeme »
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Sources: Disney is laying off several hundred employees globally across multiple teams, including TV and film — Disney is swinging the axe again, laying off several hundred employees globally across multiple teams. … Disney is positioning the cuts as enhancing its ability to operate more efficiently.
Discussion:
Deadline, Reuters, Adweek, Wall Street Journal, TVNewsCheck, New York Daily News, Fortune, AV Club, Business Insider, The Hill, Quartz, The Post Millennial, Yahoo Finance, Boston.com, Benzinga, TheStreet, Los Angeles Times, Nathan Fletcher on LinkedIn, @lisa-catara.bsky.social, @fizzvstheworld.bsky.social, Daily Voice, @thespoilist.bsky.social, @chancesecond.bsky.social, MarketWatch, Entrepreneur, The Hollywood Reporter, CBS News, The Economic Times, 9-1-1 Behind The Scenes and Bloomberg
Max Tani / Semafor:
Sources: in May 2024, Business Insider sent some staff a recommended reading list that included seemingly AI-generated books that did not appear to exist — The Scoop — Business Insider announced this week that it wants staff to better incorporate AI into its journalism.
Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
Marc Maron plans to end WTF With Marc Maron podcast in the fall; the groundbreaking podcast helped define the medium with 1,600+ episodes after its 2009 launch — Marc Maron has announced that he and producer Brendan McDonald have decided to end “WTF With Marc Maron,” the groundbreaking podcast …
Discussion:
Deadline, LateNighter, Plain Dealer, Los Angeles Times, AV Club, NextDraft, Associated Press, NBC News, @dstapf63.bsky.social, People, The Wrap, @pjmaciak.bsky.social, Entertainment Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter, @dangercart.bsky.social, @nochorus.bsky.social, @brianstelter, @mathowie@xoxo.zone, Podnews, @danagould.bsky.social, @carlquintanilla.bsky.social, Rolling Stone, @mrbeverages.bsky.social, @jasondashbailey.com, Bloomberg, New York Daily News, Business Insider, NBC Bay Area, Consequence, Barrett Media and Just Jared
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Sources: UMG, Warner Music, and Sony Music are in talks to license their work to AI music startups Udio and Suno and settle copyright infringement lawsuits — Music companies would settle lawsuits with startups they accused of copyright infringement — Major music companies are in talks …
Todd Spangler / Variety:
SEC filing: Paramount nominates three directors to its board and schedules its annual meeting for July 2; board member Judith McHale won't stand for re-election — Board member Judith McHale will not stand for re-election — Paramount Global and controlling shareholder Shari Redstone …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Wall Street Journal, Deadline, Bloomberg, The Hollywood Reporter and Paramount Global
Victor Dey / Fast Company:
Creatify, an AI video ad platform that reached $9M in ARR just 18 months after launch, raised a $15.5M Series A led by Jeffrey Katzenberg's WndrCo and Kindred — Jeffrey Katzenberg has long backed ambitious ventures—from cofounding animation studio DreamWorks to championing digital innovation through his investment firm WndrCo.
Discussion:
TechCrunch and Pulse 2.0
Andy Meek / Forbes:
An interview with Henry Blodget on BI's layoffs, media market changes in the past five years, why the future is direct distribution and subscriptions, and more — I report on media as well as its intersection with news and culture. — SaveComment — Following the announcement …
Discussion:
MediaPost, Pivot to AI and Puck
David Remnick / New Yorker:
Q&A with Lesley Stahl on the pressures at CBS News and 60 Minutes, Trump's lawsuit and likely settlement, Shari Redstone, Bill Owens stepping down, and more — The veteran journalist Lesley Stahl on the pressures at CBS News, the history of Presidential attacks on the news media, and how journalists today should respond.
Discussion:
New York Post, Fox News, Mediaite, TV Insider, The Independent, Fortune, TVNewsCheck, @marcowenjones.bsky.social, @socialmedialab.ca, @brianstelter, @alexanderrusso, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, @newyorker, New York Sun, TVNewsCheck, @pamspaulding.bsky.social, @csmcdaniel.bsky.social, @michaelluo.bsky.social, @shacharbaron.bsky.social, AV Club, Deadline and The Washington Free Beacon
Brooks Barnes / New York Times:
Disney's live-action Lilo & Stitch grossed $610M globally in just 10 days, and could reach $950M; the film cost $100M and may make $300M+ in box office profit — The film was originally aimed for Disney+. But it was rerouted to a theatrical release and is on pace for at least $950 million in ticket sales.
Discussion:
@thispersonstinks.bsky.social, SlashFilm, Comic Book, UK Press, Daily Voice, Breitbart, Variety, Media Play News, Beebom and Screen Rant
Zak Keefer / New York Times:
A profile of sports journalist Pablo Torre, who launched his podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out in 2023 under Meadowlark Media, focusing on “adversarial journalism” — He remembers the sweat trickling down his forehead, feeling the weight of his ambitions and the future he'd mapped out.
Discussion:
Awful Announcing, @jeffjarvis@mastodon.social, @zkeefer, @zkeefer, @zkeefer, @theathletic and @zkeefer
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Taylor Swift is the most business-savvy artist alive, reacquiring her music by driving negotiations between major music groups, streamers, and social networks — Pop star regains control of albums from her early years after a long fight — Good afternoon from Los Angeles, wherever you may be.
