Top News:
Joe Otterson / Variety:
Internal memo: Paramount Streaming President and CEO Tom Ryan is stepping down; Ryan became CEO in October 2020 after co-founding Pluto TV — Tom Ryan, president and CEO of Paramount Streaming, is stepping down. — Ryan notified Paramount staffers of his departure in an internal note …
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, TVNewsCheck, The Wrap, Deadline and Media Play News
Bloomberg:
Amazon says it is closing its Wondery podcast studio and will break up its operations as part of a broad reorganization; a source says ~110 will lose their jobs — As podcasting becomes video-oriented, Amazon is shuffling Wondery into Audible and a new “creator services” team while cutting approximately 110 staff members
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Thurrott, The Information, @jerrodjaeger.bsky.social and @dannygroner.bsky.social, more at Techmeme »
Sara Fischer / Axios:
New York Post plans to launch a new, daily Los Angeles-based newspaper called “The California Post” in early 2026, with News Corp. veteran Nick Papps as EIC — - Los Angeles is home to the second-largest concentration of Post readers, per News Corp.
Discussion:
New York Post, @richontech and @sarafischer
Jessica Roy / The Information:
A look at newsletter platform Beehiiv, which has hit $30M in ARR and fees starting at $43/month for 1,000 subscribers, unlike Substack, which takes a 10% cut — Last August, when CNN's Oliver Darcy decided he wanted to leave the network and launch Status, an email newsletter focused on the media industry …
Discussion:
@joannastern, @denk_tweets, On my Om, @jeffjarvis@mastodon.social, @kendallbaker and @dannygroner.bsky.social
CPB:
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting says it is shutting down after losing federal funding and is “committed to fulfilling its fiduciary responsibilities” — The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced today that it will begin an orderly wind-down of its operations following …
Discussion:
IndieWire, TODAY.com, @thathappylab.bsky.social, The Federalist, JONATHAN TURLEY, Decode TV, CBS News, WORLD SCREEN, @scottnover, USA Today, semipublic.co, NPR, @banksyfella.bsky.social, @carnage4life@mas.to, @wexler, Fox News, @mikeisaac, @whstancil, @philipaklein, @annewritesreylo.bsky.social, @scottedelman.bsky.social, WKYC-TV, Must Read Alaska, Deseret News, Breitbart, The Hollywood Reporter, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The Washington Free Beacon, Curb Cuts, Plain Dealer, Digital Music News, The A.V. Club, Ars Technica, Washington Times, Gizmodo, The Mahablog, ZeroHedge News, Fast Company, Straight Arrow News, NC Newsline, @lanceulanoff@threads.com, New York Sun, Hollywood Life, @edeggans.bsky.social, Newser, NPR, Adweek, Free Press Action Fund Feed, Raw Story, MLive.com, RedState, KIII-TV, HotAir, twitchy.com, Poynter, Associated Press, Billboard, The Daily Signal, The National Pulse, Washington Examiner, Blaze Media, Daily Caller News Foundation, Bleeding Cool News, Wall Street Journal, @schmittwitt.bsky.social, NBC News, Townhall, Consequence, TV Tech, Radio & Television …, TheDesk.net, Mediaite, New York Daily News, @scottnover.bsky.social, Inside Radio, Washington Post, @sorayanadiamcdonald.com, Axios, Variety, Advocate, Bloomberg, The Wrap, @airbagmoments.bsky.social, Deadline, @dianabutlerbass.bsky.social, @robxlii.bsky.social, @nicdawes.bsky.social, @smi.bsky.social, The Follow, New Republic, The Gateway Pundit, The Independent, The Hill, Anthropology …, Al Jazeera, Cleolinda everywhere and r/radio
Wall Street Journal:
Disney is grappling with using AI in its filmmaking process while protecting its characters against it, plus legal uncertainty, fan backlash, and union concerns — The stakes are especially high for the studio, caught between how to use artificial intelligence in the filmmaking process …
Discussion:
Gizmodo, more at Techmeme »
Nicole Sperling / New York Times:
A profile of Netflix VP Brandon Riegg, who oversees unscripted series, sports, documentary series, and gaming, as the company pushes into live shows and sports — Netflix's head of nonfiction series and sports, Brandon Riegg. Early in his Netflix career he had a memorable flop.
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck and Sports Business Journal
Dan Milmo / The Guardian:
The UK Online Safety Act's approach to keeping children safe online has become a rallying point for the right in the UK and the US over alleged censorship — Farage accuses government of being ‘so below the belt’ as right wing doubles down on censorship claims — The UK's Online Safety Act has been greatly anticipated.
RELATED:
BBC:
In the UK, X and Reddit are blocking wide-ranging content, including about parliamentary debates, Ukraine, and Gaza, to comply with the Online Safety Act
In the UK, X and Reddit are blocking wide-ranging content, including about parliamentary debates, Ukraine, and Gaza, to comply with the Online Safety Act
Discussion:
@carnage4life@mas.to, The Guardian, @evelyndouek.bsky.social, LabourList, Breitbart, The European Conservative, Reuters, UPI, @danielrigal.bsky.social, R Street Institute, @caseynewton.bsky.social, spiked, Prof Sandra Wachter on LinkedIn, Tom's Guide, @shanephotos.bsky.social, @ibboard@hachyderm.io, @anarchoterran.bsky.social and @mikestabile.bsky.social
Amelia Gentleman / The Guardian:
Children's Commissioner for England Rachel de Souza criticizes a Channel 4 documentary on porn star Bonnie Blue for “glamorising and normalising” extreme porn — Programme about performer Bonnie Blue condemned for ‘glamorising and normalising’ extreme pornography
Discussion:
New York Post, @dangillmor@mastodon.social, @zzypt.bsky.social, @bisk.sureis.sexy, The Sun and Mirror
Olivia Solon / Bloomberg:
Spotify says it is updating prices across South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific; an example email had a €1/month rise — Spotify Technology SA shares gained in premarket trading after the company announced it's raising premium subscription prices across many markets outside the US.
Discussion:
The Wrap, TechCrunch, AppleInsider, How-To Geek, Spotify, Investor's Business Daily, The Verge and Hypebot, more at Techmeme »
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Regal Cinemas will distribute a new Dude Perfect documentary on 800+ screens, including rivals AMC and Cinemark, as it looks beyond Hollywood for content — The second-largest US theater chain is releasing a documentary about the YouTube group Dude Perfect on hundreds of screens
Benjamin Wallace / New York Times:
How the Bloomberg podcast Odd Lots, hosted by Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway, has attracted a wide audience by offering in-depth analysis of economic trends — “Odd Lots” goes deep on lentils in Saskatchewan, the global tractor supply and trucking markets. Is it the skeleton key to understanding this strange economic moment?
Max Tani / Semafor:
In a letter to NYT leadership, ~50 unionized culture staffers express shock and concern over the reassignment of critics, as the section shifts toward video — The Scoop — A shakeup of the New York Times culture section has promoted a fierce internal backlash in a letter of complaint …
Discussion:
@maxwelltani and @faintghostglow
