Top News:
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch says Fox One, a streaming service offering NFL and MLB games, Fox News programs, and more, will debut August 21 at $19.99 per month — The new broadband outlet, a venue that offers Fox Corp.'s Sunday-afternoon NFL games and post-season MLB play along with Fox News programs and more …
RELATED:
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Fox reports Q4 revenue up 6% YoY to $3.29B, ad revenue up 7% YoY to $1.1B, driven by Tubi and Fox News, and a net income of $719M, up from $320M in Q4 2024 — The company saw revenues rise across the board in tis fiscal Q4 quarter, as it prepares to launch its Fox One streaming service.
Discussion:
MediaPost, Advanced Television, TheDesk.net, Reuters, Variety, The Wrap, @genetics56, Fox Corporation, Deadline and @earnings_time
Rebecca Falconer / Axios:
Court filing: Trump and Rupert Murdoch agree to postpone Murdoch's deposition in the Epstein letter libel suit until after a ruling on the WSJ's dismissal case — President Trump and Rupert Murdoch reached a deal Monday to postpone the media mogul's deposition in a libel lawsuit related …
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Skydance announces the 10 board directors for Paramount Skydance, including Oracle CEO Safra Catz and former Paramount Pictures CEO Sherry Lansing — Skydance Media announced the full slate of 10 directors for Paramount Skydance Corp., the company resulting from its merger with Paramount Global.
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, The Wrap, The Hollywood Reporter and Skydance Media
RELATED:
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
David Ellison names Paramount Global's senior leadership team, appointing himself as CEO, Jeff Shell as president, and RedBird Capital's Andy Gordon as COO
Discussion:
The Information, Forbes, Deadline, Reuters, Variety, Deadline, The Wrap, Variety, Deadline, Sports Business Journal, New York Post, Adweek, Los Angeles Times, WORLD SCREEN and MediaPost
Jennifer Maas / Variety:
Skydance TV President Matt Thunell will run a merged division with Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, reviving Paramount TV Studios which was shut down in 2024
Skydance TV President Matt Thunell will run a merged division with Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios, reviving Paramount TV Studios which was shut down in 2024
Discussion:
The Wrap, Deadline, C21Media, The Wrap, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, LateNighter and Sports Media Watch
Kelly Lawler / USA Today:
Roku launches Howdy, an ad-free streaming service for $2.99 per month, initially only on Roku devices, with content from Lionsgate, WBD, FilmRise, and more — Roku is ready to say Howdy. — The company − which sells set-top streaming devices, smart TVs and has its own free …
Jon Blistein / Rolling Stone:
A Parkland shooting victim's parents created an AI version of their late son to speak about gun safety, starting with an interview with journalist Jim Acosta — AI-generated Joaquin Oliver, which was created by his parents, discussed gun control measures and movies in a new interview
Discussion:
HuffPost, Mediaite, @acosta, WPLG-TV, The Guardian, Newser, @robbysoave, IJR, @acosta, @redsteeze, @jarvis_best, Decrypt, @jarvis_best, @redsteeze, Moneycontrol, The Post Millennial, Townhall, Straight Arrow News, The Daily Caller, Jim Acosta on YouTube, Salon, Instapundit, twitchy.com, Blaze Media, RedState, Fox News and The Gateway Pundit, more at Techmeme »
Oliver Darcy / Status:
Axios shutters its Pro: Policy product, which launched in September 2022 and offered legislative tracking tools, breaking news alerts, and more for $4,500+/year — It began with a thank you for being a “valued subscriber” and expressed a desire to “better serve” both them and the outlet's “entire audience.”
Discussion:
@passantino.bsky.social, @murshedz.bsky.social and @oliverdarcy.bsky.social
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
The Athletic signs podcast licensing deals for Pablo Torre Finds Out and Sports Gossip Show; a source says the agreement with Torre is in the seven figures — The Athletic signed two new podcast licensing deals to add to its coverage of more pop culture-adjacent angles in sports stories
Discussion:
Awful Announcing, @mad_hill and @lebatardshow
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Patreon CEO Jack Conte says the platform paid out $10B+ to creators since its 2013 founding, creators now get $2B+ annually, and there are 25M+ paid memberships — Creators on Patreon have received more than $10 billion in payouts from fans since the company was founded in 2013, CEO and co-founder Jack Conte tells Axios.
Discussion:
@sarafischer
John Herrman / New York Magazine:
Search-engine optimization feels dated as marketers look to generative-engine optimization, or GEO, which focuses on tricking AI chatbots rather than Google — Search-engine optimization now feels dated. Generative-engine optimization is all about trying to trick AI chatbots.
Jay Peters / The Verge:
IGN lays off staff, including eight members of the IGN Creators Guild, representing 12% of the bargaining unit, as parent company Ziff Davis cuts costs — The ‘perplexing’ cuts laid off eight employees at IGN. … Ziff Davis-owned IGN Entertainment has laid off staff, including eight members of the IGN Creators Guild.
Scott Nover / Washington Post:
Filing: VOA Director Michael Abramowitz has been fired after refusing what he called an “illegal” reassignment to run a broadcasting station in North Carolina — Kari Lake tried to dispatch Michael Abramowitz to North Carolina. When he refused, she fired him.
Discussion:
The Independent, TVNewsCheck, @andria.bsky.social, Poynter, @marionawfal, @w7voa, @scottnover, @kyledcheney, The Wrap and TheDesk.net
Max Goldbart / Deadline:
BAFTA changes its rules to let all 6,000 members vote in the international TV category; the 2026 TV awards are set for May 10, and the craft awards for April 26 — BAFTA has tweaked its international TV category so that all of its 6,000 members are allowed to determine the nominations and winners.
Discussion:
Variety, Broadcast, Bafta, The Hollywood Reporter and MacTech.com
