Top News:
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Nexstar, which owns or partners with over 200 TV stations, is in advanced talks to acquire Tegna, which has 64 TV stations; TGNA rises 30%+ after hours — A deal between Nexstar and Tegna could be a litmus test for the FCC's deregulation push
Brian Stelter / CNN:
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison praises South Park creators, noting the show's profitability for Paramount, even as the show mercilessly skewers Trump — Paramount's new CEO doesn't seem to think he has a “South Park” problem. — Rather, David Ellison sees the animated show as part …
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Matt Novak / Gizmodo:
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez says Paramount-Skydance agreed to “never-before-seen forms of government control over newsroom decisions” through a “truth arbiter” — Anna Gomez says the new company is “born in shame.” … It's official.
Erik Hayden / The Hollywood Reporter:
In a press conference, Paramount Skydance execs emphasize better tech, deflect questions on recent controversies, and put off layoff questions until November
Discussion:
Deadline, Observer, TV Tonight, World of Reel, NewsMax.com, Deadline, The Guardian, Business Insider, New York Sun, Deadline, Fox Business, The Independent, Deadline, The Information, Variety and New York Times
Brian Stelter / CNN:
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison visited CBS News early Thursday, expressing admiration for the news division and acknowledging recent stresses
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison visited CBS News early Thursday, expressing admiration for the news division and acknowledging recent stresses
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Katie Kilkenny / The Hollywood Reporter:
After four years as SAG-AFTRA president, Fran Drescher will not seek another term; ballots for new candidates will be collected from August 13 to September 12 — A list of national political candidates at the union, released Friday, confirmed that the labor group's erstwhile strike leader is not seeking reelection.
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The Wrap, Variety, Bleeding Cool News, Entertainment Weekly, The A.V. Club, TVNewsCheck and Deadline
Bloomberg:
Sources: Netflix is exploring a deal to stream MLB's Home Run Derby, after ESPN walked away, and may be interested in additional baseball programming — Netflix Inc. is exploring a deal to stream Major League Baseball's Home Run Derby, people familiar with the matter said, after ESPN walked away.
Ashley Belanger / Ars Technica:
Two tech groups are backing Anthropic's appeal of a court ruling allowing a copyright class action, saying potential big settlements could chill AI investment — AI industry groups are urging an appeals court to block what they say is the largest copyright class action ever certified.
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Peter White / Deadline:
Stephen Colbert, whose late show is scheduled to end on CBS in May 2026, directly pitches Netflix and Amazon during his last show before a summer break — The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is ending in May but the host is already courting new employers. — Colbert, who is off for a few weeks …
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Variety, Screen Rant, Entertainment Weekly, @howodd69, Cracked.com, Screen Rant, Mashable, The A.V. Club and NME
GB News:
GB News launches on Truth+, Trump Media's streaming TV platform, as part of the free basic package — GB News has today embarked on an exciting new venture in the US after launching onto Truth+. — The sister platform to Truth Social announced today that it has added the People's Channel to Truth+ …
Discussion:
Mirror, Trump Media & … and Financial Times
Stuart Dredge / Music Ally:
A district court judge throws out SoundExchange's 2023 suit against SiriusXM, which had argued SoundExchange doesn't have the right to litigate royalty disputes — - Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email — Two years ago, SoundExchange sued US satellite-radio firm SiriusXM …
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Billboard, Digital Music News, @seriousextreme.substack.com, Radio Ink, Music Technology Policy, CMU and Bloomberg Law
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Byron Allen's Allen Media Group agrees to sell 10 local TV stations, mostly in the South and Midwest, to Gray Media in a $171M deal expected to close in Q4 — The mogul put his stations on the market back in June. … The comedian turned media mogul's company Allen Media Group …
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Gray Media, Adweek, Cord Cutters News, TheDesk.net, New York Post, The Ankler, Los Angeles Times, Radio & Television …, @ellenenders.bsky.social, Variety, Deadline, The Wrap, TV Tech and al.com
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
Advocates for net neutrality say they won't appeal a ruling against the policy, saying they don't trust the US Supreme Court to rule fairly on the issue — Advocacy groups that tried to defend federal net neutrality rules in court won't file an appeal, saying they don't trust the Supreme Court to rule fairly on the issue.
Discussion:
Free Press Action Fund Feed, RADIO ONLINE, CBS News and Inside Radio
Zico Ghosh / The Hollywood Reporter:
A look at the impact of AI voice cloning on India's dubbing and voiceover sector, as artists demand consent, credit, and fair pay amid a lack of laws for AI use — As AI voice cloning in films becomes a reality, India's dubbing artists are demanding consent, credit and fair pay …
Discussion:
Ed Hooks on LinkedIn and @kaplanikids.bsky.social
