Top News:
Jessica Testa / New York Times:
Taylor Swift's podcast debut on New Heights, co-hosted by Travis Kelce, shows the format is an appealing option for stars instead of late-night TV and magazines — For stars promoting their projects, podcasts have become an appealing alternative to late-night TV and glossy magazines.
Discussion:
New Heights on YouTube, Inside Radio, Mediaite, Billboard, Forbes, Mercury News, People, Barrett Media, Us Weekly, Ailis O'Connell on LinkedIn, TMZ.com, Forbes, KVIA-TV, Variety, WSVN-TV, TODAY.com, Just Jared, Axios, New York Post, NBC Bay Area, Los Angeles Times, Deseret News, CBS News, Marin Independent Journal, Hollywood Life, NBC News, Poynter, WKYC-TV and Page Six
Nellie Andreeva / Deadline:
Paramount DTC Chair Cindy Holland says Paramount+ is now open to buying third party content, reminiscent of Holland's strategy when she was at Netflix — At a Los Angeles press event on Wednesday, new Paramount CEO David Ellison touted the move to empower Paramount+ team …
Discussion:
Tom's Guide, Media Play News, The Hollywood Reporter and Collider
RELATED:
Matt Donnelly / Variety:
Paramount's streaming head Cindy Holland says streaming movies are “not a priority”, as CEO David Ellison says debate on value of theatrical releases is “over”
Paramount's streaming head Cindy Holland says streaming movies are “not a priority”, as CEO David Ellison says debate on value of theatrical releases is “over”
Discussion:
/Film, The Wrap, TV Insider, @variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Media Play News, Deadline, Deadline, TrekMovie.com, The Wrap, MarketWatch and Variety
Neel Dhanesha / Nieman Lab:
CPB's closure threatens tribal radio and TV stations, endangering critical services like emergency alerts in areas lacking broadband or reliable cell service — “These stations are not just media outlets, they are cultural infrastructure.” — In the most remote parts of Alaska …
Discussion:
The Guardian and @grovesprof.bsky.social
Jennifer Maas / Variety:
Starz, which split from Lionsgate in May, reports Q2 revenue down 8% YoY to $319.7M, a net loss of $42.5M, and US streaming subscribers down 120K QoQ to 12.2M — Starz saw an 8% drop in revenue for its April 1-June 30 earnings, the now-standalone media company reported Thursday.
Discussion:
The Wrap, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and Starz
Scott Nover / Washington Post:
The GAO launches a probe into USAGM for potential overreach; sources say congressional staffers warned Kari Lake that she illegally used appropriated funds — As Trump lieutenant tells a federal judge she is following the law in dismantling the international broadcasting agency …
Murray Stassen / Music Business Worldwide:
Sources: Chord Music Partners, a music rights investment vehicle, raised $2B+ so far in a round due to close in October; Searchlight Capital has invested $400M — Universal Music Group-backed investment vehicle Chord Music Partners has raised over USD $2 billion in investable capital to buy music rights.
Discussion:
Billboard, Business Wire, Sky News and The Hollywood Reporter
David Roeder / Chicago Sun Times:
Chicago Public Media, which owns the Sun-Times and public radio station WBEZ, names Kimbriell Kelly as EIC effective September 2, succeeding Jennifer Kho — A Pulitzer Prize winner, Kelly has a background in investigative reporting. She will succeed Jennifer Kho, who will work on a project dealing with the future of public media.
Discussion:
Crain's Chicago Business
Matthew Keys / TheDesk.net:
Gannett is launching a morning newscast, Connecting America, on its USA Today streaming channel and on YouTube, on August 18; it will air weekdays 7am-9am ET — Gannett Company is launching a new morning newscast on its USA Today-branded free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel, the company announced on Thursday.
Joanna Gerber / AdExchanger:
Mediaocean's ad verification division partners with the Internet Watch Foundation, which identifies and works to remove websites containing CSAM — Brand safety isn't always cut and dried. — An alcohol brand, for instance, might look for content that other brands would instinctively steer clear of.
Discussion:
TheDesk.net, @adexchanger, Eliminating Child …, Eva Papoutsakis Smith on LinkedIn, MediaPost and TechCentral.ie
Jason Koebler / 404 Media:
Media advocates criticize a US Department of Energy plan to throw out FOIA requests sent before October 1, 2024, unless the request is formally renewed — The Department of Energy (DOE) said in a public notice scheduled to be published Thursday that it will throw out all Freedom of Information Act …
Raquel ‘Rocky’ Harris / The Wrap:
The LA Times Guild plans to hold its first-ever strike authorization vote as contract talks near their third year; the union lost about 200 members since 2022 — Since negotiations began in September 2022, the guild has seen layoffs impact approximately 200 Times staffers
Discussion:
@mattdpearce.com, @katie_robertson, @jqwritesstuff.bsky.social and @katie_robertson
Gabriel V Rindborg / The Guardian:
Monitoring firm MUSO says piracy hit a low in 2020 with 130B website visits and grew by 2024 to 216B; in Sweden, 25% of those surveyed reported pirating in 2024 — As subscription costs rise and choice diminishes on legal sites, film and TV fans are turning to VPNs and illicit streamers …
Discussion:
Jerome Mazandarani on LinkedIn and Plagiarism Today
Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
Ampd: South Korea's premium VOD revenue hit $1.1B in H1 2025, with paid subscriptions up 1.5M to 24.5M; Netflix has 8.2M subscribers and ~50% of the market — The Korean streaming wars are heating up. New data shows the country's premium video-on-demand sector reached $1.1 billion …
Discussion:
Benzinga and WORLD SCREEN
