Check out Mini-Mediagazer for simple mobiles or Mediagazer Mobile for modern smartphones.
2:00 PM ET, August 18, 2025

Mediagazer

 Top News: 
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Memo: Mark Lazarus, who will run NBCUniversal spinoff Versant as its founding CEO, says MSNBC will become MS Now, or My Source for News Opinion and the World  —  In the media business, at least, breaking up can still be hard to do.  —  MSNBC will have to take a new name in months to come …
RELATED:
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
NBCUniversal changed MSNBC's name “to accelerate the distinction between MSNBC and NBC News”; MSNBC has been undergoing aggressive hiring for ~100 new positions  —  MSNBC will change its name later this year and drop the storied peacock image from its branding …
CNN:
Filing: Newsmax agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $67M to settle a defamation lawsuit over false claims about the 2020 election, with $27M due this month  —  Egregious lies about the 2020 presidential election are going to cost Newsmax $67 million.  —  To avert a high-stakes trial …
RELATED:
Newsmax:
Newsmax says its 2020 election coverage was “fair” but it settled with Dominion as the Delaware court where the trial was to happen wouldn't allow a fair trial  —  BOCA RATON, Fla. - Newsmax Media, Inc. announced today it has reached a settlement agreement with Dominion Voting Systems …
Max Tani / Semafor:
A group of left-leaning writers led by Jerusalem Demsas launch The Argument, an outlet to counter the populist right and boost liberal ideas, with $4M backing  —  The Scoop  —  A group of left-leaning writers and journalists are starting a new publication on Monday aimed at arguing in favor …
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Sources: YouTube has inquired about buying the rights to the Oscars; the show will air on ABC through at least 2028  —  Can Google convince Hollywood's most famous awards show to bail on TV networks and movie studios?  —  Good afternoon from Los Angeles, wherever you may be.
Bloomberg:
A US district court judge temporarily blocks an FTC probe into Media Matters, part of an antitrust investigation into ad boycotts, calling the probe retaliatory  —  Nonprofit Media Matters for America won a court order blocking a Federal Trade Commission information demand for documents …
Ben Fritz / Wall Street Journal:
After tax incentives boosted growth, Georgia's film industry is declining due to rising costs; source: Marvel is making most of its upcoming content in the UK  —  Tax incentives lured studios to help build the ‘Hollywood of the South.’ Now they're going overseas for cheaper labor costs.
Lucia Moses / Business Insider:
Comics platform Webtoon says it is adapting comics into episodic videos meant for vertical scrolling; it reported revenue of $1.35B last year, up 5.1% YoY  —  - Comics platform Webtoon is getting into vertical video, adapting titles.  — It's trying to grab more of Gen Z's attention as that cohort gravitates to video content.
Nikkei Asia:
Chinese streaming giants iQiyi and Tencent are gaining on Netflix in Southeast Asia via original productions, free services with ads, and low-fee subscriptions  —  BANGKOK/SHANGHAI — Chinese streaming services are catching up with American rivals in the Southeast Asian market …
Patrick Coffee / Wall Street Journal:
Some brands, like Bilt and Alexis Bittar, are producing scripted social media series that are also marketing campaigns whose focus is brand engagement  —  Bilt's new scripted series ‘Roomies’ has attracted attention on social media but hasn't directly promoted the brand—at least not yet
Discussion: PR Daily
Kerry Flynn / Axios:
Sounds Profitable, which represents ~200 audio and podcast companies, merges with Podcast Movement in a seven-figure deal  —  Two influential podcast organizations, Sounds Profitable and Podcast Movement, are merging, executives exclusively tell Axios.
 
 Archived Page Info: 
This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 2:00 PM ET, August 18, 2025.

View the current page or another snapshot:


 
 See Also: 
Mediagazer: site main
Mediagazer River: reverse chronological Mediagazer
Mediagazer Mobile: for phones
Mediagazer Leaderboard: Mediagazer's top sources
 
 Subscribe: 
Mediagazer RSS feed
Mediagazer on X
Mediagazer on Mastodon
 
 
 More News: 
Matthew Belloni / @mattbelloni:
Sources: Stranger Things creators the Duffer brothers are leaving Netflix for Paramount; the deciding factor was Paramount's support for theatrical releases
Free Press:
A coalition of press freedom groups urges Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to release Atlanta journalist Mario Guevara, detained by ICE for two months
 Earlier Picks: 
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Digital Content Next survey: 19 US online publishers, including major newsrooms, saw a median 10% YoY decline in Google referral traffic in the May-June period
 

 
From Techmeme:

Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg:
Sources: Meta is considering deep budget cuts to its metaverse efforts in 2026, potentially as high as 30% and most likely including layoffs as early as January

Kif Leswing / CNBC:
Apple says general counsel Kate Adams and policy chief Lisa Jackson will retire, and Jennifer Newstead, Meta's former chief legal officer, will replace Adams

Will Oremus / Washington Post:
Two studies suggest AI chatbots can shift political views more effectively than TV campaign ads, especially by presenting many claims, regardless of accuracy
 
Sister Sites:

Techmeme
 Top news and commentary for technology's leaders, from all around the web
memeorandum
 What US political commentators are discussing online right now
WeSmirch
 The top celebrity news from all around the web on a single page