Top News:
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Wired and Business Insider remove articles by journalist Margaux Blanchard that appear to be AI-generated and feature people who do not seem to exist — Wired and Business Insider have removed news features written by a freelance journalist after concerns they are likely AI-generated works of fiction.
Discussion:
@grspur.bsky.social, @jaywillis.net, Talking Biz News, Jem Collins on LinkedIn, @ogmcduck.bsky.social, @stokel.bsky.social, @mjanssen.bsky.social, @pressgazette.co.uk, @seywarddarby.bsky.social, @paris.nyc, @jamesrball.com, @jetjocko.bsky.social, @oisinmcgann.bsky.social, @garethtbij.bsky.social, @harryrose.bsky.social, @AlisonCreekside@mstdn.ca and @katebevan.com
Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill:
Two House Democrats sent Paramount a letter on August 20 demanding documents, communications, and answers regarding the Skydance merger approval process — A pair of top House Democrats are launching an investigation into Paramount's $7 billion merger with fellow media conglomerate Skydance …
Discussion:
NBC News, Radio & Television …, CNBC, Deadline, The Independent and Mumbrella
Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal:
The Onion has 53K+ print subscribers and expects $6M in 2025 revenue, signaling a market for print media, also shown by print relaunches of Saveur and others — Publications turn to old-style products to appeal to readers and stand out in digital media landscape
Columbia Journalism Review:
Thirteen newsroom leaders and ethicists discuss elements of journalistic ethics, including dealing with AI, anonymous leaks, bias, lies, and audience needs — We asked newsroom leaders and ethicists what they're keeping or changing in an era of Trump, “fake news,” AI, and industry decline.
Discussion:
@columjournreview.bsky.social
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
On its 10th anniversary, YouTube Music gets new features, including “Taste Match” playlists similar to Spotify Blend and event notifications through Bandsintown — YouTube is celebrating 10 years of its YouTube Music app on Thursday with the launch of new features that bring it closer to rival Spotify and others.
Discussion:
Billboard, PR Newswire, YouTube Official Blog, The Verge, Android Police and Android Authority
Abid Rahman / The Hollywood Reporter:
Nielsen and Adobe: the Premier League's opening weekend averaged 850K viewers across six matches on NBC/Peacock and USA Network, a record and up 4% on 2024-25 — The Manchester United-Arsenal game scored 2.3 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, Telemundo and NBC Sports' digital platforms.
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck
Gabriela Pomeroy / BBC:
Denmark plans to abolish a 25% sales tax on books, one of the highest globally, in an effort to combat a “reading crisis”; the measure will cost $50M per year — The Danish government has announced it will abolish a 25% sales tax on books, in an effort to combat a “reading crisis”.
Anna Nicolaou / Financial Times:
Fox launches Fox One, its $20/month streamer to reach younger viewers; Fox News' median viewer age is 69, and Emplifi says it had 332M YouTube views in July — App is aimed at growing the network beyond its ageing audience, with ‘modest’ expectations from executives
Committee to Protect Journalists:
India opens criminal investigations into The Wire editor Siddharth Varadarajan, the outlet's staff, and parent FIJ over articles on April attacks and Pakistan — Two police branches in northeastern Indian state of Assam opened separate criminal investigations into Siddharth Varadarajan …
Discussion:
The Indian Express
John Koblin / New York Times:
Antenna: Americans buy ~30% of all new streaming subscriptions via third-party apps like Prime Video or Roku, rising 40% from 2023, a new kind of cable bundle — A battle is heating up in the streaming world as millions of Americans sign up for multiple services through a single provider instead of separate apps.
Benjamin Mayo / 9to5Mac:
Apple raises the price of Apple TV+ in the US and some markets globally after previously raising the price in 2023; in the US, the price will rise $3 to $12.99 — Apple today announced that the monthly price of Apple TV+ is rising in the United States and some international markets.
Discussion:
Reuters, The Streamable, Los Angeles Times, TechCrunch, The Hollywood Reporter, Bloomberg, TVLine, The Wrap, Variety, Tom's Guide, PCMag, BGR, iThinkDifferent, iDownloadBlog.com, Thurrott, Decider, iPhone in Canada, Macworld, WPXI-TV, Pocket-lint, Business Insider, PCWorld, Cult of Mac, @edkane71.bsky.social, @goldengaytime.bsky.social, iClarified, Engadget, The Verge, Streaming Better, MacRumors, Media Play News, AppleInsider, MacDailyNews and Deadline, more at Techmeme »
Zoë Schiffer / Wired:
A profile of Stability AI, which under CEO Prem Akkaraju and Chair Sean Parker has shifted from building frontier AI models to a Hollywood-focused SaaS company — An early winner in the generative AI wars was near collapse—then bet everything on a star-studded comeback. Can Stability AI beat the competition?
