Top News:
Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
WBD Chair Emeritus John Malone says he discussed a WBD-Fox merger with Rupert Murdoch in July 2024; sources say a possible deal was raised but not pursued — ‘Cable cowboy’ reveals talks as he reorganises media empire and prepares to give most of his $10bn fortune to good causes
Discussion:
TheDesk.net, Broadband TV News, Mumbrella, TVNewsCheck, Yahoo Finance and @jeffjarvis.bsky.social
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Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
An interview with John Malone on his upcoming memoir, CNN being an “anti-Trump news service”, advising David Zaslav on his compensation package, and more
An interview with John Malone on his upcoming memoir, CNN being an “anti-Trump news service”, advising David Zaslav on his compensation package, and more
Discussion:
Spyglass, Sydney Morning Herald, @bristei, @benmullin, @joshkraushaar, @pkafka and @katzish.bsky.social
Chip Reid / CBS News:
Mark Knoller, a former CBS News White House correspondent known for keeping meticulous records of every presidential act, dies at the age of 73 — Longtime CBS News correspondent Mark Knoller has died at the age of 73. — He died in Washington, D.C., according to a close friend.
Discussion:
Mediaite, HuffPost, @digiphile.bsky.social, The Gateway Pundit, @kenbazinet.bsky.social, Fox News, Suggest, @kevincorke, @johnjharwood, @samstein, @cehoskinson, @eamonjavers, @rorycooper, @nickbryantny, @peterbakernyt, @stevenportnoy, @jerry_cipriano, @margbrennan, @tvietor08, @edokeefe, @joshgerstein, @yashar, @keegan_tweets, @kellyo, @westwingreport, @robt_gibbs, @w7voa, @jordanfabian, @aghamilton29, @johngizzi, @brianstelter, @brithume, @fangsbites, @davidgoodmantv, @steveholland1, @horsleyscott, @chucktodd, @sfutterman, @thirdwaymattb, @danaperino, @exjon, @andrewfeinberg, @bretbaier, @katiecouric, @johannamaska, @ianbremmer, @mcfaul, Joie Chen on LinkedIn, TVNewsCheck, @devorahleah.bsky.social, KARE-TV, Deadline, Variety, Irish Star, The Hollywood Reporter, @lukerussert.bsky.social and @tamarakeithnpr.bsky.social
Jaewon Kang / Bloomberg:
Walmart+ members will get free access to Peacock Premium, in addition to Paramount+ Essential, and be able to switch between the two services every 90 days — Walmart Inc. is adding a new streaming perk for its paid membership program, the latest effort to beef up offerings and entice more users.
Discussion:
Cord Cutters News
Joe Drape / New York Times:
Fox embraces horse racing, broadcasting 900+ hours of New York racing on Fox Sports, and invests in betting platform NYRA Bets to capitalize on a betting boom — Fox's Saturday broadcasts of Saratoga horse races have averaged 501,000 viewers, more than the National Hockey League's regular season …
Discussion:
Paul Kedrosky
Mia Lee Vicino / Letterboxd:
An interview with Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group CEO Tom Rothman on movies that inspired him, too-short theatrical windows, Letterboxd's influence, and more — Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group CEO Tom Rothman talks to Mia Lee Vicino about his scrappy indie roots …
Discussion:
FandomWire, JoBlo, MovieWeb, NME, The Hollywood Reporter, IGN, Screen Rant and Patently Apple
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
KPop Demon Hunters' rise to become the most-watched Netflix original movie followed a slow burn and reaffirms the old Hollywood rule that nobody knows anything — We take readers' questions on the surprise summer hit, the future of Peacock and Netflix's toughest competition — Good afternoon from 35,000 feet.
Discussion:
@lucas_shaw, Mashable, Forbes and The Verge
Coco Feng / South China Morning Post:
China's new AI content labeling law goes into effect, as part of a broad effort to address AI-related risks such as misinformation and copyright infringement — The law requires explicit and implicit labels for AI-generated text, images, audio, video and other virtual content
Discussion:
The Decoder
Katie Campione / Deadline:
How California rushed to expand the state's film and TV production tax credits in eight months, uniting union leaders, lawmakers, top filmmakers, and workers — When California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared last October that he aimed to more than double the annual funding for the state's Film …
Alice Brooker / Press Gazette:
An interview with Independent Studio's Head of Content Al Brown, who expects podcasts and video to eventually become The Independent's biggest revenue source — The Studio has already seen success with launch of ACFC on Youtube. — The Independent expects revenue from personality-led podcasts …
Discussion:
Podnews
Matt Alt / New Yorker:
A profile of Weekly Shōnen Jump, Japan's top manga magazine and home to Naruto, which has created a formula for generating hit franchises from young talent — The magazine, home to such series as “Naruto” and “One Piece,” has created a formula for coaxing hit franchises out of young talents.
Alison Main / CNN:
Charles Bierbauer, a former CNN correspondent and White House Correspondents' Association president from 1991 to 1992, has died at the age of 83 — Former CNN correspondent Charles Bierbauer has died, his family announced on Sunday. He was 83 years old. — Bierbauer retired from CNN …
Discussion:
Associated Press, KARE-TV and Forbes
Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Live podcast events are becoming a major revenue source for shows like Kill Tony, which has grossed $11M+ from live events over the past two years, per Pollstar — Podcasting's biggest stars are expanding into merch, live events and more. … Hey, everyone. Welcome back to Soundbite.
Discussion:
NPR
