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4:40 PM ET, September 30, 2025

Mediagazer

 Top News: 
Spotify:
Spotify says Daniel Ek will step down as CEO and become executive chairman in January 2026, and names CPTO Gustav Söderström and CBO Alex Norström as co-CEOs  —  Today, Spotify (NYSE: SPOT) announced that Founder and Chief Executive Officer Daniel Ek will transition to the role …
Scott Murdoch / Reuters:
Australia's Seven West Media agrees to merge with Southern Cross Media, forming a ~$274M metropolitan and regional group to better compete with streaming giants  —  - Southern Cross shareholders to own 50.1% of merged group  — Merger expected to save A$25-30 million annually
Kurt Schlosser / GeekWire:
Amazon announces new features ahead of its NBA on Prime streams, starting Oct. 24: multiview, shoppable merch, and Rapid Recaps and Key Moments, both AI-powered  —  Amazon is planning a number of interactive features and personalization for fans when it begins airing NBA games on Prime Video starting Oct. 24.
RELATED:
Ted Johnson / Deadline:
The FCC launches a Congressionally mandated review of its media ownership rules, including a rule limiting a company from owning over two stations in a market  —  The FCC launched a new review of its media ownership limits, amid broadcasters' lobbying push to modernize the restrictions in the face of competition from tech giants.
Jessica Golden / CNBC:
Versant, the NBCUniversal spinoff, signs an 11-year media rights deal with the WNBA, starting in the 2026 season and including at least 50 WNBA games annually  —  Versant has signed a new 11-year media deal with the Women's National Basketball Association, the company announced Tuesday.
Ram Iyer / TechCrunch:
Imgur blocks UK access after the ICO notified it of a possible fine over its handling of kids' data; the ICO calls Imgur's move a “commercial decision”  —  Imgur, one of the web's most popular image sharing and hosting platforms, has shut off access to its site to users in the United Kingdom …
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Disney sent a cease-and-desist to Character.AI for misusing its characters in harmful ways, including sexual exploitation; the startup removed Disney characters  —  - Disney said the report underscores its concern with the way its characters have been utilized on the platform.
more at Techmeme »
Samantha Cole / 404 Media:
Google's Ad Transparency tool no longer shows any political ads, past or present, from any EU countries ahead of new EU ad transparency regulations  —  Google's Ad Transparency tool no longer shows political online advertisements that ran on its platforms, in the past or present …
Lucas Manfredi / The Wrap:
Philo adds ad-supported tiers of HBO Max and Discovery+ to its Core package, raises the price from $28 to $33/month, and plans ad-free upgrades for early 2026  —  The Warner Bros. Discovery-owned streaming services will be available in an enhanced package for $33 per month
Bloomberg:
In the US v. Google ad tech trial, Google says it's willing to provide publishers with the data for how its ad server decides what online display ads to show  —  Google is willing to share more data with publishers to remedy a court's finding that the Alphabet Inc. unit illegally monopolized …
Ina Fried / Axios:
OpenAI releases an invitation-only Sora app on iOS, powered by Sora 2, to let people create and share AI-generated videos of themselves and their friends  —  An Android version will follow eventually, OpenAI told Axios.  — The social app is powered by Sora 2, a new version of OpenAI's video model, which also launched Tuesday.
Ryan Epps / Tom's Guide:
Amazon launches new Fire TVs and a $40 Fire TV Stick 4K Select with a new OS called Vega and built in Alexa+  —  A new Fire TV Stick also one-ups the competition  —  When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. … The new Mini-LED set will come in five sizes …
 
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Michael Kunzelman / Associated Press:
A US district judge temporarily suspends the Trump administration's reduction-in-force plan to eliminate 532 jobs at USAGM, which oversees Voice of America
Wall Street Journal:
Filing: YouTube will pay $24.5M to settle a 2021 Trump lawsuit over suspending his account after January 6, the last Big Tech company to settle his lawsuits
 

 
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
 
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