Top News:
Charles Gasparino / New York Post:
Sources: Trump administration prefers that Paramount Skydance buy Warner Bros. Discovery; a source says “who owns WBD is very important to the administration” — The Trump administration favors Paramount Skydance to buy Warner Bros. Discovery - and a number of rival bidders …
Discussion:
The Wrap, @christinafaith, @mattgertz, @mpolymer, @jordanzakarin, @jnthngss, @rotopat, @paultassi, @mehdirhasan, @amykristinsanders.bsky.social, @jonathanmb32, @sherman4949, @mattyglesias, @matthewstoller, @rodazurmendi, @franklinleonard, @stanveuger, @adamjohnsonchi, Raw Story, @saikatc, @miguelangeltoro, @cgasparino, @notjessewalker, @ryangrim, @bjbetheltweets, @dilanesper, @obsoletedogma, @helaineolen, @rubengallego, @jeremymbarr, @therickwilson, @saikatforcongress.bsky.social, @sodutw, @karlbode.com, Benzinga, iDrop News, The Independent and Puck
RELATED:
Hannah Miller / Bloomberg:
The WGA says a deal combining Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery would be “a disaster” and that it will press regulators to block any such deal — The Writers Guild of America, which represents screenwriters and newsroom staffers, said it will oppose …
Mark Stenberg / Adweek:
The Daily Beast COO Keith Bonnici says the publisher has been profitable through the first nine months of 2025 and expects its first full year of profitability — For the first time since its 2008 founding, The Daily Beast is on track to close its fiscal year in the black.
Discussion:
@aerocles, @markstenberg3 and Mark Stenberg on LinkedIn
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Automattic files counterclaims against WP Engine's October 2024 lawsuit and alleges that WP Engine has been abusing the WordPress trademark — On Friday, WordPress maker Automattic filed its counterclaims in the lawsuit initiated by hosting company WP Engine in October 2024 …
Discussion:
Automattic
Kerry Flynn / Axios:
Tubefilter: sponsored videos on YouTube rose 54% YoY in H1 2025, with Ground News as the biggest sponsor, followed by Squarespace, BetterHelp, and DraftKings — Sponsored videos on YouTube jumped 54% year-over-year in the first half of 2025, according to new data from Tubefilter's Gospel Stats.
Discussion:
@philthepill.online, Tubefilter and GreenBot
Bloomberg:
Sources: Canal+ is exploring buying the remaining 30% stake in Showmax, Africa's biggest streaming service, from Comcast — Canal+ SA is studying the possibility of buying out the remaining stake in African streaming platform Showmax from Comcast Corp., people familiar with the matter said …
Discussion:
Broadband TV News
Austin Fuller / Current:
National Federation of Community Broadcasters gets a $1.25M MacArthur grant; NFCB represents ~200 stations mostly serving rural and underrepresented communities — The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has awarded a $1.25 million grant to the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, NFCB announced Wednesday.
Discussion:
NFCB
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Disney is alerting viewers that its networks, including ABC and ESPN, could go dark on YouTube TV if the two sides don't reach a deal by 11:59pm ET October 30 — Just a month after reaching an agreement with NBCUniversal to avoid dropping its networks, YouTube TV has another potential blackout on its hands — this time with Disney.
Discussion:
Broadband TV News, The US Sun, Front Office Sports, Streaming Better, Cord Cutter Weekly, Barrett Media, 9to5Google, Deadline, @kennysmith.bsky.social, Benzinga, Los Angeles Times, TheDesk.net, Cord Cutters News, Awful Announcing, YouTube Official Blog, Bloomberg, Variety, Axios, TVNewsCheck and The Hollywood Reporter
Wendy Davis / MediaPost:
A divided three-judge panel of the DC appeals court declines to reinstate an FTC subpoena of Media Matters as part of an antitrust probe into ad boycotts — A divided federal appellate panel has left in place a temporary order that prohibits the Federal Trade Commission from investigating …
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, Reuters and Global Competition Review
Janko Roettgers / The Verge:
Microdrama platforms borrow aggressive, user-hostile monetization and retention tactics from free-to-play mobile gaming to fuel in-app purchases and ad revenue — Apps like ReelShort and DramaBox have seen strong growth and huge revenue numbers by embracing user-hostile design choices.
Discussion:
CMU and BBC, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
Joe Flint / Wall Street Journal:
Former movie executive Bill Block launches GammaTime, a microdrama platform with more than 20 shows, with $14M in seed funding
Discussion:
Pulse 2.0, C21Media, Globes, FinSMEs, Señal News, Deadline, The Wrap, @tyleraking.com, TVNewsCheck, The Verge and Business Insider
Angela Fu / Poynter:
How Chicago journalists are covering the ICE raids, a task made more difficult by the agencies' unpredictability, lack of transparency, and attacks on press — 'It's really exhausting, mentally and physically. But somebody has to record history' — Ever since federal agents arrived …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Chicago Tribune, Bangor Daily News, Chicago Sun Times and CBS News
Sam Gutelle / Tubefilter:
Nielsen: viewership of YouTube on TVs in the US inched down from a high of 13.4% in July to 12.6% in September, but still leads other distributors — YouTube's ascension on TV screens has been one of the most significant consumer tech storylines of the mid 2020s.
Discussion:
VideoWeek and MediaBrief
Kendra Barnett / Adweek:
WPP rolls out WPP Open Pro, a self-serve version of WPP Open, its AI-powered marketing platform that helps marketers build campaigns and develop creative assets — WPP Open Pro is a new push from the holdco to expand vertical and horizontal integration of its flagship AI platform.
Discussion:
Marketing Dive, BMI, Kendra Barnett on LinkedIn, MediaNews4U, MediaBrief, PRWeek, Mediaweek, PR Week UK, MediaPost and campaignlive.co.uk
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