Top News:
Reuters:
Sources: Netflix is exploring a bid for WBD's studio and streaming business and has tapped investment bank Moelis & Co to evaluate a prospective offer — - Netflix hires Moelis & Co for Warner Bros Discovery bid evaluation — Sarandos confirms no interest in legacy media networks like CNN
Discussion:
Variety, Adweek, Investor's Business Daily, GamesRadar, KHOU-TV, The Verge, ScreenCrush, New York Times, IGN, Barrett Media, GAMINGbible, TVBEurope, Financial Express, TipRanks Financial, Benzinga, BMI, Sharecast, What's Trending, NDTV Profit, TVNewsCheck, Mercury News, The Wrap, Ukrainian National News, Investing.com, Cord Cutters News, TheDesk.net, @chadbourn.bsky.social, @keepitweird.bsky.social, Deadline, Barron's Online, New York Post, Realscreen and CNBC
RELATED:
John Melloy / CNBC:
Netflix announces a 10-for-1 stock split, after its shares boomed over the last three years to above $1,000 a share — Netflix announced a 10-for-1 stock split, a move that changes nothing fundamentally about the company, but could make the pricey individual shares more accessible to the retail investor.
Discussion:
International Business Times, Investopedia, Dow Jones Newswires, Proactive, Fast Company, The Motley Fool, Ronda Shutt on LinkedIn, Financial Express, Blockonomi, TVNewsCheck, Kiplinger, Blockchain.News, Channel NewsAsia, Shacknews, TipRanks Financial, The Wrap, TheDesk.net, Investing.com, Reuters, Variety, Yahoo Finance, ir.netflix.net, Deadline, Business Insider, The Hollywood Reporter, Benzinga, MarketWatch, Bloomberg and Media Play News, more at Techmeme »
New York Times:
Puck acquires Air Mail, the startup founded by Graydon Carter; sources: the deal values Air Mail at $16M, less than the $32M in funding it raised since 2019 — Graydon Carter, the legendary Vanity Fair editor who founded Air Mail, is leaving the company. — The check is in the mail.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Breaker, @benmullin, Axios, The Hollywood Reporter and The Wrap
Variety:
Sources: Gayle King, who has anchored CBS News' morning show for over a decade, is expected to leave the program next year; her existing contract expires in May — Mainstay of network's morning show may shift to different role as contract expiration approaches in May
Discussion:
Adweek, CNN, New York Post, Status, Us Weekly, Page Six, theJasmineBRAND, TMZ.com, The Transom, People, Syracuse Post-Standard, Poynter, The Hollywood Gossip, @kansasdiaspora.bsky.social, NCS | NewscastStudio, Sandra Rose, The A.V. Club, Barrett Media, E! Online, NewsMax.com, Raw Story, The Wrap, Deadline, HuffPost, Fox News, Instapundit, RADAR, TheGrio, Just Jared, KHOU-TV, Daily Caller News Foundation, HELLO!, TV Insider, TVNewsCheck, The US Sun, TVLine, @paleofuture.bsky.social, Baller Alert, Mediaite, journal-isms.com, @crabsontheshore.bsky.social and New York Daily News
Ben Schoon / 9to5Google:
Disney networks including ABC and ESPN go dark on YouTube TV after the two sides failed to reach a new carriage deal — YouTube TV customers have lost access to ABC, ESPN, and other Disney-owned channels this evening as a contract between Google and Disney failed to reach a renewal in negotiations …
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, CNN, Sports Illustrated, TV Tech, Awful Announcing, The Hill, TheDesk.net, BBC, PCWorld, Cord Cutters News, New Jersey Online, Sportico, Deseret News, Business Insider, al.com, The Shortcut, Syracuse Post-Standard, Axios, How-To Geek, Yahoo Finance, Pocket-lint, Nerdist, Saturday Down South, Proactive, Forbes, Baller Alert, WPXI-TV, Android Central, Dexerto, Tom's Guide, UPI, The Verge, Front Office Sports, Times of India, Engadget, Barrett Media, Android Authority, Straight Arrow News, Android Headlines, Android Police, The US Sun, Streaming Better, New York Times, Digital Trends, The Streamable, International Business Times, TVNewsCheck, WTTG-TV, Livemint, Reuters, Wall Street Journal, The Athletic, New York Post, CNBC, Bloomberg, Far Out Magazine, The Wrap, @diversetechgeek.bsky.social, @dtgeek@mastodon.social, Variety, Los Angeles Times, Deadline, Broadband TV News, Advanced Television, Media Play News, CBS News, The US Sun and The Independent
Justin Baragona / The Independent:
CBS has cut two streaming shows, disbanded its race and culture unit, eliminated the Johannesburg bureau; all eight on-air correspondents cut were women — EXCLUSIVE: Multiple sources told The Independent that senior foreign correspondent Debora Patta was added to the layoff list following …
Discussion:
HEATED, New York Post, Deadline, Joe.My.God., @dcbigjohn.bsky.social, @amandabecker.bsky.social, @paleofuture.bsky.social, @justinbaragona.bsky.social, @kendrawrites.com, @joshuafoust.com, @amyalexca.bsky.social, @robertscotthorton.bsky.social, @laurenmeidasa.bsky.social, Deadline, @justinbaragona.bsky.social, Fox News, Breitbart and Newsbusters
Loree Seitz / The Wrap:
Apple reports Q4 revenue from Services, which includes the App Store, Apple Pay, Apple TV, Apple Music, and iCloud, up 15% YoY to $28.75B, vs. $28.17B est. — Services revenue grew 15% in the period, outpacing iPhone sales — Apple posted fiscal fourth-quarter earnings and revenue …
Lucas Manfredi / The Wrap:
Amazon reports Q3 ad revenue up 24% YoY to $17.7B and subscription services revenue up 11% YoY to $12.6B — Sales for subscription services, which includes Prime Video, grew 11% to $12.6 billion during the quarter — Amazon shares surged 9% on Thursday as the tech giant smashed Wall Street expectations …
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, Music Ally, BMI, CNBC, UPI, Adweek, TheDesk.net, Barchart.com, GeekWire, TVNewsCheck, Amazon, CNBC, Media Play News and Variety, more at Techmeme »
Jonathan Vanian / CNBC:
Reddit reports Q3 revenue up 68% YoY to $585M, vs. $546M est., and daily active uniques up 19% to 116M, vs. 114M est.; RDDT jumps 5%+ after hours — Reddit reported third-quarter earnings on Thursday in which the company beat on the top and bottom, but the company saw its user growth for logged-in users slow down once again.
Discussion:
Yahoo Finance, WinBuzzer, BMI, Social Media Today and Reddit Upvoted, more at Techmeme »
Michelle Kim / Rest of World:
A look at the rising popularity of virtual K-pop stars, usually created by artists wearing motion sensor suits, and the labor rights questions they raise — In an industry studded with megastars like BTS and Blackpink, virtual idols are building powerful new fandoms even while their true identities remain obscured.
Patrick Coffee / Wall Street Journal:
Google releases its first AI-generated ad, promoting Search's AI mode, but chooses not to include a label disclosing it was made with Veo 3 and other tools — The search giant becomes the biggest name yet to generate an ad entirely with its Veo 3 and other artificial-intelligence tools
Discussion:
Ad Age, MediaPost, Search Engine Land, Sherwood News, Marketing Dive and Android Central, more at Techmeme »
Kritika Lamba / Reuters:
Getty and Perplexity sign a multi-year licensing agreement to let the AI startup display Getty's images across its search and discovery tools; GETY jumps 15%+ — Getty Images (GETY.N) and Perplexity signed a global multi-year licensing agreement on Friday, allowing the AI startup to display …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Proactive, eWeek, Engadget, WinBuzzer, Benzinga, Blockonomi and CNBC, more at Techmeme »
