Top News:
Tony Maglio / The Hollywood Reporter:
Bob Iger says upcoming changes to Disney+ include “game-like features” and “mostly short-form” user-generated content made with generative AI — Disney CEO Bob Iger hinted at “productive conversations” with unnamed AI companies that would protect IP but add new features …
Discussion:
Engadget, IndieWire, /Film, The A.V. Club, Los Angeles Times, @mhodler.bsky.social, @kennysmith.bsky.social, Variety, @adamreck.bsky.social, The Verge, @markriedl.bsky.social, @andydehnart.com, @badfutures.com, CinemaBlend, @hockeybroad.bsky.social, Chris Heatherly on LinkedIn, Futurism, Kotaku, Gizmodo, @fizzvstheworld.bsky.social, Cord Cutters News, IGN and Deadline
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Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Disney says it plans to “invest approximately $24B in content across Entertainment and Sports in fiscal 2026, an increase of $1B compared to the prior year”
Dade Hayes / Deadline:
Bob Iger says 80% of new sign-ups to ESPN's streaming service, which was launched in August, opt for the bundle that includes Disney+ and Hulu
Bob Iger says 80% of new sign-ups to ESPN's streaming service, which was launched in August, opt for the bundle that includes Disney+ and Hulu
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, AdExchanger, CNET, Awful Announcing, StreamTV Insider, Business Insider and Barrett Media
Paul Tenorio / The Athletic:
Sources: Apple and Major League Soccer agree to make all MLS games available on Apple TV for no extra charge from 2026, ending the MLS Season Pass subscription — PALM BEACH, Fla. — MLS will no longer be behind a separate paywall on Apple TV beginning in 2026.
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, Awful Announcing, Adweek, Variety, TheDesk.net, PCWorld, Engadget, Apple, Oregonian, AppleInsider, Sportico, CNET, iDrop News, Associated Press, TVNewsCheck, MacTech.com, @paultenorio.bsky.social, Field Level Media, Front Office Sports, Cord Cutters News, CNBC, Sports Business Journal, 9to5Mac, MacRumors, @mark_d_bertram, Barrett Media, Sports Media Watch, ESPN, The Verge, Silicon Valley Business …, iPhone in Canada and MacDailyNews, more at Techmeme »
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: the first-round bid deadline for WBD is November 20; Paramount wants the full company, and Comcast and Netflix are eying movie/TV studios and HBO Max — Warner Bros. Discovery is holding an auction process in the hopes of having it completed by the end of the year
Discussion:
The Wrap, Awful Announcing and Cord Cutters News
Kevin Collier / NBC News:
A group of former FCC members petition the FCC to repeal its News Distortion policy, invoked by Brendan Carr in the 60 Minutes case, arguing it violates the 1A — The policy was directly referenced by FCC Chair Brendan Carr in disputes over Jimmy Kimmel and “60 Minutes.”
Noor Nanji / BBC:
The BBC apologizes to President Trump for a Panorama episode that spliced parts of his January 6 speech together but rejects his demands for compensation — The BBC has apologised to US President Donald Trump for a Panorama episode which spliced parts of a speech together, but rejected his demands for compensation.
Discussion:
BBC, The Guardian, Telegraph, Mediaweek, Politico, CNN, Reuters, Al Jazeera, RADAR, New York Times, New York Sun, The Daily Caller, Axios, Newser, GB News, Bloomberg, The Sun, Metro.co.uk, @davidallengreen.bsky.social, @metacurity.com, @tctinvr.bsky.social, @ath3na.bsky.social, @olbermann.bsky.social, @brianstelter, Mirror, @chadbourn.bsky.social, Ace of Spades HQ, The Gateway Pundit and NBC News
Samuel Stolton / Bloomberg:
The EU opens a DMA investigation into Google over allegedly demoting news outlets with promotional content; Google says this is part of its anti-spam efforts — Google is under investigation by European Union antitrust watchdogs over concerns it unfairly demotes some news results in a probe …
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Keyword, European Commission, Silicon UK, Channel News, Breitbart, Associated Press, Ukrainian National News, UPI, Silicon Republic, @jeffjarvis@mastodon.social, @SuffolkLITLab@esq.social, PYMNTS.com, Courthouse News Service, Oliver Bethell on LinkedIn, @amilcartavares.bsky.social, TechCrunch, Wall Street Journal, Android Headlines, Search Engine Journal, Agence France-Presse, Reuters, lawsociety.ie, Dow Jones Newswires, Daily Sabah, BelfastTelegraph.co.uk and Search Engine Land, more at Techmeme »
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
TikTok launches Bulletin board, which lets brands and creators share public, one-to-many messages to their followers, similar to Instagram's broadcast channels — TikTok announced on Thursday that it's launching “bulletin board,” a new feature that lets brands and creators share public, one-to-many messages to their followers.
Owen Huchon / Columbia Journalism Review:
A look at outlets in Belgium and France that are prioritizing independence from Big Tech and opting for open source or in-house software — From Google to Microsoft, European newsrooms often rely on tools built in Silicon Valley. Some are trying to break free, turning to open-source alternatives or home-grown solutions.
April Ossington / Channel News:
Australia begins consultations with publishers and platforms on its News Bargaining Incentive, requiring Big Tech to pay local publishers or face new taxes — Global technology companies are facing mounting regulatory pressure, with the Albanese government moving ahead on new laws …
Reuters:
After an antitrust probe, South Africa announces a ~$40M media support package from Google, which will fund national, community, and non-English language media — South Africa's competition regulator announced on Thursday a series of concessions from global tech platforms, including a 688 million rand …
Discussion:
Journalism.co.uk, Finimize, The Citizen, Agence France-Presse and Bloomberg Law
James Pomfret / Reuters:
Beijing's High Court rejects an appeal by veteran Chinese state media journalist Dong Yuyu to overturn a seven-year jail term for “espionage”, per his family — - Court rejects journalist's appeal against seven-year jail term — Family calls sentence unjust; vows to fight on
Discussion:
Committee to Protect …
Dominic-Madori Davis / TechCrunch:
Newsletter platform Beehiiv announces new features, including for AI website creation, podcast hosting, digital product sales, and real-time analytics — Newsletter platform beehiiv announced a massive expansion to its platform on Thursday, including offering real-time analytics and AI website creation, among other things.
Discussion:
Adweek, Variety, @dannygroner.bsky.social, The Hollywood Reporter and Inc.com
