Top News:
Scott Nover / Washington Post:
A look at MSNBC's rebrand as MS Now, as it builds an independent newsroom, hiring 36+ reporters, aiming to maintain its liberal opinion and news analysis — Going it alone without NBC's name or deep bench of reporting talent, the newly rebranded cable news network is staffing up.
Discussion:
Politico, Barrett Media, Mariyum Rizwan on LinkedIn, Deadline, @maxwelltani, Semafor, Richard Hudock on LinkedIn, Poynter, @tiocono.bsky.social, @juliannemcshane, The Verge, TV Insider, @scottnover.bsky.social, The Hill, Cord Cutters News, MS NOW, Forbes, USA Today, Breitbart, Raw Story and Variety
Emma Rossiter / BBC:
Sky Sports shuts down its new female-focused TikTok channel Halo after three days, following online backlash for “sexist” posts, saying it “didn't get it right” — Sky Sports has scrapped its new female-focused TikTok channel, Halo, after it faced a backlash online …
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Sun, @avfcfern, @samfonsecaa, TVNewsCheck, CNN, @oscgoat, @safsmiless, @cawthornejosh, The Tab, ABC, @freyaquinton, @jamesdsmitth, Deadline, The Athletic, The Verge, Andy Gill on LinkedIn, Sydney Morning Herald, Mediaweek, Broadband TV News, Advanced Television, The Independent, Mirror, Daily Star and GB News
Press Gazette:
The Telegraph seeks a quick auction after Redbird dropped its £500M bid; former bidders, including Spectator owner Paul Marshall, could re-enter the race — Redbird drops £500m Telegraph bid in face of internal backlash. — Redbird Capital Partners has dropped its £500m bid …
Discussion:
Telegraph and @russincheshire.bsky.social
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Sources: Starz is interested in buying Hearst and Disney's A+E, the owner of its namesake channel and the History channel, but A+E is seeking a wealthier buyer — Who wants to buy a bunch of declining TV networks? — Good afternoon from Los Angeles, and thanks to those of you who came to the podcast business summit this past week.
Discussion:
The Wrap, TVNewsCheck, Cord Cutters News, @lucas_shaw and The Streamable
Axios:
Ezra Klein is moving from an opinion writer to a powerbroker, as sources say his partisan influence is raising concerns in the Democratic Party and the NYT — New York Times columnist Ezra Klein isn't content with opining about the Democratic Party — he's positioned himself as a powerbroker inside of it.
Discussion:
New York Post, @tomwellborn3, @samhaselby, @mattzeitlin, @natesilver538, @alexthomp, @aaronhuertas.bsky.social, @rosesbloom24.bsky.social, @timodc, @joewrote, @alexthomp, @deanobeidallah.bsky.social, @austinahlman, @climatebrad.hillheat.com, @thefarce.org, @joshtpm.bsky.social and Althouse
Wall Street Journal:
Filing: Sinclair built an ~8% stake in E.W. Scripps and is vying to acquire the local TV broadcaster; Scripps has a market value of ~$270M and Sinclair $1.1B — The media companies have discussed a potential tie-up in recent months — Sinclair built a roughly 8% stake in E.W. Scripps …
Discussion:
Sportico, E.W. Scripps Company, Deadline, Associated Press, Dow Jones Newswires, al.com, Baltimore Business Journal, Los Angeles Times, Benzinga, Yahoo Finance, CNBC, Poynter, TV Tech, TheDesk.net, Axios, @matthewkeyslive, The Wrap, Cincinnati Business Journal, Sports Business Journal, Barrett Media, Front Office Sports, Cord Cutters News, Awful Announcing, Reuters, TVNewsCheck, Bloomberg, The Hollywood Reporter, Advanced Television and Radio & Television …
Alex Ritman / Variety:
Vue CEO Tim Richards criticizes Netflix's deal giving Imax a two-week exclusive run for the Narnia film, arguing it undermines the theatrical ecosystem — The founder and CEO of Vue Entertainment, the largest privately owned cinema operator in Europe, has written a public letter attacking …
Discussion:
Screen Rant
Karen Weise / New York Times:
A look at The Stranger, an influential Seattle alt-weekly newspaper whose endorsements have become a must-have for some progressive politicians — They arrived bearing gluten-free cupcakes and homemade zucchini muffins, a Raggedy Ann doll and a cake creation that looked just like a basket of apples.
Discussion:
@timjgraham, Washington Examiner, TVNewsCheck, @robertcruickshank.com and @gramsofgnats.bsky.social
Ben Smith / Semafor:
Jeffrey Epstein's emails, released by the US House Oversight Committee, contain Michael Wolff's unpublished Epstein profile, raising access journalism concerns — THE SCOOP — Buried deep in the House Oversight Committee's recent release of 20,000 emails from Jeffrey Epstein's inbox …
Discussion:
Racket News, @johnvoelcker.bsky.social, The Red Letter, Washington Examiner, Fortune and Wall Street Journal
Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
Sources: UK ministers will begin the search for a new Ofcom chair this week; current chair Michael Grade's single term expires in April 2026 — Hiring process to begin as government faces fresh questions over political appointments in media sector — Ministers will this week kick off …
Corbin Bolies / The Wrap:
Source: OANN fired Vish Burra, a producer of The Matt Gaetz Show, after he posted a cartoon that executives deemed “highly offensive” and “antisemitic” — Vish Burra's posts characterizing Jewish people as “vermin” were “highly offensive” and “antisemitic,” a source tells TheWrap
Karissa Bell / Engadget:
Meta launches a tool called content protection to let creators detect and take action when their reels are reposted on Facebook or Instagram without permission — The company's content protection program can identify reels lifting others' work. — Creators on Facebook and Instagram …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Facebook for Creators and Social Media Today, more at Techmeme »
