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.
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, CNN, @avfcfern, Sydney Morning Herald, @samfonsecaa, TVNewsCheck, @oscgoat, The Athletic, @safsmiless, @cawthornejosh, The Verge, The Tab, ABC, @freyaquinton, Andy Gill on LinkedIn, @jamesdsmitth, Mediaweek, Deadline, Broadband TV News, The Independent, Advanced Television, 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:
@russincheshire.bsky.social and Sky News
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:
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.
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:
E.W. Scripps Company, TV Tech, TheDesk.net, Awful Announcing, CNBC, Los Angeles Times, Benzinga, Reuters, Front Office Sports, The Wrap, Yahoo Finance, Poynter, Axios, Cincinnati Business Journal, Deadline, @matthewkeyslive, Sports Business Journal, Barrett Media, Cord Cutters News, 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:
Collider
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 …
Wall Street Journal:
Pinkfong prices its South Korea IPO at ~$26 per share, valuing the company behind Baby Shark Dance, YouTube's most-watched video with 16.4B views, at ~$375M — Company behind ubiquitous song is hampered by ad restrictions on children's content, wants to raise funds for expansion via an IPO
Discussion:
Bloomberg
Irina Aleksander / New York Times:
A profile of Matthew Belloni, the writer of Puck's What I'm Hearing newsletter and host of The Town podcast, who has become a must-read for Hollywood news — On a Friday night in September, a few days after news broke that David Ellison, the new billionaire owner of Paramount …
Discussion:
@hollywoodspin, @emilyyoshida.bsky.social and @sorrogrande
Max Tani / Semafor:
Vox launches its subscriber-only program on Patreon, offering access to Vox.com, ad-free content, livestream events, two new exclusive video series, and more — The Scoop — A prominent platform for creators and podcasters has wooed one of the original unpaywalled digital media brands.
Discussion:
@thewayoftheid.bsky.social and Perez Hilton
Avery Lotz / Axios:
Trump defends Tucker Carlson after his podcast interview with white nationalist Nick Fuentes, saying Carlson has the freedom to choose his interviewees — President Trump backed Tucker Carlson on Sunday after the ex-Fox News host's interview with white nationalist Nick Fuentes triggered contentious MAGA-world infighting.
Discussion:
New York Post, UPI, The Independent, Straight Arrow News, Deseret News, TMZ.com, Daily Mail, NewsMax.com, One America News Network, The Post Millennial, IJR, The Gateway Pundit, The Hill, Associated Press, Washington Post, @atrupar, @acyn, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Forbes, @nickjfuentes, Barrett Media, Mediaite, Semafor, Variety and The Wrap
The Guardian:
President Trump plans to sue the BBC “for anywhere between a billion and $5B” next week, after the BBC rejected his compensation demands over a misleading edit — US president tells reporters he will sue the corporation for ‘anywhere between a billion and $5bn’
Discussion:
Fox News, TVNewsCheck, The Wrap, Reuters, The Guardian, IJR, NewsMax.com, GB News, @terrajobst.net, @mattmcneilshow.bsky.social, The Royalist, NME, Crikey, Deadline, 9News, The Post Millennial, France 24, The Gateway Pundit, New York Post, The Indian Express, New York Sun, Forbes Middle East, BBC, Metro.co.uk, Euractiv, Status, Breitbart, NBC News, archive.ph, ABC, CNBC, The Daily Sceptic, Financial Times, Telegraph, @sheridanflynn.com, Politico, @oakymoron.bsky.social, @markoah.bsky.social, @donalcoffey.bsky.social, @robdysonpr.uk, @ukbastard.bsky.social, @ayoub.bsky.social, Al Jazeera, Sky News, The White House on YouTube, The Times of Israel, The Independent, Benzinga, The Japan Times, Joe.My.God., Le Monde, The Independent, The Hollywood Reporter, Bloomberg Law, The Hill, The Business Times and Reuters
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