Top News:
Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill:
President Trump told reporters “it's imperative” for CNN to be sold: “Any deal it should be guaranteed and certain that CNN is part of it or sold separately” — President Trump indicated he'd like to see CNN be sold off as its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery …
Discussion:
New York Post, Media Nation, Wall Street Journal, Wall Street Journal, HotAir, NPR, Reuters, Newser, Townhall, Straight Arrow News, Barrett Media, Business Standard, Yeni Şafak, Benzinga, Communicate Online, Variety, Mirror US, NewsMax.com, NBC News, @pinemikey.bsky.social, Fox News, The Wrap, Bloomberg and Just The News
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Peter Kafka / Business Insider:
The value of WBD's cable networks including CNN is a key number for Netflix and Paramount bidders; Ellison says they're worth ~$2.5B, while analysts say ~$10B — - Ellison also says those cable networks — including CNN — aren't very valuable. — It's confusing!
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, Breitbart, Status, The i Paper, Bloomberg and Fortune
Ted Johnson / Deadline:
Two representatives on the US House Financial Services Committee warn WBD CEO David Zaslav of national security concerns about the financiers of Paramount's bid
Discussion:
Axios, Variety, No Film School, NPR, Associated Press, Proactive, Financial Post and Semafor
Emily Graffeo / Bloomberg:
A look at Netflix's funding plan for WBD: $59B of debt financing via Wall Street banks, to be eventually replaced with bonds, term loans, and revolving credit
Discussion:
The Wrap, @devonheinen.bsky.social, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety and Screen Rant
Max Tani / Semafor:
Democrats warn that their party, when it returns to power, may attempt to block or unravel any Paramount acquisition of WBD due to national security concerns
Discussion:
New York Post, TVNewsCheck, Zeteo, Media Play News, @maxwelltani, NOTUS, The Wrap, Telegraph and Cord Cutters News
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Mirror Editor-in-Chief Caroline Waterston steps down after less than two years, to be succeeded by Chloe Hubbard, currently UK editor at The Independent — Mirror editor-in-chief Caroline Waterston is stepping down at the end of the year after less than two years in the job.
Discussion:
HoldtheFrontPage
David Bauder / Associated Press:
The NYT says it won't be deterred in its work after Trump posted on Truth Social that reporting by The NYT and others about his health was “seditious” — The New York Times, attacked by President Donald Trump for reporting about his physical condition, said on Wednesday …
Discussion:
Deadline, @nytimespr, @trumpwarroom, @carlquintanilla.bsky.social, @karyncaplan, Raw Story, @jswatz.bsky.social, @gregmorosoff.bsky.social, @brunojnavarro.bsky.social, @mariopro.bsky.social, Straight Arrow News, MS NOW, @carlquintanilla.bsky.social, Alternet.org, CNN, The Wrap, The Hill, Suggest, @atrupar.com, New Republic, Mediaite, New Jersey Online, HuffPost, Mirror US and The Independent
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Pinterest agrees to acquire tvScientific, a CTV ad platform that automates and optimizes ad buying; tvScientific was founded in 2020 and has raised ~$60M — Pinterest has agreed to acquire tvScientific, a connected television (CTV) advertising platform that automates and optimizes ad buying for marketers, executives told Axios.
Discussion:
Search Engine Land
Ashley Capoot / CNBC:
Disney and OpenAI sign a deal to bring 200+ Disney characters to Sora; Disney makes a $1B investment in OpenAI and will become a “major” OpenAI customer — The Walt Disney Company on Thursday announced it will make a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI and will allow users …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, OpenAI, Bloomberg, The Wrap, Variety, Reuters, The Information, Deadline, Financial Times, Axios, @jason_kint, @_simonsmith, @midky80748, 9to5Mac, @aagave, @loudmouthjulia, @stokel, @loudmouthjulia, @andrewcurran_, @hunterwalk.com, The Verge, Business Insider and The Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »
Yael Krifcher / Committee to Protect Journalists:
A look at the erosion of press freedom and independent reporting in Israel, where journalists report escalating censorship, harassment, and self-censorship — Two years into Israel's genocide in Gaza, press freedom inside the country has reached a breaking point.
Discussion:
Columbia Journalism Review, The Parnas Perspective, Middle East Monitor and ABC
Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
Google tests AI-powered overviews on some publications' Google News pages; publishers like Der Spiegel, El País, and WaPo in commercial partnerships get paid — Google is testing AI-powered article overviews on participating publications' Google News pages as part of a new pilot program, the search giant announced on Wednesday.
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, Android Headlines, Press Gazette, The Information, 9to5Google and The Verge
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Alice Brooker / Press Gazette:
UK sports publisher GRV cut ~60 staff since September, reducing its workforce to 94, citing drops in Google traffic; other sports sites report similar declines — A UK-based sports website publisher has cut 60 staff since September as a result of falling Google referral traffic.
David Peisner / New York Times:
Timbaland's Stage Zero launches TaTa Taktumi, an AI pop artist created using Suno's tools; Timbaland says ~85% of the creative work is still done by humans — The producer dreamed up TaTa Taktumi and brought her to life with help from the software Suno. She's arriving at a fraught moment for artificial intelligence in music.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Spotify says it will test Prompted Playlist, which lets users describe what they want to hear and receive a unique set of songs based on their listening history — Spotify announced on Wednesday that, for the first time, it's giving users more control over the streaming service's algorithm.
Joe Wilkins / Futurism:
McDonald's Netherlands pulls an AI-generated Christmas ad, made by ad agency TBWA\NEBOKO with film production company The Sweetshop, after social media backlash — There's just one issue: pretty much everybody hates it. — This year, McDonald's decided to get in on the corporate slopfest …
Discussion:
Ad Age, Cele|bitchy, @yfcherries, SiliconANGLE, Mediaweek, NewsMax.com, HuffPost, Mashable, @peterwildeford, @aishamadeit, @chatgpt21, @erulez_23, @ronaldmannak, @mattwalshblog, @lukemiani, @writerofscratch, @lucian_armasu, @andymasley, @gnoofiest, @girldrawsghosts, @firagawalkwthme, @saberspark, @jacksfilms, @echotrx, @octanesam, @richarderoeper, Entertainment Weekly, @joncomms, Wil Reynolds on LinkedIn, Wagner James Au on LinkedIn, @culturecrave, @cinephiliabeyond.org, Newser, Breitbart, WCNC-TV, eWeek, @disabilitystor1.bsky.social, WinBuzzer, BBC, @mutantastronaut.bsky.social, @spookycutewitch.bsky.social, @bcmerchant.bsky.social, TheJournal.ie, New York Post, Interesting Engineering, The Sun, Orlando Sentinel, The A.V. Club, Gizmodo, Forbes, Digital Trends and The Verge
Kara Voght / Washington Post:
A profile of Brian Glenn, Real America's Voice WH reporter and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's boyfriend, who is giving up his WH gig after the Trump-MTG split — The day before Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announced she was quitting Congress, her boyfriend was outside the White House.
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