Top News:
Isabella Simonetti / Wall Street Journal:
Semafor raised $30M at a $330M valuation after generating $2M in EBITDA in 2025, its first profitable year, and plans to expand its annual CEO gathering in DC — The digital media outlet, which aims to inform the ‘global leadership class,’ plans to expand its events business and add journalists
Discussion:
The Wrap, Reuters, Axios, Talking Biz News, @sbanjo, @thesimonetti, @lizrhoffman, @emily_sundberg, Semafor, @parryravi and Justin B. Smith on LinkedIn
Lucas Manfredi / The Wrap:
WBD's board unanimously rejects Paramount's amended $108.4B acquisition offer, saying the bid still has “significant” risks compared to Netflix's $83B offer — The board says the revised $108.4 billion bid continues to offer “significant costs, risks and uncertainties” compared to its $83 billion deal with Netflix
Discussion:
Advanced Television, TechCrunch, Business Insider, Warner Bros. Discovery, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, Mediaite, CNN, The Guardian, Variety, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Financial Times, The Standard, UPI, Plain Dealer, Barron's Online, Engadget, The Independent, Cord Cutters News, @scottnover, Fortune, BBC, @lucas_shaw, Dow Jones Newswires, BERNAMA, Far Out Magazine, GameSpot, The Streamable, Türkiye Today, World of Reel, Barrett Media, @danprimack, CBS News, Forbes, Media Play News, Bloomberg, NBC News, Netflix, Inc., Axios, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Screen, CNBC, @luiz_fernando_j, @lwsresearch, @pkafka, @sarafischer, @brianstelter, TTV News, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, @sarafischer, Telecompaper, BelfastTelegraph.co.uk, Cynopsis, Broadband TV News and Capital Brief, more at Techmeme »
Oliver Darcy / Status:
Sources: Tony Dokoupil's CBS Evening News debut left some staffers embarrassed and alarmed over the chaotic on-air rollout and MAGA-friendly editorial choices — On Tuesday evening, newly installed “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil closed out just his second official broadcast with a surreal segment …
Discussion:
The A.V. Club, Variety, The Hill, @sueinrockville.bsky.social, Mediaite, TV Insider, @passantino.bsky.social, @samlitzinger.bsky.social, @nickfield.bsky.social, @nickfield.bsky.social, @bgrueskin.bsky.social, @passantino.bsky.social, @scott-conway.bsky.social, @oliverdarcy.bsky.social, HuffPost and Raw Story
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Daniel D'Addario / Variety:
After promising to be “more accountable” than Walter Cronkite, Tony Dokoupil didn't challenge Pete Hegseth in an interview or cite sources in another segment
After promising to be “more accountable” than Walter Cronkite, Tony Dokoupil didn't challenge Pete Hegseth in an interview or cite sources in another segment
Discussion:
Associated Press, Deadline, @southerngayteacher …, Poynter, The Independent, The Daily Beast, The Wrap, Barrett Media, People, @nick_field90, @jillfilipovic, @oelayat, @nick_field90, @pabloreports, Raw Story, @wickdchiq.bsky.social, Arizona Republic, HuffPost, @jayrosen.bsky.social, @jackmirkinson.bsky.social, Entertainment Weekly, RADAR, New Jersey Online, New York Daily News, CBS News, Fox News, New York Post, @kenbazinet.bsky.social, @chicagopublicsquare.com, @whetmoser.com, @chrisgeidner.bsky.social, @taylorlorenz.bsky.social, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian and The A.V. Club
Jazz Tangcay / Variety:
NLRB: DreamWorks remote workers, Netflix animation production workers, and “Ted” production workers vote to unionize with the Animation Guild and Editors Guild — DreamWorks Animation (DWA) remote workers across the United States, feature production workers at Netflix Animation Studios …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter
Washington Post:
The new Pentagon press corps, comprising many right-wing influencers, had no scoops about the Venezuela raid, choosing to praise the event instead of probing it — Newfound access hasn't provided more information to the largely right-wing press corps that signed the Defense Department's media rules.
Discussion:
@scottnover
Elizabeth Hernandez / Denver Post:
After its domain registration expired, the student news outlet at the University of Colorado Boulder was plagued by a copycat site using AI to create content — Copycat websites increasingly common amid rise of artificial intelligence, CU Independent's attorney says
Katherine Doherty / Bloomberg:
Polymarket agrees to its first media partnership to supply Dow Jones outlets, including the WSJ and Barron's, with real-time prediction market trading data — Polymarket will supply Dow Jones with trading data under a new partnership, the latest in a string of deals between exchanges …
Discussion:
The Information
Sibylla Brodzinsky / The Guardian:
Venezuela's union representing press workers said at least 14 were detained on January 5, including 13 from international media organizations; one was deported — Thirteen of those detained were released according to the country's National Union of Press Workers
Discussion:
NPR, @karyncaplan, @kenroth, @penamerica.bsky.social, National Press Club, BBC, New York Times, Committee to Protect …, UPI, @inlayterms.bsky.social, @laurenmeidasa.bsky.social, @vetsfighfascist.bsky.social, @newsguy.bsky.social, @msignorile.bsky.social, Fox News, Semafor and Payday Report
Ted Johnson / Deadline:
The White House debuts a website to revise the history of January 6, with false claims blaming police for fomenting the attack and calling Mike Pence a coward — The website appeared to be a way to counter what has been a daylong commemoration at the Capitol, featuring primarily Democrats …
Discussion:
The White House, Washington Post, @barbmcquade.bsky.social, CBS News, Cele|bitchy, Metro.co.uk, LateNighter, @lifesafeast.bsky.social, @CStamp@mastodon.social, MS NOW, @localnotail.bsky.social, Deseret News, @democratswin.bsky.social, NewsMax.com, Rolling Stone, People, One America News Network, The Parnas Perspective, Mediaite, New York Post, al.com, The Wrap, Human Events, Axios, Raw Story and The Rambling Panda
Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:
Spotify lowers monetization eligibility for video podcasters to three episodes, 2,000 consumption hours, and 1,000 engaged audience members over a 30-day period — Spotify is lowering its eligibility criteria for podcasters to monetize their videos on the platform, dropping …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Reuters, The Hollywood Reporter, Stat Significant and Los Angeles Times
Etan Vlessing / The Hollywood Reporter:
Imax reports $1.28B in 2025 global box office, a company record, driven by a global theater network expansion and films like Ne Zha 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash — The latest global ticket receipt haul surpassed the $1.1 billion year-end box office posted in 2019, as exhibitors saw their domestic box office end 2025 at $8.87 billion.
Wayne Friedman / MediaPost:
NBCU partners with RPA and Newton Research to connect buy-side and sell-side agentic AI, automating real-time cross-platform video ad deals starting in Q1 2026 — Joining the agentic AI race from a live sports TV network/seller perspective, NBCUniversal has struck a deal …
Discussion:
Inside Radio, Mumbrella, TVNewsCheck, AdExchanger, Radio & Television … and FinAi News
