Mediagazer: The EU approves UMG's $775M acquisition of Downtown Music, a deal UMG expects to complete in the coming weeks after announcing it in December 2024 (Edith Hancock/Wall Street Journal)

The EU approves UMG's $775M acquisition of Downtown Music, a deal UMG expects to complete in the coming weeks after announcing it in December 2024 — The companies offered to sell Downtown's Curve royalty in an effort to win Brussels's blessing — The European Union approved Universal …

Discussion: Reuters, The Hollywood Reporter, Music Business Worldwide and Bloomberg

Gene Maddaus / Variety:

The MPA urges ByteDance to curb its AI video model Seedance 2.0, saying the model engages in unauthorized use of US copyrighted material “on a massive scale” — The Motion Picture Association on Thursday denounced the newest AI video generator, Seedance 2.0 …

Discussion: TVBEurope, Screen, The Wrap, Deadline and The Verge

Discussion: The Information, Advanced Television, The Overspill, Digit, PYMNTS.com, Tech in Asia, Implicator.ai, Úrsula O'Kuinghttons on LinkedIn, Forbes, Deadline, Android Headlines, ByteDance Seed, Apple Gazette, Fast Company, Fortune and MIT Technology Review, more at Techmeme »

Alice Brooker / Press Gazette:

An interview with Chloe Rushmere, head of content for magazine and newspaper subscription app Readly, on future plans as Readly integrates with France's Cafeyn — “All you can read” magazine and newspaper app Readly's merger with a French equivalent is set to enhance its mobile app and support the business to increase investment.

Todd Spangler / Variety:

SAG-AFTRA signs an agreement with Netflix covering The Pete Davidson Show as a podcast, after talks about whether it should be treated as a TV show or a podcast — Netflix has described its recently released “The Pete Davidson Show” as a “video podcast” — and now SAG-AFTRA has signed …

Discussion: Podnews, Barrett Media, The Wrap, Deadline, The Atlantic, @theatlantic.com, Vulture and Motley Fool

Antonio Zappulla / Thomson Reuters Foundation:

The Thomson Reuters Foundation says its news brand, Context, will be “phased down”, some staffers will lose jobs, and the site will remain up as an archive — Over the past year, the world has fundamentally changed. — We are experiencing the most profound geopolitical shift in 50 years …

Bloomberg:

Meta and Snap report minimal impact from Australia's teen social media ban as it affects a small number of users who aren't high-value targets for advertisers — Move to restrict teens more likely to damage reputation than sales … Tech Across the Globe

Discussion: WSVN-TV

Brendon Kleen / Awful Announcing:

Memo: The Banner in Maryland plans to expand sports staff to cover Washington, DC, teams, hiring beat reporters to cover the Nationals and Commanders, and more — Credit: Baltimore Banner; Washington Commanders; Washington Nationals — The Baltimore Banner is hoping it can fill …

Discussion: The Banner

Lucas Manfredi / The Wrap:

Roku reports Q4 revenue up 16% YoY to $1.39B, vs. $1.35B est., and an $80.5M net income, vs. a $35.5M loss in Q4 2024; ROKU jumps 9%+ after hours — The streaming hardware maker forecasts 16% revenue growth in 2026 — Shares of Roku climbed as much as 13% in after-hours trading on Thursday …

Discussion: Deadline, TheDesk.net, MediaPost, Media Play News, Investor's Business Daily, Roku Inc., Variety, Benzinga and Associated Press, more at Techmeme »

New York Times:

Casey Wasserman will remain chair of the LA Olympics committee after a review of his ties to Epstein and Maxwell; multiple entertainers have left his agency — Casey Wasserman exchanged flirtatious messages over 20 years ago with Ghislaine Maxwell, a longtime companion of Jeffrey Epstein.

Discussion: @bselena.bsky.social, @bubbaprog.xyz, @thinkyparts.bsky.social, People, Variety, Los Angeles Times, Awful Announcing, LAist, @riodylan.bsky.social, @mollyknight.bsky.social, The Hill, The Athletic, @daviddarmofal.bsky.social, Associated Press, Billboard and BBC

Jem Aswad / Variety:

Scott Borchetta, who founded Big Machine Records and signed Taylor Swift in 2006, is leaving Hybe America, which bought Big Machine in 2021; Hybe retains assets — Borchetta has served as the CEO of Big Machine Label Group since the acquisition. He founded Big Machine Records in 2005 …

Discussion: Deadline, Rolling Stone, Music Business Worldwide, Billboard and Digital Music News

Samuel Stolton / Bloomberg:

Letter: the EU launched a new probe into Google for potentially “artificially increasing the clearing price” of ad auctions “to the detriment of advertisers” — Google, the target for billions of euros in European Union antitrust fines, has been hit by a fresh EU probe …

Discussion: Android Headlines, BMI, Washington Examiner, Engadget, Financial Post, Reuters, Channel NewsAsia and Reuters, more at Techmeme »

Ali Abunimah / The Electronic Intifada:

Current and ex-CPJ staffers say the nonprofit scrapped its Global Impunity Index in 2025 because Israel would have been ranked near the top or first, for years — Earlier this month, Omar Shakir stepped down from a senior role at Human Rights Watch after the group's suppression …

Discussion: @intifada.bsky.social and Committee to Protect …