Top News:
CNBC:
Comcast confirms plans to spin off its NBCUniversal cable TV networks, including MSNBC and CNBC, with Mark Lazarus as CEO; the separation may take about a year — Comcast is moving forward with the spinoff of its cable network channels, including CNBC, MSNBC and E!, the company said Wednesday.
Discussion:
Comcast, Engadget, New York Times, Axios, Variety, Mediaite, Los Angeles Times, @sherman4949, RetailWire, Front Office Sports, Forbes, @benmullin, @mediaite, @jeffjarvis, The Wrap, @sarafischer, AV Club, Ars Technica, @brianstelter, Marketplace, @sherman4949, One America News Network, @colbyhall, Philadelphia Business Journal, @nemalki.bsky.social, Radio & Television …, @benmullin, IJR, @brianstelter, @sherman4949, Breitbart, Fast Company, USA Today, Total Telecom, CNN, TechCrunch, Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, TVNewsCheck, Adweek, The Guardian, Media Play News, Stephani Shelton on LinkedIn, Newser, acecomments.mu.nu, HotAir, Cord Cutters News, The Desk, @great_katzby, NBC News, @stark.soy, @joshuabenton.com, Fox Business, The Verge, HuffPost, Yahoo Finance, Fortune, Barron's Online, Talking Biz News, Benzinga, Financial Times, The Information, @amolsharma.bsky.social, NBC News, Media Play News, Los Angeles Times, The Wrap, Variety, Ad Age, CNN, Awful Announcing, Cord Cutters News, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Business Insider and Wall Street Journal
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Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Analyzing Comcast's spinoff of cable networks, purposefully structured with low debt: the move might be a signal to the industry that it's time to consolidate — Comcast shares posted modest gains Wednesday after the company announced its plan to spin off all of NBCUniversal's cable networks …
Discussion:
Alex Sherman on LinkedIn, Business Insider, Associated Press, The Streamable, Bloomberg, Reuters and MediaPost
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Sources: Comcast execs told staff that MSNBC may have to change its identity as part of the spinoff, including losing access to NBC News' newsgathering process — MSNBC fans who are disappointed in the progressive-leaning network after Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 election may no longer have it to kick around.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Deadline, Fox News, @sherman4949, @bristei, New York Post, @davidingram.bsky.social, @tvmojoe, @igotarock2.bsky.social, @colbyhall, @jeffjarvis.bsky.social, @maxwelltani, @jbflint, @noblewatchman.bsky.social, @bristei, Awful Announcing, @tomgara@threads.net, @harveyjkaye.bsky.social, @bristei.bsky.social, The Desk, PoliticusUSA and Instapundit
Liz Hoffman / Semafor:
Sources: under current plans, Comcast's new spun off entity would carry little of its $101B of debt, giving it the ability to borrow for acquisitions
Discussion:
Bloomberg and @semaforben
Peter Kafka / Business Insider:
Comcast's spinoff is essentially a garage sale of its basic cable TV networks, as the number of people paying for and watching cable networks falls every year
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, @pkafka.bsky.social, Advanced Television, MediaPost, Reuters and WHEC.com
Georg Szalai / The Hollywood Reporter:
Comcast spinoff: cable channel Bravo, the NBC broadcast network, and Peacock will remain part of NBCUniversal; the new entity's ownership will mirror Comcast
Discussion:
Deadline, Los Angeles Times, Business Insider, Forbes, Variety, @pkafka, TVNewsCheck and Screen Rant
Leah Nylen / Bloomberg:NEW!
Filing: the US DOJ's proposal requires Google to allow websites more ability to opt-out of its AI products and provide more ad placement controls to advertisers — - Antitrust officials propose options in historic lawsuit — Google says government pushing ‘radical agenda’ beyond case
Discussion:
CNN, NPR, Politico, New York Times, AppleInsider, Breitbart, Cord Cutters News, Engadget, Reuters, Axios, Daring Fireball, Benzinga, Digiday, The Information, The Guardian, New York Magazine, RetailWire, New York Post, MarTech, The Media Leader, CNET, Digital Trends, Fast Company and CBS News, more at Techmeme »
Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:
Tortoise says it plans to invest £25M in Observer over five years, aiming to turn it into a self-funded, paywalled newsbrand with 100K new digital subscribers — Guardian and Observer journalists have agreed to a 48-hour strike in protest at the planned sale of The Observer to Tortoise Media.
Discussion:
@shattenstone.bsky.social, @dominicponsford.bsky.social, @carolecadwalla.bsky.social, @shattenstone.bsky.social, @jobmaynooth.bsky.social, @danielthomasldn, @jacksommers.bsky.social, @pressgazette.co.uk, @shattenstone.bsky.social, @annafazack.bsky.social, @michaelgoodier.bsky.social and Telegraph
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Manuela Vega / Toronto Star:
Rogers Sports & Media lays off more than two dozen employees in its radio and podcasting divisions, citing declining revenue and challenges in advertising — The company has said there will be no closures or terminations of stations, programming or podcasts.
Discussion:
Inside Radio, CBC News and Globe and Mail
Harrison Smith / Washington Post:
Reg Murphy, an editor and publisher in Atlanta, San Francisco, and Baltimore, died Nov. 9 at 90; he was kidnapped in 1974 by a man angry at “liberal news media” — As a top editor at the Atlanta Constitution, he was held for a $700,000 ransom. He was later the publisher …
Discussion:
New York Times, @tomsherwood, @slbuffington.bsky.social and @jeffjarvis@mastodon.social
Sam Gutelle / Tubefilter:
Streamlabs: Twitch accounted for 82.3% of total Q3 streaming hours, with YouTube Gaming in second place at 5.6%; Kick grew 204% from Q2 2023 to Q3 2024 — For years, the Logitech-owned creator dashboard Streamlabs and its data partner Stream Hatchet have compiled quarterly progress reports for the streaming industry.
Discussion:
@tvgrimreaper and Streamlabs
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Trump says Republicans must kill the PRESS Act, which would protect journalists' records and sources from the US government; the bill is stalled in the Senate — The bill, known as the PRESS Act, would codify protections against federal investigators seizing reporters' records.
Josh Hersh / Columbia Journalism Review:
Q&A with Vulture's podcast critic Nicholas Quah about how Trump tapped into the podcast world, podcasters like Joe Rogan being “politically squishy”, and more — Donald Trump surprised a lot of people when he appeared on a number of nonpolitical podcasts this summer …
Discussion:
@joeroganhq
Bloomberg:
News Corp shareholders reject Starboard's proposal to end News Corp's dual share structure, which Starboard said gives the Murdochs “outsized influence” — - Starboard argued that Murdoch family had too much influence — Murdoch family awaits ruling in contentious trust trial
Discussion:
Reuters, Deadline, @davidfolkenflik and The Guardian
Oliver Darcy / Status:
Nielsen: Morning Joe's total audience fell 17% from the 6am hour to the 7am hour after Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski said they met Trump, an unusual drop — The decision from Comcast will notably rip apart NBCU News Group boss Cesar Conde's kingdom, with MSNBC and CNBC being spun off.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Trending Politics …, StreamTV Insider, Al Jazeera, @jeremymbarr, @claeshs.bsky.social, Vanity Fair, @jeffjarvis, @matthewkeyslive, @kellycripe, @michellesea.bsky.social, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Adweek, @brianstelter, @sallyshin, @asharma, @tvgrimreaper, @asharma, @asharma, Mediaite, @timkarr.bsky.social, Stephanie Smith on LinkedIn, @oliverdarcy@threads.net, The Desk, Reuters, TVNewsCheck, Matthew Keys on LinkedIn, Dan Rayburn on LinkedIn, @amolsharma.bsky.social, The Hill, Daily Kos and Daily Mail
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