Top News:
Ben Cohen / Wall Street Journal:
How Disney's Moana, which wasn't a big hit at its 2016 launch, became a top streaming movie in every year from 2020 to 2024, per Nielsen, with 1B+ hours watched — We've now watched ‘Moana’ for more than 1 billion hours. How did it become the No. 1 movie in streaming history?
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Docs: LeBron James' Springhill lost $28M on sales of $104M in 2023; the production company aims to be profitable this year, following its merger with Fulwell 73 — Film and TV businesses started by celebrities have raised lots of money. What's missing are profits — I changed my mind about the newsletter.
New York Times:
Trump says he plans to nominate Kash Patel as FBI director; Patel vowed last year to “come after” journalists who “helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections” — President-elect Donald J. Trump turned to a firebrand loyalist to become director of the bureau …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Associated Press, Mock Paper Scissors, Associated Press, Le Monde, CNN, Washington Post, The Hill, Bangor Daily News, @harryjsisson, RADAR, Trump pick Kash Patel …, @opdeatheaters, New York Times, CBS News, Contemplating Life …, RedState, @amuse, The Gateway Pundit, Axios, Fox News, Townhall, Reuters, Raw Story, The Moderate Voice, Mother Jones, Forbes, @adgirlmm, Washington Examiner, Voice of America, al.com, @ninaburleigh, HuffPost, @brianstelter, Ken Klippenstein, @brianstelter, @noliewithbtc, @kylegriffin1, @krassenstein, @mattgertz, Washington Times, Politico, emptywheel, Alternet.org, Al Jazeera, NBC Bay Area, IJR, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, UPI, @nukestrat.bsky.social, @edwardwinkleman.bsky.social, ZeroHedge News, Bloomberg, MSNBC, Financial Times, Axios, @mediaanddemocracy.bsky.social, Mediaite, Mediaite, BBC, ABC News, Washington Post, @justinhendrix.bsky.social, NPR, Tampa Free Press, Wall Street Journal, Politico, Rolling Stone, Forbes, The Independent, The Daily Signal, The Hill, CBS News, New York Post, NBC News, @realDonaldTrump …, The Daily Caller, Power Line, Twitchy, Crooks and Liars, Just The News and Semafor
Feven Merid / Columbia Journalism Review:
Q&A with journalism professor Stephen G. Bloom on working in Brazil as a young reporter, the history of expat English-language papers in the country, and more — A conversation with the author of The Brazil Chronicles — In 1979, at the age of twenty-eight, Stephen G. Bloom set …
Rick Porter / The Hollywood Reporter:
NBC says the 2024 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade drew a record 31.3M viewers, up 10% YoY, on NBC and Peacock; streaming hours on Peacock grew 26% YoY — The holiday also brings big audiences for NFL games and NBC's National Dog Show telecast. … NBC says 31.3 million viewers watched …
Discussion:
TV Insider, The Ankler, @jbflint, @brianstelter, Media Play News, Daily Mail, The Desk, The Wrap, Will Coss on LinkedIn, Variety, TVLine and Deadline
Melanie Goodfellow / Deadline:
France says global streamers invested €974.6M in French film and TV shows from 2021 to 2023, after the country introduced investment obligations in 2021 — France has published its most comprehensive study to date detailing the impact of investment obligations introduced …
Josh Taylor / The Guardian:
Meta says it will require advertisers globally to get verified before running financial service ads targeting Australian users, starting in early February 2025 — Exclusive: Businesses to require financial services license number to post Facebook ads, while individuals will need government-issued ID
Discussion:
Reuters, Mediaweek and The Canberra Times, more at Techmeme »
Scott Jennings / @scottjenningsky:
Conservative CNN commentator Scott Jennings says he is joining the LA Times editorial board, as owner Patrick Soon-Shiong works to add “balance” to the board — It's true - I've accepted @DrPatSoonShiong invitation to join the editorial board of the @latimes. I've written columns for the paper over the last few years and was honored to do so under such a storied and important masthead. I love newspapers and believe in strong journalism
Reuters:
Italy's data protection watchdog warns publisher GEDI not to share its personal data archives with OpenAI, citing concern over potential breaches of EU rules — Italy's data protection watchdog has warned Italian publisher GEDI not to share its personal data archives with ChatGPT owner OpenAI …
Discussion:
@claeshs.bsky.social
Michael Grothaus / Fast Company:
Hybe shares closed down 4% after K-pop girl group NewJeans said they are ending their contract with Hybe in protest against its dispute with the band's producer — The K-pop giant and BTS parent company has been battling for control of the lucrative girl group after splitting with the band's creator director.
Josh Rubin / Toronto.com:
Major Canadian news organizations, including Torstar, Postmedia, and CBC, sue OpenAI, alleging breach of copyright and terms of use — A broad coalition of Canada's major news organizations, including the Toronto Star, Metroland Media, Postmedia, The Globe and Mail, The Canadian Press and CBC …
Discussion:
Washington Post, ZeroHedge News, New York Times, UPI, CBC News, @gerritd, @mickeydjuric, @michellerempel, @michellerempel, @michellerempel, @jtemperton, acecomments.mu.nu, Hindustan Times, MEDIANAMA, Business Insider, Al Jazeera, The Verge, Associated Press, Benzinga, The Guardian, Canadian Press, Reuters, financialpost, Globe and Mail, TORSTAR, @mickeydjuric.bsky.social and Bloomberg
Anna Nicolaou / Financial Times:
Nielsen: Fox News averaged 2M viewers per day from Nov. 6-22, up from 1.4M for the year to Nov. 4; MSNBC drew 526K viewers a day, down from 847K before Nov. 5 — Liberal audiences tune out while Robert Murdoch's channel attracts record numbers — Rupert Murdoch's Fox News …
Discussion:
@thedailybeast, @dennislennox, @iankmsmith.bsky.social and MediaPost