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WarnerMedia's decision to debut 2021 films on HBO Max had blindsided creatives and their reps; sources: Warner Bros. COO Carolyn Blackwood came up with the plan — To many insiders, WarnerMedia's blindsiding of talent and their reps with a reveal that it's sending 17 films directly to HBO Max in 2021 felt like an insult.
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New York Times, Entertainment Tonight, TechCrunch, Adweek, ScreenRant, /Film, Variety, Forbes, The Streamable, The Guardian, The Wrap, @edmundlee, ComingSoon.net, The Playlist, Collider, @aaroncouch, @joshuatopolsky, @uberkryptonian, Axios, Vanity Fair, Cord Cutters News, Context is King, @aaroncouch, @thr, @lucas_shaw, @edmachina, @mikeyface, @snoodit, @tannertrue, @johnnysobczak, @geeksgamerscom, @williambibbiani, @etnow, @filmupdates, The Verge, @eriqgardner, @filmupdates, @sgoood, @filmbayona, @patrickcotnoir, @davidlsims, @nytimesbusiness, Business Insider, @ryanlawler, @kimmasters, The Week, Engadget, Scroll.in, The A.V. Club, Mediaite, Heroic Hollywood, The Playlist, Variety, IndieWire, Collider and The Wrap
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AT&T CEO says HBO Max now has 12.6M subscribers in the US, up from 8.6M at the end of Q3; ~30% of HBO subscribers have exercised their right to access HBO Max — HBO Max, which closed the third quarter at 8.6 million activated subscribers in the U.S., has added another four million …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Hollywood Reporter, nexttv.com, CNBC, The Streamable, MediaPost, New York Post and @tvgrimreaper

Sources: Legendary, which co-financed Dune, is considering suing Warner Bros. over its decision to release movies simultaneously on HBO Max and in cinemas
Discussion:
/Film, ScreenRant, Observer, Deadline, The Playlist, Digital TV Europe, @variety, @benedictevans, @firstadopter, @reckless, @steele131, @davidlsims, @mousterpiece, @omegagormaru, @marisabalkus, @successlon, @discussingfilm, @tinycamcorder, @pkafka, @johnnysobczak, The Week, The Wrap, ComingSoon.net, IndieWire and Cord Cutters News


Nielsen introduces Nielsen One, a video analytics tool that will measure total video consumption across linear and digital platforms, to debut in Q4 2022 — But the new solution, Nielsen One, won't be ready until late 2022 — Farewell, Total Audience Measurement. Hello, Nielsen One.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Insights - Nielsen, Radio & Television …, MediaPost, The Desk, Engadget, Ad Age, Variety, @mattnavarra and @bruceanderson


Sources: USAGM head Michael Pack has instructed associates not to discuss the agency's operations, budget, and personnel with Biden's transition team — A Trump appointee with a short but controversial record of overseeing Voice of America and other federally funded news agencies has declined …
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@benlabolt, Tangle, Snopes.com, @vivian, Daily Herald, Fox News and Associated Press
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A look at TAPinto, a franchised network of 85 local news sites across the US that are free to read and supported by local advertising — Since 2004, more than one-fourth of newspapers in the United States have disappeared. Of the 2,100 papers that have shuttered, more than 2,000 …
Discussion:
@spj_tweets, @ylichterman and @jonathanalter


Report for America expands to 200+ newsrooms that will host 300+ journalists next year; 33%+ of beats cover communities of color, 50% of outlets are nonprofits — Report for America unveils more than sixty new newsroom partners—including a doubling of Black and Hispanic owned media—and opens the application window for new reporters
Discussion:
@institute_trust, @annaliznichols, @kellyannscott, @tomlappas, @marfaradio, @kenwardjr, @report4america, @raju, @report4america and @inn


Brooklyn Magazine relaunches under EIC Brian Braiker, former Ad Age EIC; Braiker and a partner bought the outlet and The L Magazine from Northside Media Group — So you think New York is dead? We here in Brooklyn see things differently. — Today we are introducing a new Brooklyn Magazine …
Discussion:
@slarkpope, @brooklynmag, @juliannthrax, @mikerugnetta, @jarroddicker, @alexmleo, @merrillbro, @slarkpope, @bmorrissey, @alexmleo, @slarkpope and @pjsauer


MSNBC names SVP of News Rashida Jones as its next president, the first Black executive to run a major cable news network; Phil Griffin will leave in January — Mr. Griffin, who has been with the cable news network for 25 years, will leave after the end of January
Discussion:
Poynter, NBC News, @davidfolkenflik, CNN, The Wrap, Washington Post, @eugene_scott, @brianstelter, @jbflint, @benmullin, @joyannreid, @jasoncollins98, @priyadesai, @toddmasterson, @jasminestylestv, @vivian, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, @joshsternberg, @yashar, @thekenyeung, @jbenton, Variety, New York Times, Breitbart, Fox News, Axios, TVNewser, Mediaite, The Hill and New York Post


Adweek promotes Lisa Granatstein to chief content officer, overseeing editorial and events, and Stephanie Pateric to editor-in-chief — A mobile-first editorial strategy that homes in on newsletters, membership, specialization — As digital media companies look toward growth opportunities in 2021 …


Aides say Biden's media diet includes the Atlantic, NYT, WaPo, WSJ, Philly Inquirer, Delaware News-Journal; he watches some MSNBC and Fox News, uses Apple News — With help from Renuka Rayasam and Myah Ward — HOW THE PRESIDENT-ELECT GETS HIS NEWS — In the Biden administration …
Discussion:
@robertwrighter, @alxthomp, @politico, @risj_oxford, @benyt and @ryanlizza


Australian bill forcing Google and Facebook to pay news outlets for featuring their journalism will be introduced into parliament on Wednesday — Australia is to introduce a bill into parliament that would force Facebook and Google to pay news outlets for featuring their journalism.
Discussion:
Daily Herald, ABC, @corinne_podger, The Guardian, Al Jazeera and Reuters


YouTube expands HDR support to live streams; HDR lets videos show a wider range of colors and brightness — It has supported HDR for prerecorded content since 2016 — Starting today, YouTube creators can live-stream their videos in high dynamic range (HDR), the company has announced.
Discussion:
TechCrunch