Mediagazer: AT&T to spin off WarnerMedia and combine it with Discovery in a $43B deal; the new company will be run by Discovery CEO David Zaslav (Brian Stelter/CNN)

2:55 PM ET, May 17, 2021

Top News:

Brian Stelter / CNN:

AT&T to spin off WarnerMedia and combine it with Discovery in a $43B deal; the new company will be run by Discovery CEO David Zaslav — New York (CNN Business)The streaming TV race is about to get even more competitive. — On Monday morning AT&T (T) and Discovery, Inc. (DISCA) …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Hollywood Reporter, Washington Post, MediaPost, Variety, CNN, Bloomberg, Hollywood Reporter, Variety, The Wrap, The Information, Insider, Digiday, CNBC, Forbes, Variety, The Wrap, Axios, Fast Company, @sherman4949, Bloomberg, @frankpallotta, @claireatki, Discovery, Inc., The Streamable, Variety, Mediaite, Observer, Awful Announcing, Insider, Vanity Fair, /Film, @lucas_shaw, @annaknicolaou, @gadyepstein, @pkafka, @hblodget, @karlbode, @andrearene, @benyt, @panzer, Light Reading, @mattdraperyt, @thetruebrendanf, @magsvisaggs, @jeremymbarr, @pkafka, @dylanbyers, ZDNet, @sherman4949, The Week, @sherman4949, @richlightshed, @sherman4949, @sherman4949, @kerrymflynn, @digitalshields, @karaswisher, @loudmouthjulia, @sherman4949, @brianstelter, @pkafka, @mbgelman, @dylanbyers, Protocol, @erikdavis, @ditzkoff, @lucas_shaw, @frankpallotta, @cgasparino, @edmundlee, @backlon, @sherman4949, @jackmirkinson, @brazilbrian, @oliverdarcy, @zakiscorner, @cgasparino, @cnbc, @loudmouthjulia, @carnage4life, @keithboykin, @loudmouthjulia, @alexweprin, @sivavaid, @gracerandolph, @mims, @jimwaterson, @jbflint, @awallenstein, @sarafischer, @rakeshlobster, @richlightshed, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, @w7voa, IndieWire, @thatjakepc, @jasonlynch, @scottporch, @sherman4949, AppleInsider and Adweek, more at Techmeme »

Brooks Barnes / New York Times:

Sources: Jason Kilar is negotiating his departure as CEO of WarnerMedia, after being kept in the dark about the deal with Discovery until recent days — Jason Kilar has hired a legal team to negotiate his departure as chief executive of WarnerMedia, according to two people briefed on the matter.

Discussion: Vox, @rebeccaarubin, CNN, nexttv.com, @brooksbarnesnyt, Mediaite, @jbenton, @sherman4949, @davidpoland, @sherman4949, @richardlnewby, @mchenryjd, @grynbaum, @panzer, @brianstelter, @richlightshed, The Desk, Bloomberg, C21Media, @parryravi, Digital TV Europe, @jbflint and The Week

Hollywood Reporter:

John Stankey and David Zaslav discuss their vision for the WarnerMedia deal, saying the company will have a content spend that exceeds most competitors at $20B — AT&T chief John Stankey and Zaslav, who will lead the new venture, also addressed the status of WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar and the future of CNN.

Discussion: CNBC, @loudmouthjulia, @thejannissary, @jbflint, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @stevekovach, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, Collider, @felixsalmon, @alexweprin, The Playlist, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, Newser and The A.V. Club

Joe Flint / Wall Street Journal:
Jason Kilar says he expects no long-term negative effects of releasing 2021 movies on HBO Max; sources: Warner Bros. paid $200M+ to appease talent

Discussion: Forbes, Ad Age, @mattzeitlin, @dylanbyers, @edhammondny, @nichcarlson, @jyarow, @optionshawk, @lucas_shaw, Gizmodo, nexttv.com, The Wrap, Mediaite and @drewfitzgerald

Lindsey Ellefson / The Wrap:

Vice News names its news director Michael Learmonth as new EIC, filling a role that has been vacant since 2019 — Michael Learmonth was named Vice News' new editor in chief Monday, filling a role that has been vacant since 2019. He was promoted from news director, a job he held since 2016.

Discussion: @katiedrumm, MediaPost, @mccarthyryanj, @kenli729 and @learmonth

Associated Press:

Israeli airstrike destroys a high-rise in Gaza City that housed offices of AP and Al-Jazeera, after the military warned people to evacuate the building — GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel slammed the Gaza Strip with airstrikes, in a dramatic escalation that included bombing the home …

Discussion: Jerusalem Post, Associated Press, New York Times, Mediaite, @linahalsaafin, Associated Press, The Guardian, Committee to Protect …, @idf, @ap, @tomgara, @eylonalevy, @ajenglish, @presssec, Insider, The Definitive Source, New York Times, Forbes, @w7voa, @wesleylowery, @jpacedc, New York Post, And another thing, The Daily Beast, @kenklippenstein, @kenklippenstein, @brhodes, Wall Street Journal, @willdizard, The Racket News, @mattifriedman, News of the Jews, Foreign Exchanges, Slate, @kenroth, @lotteleicht1, Dispatch from the San Juans, Poynter, @tvietor08, The Times of Israel, @annaknelson_rsf, Fox News, Voice of America, @isobelroe, @imtiaztyab, @rafaelshimunov, The Indian Express, @ap, Washington Post, @abihabib, @snowden, @ap, @mirza9, @mirza9, @brianstelter, @jpacedc, @tomgara, @kredo0, @ztsamudzi, @eylonalevy, @karenattiah, @imtiaztyab, @jimlaporta, @mattmcbradley, @jimlaporta, @ggreenwald, @cbsnews, @brandondarby, @seldeeb, @lsarsour, @adamjohnsonnyc, @mitchellreports, @johnmdonnelly, @snowden, @gchikermane, @alastairmca30, @redsteeze, @margbrennan, @dloesch, @jongambrellap, @jerrydunleavy, @ranaayyub, @mrglenn, @sdkstl, @misstessowen, @alexcrawfordsky, @phillipsian, @dillonreedrose, @jasonrantz, @golan_yarden and @piersmorgan

Jeremy Fuster / The Wrap:

Former Hollywood Reporter editor Matthew Belloni has become a founding member of a new media company that has raised $7M and aims to launch this summer — Matthew Belloni, former Editorial Director at The Hollywood Reporter, has joined as a founding partner for a new media company that will cover politics …

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, @sonnybunch, @jimmaiella, @benyt, @mattbelloni and Variety

Apple:

Apple says it will bring lossless audio to all Apple Music subscribers for free and will support Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, available from June — The next generation of sound on Apple Music is coming to subscribers June 2021 at no additional cost — CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today …

Micah Singleton / Billboard:
Amazon Music HD is now available to Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers for free, effectively cutting the Hi-Fi service's price from $14.99 to $9.99 per month

Discussion: @johnlmacfarlane, Engadget, @amazonmusic, @richontech, 9to5Mac, @c_davies, musically.com, The Verge, @richontech, @kintan, MacRumors, @richontech, @ampressman and @micahsingleton, more at Techmeme »

Reuters:

Axel Springer and Facebook strike a global deal, allowing content from Bild, Welt, Insider, and others to be distributed in Facebook News at its German launch — Axel Springer and Facebook said on Monday that they had agreed on a global cooperation deal under which content from the German publisher …

Discussion: Axel Springer SE, @fabiochiusi, @pressgazette, @gbrotman and @markscott82

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

British GQ editor Dylan Jones departs after 22 years in the role; GQ to be led globally by American GQ editor Will Welch, as Conde Nast merges editorial teams — British GQ editor Dylan Jones is leaving the men's lifestyle magazine after 22 years at the helm.

Discussion: MediaPost

Todd Spangler / Variety:

DVD rental and streaming company Redbox is going public via SPAC in a deal that values the combined company at $693M; Redbox had earnings of $114M in 2020 — Redbox, the DVD-rental kiosk and streaming company, is going back to the public markets. — On Monday, Redbox announced that it reached …

Discussion: The Wrap and The Verge, more at Techmeme »

Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal:

NBCUniversal is acting as a power broker between stars and advertisers as part of its upfronts, hoping its pull with talent will help it strike bigger deals — Comcast unit is pitching broad partnerships with stars during this year's TV-ad-buying ritual, hoping its pull with talent helps it strike bigger deals

Discussion: @deggans

Variety:

Investors and analysts including Warren Buffett weigh in on “stupid” stock swings affecting ViacomCBS, Discovery, and AMC Entertainment, plus problematic SPACs — There's no better moment to take the pulse of the investment landscape than during the annual shareholders meeting …

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 2:55 PM ET, May 17, 2021.

View the current page or another snapshot:

Who's Hiring in Media?

Output Producer, CA — AP

China Markets Correspondent, Shanghai — Reuters

Senior Assignment Editor, DC — WaPo

Breaking News Editor, Tokyo — Bloomberg

Senior Correspondent - Wealth, NY — WSJ

Reporter - Ottawa Bureau — Globe & Mail

Local Government Reporter, IA — The Gazette

Research Director, CA — OCBJ

Immigration Enforcement Reporter — Documented

Presque Island Reporter, ME — Bangor Daily News

Contributing Parks Ed. - SW, CA — SFGATE

AI Content Editor, WA — Outlier

Legislative Reporter, TN — Daily Memphian

Editorial Assistant, Remote US — Launch Potato

Elon Musk Reporter, NY or CA — The Information

Government & Politics Editor, WA — Seattle Times

Business & GA Reporter. VT — VTDigger

Sports Reporter, WA — Everett Herald

Energy Reporter, TX — Houston Chronicle

Senior Reporter, SC — Island Packet

Trade & Climate Correspondent, DC — FT

Reporter, WI — Racine County Eye

Political Newsletter Writer, CO — The Lever

Jackson Reporter, MS — Verite

Music Editor, AZ — Phoenix New Times

Breaking News Reporter, NV — Las Vegas Sun

Fearless Reporter/Producer, IA — BPC

Reporter II - Technology, Remote — NPR

Editor, Remote US — Daily Kos

City Reporter, WA — Tacoma News Tribune

Executive Editor, OR — Lookout Local

Education & Budget Reporter, CA — Politico

Senior Writer/Editor, FL — Gulfshore Business

Media Editor, Remote — Axios

Add your company here

See Also:

Mediagazer: site main

Mediagazer River: reverse chronological Mediagazer

Mediagazer Mobile: for phones

Mediagazer Leaderboard: Mediagazer's top sources

Subscribe:

Mediagazer RSS feed

Mediagazer on X

Mediagazer on Mastodon

More News:

Sarah Krouse / The Information:
Sources: Google's plans to match Apple's ATT changes have been delayed by internal concerns that such moves will diminish mobile ad revenues

Discussion: @amir, @carnage4life, @bysarahkrouse, AppleInsider and MacRumors, more at Techmeme »

Jay Peters / The Verge:
Twitch says it is switching to localized subscription prices in some non-US markets, which will often be lower, starting with Turkey and Mexico on May 20

Discussion: Twitch Blog, Kotaku, Cord Cutters News, Engadget, @paperstainedink and @aureylian, more at Techmeme »

Zack Zwiezen / Kotaku:
After publishing and removing an article listing Palestinian charities, IGN says it didn't mean to make it seem “we were politically aligned with one side”

Discussion: @tha_rami, @tropicalmaku, @mattbinder, @papapishu, @charalanahzard, @tha_rami, Axios, @austin_walker, @iyagovos, A. Khaled's Blog, @dannyodwyer, @scully1888 and @andyplaytonic

The Daily Beast:
Unlike many in the media, MSNBC's Mehdi Hasan and Ayman Mohyeldin are granting airtime to Palestinians instead of heavily relying on Israeli government accounts

Discussion: @joyannreid, @hotlinejosh and Financial Times

Josef Adalian / Vulture:
How Netflix uses both personalization and objective rankings in its lists of popular shows, and how it continues to test rankings to encourage more viewing

Discussion: Streamfunc, @blackamazon, @tvmojoe, @tvmojoe and @vulture

Earlier Picks:

Matt Pearce / Los Angeles Times:
A look at the Ambies, Podcast Academy's annual podcast awards whose nominees across 23 categories were chosen by 100+ members, ahead of its inaugural show

Discussion: @stephenwilson, @davewiner, @mattdpearce, @laura_nelson, @neddonovan, @teddwoods, @mattdpearce and @latimes

Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Amazon launches miniTV, an ad-supported free video streaming service that is available within the Amazon shopping app in India

Discussion: TNW, @yourstoryco, @amazonin, @sub8u, @8ap and The Verge

The Intercept:
The Intercept stands by its reporting on Gab and “Riot Squad”, after it was accused of doxxing conservative journalists, says its reporters have been harassed

Discussion: @jeremyscahill, @therealhoarse, @ryanlcooper, @jeremyscahill, @natsecgeek, @ijbailey, @ggreenwald, @richiemcginniss, @jasonrantz, @malcolmnance and @shoq

Jack Crosbie / Discourse Blog:
In internal meeting, CEO Meredith Levien defended NYT's refusal to voluntarily recognize The NYT Tech Guild, saying its members are tech people, not journalists

Discussion: @jscros, @backspace, @awinston, @mcallguild, @k_gillespie, @baekdal, @zagatam, nyguild.org, @pilhofer and @kathyvsinternet

Paul Volpe / Politico:
Why WaPo likely looked outside its own ranks to hire a female EIC, including a shrinking newsroom before Bezos' takeover, plus structural and cultural issues

Discussion: Washington Post, American Press Institute, The Guardian, @jonnelle and @isabelberwick

From Techmeme:

Lee-Anne Mulholland / The Keyword:
Google files its proposed remedies in the DOJ's search antitrust lawsuit, including letting browser companies have multiple default agreements across platforms

Reuters:
Albania bans TikTok for a year from January 2025, part of a broader plan to make schools safer following the killing of a 14-year-old near a school in November

Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge:
The US NHTSA suggests easing rules allowing for fully driverless cars and urges companies operating driverless cars to share more data for greater transparency

Sister Sites:

Techmeme
Top news and commentary for technology's leaders, from all around the web

memeorandum
What US political commentators are discussing online right now

WeSmirch
The top celebrity news from all around the web on a single page