Top News:
Jennifer Maas / Variety:
Amazon finalizes its $8.5B acquisition of MGM, two days after the deal received clearance from the EU's antitrust regulator — Amazon has closed its $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM first announced last May, the companies said Thursday. — “MGM has a nearly century-long legacy …
Discussion:
About Amazon, Adweek, Deadline, Wall Street Journal, Deadline, Financial Times, Next TV, @variety, Input, @dsnynewscast, Gizmodo, New York Post, Media Play News, @henereyg, globalnews.ca, @leojtravis10, @colinhantsco, The A.V. Club, Bloomberg, CNET, Vanity Fair, The Streamable, The Verge, @barbaracrampton, TechCrunch, @willmckinley, SlashFilm, The Hollywood Reporter, @richlightshed, Nerdist, @jacobqknight, WHDH-TV, IndieWire, WORLD SCREEN, Consequence and Cord Cutters News, more at Techmeme »
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Leah Nylen / Politico:
Sources: the FTC will not challenge Amazon's MGM Studios acquisition as Lina Khan decided not to call for a vote, anticipating opposition from GOP commissioners — The Federal Trade Commission will not challenge Amazon's acquisition of MGM Studios after the agency's commissioners split on bringing a suit …
Discussion:
Variety, @ryangrim, @parismarx and @eriqgardner
Rick Edmonds / Poynter:
Gannett moves the printing of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and 10 other Wisconsin dailies 220 miles to Illinois' Peoria Journal Star, cutting 180 jobs — The move will result in the shuttering of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's printing plant and the loss of 180 jobs.
Discussion:
members.charlesriverchamber …, @greg_reibman, @peterrobison and @bradhoylman
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Dan Kennedy / Media Nation:
Gannett closes at least 19 print weekly newspapers in Eastern Massachusetts and merges nine weeklies into four — Gannett is closing at least 19 print weekly newspapers serving at least 26 communities in Eastern Massachusetts, according to notices posted on those papers' websites.
Discussion:
@karynregal, @karynregal, @karynregal, @downballotfocus, @downballotfocus and @johnguilfoil
Andrew Kersley / Press Gazette:
The Times says it crossed 400K digital subs earlier this year after gaining 60K in 2021, and added an average of 1,000/day during Ukraine war's first two weeks — The Times gained an average of 1,000 new digital subscribers a day during the first two weeks of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, one of its highest ever growth rates.
Discussion:
@pressgazette and @benwhitelaw
Pjotr Sauer / The Guardian:
Food blogger Veronika Belotserkovskaya, who lives in France, is one of the first three Russians charged under the country's fake news law for anti-war posts — Socialite and food blogger Veronika Belotserkovskaya says she is both amused and shocked to be charged
Discussion:
NPR, Daily Mail, @brianstelter, @pjotrsauer, @pjotrsauer, The Week and New York Times
Sara Fischer / Axios:
A study by The Advertising Research Foundation found 36% of Americans share their Netflix passwords with relatives, while 13% share them with friends — Streaming companies are cracking down on password sharing, as the number of quarterly subscription cancellations in the U.S. grows.
Discussion:
Forbes, Breitbart, TheGrio, The Mary Sue, Variety and @ashleyrgold
Shraddha Chakradhar / Nieman Lab:
Interview with Amethyst Davis, founder of the six-month-old Harvey World Herald in a Chicago suburb, on her non-traditional journalism route and building trust — Tales of local news dying are abundant, but against the odds of today's media landscape, there are many new ventures taking root.
Discussion:
@apurple_reign, @niemanlab, American Press Institute, @ckrewson, @pilhofer and Newmark J-School
Washington Post:
How Volodymyr Zelensky and associates from his former TV production company, now in government jobs, are using media expertise for strategic war communications — When President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking to U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday, aired a video documenting the human toll of Russia's assault …
Discussion:
The Nation, @fabiochiusi, @seanmcfate, @paulsonne, @aaronblake, @appcpenn, @lrozen, @oknox, @tim_hayward_, @tim_hayward_, @nycjim, @thedeshbhakt, Today's Edition Newsletter and The Daily Beast
Manori Ravindran / Variety:
Vice takes full control of UK production company Pulse Films, and co-founders Thomas Benski and Marisa Clifford have left the company — Vice Media Group has taken full control of “Gangs of London” producer Pulse Films. — Pulse co-founders Thomas Benski and Marisa Clifford …
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Magna hires NewsGuard to give “nutrition labels” for 20+ networks and 100+ news programs, to be used by parent company Interpublic's media clients like J&J — Anchors like Don Lemon, Joy Reid and Sean Hannity have long looked at Nielsen ratings as one of the primary measures of their performance on air.
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
UK plans crackdown on oligarchs and companies intimidating media via SLAPP lawsuits, including strengthening the public interest defense in Defamation Act 2013 — The UK Government has set out plans to crack down on wealthy people and businesses intimidating journalists using defamation and privacy SLAPP actions.
Discussion:
The Guardian, @pressgazette and @pressgazette
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