Top News:


A jury finds Project Veritas broke wiretapping laws and fraudulently misrepresented itself to Democratic political consultants; Project Veritas plans to appeal — The conservative group was found to have violated wiretapping laws and fraudulently misrepresented itself to a Democratic consulting firm …
Discussion:
@bgrueskin, @electproject, @electproject, @erikwemple, @kimmasters, @electproject, @dangillmor, @electproject, Politico and Project Veritas


Apple signs a multiyear NFL deal to have Apple Music replace Pepsi as the main sponsor for the Super Bowl halftime show; sources say the NFL was seeking ~$50M — Apple's pursuit of an N.F.L. media package has broadened to include a sponsorship of one of TV's most-watched events.


A look at the crowded podcast market, where competition has made almost everything in the business more difficult, and some say no one is taking creative risks — It's been ages since the last blockbuster narrative show. What does that mean for the medium as an art form?


Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier is leaving to join Roku in October as president of Roku Media, overseeing ad sales, its ad platform business, and content — Fox Entertainment chief executive officer Charlie Collier is exiting the company and heading to Roku next month.
Discussion:
Variety, MediaPost, Ad Age, C21Media, Advanced Television, @variety, TBI Vision, @jasonhirschhorn, @hedgeyecomm, Too Much TV Newsletter, Media Play News, Adweek, WORLD SCREEN and Deadline


Timbaland and Swizz Beatz settle a missed payments lawsuit with Triller after Triller acquired their music series Verzuz in March 2021; terms were not disclosed — Swizz Beatz and Timbaland have settled their lawsuit with Triller, after suing the service last month for $28 million …
Discussion:
Billboard, New York Post, @gregt2u2, UPROXX, Complete Music Update, Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone and The Hollywood Reporter


Amazon's prohibition on alcohol ads on Prime Video means its NFL broadcasts break with the longstanding tradition of featuring ads for beer brands — To many viewers, Amazon.com Inc.'s first exclusive “Thursday Night Football” game last week looked like a typical NFL broadcast.
Discussion:
@sportsrapport, @newsynick and @gerryfsmith
RELATED:

Nielsen says Amazon Prime Video's first Thursday Night Football game averaged 13.03M viewers; Amazon claimed 15.3M viewers after guaranteeing advertisers 12.5M
Discussion:
Sports Business Journal, Ad Age, @andrewmarchand, Awful Announcing, Amazon Studios, Axios, Awful Announcing, Rolling Stone, @alexweprin, @bmarcello, @jyarow, @marshacollier, Sports Media Watch, TechCrunch, Forbes, The Wrap, Los Angeles Times, CNN, Wall Street Journal, The Streamable, CNBC, Deadline and IndieWire, more at Techmeme »


France plans to impose a €3 minimum delivery fee for online book orders of less than €35 to help independent bookstores compete against big sellers like Amazon — France plans to impose a minimum delivery fee of 3 euros ($2.93) for online book orders of less than 35 euros to level …


The Authors Guild says Amazon agreed to limit ebook returns for those who have read over 10% starting soon, after complaints over returning fully read books — The Authors Guild is proud to report that our discussions with Amazon's senior executive team concerning the platform's policy …
Discussion:
@amy_stewart, @authorsguild, @vanjchan, @authorsguild, @victoriastrauss, The Verge and Publishers Weekly


In a 60-36 vote, the US Senate approves Amanda Bennett to head the US Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America and other broadcasting entities — The U.S. Senate Thursday approved President Joe Biden's nominee to head the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) …


Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi withdrew from a long-planned interview with Christiane Amanpour after she declined his last-minute demand to wear a head scarf — Iran's President cancels interview after Amanpour refuses head scarf demand — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi withdrew …
Discussion:
@amanpour, @nprkelly, @amanpour, @amanpour, Deadline, @amanpour, Associated Press, @kathapollitt, @jimsciutto, @elizabethcnn, @marklittlenews, @murphyslaw74, @dandrezner, The Daily Beast, @mrjoelclark, @casmudde, @mehdirhasan, @sphillipsab, @saragoldrickrab, @henrymance, @amanpour, @amanpour, @amanpour, The Economic Times, The Hill, NBC News, NPR, The Guardian and The Wrap


The British Film Institute unveils a National Lottery Strategy for 2023-2033, including spending £136M over the first three years, and plans for a BFI+ streamer — The British Film Institute (BFI), the U.K.'s lead organization for film and the moving image, has set out a new …
Discussion:
Variety, The Guardian, The Guardian, Televisual, Screen, Advanced Television, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter


Instagram, and now TikTok, have fallen afoul of the “Bootleg Ratio”, as clout-chasing accounts overtake content created by users specifically for each platform — TikTok is changing. … That stuff is still on the platform, but it's largely fallen off my For You page …