Mediagazer: Russian telcos and ISPs blocked or restricted access to Google News and other news sources during Kremlin's feud with a mercenary leader (Nico Grant/New York Times)

5:30 PM ET, June 24, 2023

Top News:

Lisa Laman / Collider:

WBD CEO David Zaslav gutting Turner Classic Movies staff, while he tries to adopt a movie mogul's persona, is one of his most wicked and devastating maneuvers — The staff behind Turner Classic Movies has been gutted, which will have enormous consequences for cinema as an art form.

Discussion: The Wrap, The Wrap, @turnageb, New Republic, @chaikomanduri, TVLine, The Mary Sue, The A.V. Club, Bulwark+, New York Times, Next TV, The Playlist, The Streamable, Variety, Screen Rant, Fortune and MediaPost

The Hollywood Reporter:

Sources: Warner Bros. Pictures CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy will now oversee Turner Classic Movies; WBD plans to invest in, and not sell, the channel — Putting the filmmaker friendly executives in charge is meant to reassure the film community, which has expressed concern after the exit of TCM boss Pola Changnon.

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Nico Grant / New York Times:

Russian telcos and ISPs blocked or restricted access to Google News and other news sources during Kremlin's feud with a mercenary leader — At least five telecommunications companies have blocked the service, which aggregates news from various sources, according to an analysis from NetBlocks, an internet observatory.

Discussion: @oliverdarcy, Washington Post, Engadget, @sherman4949, @netblocks, @nytimes, @nicoagrant, @jkosseff, @thechandlerdude, @mediaactive, @rmac18, @andreasharsono, @alfaiomi, Insider, Reclaim The Net, emptywheel and New York Post, more at Techmeme »

Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:

IAC Chairman Barry Diller says The Daily Beast is no longer for sale; Diller had been in talks with Ankler Media, founded in 2022, but has withdrawn from them — Mr. Diller said he had considered combining The Daily Beast with Ankler Media, a start-up co-founded by Janice Min, a longtime magazine editor.

Discussion: @benmullin, @helaineolen, @mediaevan, @vanityfair, @vanityfair and Vanity Fair

Adam B. Vary / Variety:

Ahead of a potential SAG-AFTRA strike, Marvel, Netflix, Sony Pictures, and other studios plan to skip panels at San Diego's Comic-Con, which starts on July 19 — For two years, the biggest annual fan convention in North America was forced to cancel the five-day gathering due to the COVID-19 pandemic …

Jay Peters / The Verge:

Google adds a Perspectives tab to search results, featuring info from individuals posted on YouTube, Reddit, Stack Overflow, and more, after its May 2023 reveal — Google's new search feature that shows you different perspectives (ideally, human ones) in search results will be available on Friday, the company said on Twitter.

Discussion: 9to5Google, more at Techmeme »

Marvie Basilan / International Business Times:

Report: Altice USA-owned news network Cheddar News laid off around a dozen people on June 22; in April 2023, Cheddar cut around six staff from its YouTube team — KEY POINTS — News network Cheddar News reportedly slashed several jobs Thursday, including numerous producers and two longtime anchors.

Discussion: Insider, Talking Biz News, @tomaxwell, @reedalexander, Adweek and @lmoses

Gene Maddaus / Variety:

DGA members vote to ratify their new contract, with 87% voting in favor after a 41% turnout; the contract includes a 76% increase in foreign streaming residuals — Members of the Directors Guild of America have voted to ratify their new contract, bringing the industry one step closer to achieving labor peace.

Wall Street Journal:

A look at Harry and Meghan's Hollywood flop in streaming's era of slower growth; sources: Netflix is unlikely to renew their $100M deal, which runs through 2025 — They arrived three years ago with royal star power amid a streaming boom, but have notched more cancellations and rejections than produced shows

Discussion: @baronessbruck, @mirandadevine, @leebee4life, Their Royal Highnesses, @joshkraushaar, SheKnows and New York Post

Lisa O'Carroll / The Guardian:

The EFJ and media experts condemn the latest European Media Freedom Act draft that would let national security agencies place spyware on journalists' phones — Move to allow spyware to be placed on reporters' phones would have a ‘chilling effect’, say media experts

Discussion: @peterodwyer1, @rektor_linnea, @lindseysnell and @annanemtsova, more at Techmeme »

Voice of America:

Georgia's president pardons the country's only jailed journalist, Nika Gvaramia, who was convicted in May 2022 for abuse of power as a broadcaster's director — Greeted by cheering crowds and surrounded by journalists, including from his own station, one of Georgia's most prominent journalists walked …

Discussion: Radio Free Europe/Radio …, International Press Institute, Amnesty International, @jodieginsberg, Committee to Protect …, Politico and UPI

Miles Kruppa / Wall Street Journal:

Internal email: Google invited employees to test Playables, a YouTube product that lets users play games like Stack Bounce instantly on the YouTube site or app — The new service, called ‘Playables,’ is part of CEO's push into new areas amid advertising slowdown

Discussion: @wsj and Engadget, more at Techmeme »

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Matthew Keys / The Desk:
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NYC-based Captions, an AI-powered video editing app, raised a $25M Series B led by Kleiner Perkins at a $250M valuation, bringing its total funding to $40M

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Sony hikes PlayStation 5 prices in Europe, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, citing a “challenging economic environment”; the PS5 Pro remains the same price

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple is working on a lighter and cheaper Vision Pro and a Mac-tethered model with ultra-low latency; an overhaul will make iPadOS 19 more like macOS

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