Mediagazer: Roku plans to lay off 300+, or 10% of its staff, close offices, and take an up to $65M impairment charge in Q3 2023 for cutting some content; ROKU jumps 5%+ (Todd Spangler/Variety)

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Alex Sherman / CNBC:

Interviews with 25+ people who worked with Bob Iger and Bob Chapek between 2020 and 2022 detail how Disney's succession plan went awry and led to Iger's return — - What did a private bathroom, Oogie Boogie and a hippo have to do with the behind-the-scenes chaos between Bob Iger and Bob Chapek at Disney?

Discussion: Awful Announcing, @jbflint, @sherman4949, @mattrosoff, @sherman4949, KNSD-TV, @murraymatt and @sherman4949

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Roku plans to lay off 300+, or 10% of its staff, close offices, and take an up to $65M impairment charge in Q3 2023 for cutting some content; ROKU jumps 5%+ — Roku will cut more than 300 staffers — laying off 10% of its workforce — as the streaming-platform company continues its battle to control costs.

Discussion: The Verge, TechCrunch, MediaPost, WORLD SCREEN, Bloomberg, Deadline, Media Play News, Hollywood Reporter and Cord Cutters News, more at Techmeme »

Thomas Claburn / The Register:

Google has been rolling out Chrome's “Enhanced Ad Privacy” via a popup, part of its Topics API; some say the “Got It” button is misleading as tracking is active — YMMV, based on where you are — Google has been gradually rolling out Chrome's “Enhanced Ad Privacy.”

Discussion: The Verge, @nixCraft@mastodon.social and The Messenger, more at Techmeme »

Georg Szalai / The Hollywood Reporter:

Wall Street analysts say the Disney-Charter dispute could be a tipping point for cable TV and adds uncertainty to the industry even if it's resolved quickly — Wall Street analysts debate whether the standoff between the studio and the cable giant is “the end of the end,” …

Discussion: The Wrap, The Walt Disney Company, Deadline, @philmeyer, WVXU, Reuters, Stratechery, MediaPost, Axios, Sports Business Journal, Fox News, CBS News and Variety

Jennifer Maas / Variety:

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts says Comcast and Disney moved up Hulu sale talks to September 30 from the January 2024 deadline, and Hulu could be worth $30B — Comcast and Disney last week signed a modification agreement to bring forward the timing of their formal Hulu sale talks to Sept. 30 …

Discussion: The Wrap, Deadline, The Information and Hollywood Reporter

Jeff Jarvis / Whither news?:

Jeff Jarvis says he plans to leave CUNY's Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the end of this term and will “technically” retire — I have news: I am leaving CUNY's Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the end of this term. Technically I'm retiring, though if you know me you know I will never retire.

Discussion: @jeffjarvis, @brizzyc, @decodingfoxnews, @craignewmark, @ckrewson, @jsamditis, @brizzyc and @dave@social.masto.land

Wayne Friedman / MediaPost:

Fox says its free ad-supported streaming TV service Tubi now has 74M MAUs, up from 64M in February 2023; Nielsen: Tubi has a 1.4% share of total TV viewing time — Fox Corp's free ad-supported streaming platform Tubi TV has grown sharply over the last six months — up 16% to more than 74 million monthly active users.

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter and Cord Cutters News

Jon Lafayette / Next TV:

Allen Media Group's Local Now streaming service adds Washington Post Television, which offers breaking news, interviews, and in-depth reporting, to its lineup — Newspaper started channel in May — Allen Media Group said its Local Now digital platform had added Washington Post Television to its channel lineup.

Discussion: The Desk, TVNewsCheck and Washington Post

Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:

Disney plans to run a Disney+ deal until September 20 offering its ad tier for $1.99/month for three months, down from $7.99, for new and existing subscribers — Disney will offer Disney+ for $1.99 per month as it prepares to debut ‘Elemental’ on Sept. 13 and the live-action ‘Little Mermaid’ on its streaming service.

Discussion: The Streamable, TVLine, CNET, IGN, Deadline, The Verge, Engadget, Variety and Cord Cutters News

Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:

X rolls out Community Notes for videos and says the tool offers a “highly-scalable way of adding context to edited clips, AI-generated videos, and more” — Social network X, formerly known as Twitter, has introduced Community Notes for videos. Community Notes is an existing program for crowdsourced moderation.

Discussion: Gizmodo and @senoj.bsky.social, more at Techmeme »

Anna Nicolaou / Financial Times:

UMG and Deezer sign a deal to give songs from professional artists, who generate 1,000+ listens a month, double the weight when calculating streaming royalties — Agreement with Deezer aims to boost royalties for artists and labels and reduce payouts for ‘noise’

Discussion: Variety, Music Business Worldwide, Billboard, Bloomberg, Music Ally, Music Industry Blog, @postindustria12 and Deezer Press, more at Techmeme »

Max Goldbart / Deadline:

BBC Director of Sport Barbara Slater plans to retire later in 2023 after four decades with the corporation and 14 years of running its sport's coverage — - French Studio Magical Society Launches UK Arm Helmed By ‘Saving Mr Banks’ Producer Paul Trijbits — As Success-Based Residuals …