Mediagazer: Sources: Meta is exploring whether to show ads in WhatsApp and charge a subscription fee to use the app without ads; WhatsApp denies working on such a feature (Financial Times)

8:25 AM ET, September 15, 2023

Top News:

Sources: Disney held talks exploring selling its ABC network and TV stations to Nexstar Media Group, which has 200 owned or partner TV stations in 116 markets — Walt Disney Co. has held exploratory talks about selling its ABC network and TV stations to local broadcaster Nexstar Media Group Inc. …

Christopher Palmeri / Bloomberg:

Source: Byron Allen submits a preliminary $10B offer to Disney to acquire its ABC TV network, local stations, and the FX and National Geographic cable channels — - Disney said it hasn't made any decisions on sale of properties — Media mogul has made unsuccessful offers for other assets

Discussion: CNN, The Messenger, Cord Cutters News, The Verge, Next TV and Reuters

Oliver Darcy / CNN:

Sources including ABC News staffers describe a feeling of dread and trepidation inside ABC; employees say they heard news of a possible sale from the press — Editor's Note: A version of this article first appeared in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter. Sign up for the daily digest chronicling the evolving media landscape here.

Discussion: Columbia Journalism Review

Emma Roth / The Verge:

TikTok and Billboard launch the TikTok Billboard Top 50 Chart to track the most popular songs on the app each week in the US, refreshed every Thursday morning — TikTok is partnering with Billboard to launch a top 50 chart that tracks the most popular songs on the platform.

Discussion: Billboard, TikTok, Music Ally, CNET, MediaPost, The Messenger, Billboard, Forbes, TMZ.com, TechCrunch and Variety

Haroon Siddique / The Guardian:

MailOnline to pay BBC presenter Gabby Logan and her husband “substantial damages” over false claims; ex-Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie will pay damages for a tweet — Payout relates to article that wrongly claimed pair had received £500,000 to promote tax avoidance schemes

Financial Times:

Sources: Meta is exploring whether to show ads in WhatsApp and charge a subscription fee to use the app without ads; WhatsApp denies working on such a feature — Talks are at an early stage, sources say, as Facebook parent looks for new ways to increase revenue

Discussion: @edzitron, @wcathcart and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »

Alyssa Boyle / AdExchanger:

Q&A with Rob Emrich, executive chairman of ad tech platform Infillion, on his plans for ad tech company MediaMath, which Infillion bought out of bankruptcy — Infillion is finally unveiling its intentions for MediaMath after buying the company out of bankruptcy during an auction last month.

Discussion: @kerrymflynn, Digiday, Insider and Axios

Joe Otterson / Variety:

Study: US major streamers canceled TV series at a combined average rate of 12.2% from 2020 to 2023; Max had the highest rate at 26.9%, Apple TV+, the lowest — WBD's Max wielded the heaviest ax from 2020 to 2023 while Apple TV+ was most merciful — The Streaming Era began with a promise …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal

Josef Adalian / Vulture:

Hulu launches Top 15 Today, updated daily to list trending movies and TV shows; source: the list uses a formula weighing viewership, popularity surges, and more — Hulu is finally getting into the numbers game — but on its own terms. Vulture has learned that the Disney-owned streamer …

Discussion: Variety, The Verge, Decider, 9to5Google, The Streamable, The Walt Disney Company and Cord Cutters News

Jeremy Fuster / The Wrap:

The WGA and studios agree to resume labor negotiations next week, in a meeting that would be their first since August 22 — Date for discussions has yet to be determined, AMPTP says — The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have agreed to resume negotiations next week.

Discussion: Variety, GLAAD, UPI, @lucas_shaw, @slack2thefuture, Los Angeles Times, Bleeding Cool News, TVLine, IndieWire, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter

Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:

Pixis, which sells AI tools that help marketers run and monitor campaigns, raised an $85M Series C1 led by Touring Capital, taking its total funding to $209M — Pixis, an AI-powered platform for brands to monitor and orchestrate their marketing campaigns, today announced that it raised $85 million …

Bloomberg:

Sources: Disney expects to fall far short of its Disney+ subscriber target for 2024, set in mid-2022; its Charter deal will add millions, at a reduced price — Walt Disney Co. expects to fall tens of millions of subscribers short of its last publicly stated 2024 target for the Disney+ streaming service …

Discussion: The Wrap and New York Times

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More News:

Axios:
Source: audience and ad measurement company VideoAmp laid off ~10% of its workforce last week, or 40+ people, just before announcing raising a $150M Series G

Discussion: VideoAmp, @sarafischer and Ad Age

Janko Roettgers / Lowpass:
Amazon adds IAP back to Prime Video for Android, letting users buy VOD rentals and more, after removing IAP from its apps in 2022 to avoid Google's 30% fee

Discussion: 9to5Google, more at Techmeme »

Matthew Keys / StreamTV Insider:
US House hearing: lawmakers expressed frustration over rising pay TV prices and blackouts, and four industry experts called cable and broadcast rules outdated

Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
X CEO Linda Yaccarino hires media executives to lead sales teams, including former TNT and TBS GM Brett Weitz as X's head of content, talent, and brand sales

Discussion: MediaPost, The Messenger, Variety, The Wrap, Deadline and The Information

Carolyn Giardina / The Hollywood Reporter:
Generative AI startup Metaphysic claims its new system can help actors navigate AI likeness rights, and says its early users include Tom Hanks and Anne Hathaway

Discussion: National Review

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Automattic releases ActivityPub 1.0.0 for WordPress, letting fediverse users follow WordPress blogs on apps like Mastodon and receive replies as blog comments

Discussion: @chikorita157@sakurajima.moe and @chrismessina@mastodon.xyz, more at Techmeme »

Bloomberg:
DAZN plans to bid for Ligue de Football Professionnel media rights for which the local league is seeking €800M+ per year; source: beIN is also considering a bid

Earlier Picks:

Victor Tangermann / Futurism:
Microsoft's Start news website published a garbled, seemingly AI-generated obit for former NBA player Brandon Hunter, headlined, “Brandon Hunter useless at 42”

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Newsquest reports 2022 revenue up 6% to £150.6M, passing 65K paying digital subscribers, and that almost 50% of its advertising revenue now comes from digital

Discussion: HoldtheFrontPage

Virginia Chamlee / People:
Fox News adds Lawrence Jones as a permanent co-host of Fox & Friends, starting on September 18; at 30, Jones will be the youngest Black co-host on cable news

Discussion: TVLine, @blackamazon, @lawrencebjones3, Adweek, Mediaite, Los Angeles Times, Fox News, The Wrap, TV Insider, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, The Hill and The Messenger

Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
Hipgnosis plans to sell 29 music catalogues, including Shakira, Kaiser Chiefs, and Nelly songs, to a Blackstone-owned fund for $465M, to strengthen its finances

Discussion: Music Ally, CMU, Music Business Worldwide, Billboard and Reuters

Joe Flint / Wall Street Journal:
Nielsen names Karthik Rao, a 23-year veteran of the company, as its CEO, succeeding David Kenny, who was CEO for five years and will become executive chairman

Discussion: AdExchanger, Ad Age, @nielsen, @bristei, Insider Intelligence, RAIN News, Radio & Television …, Inside Radio, Axios, Adweek, Nielsen, Variety, WORLD SCREEN and MediaPost

Matt Pearce / Los Angeles Times:
Bill Maher says his show will return sans writers, as some talk shows resume production amid strikes; HBO says Real Time With Bill Maher returns on September 22

Discussion: @billmaher, Montgomery Independent, @parkermolloy, @parkermolloy, CNN, ET Canada, @nickknudsenus, @davidkusnet, @fmanjoo, @michaelsocolow, @bradleywhitford, The Wrap, @wgawest, Fox News, TMZ.com, The Hollywood Reporter, Awful Announcing, Breitbart, @wgawest, New York Times, Screen Rant, @elonmusk, @stephenking, Vanity Fair, @joshgnosis, @gennefer, @wgawest, NPR, TV Insider, @dannyzuker, @thor_benson, @drewzachary, @thor_benson, @ironstache, @cmclymer, @guyendorekaiser, @robynelyse, @andrewperezdc, @clairewillett, @harrymwood, @ashtonpittman, @annamerlan, @lehmannchris, @geoffreyplitt, Boing Boing, New York Post, Decider, Bleeding Cool News, UPROXX, @aletheion.bsky.social, The Messenger, Deadline, Rolling Stone, The A.V. Club, Variety, CBS News, Deadline, The Daily Beast, @EarthIsOurHome@mastodon.world, @nedhamson@campaign …, The Hill, @tylerjameshill.bsky.social, TVLine, @fazz.bsky.social, @fazz.bsky.social, @fazz.bsky.social, Consequence, The Hollywood Reporter, @fazz.bsky.social, @fazz.bsky.social, The A.V. Club and Rolling Stone

From Techmeme:

Bloomberg:
The Trump administration exempts smartphones, laptops, hard drives, processors, memory chips, and machines used to make semiconductors from reciprocal tariffs

Martine Paris / Forbes:
Sam Altman says ChatGPT users had doubled in the past few weeks and that “10% of the world uses our systems”, which would peg the number closer to 800M users

Kate Pickert / Bloomberg:
AI could transform medicine by helping doctors and medical students improve their empathy and bedside manner before they interact with real patients

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