Top News:
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Meta launches AI chatbots based on over a dozen influencers, including Snoop Dogg, MrBeast, and Charli D'Amelio, on Instagram and Facebook, and will add more — Meta has turned more than a dozen celebrities and influencers into robots. — The tech company, at the Meta Connect 2023 confab Wednesday …
Discussion:
Meta, The Verge, The Verge, BetaNews, The Information, New York Post, Rolling Stone, Mashable, @ct_bergstrom@fediscience.org, BGR, TechCrunch and The Messenger, more at Techmeme »
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Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch:
At the Code Conference, Linda Yaccarino said 90% of the top 100 advertisers returned to X in the past 12 weeks and the platform will be profitable in early 2024 — According to X CEO Linda Yaccarino, the company formerly known as Twitter will be profitable by early 2024.
Discussion:
The Information, The Wrap, Insider, Axios, @danprimack, @jason, @thebenbergman, @thebenbergman, @thebenbergman, @brooke, @brooke, The Hollywood Reporter, The Hill and New York Daily News
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Hannah Murphy / Financial Times:
Linda Yaccarino reflects on her first 100 days as X's CEO, says the intense public scrutiny is “hard on me”, as sources describe her relationship with Elon Musk — Can the chief of the company formerly known as Twitter survive Musk's chaos and win back advertisers?
Discussion:
Jerusalem Post, UPI, MobileSyrup, Insider, @rmac18, Reclaim The Net, @kateconger, The Messenger, TechCrunch, @chris_skinner, @mattvella, @janinegibson, @ft and @cordeliaj, more at Techmeme »
Jim Waterson / The Guardian:
GB News suspends presenter Laurence Fox after he went on a misogynistic on-air rant about the political journalist Ava Evans; Fox refused to apologize — Broadcaster says it will apologise to Ava Evans about comments Fox made about her on Dan Wootton's show on Tuesday
Discussion:
Reclaim The Net, @danwootton, @avasantina, BBC, @olidugmore, @schillingc, @ofcom, @stokel, @dannythefink, @garylineker, @danwootton, The Independent, @avasantina, @carolvorders, @sophierunning, @miffythegamer, @aljwhite, The Guardian, @zsk, @caoilfhionnanna, @owenjones84, @arusbridger, @hannahrosewoods, @jamesrbuk, @beardedgenius, @lozzafox, @guyclapperton, @avasantina, @politicsjoe_uk, @tomhfh, @dannythefink, @kevinjrawlinson, The Guardian, Mediaite, The London Economic, Deadline, @Anitambyrne@mastodon.ie, Times and Star, LADbible, Daily Express, The London Economic, The London Economic and The Daily Beast
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Mark Kleinman / Sky News:
Source: National World lines up advisers for a £600M takeover bid for The Daily Telegraph, joining multiple other interested parties, including Lord Rothermere — David Montgomery's National World is lining up Cavendish Capital Markets and Peel Hunt to muster the firepower for a £600m takeover bid, Sky News learns.
Discussion:
HoldtheFrontPage and Press Gazette
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Hollywood Reporter:
A play-by-play of the final negotiations between the WGA and the studios, represented by Bob Iger, David Zaslav, Ted Sarandos, and NBCUniversal's Donna Langley — From the Chris Keyser-CEO calls that brought them back to the table to the ask that almost derailed the deal, a play-by-play of the final negotiations.
Discussion:
@rking618, @dmaguz, @thatrebecca, @jbflint, @maghielse, @corbinbolies and @timothydowling
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Jennifer Maas / Variety:
WGA leaders lift the strike order as of 12:01am PT on September 27, release the tentative AMPTP deal, and let writers return to work before final ratification
WGA leaders lift the strike order as of 12:01am PT on September 27, release the tentative AMPTP deal, and let writers return to work before final ratification
Discussion:
WGA Contract 2023, @adamconover, The Register, WGA Contract 2023, Forbes, Defector, UPROXX, Decider, @jesserodriguez, Bloomberg, @whipsical, Rolling Stone, WORLD SCREEN, @baldur@toot.cafe, @lpcprof, @scobie, ComingSoon.net, Engadget, Sputnik News, Advanced Television, @raymondpert@mstdn.social, @ianrosewrites@scicomm.xyz, New York Daily News, The Guardian, The Daily Beast, The Hill, @millsjenjen@aus.social, The A.V. Club, CBS News, @antimnguyen@mastodon …, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, @deweyritten@infosec.exchange, Us Weekly, @danhon@dan.mastohon.com, The Verge, @tananarivedue.bsky.social, @mikedrucker.bsky.social, @the2scoops.bsky.social, Deadline, The Wrap, @emilystjams.bsky.social, @phillewis.bsky.social, IndieWire, KNSD-TV, The Hollywood Reporter, ET Canada, making this up as I go, Publishing Perspectives and Press Telegram
Alex Cranz / The Verge:
The WGA contract calls for streaming data transparency, requiring studios to provide “the total number of hours streamed” of self-produced high budget programs
The WGA contract calls for streaming data transparency, requiring studios to provide “the total number of hours streamed” of self-produced high budget programs
Discussion:
The Information, IGN, @heerjeet, @howardrodman, Los Angeles Times, Gizmodo, The Messenger, The Hollywood Reporter, Collider, Music Ally, @thewrap, Mashable, Screen Rant, @waxy@xoxo.zone, Vanity Fair, The Wrap, TVLine, Reuters, New York Daily News and Wall Street Journal, more at Techmeme »
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
A profile of Kasie Hunt as she launches State of the Race, a weekday show about US politics for CNN's international service, after moving from NBC News in 2021 — Two years later, she's just starting to find out whether she might sink or swim. — On Wednesday, Hunt will launch …
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Ted Johnson / Deadline:
Warner Bros. Discovery launches CNN Max in an open beta in the US, offering a 24/7 live news streaming feed and 900 hours of CNN Originals to Max subscribers
Warner Bros. Discovery launches CNN Max in an open beta in the US, offering a 24/7 live news streaming feed and 900 hours of CNN Originals to Max subscribers
Discussion:
@dcnorg, @tomaxwell, Variety, The Streamable, CNN, @2xaught7.bsky.social, @cnnpr and Media Play News, more at Techmeme »
Shauneen Miranda / Axios:
Late-night TV talk shows return: Bill Maher on Sept. 29; John Oliver on Oct. 1, and Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and Jimmy Kimmel on Oct. 2 — Late-night shows are set to make their post-Hollywood writers strike return, but will they have any jokes about it?
Discussion:
CBS News, Vanity Fair, TVLine, New York Post, The A.V. Club, Billboard, The Wrap, Deadline and Los Angeles Times
Martin Pengelly / The Guardian:
In his new book, Marty Baron says Jared Kushner pressured the Washington Post publisher to fire Baron as editor over the outlet's Russia investigation coverage — Marty Baron says Trump's son-in-law leaned on Post publisher to withdraw support of Russia election interference investigation
Discussion:
Puck, New Republic, @froomkin, @DemocracyMattersALot …, @stevesilberman@newsie.social and @kbeninato@mstdn.party
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Deadline:
SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP say they plan to resume negotiations for a new TV/theatrical contract on October 2 — UPDATE: As Deadline first told you yesterday, SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP are meeting next week. The actors guild just released a statement that both sides are coming back to the table on Monday, Oct. 2.
Discussion:
TVLine, Screen Rant, CNN, The Wrap, IndieWire, @sagaftra, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, @tvmojoe, @jbflint, Los Angeles Times, Semafor, Decrypt, New York Daily News, Vibe, The Nerds of Color, The A.V. Club, World of Reel, The Hill, Fast Company, The Verge and MediaPost
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Warner Music CEO Robert Kyncl: AI will greatly impact the music industry in the next year and YouTube Content ID can be a blueprint for protecting rightsholders — Warner Music CEO Robert Kyncl believes AI will be significantly impacting the music industry within the next year.
Discussion:
Billboard, Gizmodo and Music Ally
Matt Tamanini / The Streamable:
Disney tells its Canadian Disney+ subscribers the company updated the service's subscriber agreement to limit usage to a single household, effective November 1 — The streamer is updating its subscriber agreement in Canada to limit usage to a single household.
Discussion:
Variety, Engadget, CNET, MobileSyrup, The Verge, BGR and IGN, more at Techmeme »
Emma Garland / Huck:
A look at The Paper, an independent magazine about the “confusing, hopeless but hilarious” state of life in Wales, funded via a Michael Sheen-backed Kickstarter — Founded by three friends from South Wales and funded by a Kickstarter backed by Michael Sheen …
Discussion:
@emmaggarland and @emmaggarland
Max Tani / Semafor:
Sources: Fox News is charging ~$200K for a 30-second ad during the second GOP primary debate, down from ~$495K for the first, as the primary becomes a “snoozer” — The Scoop — Advertisers paid a premium for airtime during the first Republican presidential debate on Fox News …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, The Messenger, Vanity Fair, @semaforben, @imyourmoderator and @maxwelltani
Sara Atske / Pew Research Center:
US survey of 4,742 Black adults: 63% say news about Black people is more negative than news about other races and 43% say the coverage stereotypes Black people — Black Americans are critical of news coverage of Black people and say educating journalists would make coverage fairer
Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
Memo: New York Public Radio President and CEO LaFontaine Oliver plans to cut NYPR staff by ~12% due to a “free fall in the advertising market” — The chief executive of New York Public Radio, which operates WNYC and the classical music station WQXR, said the organization was facing a “free-fall” in advertising.
Discussion:
Inside Radio, RADIO ONLINE, Current and @benmullin