Top News:


Axel Springer launches a review of the editorial processes at BI, after a BI story claimed many instances of plagiarism by MIT's Neri Oxman, Bill Ackman's wife — The Scoop — Business Insider's parent company is divided over the publication's recent article about plagiarism allegations …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Why Evolution Is True, @billackman, @benmullin, @mjnblack, CNN, @karaswisher@threads.net, @niallstanage, @alex.stamos@threads.net, @hshaban, @karaswisher@threads.net, @lorakolodny@threads.net, @billackman, The Wrap, @esqueer_@threads.net, @jamesrbuk, @chancerydaily@threads.net, Talking Biz News, @lpolgreen@threads.net, @karaswisher@threads.net, @alexheath@threads.net, @benmullin, @maxwelltani, The Daily Beast, Business Insider, Boing Boing, New York Times, Vanity Fair and Bloomberg


UK broadcaster Channel 4 plans to cut as many as 200 roles, its biggest round of layoffs in over 15 years, amid a TV ad slump; Channel 4 employs 1,200+ staff — Exclusive: As many as 200 roles could go as firm seeks to accelerate digital streaming strategy and limit cuts to content budget
Discussion:
City A.M., Hollywood Reporter, Broadband TV News and Advanced Television
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Netflix, Max, and Hulu won a combined 12 awards at the 81st Golden Globes; HBO's final Succession season won four awards and Netflix's Beef won three awards — Netflix, Max and Hulu led all streamers with 12 combined key category trophies at the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards held Jan. 7 in Los Angeles.
Discussion:
Deadline, AppleInsider, Engadget, People, Deadline, NBC News, @appleinsider, Awardsdaily, The Hollywood Reporter, Next TV and The Streamable
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A look at the ambitious bid to turn around the Golden Globes, as a source say CBS is paying a significantly lower licensing fee than the ~$60M NBC used to pay
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, Vogue, Vox, TVNewsCheck, New York Times, Vanity Fair, Slate, CBS News, Variety, TMZ.com, Billboard, abc7NY, Associated Press, @albertfong98, KTFT and Awardsdaily


How US News & World Report licenses “badges” that US colleges use to promote their rankings, as critics say the payments incentivize a harmful ranking system — U.S. News sells “badges” to colleges, so they can promote their rankings — whether they are 1st, 10th or much, much lower.
Discussion:
Jonathan Henry on LinkedIn, @halsinger and @jselingo


Radio network Audacy reaches a deal with a supermajority of its debt holders that allows Audacy to reduce its total debt load by 80% to ~$350M — - Deal announced Sunday will reduce total debt load by 80% — Radio, podcast company also files for Chapter 11 protection


Sources: SoundCloud owners Raine Group and Temasek Holdings are preparing for a sale of the music streaming service that could fetch $1B+ — Backed by Raine Group and Temasek Holdings, SoundCloud is to be put up for sale later this year as its owners anticipate a substantial payday, Sky News learns.
Discussion:
Music Ally and CMU


Sources: Will and Jada Smith's Westbrook struggled to land deals after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock and its 2023 revenue dropped to $100M, forcing steep cuts — The Scoop — The fall of 2021 was the perfect time for Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith to sell their media company, Westbrook.
Discussion:
Poynter


MBC Group, the Middle East's biggest broadcaster, rises 20% on its first day of trading on the Saudi exchange, after raising $222M by selling a 10% stake — - MBC has raised $222 million selling a 10% stake in IPO — Company was founded by Waleed Al Ibrahim in London in 1991
Discussion:
Reuters


What's On Netflix data: Netflix released about 130, or 16%, fewer original films and TV shows in 2023 than in 2022, after a decade of scaling up its production — After years of spending more on new shows, the company is finally shrinking how much new it has to offer.


New York Post's Page Six launches a new studio in New York City to shoot its expanding array of celebrity-driven content, with media personality Astra as anchor — The tabloid's fabled gossip column has hired media personality Astra as anchor for the New York City facility in the headquarters of News Corp.


Mehdi Hasan says he is leaving MSNBC “to look for a new challenge”, after MSNBC cancelled his show in November 2023 — Hasan said Sunday that he decided to leave the cable channel to pursue other ventures. … The cable news host said at the end of his show Sunday …
Discussion:
@mehdirhasan, The Hill, TVLine, Mediaite, @jonahblank, @johncusack, The Daily Beast, @wajahatali, @teflondub, The Gateway Pundit, BNN Breaking, @MikeImBack@disabled.social, @_waleedshahid, Variety, @sahyder1, @luckytran, New York Post, @robprovince, @sabbysabs2, HuffPost, @victorshi2020, @mattrjbrodsky, Daily Mail, @mehdihasanshow, The Daily Wire, @politicussarah, Deadline, @lamarmf, @moawady, @therightswriter, @deggans, @benjamingoggin, @socialistmma, @mrddmia, @mehdirhasan, @faisalkutty, @realnikohouse, @kylegriffin1, Fox News, @rafaelshimunov, @claresambrook, @dylanotes, The Daily Caller, @luckytran, @abegreenwald and r/TheMajorityReport


Music industry insiders reflect on the waning influence of popular, human-curated Spotify playlists, as the company shifts towards AI-driven personalization — The streaming giant's shift to automation is impacting the supremacy of curated music selections — Welcome back to Soundbite, and happy New Year!


A profile of Charlamagne tha God, co-host of iHeartRadio's The Breakfast Club and a growing fixture in the US' conservative media for his criticism of Joe Biden — The influential radio host of “The Breakfast Club” is a thorn in the side of Democrats — but he's also representative of one of their biggest problems.
Discussion:
Semafor, The Hill, New York Post, Brakkton Booker on LinkedIn, The Intercept, New York Times, Breitbart, NPR, Rolling Stone and Bloomberg


In response to Pat McAfee's claims, ESPN says no one is more committed to ESPN's success than Norby Williamson and it will “handle this matter internally” — ESPN is responding to claims made by Pat McAfee that an executive from within the sports network is “trying to sabotage” his show.
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, New York Post, Awful Announcing and Sports Media Watch
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Pat McAfee, who signed a lucrative deal in 2023 for his YouTube show to air on ESPN, accuses top ESPN executive Norby Williamson of “sabotaging” his program
Discussion:
The Athletic, Barrett Media, The Daily Beast, @benjstrauss, CNBC, CNN, New York Post, @benjaminsolak, @darrenrovell, @benhoffmannyt, @leviremmick, @nacholeber, @dhookstead, @rgiii, @anthony_russo97, Sports Media Watch, Awful Announcing, @awfulannouncing, @claytravis, @adampatricknfl@threads.net, Deadline, The Comeback, Sportico, Mediaite, Fox News and The Hollywood Reporter