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X suspended several podcasters and journalists, including The Intercept's Ken Klippenstein and Texas Observer's Steven Monacelli, with little to no explanation — Elon Musk's “free speech” social media platform banned a number of accounts recently critical of Israel.
Discussion:
VICE, Mediaite, TechCrunch, New Republic, @kenklippenstein, The Daily Beast, @esqueer_@threads.net, @wolfiesmiffed.bsky.social, @tvscarlkinsella, @elizabethbrossa, @themaxburns, @thelincoln, @markamesexiled, @whstancil, @skippyosint, @marionumber4, @erininthemorn, @32mbit.bsky.social, @texasobserver.org, @stevanzetti.bsky.social, @esqueer_ and @brendelbored.bsky.social, more at Techmeme »


India's Zee Entertainment remains committed to its $10B Sony India merger, calling media reports of the deal falling through “baseless and factually incorrect” — India's Zee Entertainment (ZEE.NS) on Tuesday said it was committed to its merger with Sony's (6758.T) local arm …
Discussion:
Financial Times, Anto Antony on LinkedIn, Advanced Television and Bloomberg
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Sources: Zee misses a deadline to pay $200M to Disney's India unit for cricket TV rights, citing a cash crunch; Zee agreed to pay $1.4B+ in August 2022 — - Payment was part of a $1.4 billion cricket rights purchase — Network is saving cash ahead of likely collapse of its merger
Discussion:
Anto Antony on LinkedIn


Meta plans to start automatically restricting teen Instagram and Facebook accounts from harmful content, including posts about self-harm, in the coming weeks — Efforts to curb harmful material and reduce unwanted interactions with teen social-media accounts come as states sue parent company Meta
Discussion:
Meta, Reuters, CNN, TechCrunch, @andymstone, Ricardo Dalmaso Marques on LinkedIn, The Verge, The Hill, NPR and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »


On Wednesday, CNBC plans to launch a $99 paid course on job interviewing, its first, part of a new educational venture developed by its “Make It” franchise — CNBC on Wednesday will debut its first paid course as part of a new educational venture developed by the editorial team behind CNBC's …
Discussion:
Talking Biz News

In a memo to staff, Los Angeles Times Executive Editor Kevin Merida announces he is stepping down on January 12, two-and-a-half years after joining the newsroom — Los Angeles Times Executive Editor Kevin Merida announced Tuesday that he was stepping down — he Times as its newsroom leader …
Discussion:
@benmullin, The Wrap, New York Times, Deadline, @raineytime, The Hollywood Reporter, @maxwelltani and @megjameslat


Fox Corp. debuts Verify, a blockchain protocol developed with Polygon Labs for media companies to register content and grant usage rights to AI companies — Fox Corp., one of the largest media companies in the U.S., has publicly debuted a new blockchain platform called Verify …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Variety, TechCrunch, CoinDesk, TVNewsCheck and @bgrueskin


Survey of 314 news leaders from 56 countries: just 47% say they are confident about journalism's 2024 prospects; 63% worry about declining social media traffic — The disruptive power of artificial intelligence (AI) will sweep through the information space this year at a time of intense political …
Discussion:
BuzzMachine, @risj_oxford, Press Gazette, @nicnewman, @charliebeckett, HoldtheFrontPage and Fast Company


X announces exclusive original programming and content deals, including shows hosted by Don Lemon, former Fox Sports host Jim Rome, and Tulsi Gabbard — The tech company also announced a 10-show deal with Range Media Partners, and a deal with Tulsi Gabbard.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Bloomberg, TVLine, The Hill, @donlemon, The Wrap, The Verge, @fbihop.bsky.social, @keithedwards@threads.net, The Daily Caller, @misterjayem.bsky.social, @streetsajed.bsky.social, @jillian.bsky.social, Deadline, @jzembik.bsky.social, @kevinmkruse.bsky.social, @theoneleila.bsky.social, @outerbororoyal.bsky.social, @dell.bsky.social, @golikehellmachine.bsky.social, @insidejoke.bsky.social, @earnestpettie.com, @bartenderhemry.bsky.social, @daveanthony.bsky.social, @tressiemcphd.bsky.social, @apocalypticanow.bsky.social, @russbengtson.bsky.social, @xbusiness, @xbusiness, @jimrome and @tulsigabbard


Imax says its 2023 box office was $1.06B, near 2019's $1.1B record and up 24.4% YoY, with $393.2M in North America, its highest grossing year ever in the region — Christopher Nolan's ‘Oppenheimer’ and Taylor Swift's concert film helped drive the rebound in ticket sales coming out of the pandemic.
Discussion:
Variety, ScreenRant and IMAX Corporation
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Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour becomes the highest-grossing concert film of all time, earning $261.6M+ globally, surpassing Michael Jackson's This Is It from 2009
Discussion:
Rolling Stone UK, Forbes, Rolling Stone, Billboard, ScreenRant, Digital Music News and The Hollywood Reporter


How the internet reshaped itself around Google's search algorithms, including via SEO tricks, and the company's role in many websites now using similar designs — How the internet reshaped itself around Google's search algorithms — and into a world where websites look the same. — Animations by Richard Parry


iHeartMedia partners with supply-side platform Magnite to offer advertisers a single entry point for audio ads on its radio, streaming, and podcast platforms — It's something championed and pioneered on the TV side of the linear media business by NBCUniversal.
Discussion:
Inside Radio and Magnite


Netflix defeats a shareholder lawsuit claiming the company hid the impact of account sharing; NFLX fell ~50% from January to April 2022 after growth warnings — Netflix (NFLX.O) has defeated a lawsuit filed by shareholders in a federal court in California that accused the streaming entertainment company …
Discussion:
Broadband TV News and The Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »