Top News:

Google plans to test search and shopping ads in its AI Overviews, drawing from advertisers' existing campaigns; AI Overviews rolled out to US users last week — Google is set to start mixing ads into its new AI-generated search answers. It's a test of how the company's biggest revenue stream can adapt to the age of generative AI.
Discussion:
The Verge, The Keyword, Search Engine Land, Adweek, The US Sun and The Guardian, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:

Google is rolling out a new AI-powered ad format that shows shoppers how items of clothing would look on different skin tones and body types — A new breed of online ad allows brands to pay Google to offer shoppers AI-generated images that show how items of clothing would look on different skin tones and body types.
Discussion:
Adweek, The Drum, Search Engine Land, Adweek and MarTech, more at Techmeme »

Israeli officials reverse course and order the return of seized camera equipment to AP, after earlier seizing cameras and blocking AP's live feed from Gaza — Israel's communications minister ordered the government to return seized camera equipment to The Associated Press after blocking its live video of Gaza earlier Tuesday.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Fox News, The Times of Israel, AP Definitive Source, Freedom of the Press …, Reuters, Associated Press, ABC News, Reason, Axios, @barakravid, @barakravid, Breitbart, Politico, Semafor, Committee to Protect …, Voice of America, Deadline, @tbridis, Axios, @onthemedia, @erikwemple, @megankstack, @margbrennan, @barakravid, Newser, @brianstelter, @jongambrellap, CNN, @andreas_krieg, @mehdirhasan, @frances_coppola, @ap_corpcomm, @barakravid, New York Times, Reclaim The Net, The Daily Beast, @bgrueskin, @fpaispal, @rhijazi, @austinahlman, Mediaite, @noa_landau, @jangelooff, @mairavz, The Guardian, Mediaite, @barakravid, The Wrap and عول …

Comcast says StreamSaver, a bundle of Peacock, Netflix, and Apple TV+, will be available starting next week to Comcast TV or broadband customers at $15/month — Comcast, as its legacy cable TV business continues to shrink, has built a new cable-style bundle for the streaming era.
Discussion:
Xfinity, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, StreamTV Insider, Next TV, Reuters, Axios, 9to5Mac, @loudmouthjulia, Jason Weitzel on LinkedIn, Advanced Television, UPROXX, Adweek, Media Play News, The Wrap, The Streamable, IndieWire, The Hill, @tvgrimreaper, The Verge, Cord Cutters News, WORLD SCREEN and Bloomberg

Russian state-run channel Rossiya24 is broadcasting days-old episodes of Tucker Carlson's show with a Russian voiceover — THEY'LL NEVER LET GO — Hilariously, the supposedly new program called “Tucker” is just days-old episodes of his show with a Russian voiceover.
Discussion:
Newsweek, Mediaite, New York Daily News, @neilpateltdc, @billkristol, @brianstelter and Boing Boing

Sources: Google is warning nonprofit newsrooms that passage of a new California ad tax bill would threaten to pause Google News Initiative funding in US — - That statement was made in response to a bill, introduced by California Assembly member Buffy Wicks last year, that would essentially …

Sources: Apple files a lawsuit at the EU's General Court to challenge a March 2024 decision to impose a €1.8B fine for thwarting competition in music streaming — - Company files suit at EU's General Court to topple penalty — Fine was sparked by long-running dispute with top music rival
Discussion:
Benzinga, MacRumors, AppleInsider, The Verge and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »

Ziff Davis' IGN acquires the UK-based Gamer Network, which includes digital brands GamesIndustry.biz and Eurogamer, and lays off some staff — New owner makes redundancies across the Gamer Network portfolio — News by Christopher Dring Head of Games B2B

London's High Court rejects Prince Harry's bid to include claims against Rupert Murdoch and Piers Morgan in his phone hacking suit against News Group Newspapers — Harry - along with more than 40 other plaintiffs - is suing Murdoch's U.K. newspaper business News Group Newspapers over claims …
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Financial Times, New York Times, @royalreporter, Daily Express, Reuters, The Guardian, Agence France-Presse, Press Gazette, @justrowena, BBC, Sky News, GB News, The Independent, Mediaite, @royalreporter, The Hollywood Reporter, Telegraph, GB News, Rolling Stone and Deadline

Scarlett Johansson says she declined OpenAI's ChatGPT voice offer and was “shocked, angered” that Sam Altman would pursue Sky, a voice “eerily similar” to hers — The “Her” actor released a statement following OpenAI pulling its “Sky” voice from ChatGPT, which many people said sounded like her.
Discussion:
@openai, NPR, CNET, The Wrap, SlashFilm, BGR, The Verge, Business Insider, Digital Music News, Metro.co.uk, Global News, GB News, Nishith Chennakeshava on LinkedIn, Kathy Caprino on LinkedIn, The Hill, @ashleymayer, UPROXX, HuffPost, @SteveCooke@zirk.us, CMU, @mer__edith, Florian Niggemeier on LinkedIn, Vanity Fair, RTÉ, SheKnows, Associated Press, Bill Bernard on LinkedIn, @drkatedevlin, @alabut@techhub.social, @shockproofbeats, Forbes, Shelly Palmer, @gartenberg, @chrisgeidner, @garymarcus, @fordm, @eriqgardner, @kantrowitz, @alexrkonrad, @pkafka, @bcmerchant, @tomaxwell, @shiringhaffary, @carnage4life, @kattenbarge, @maccaw, @katienotopoulos, @lexnfx, @conorsen, @benjysarlin, @elonmusk, @minimaxir, @markgurman, @minimaxir, @loudmouthjulia, @cwarzel, @willoremus, @kyliebytes, Us Weekly, The Register, New York Times, Fox News, Zeynep Arsel on LinkedIn, Reuters, Liza Adams on LinkedIn, Benzinga, Page Six, David Deal on LinkedIn, @DAIR@dair-community.social, Fast Company, The A.V. Club, Platformer, New York Post, The Information, VentureBeat, Paul Roetzer on LinkedIn, Erika Hall on LinkedIn, @crumbler@threads.net, @jbillinson@threads.net, @crumbler@threads.net, @eshumarneedi@threads.net, @wongmjane@threads.net, @motorcityadam@threads.net, @kevinroose@threads.net, @bzamayo@threads.net, @sung.kim.mw@threads.net, @trevorcroker@threads.net, @crumbler@threads.net, @mikehos3@threads.net, @makenakellyx@threads.net, @loveallthis@threads.net, Rolling Stone, New York Daily News, Boing Boing, Wired, E! Online, TechCrunch, @keith@cute.is, @MikeElgan@mastodon.social, Bloomberg, @dangillmor@mastodon.social, @kagan@wandering.shop, TMZ.com, IndieWire, Variety, BGR, The Wrap, The Verge, CBS News, The Hollywood Reporter, The Guardian, RTÉ, Los Angeles Times, New York Post, Forbes, TechCrunch, TVLine, Deadline and CNN, more at Techmeme »

Generative AI music startup Suno raised $125M from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross, Matrix, Founder Collective, and others — Suno, a trailblazing music AI startup, announced today that it has raised a staggering $125 million in its latest funding round …
Discussion:
Suno, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Music Business Worldwide and The Information, more at Techmeme »

A group of lawmakers push a US Senate bill that would require USPS to hit performance targets before imposing surcharges on the delivery of newspapers — - Newspapers previously relied on gig economy workers to distribute newspapers via their own vehicles early in the morning.
Discussion:
Senator Welch, 118th US Congress, @newsalliance, U.S. Senate and News/Media Alliance