Mediagazer: Sources: TikTok pauses plans to launch its e-commerce business in major European markets to focus on growth in the US where it's fighting the divest-or-ban law (Zheping Huang/Bloomberg)

Sources: Disney and Comcast's NBCUniversal hit an impasse in Disney's buyout plans for NBCU's 33% Hulu stake, with a significant disagreement over valuation — Companies are discussing a Disney buyout of Comcast's stake in streaming service; with a big valuation gap, the prospect of a court battle looms

Discussion: The Desk, The Streamable, The Media Leader, The Information and @tvgrimreaper

Max Tani / Semafor:

Details of CNN's ad packages for its Biden-Trump debate on June 27: a top-tier level with a $1.5M minimum, limits on spending by campaigns and PACs, and more — The Scoop — The Donald Trump-driven boom times are back for the business of American television — at least, for one night in June.

Discussion: New York Post, Poynter, Reuters, CBS News, Adweek, Fox News and Newser

Zheping Huang / Bloomberg:

Sources: TikTok pauses plans to launch its e-commerce business in major European markets to focus on growth in the US where it's fighting the divest-or-ban law — - ByteDance halts plan to roll out shopping from Spain to Italy — Company aims to entrench itself in its most lucrative market

Discussion: Benzinga, @carnage4life, PYMNTS.com, The Information, Tubefilter and New York Times, more at Techmeme »

Discussion: Voice of America, The Register, CMU, Tubefilter, Jasmine Enberg on LinkedIn, Semafor, Digital Music News, Interesting Engineering, 9to5Mac, John Marshall on LinkedIn and The Verge

Financial Times:

Sources: a Paramount special committee approved the sweetened offer from Skydance; Paramount's board, chaired by Shari Redstone, will vote on the deal June 4 — Final decision over Hollywood studio group rests with controlling shareholder Shari Redstone — A special committee …

Discussion: The Wrap, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, The Desk, The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Times and Variety

Jeremy Barr / Washington Post:

A look at Robert Allbritton's NOTUS, a nonprofit national politics outlet that employs 10 full-time fellows and is intended to act as a journalist incubator — When he was the owner of Politico, Robert Allbritton sat atop a farm system that hired scores of young reporters to work alongside veteran editors …

Discussion: @kenvogel, @kbode@threads.net, @evanmcs, @kylewilsontharp, @structstories, @herbscribner, @ron_fournier, @tchingarande, @kbode@threads.net and Brad Bosserman on LinkedIn

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Moonbug Entertainment names Courtney Holt, previously Spotify's head of studios and video, as managing director for the Americas, taking over from Andy Yeatman — Holt takes over the position from Andy Yeatman, who is departing Moonbug for an unspecified new gig.

Discussion: The Wrap, Courtney Holt on LinkedIn, Deadline and Advanced Television

Tom Dreisbach / NPR:

Salem Media is halting distribution of the film and book 2000 Mules and removing the film from its platforms; it apologized to a man who sued for defamation — The conservative media company behind the book and film “2,000 Mules,” which alleged a widespread conspiracy by Democrats to steal …

Discussion: CNN, Mediaite, Salem Media Group, Inc., @tomdreisbach, @tomdreisbach, @stephensilver, @nycsouthpaw, @tomdreisbach, @anelsona, @brianbeutler, @mountainsstars, @tomdreisbach, Associated Press, Radio & Television … and @tomdreisbach

Winston Cho / The Hollywood Reporter:

Startup Fable Studio announces Showrunner, a streaming service that lets users watch AI-generated series and create their own series by writing prompts — Fable, the studio behind the viral AI-generated ‘South Park’ clips, has announced a streaming platform that allows users to create their own content.

Discussion: B. Earl on LinkedIn, Tubefilter, The Guardian, Gizmodo, VentureBeat and IndieWire, more at Techmeme »

Nieman Lab:

A look at the term “fact-based journalism”: its rise coincided with “fake news” in 2016, but the term is redundant as all journalism is fact-based — “To describe one form of journalism as ‘fact-based’ is to tacitly acknowledge that there is also such a thing as ‘non-fact-based journalism.’ And there isn't."

Discussion: Josh M. on LinkedIn, @davidpwhelan@mastodon.world and @nw@ioc.exchange

Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:

Rest of World retracts an article on WhatsApp misinformation “tip lines” in India after several fact-checking orgs detail how it was “riddled with inaccuracies” — Last week, the technology site Rest of World published a story on the apparent failings of WhatsApp misinformation “tip lines” in India.

Discussion: @dau_mca and @india_mca, more at Techmeme »

Michael Hytha / Bloomberg:

LA-based Webtoon, owned by South Korea's Naver, files for a US IPO; sources: the online comics platform could seek to raise up to $500M at a $3B-$4B valuation — Los Angeles-based Webtoon said in a filing Friday with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that South Korean internet company Naver …

Discussion: US Securities and Exchange Commission, Reuters, The Korea Times and @ca_ecostrategy

Diana Falzone / Mediaite:

Eric Bolling, formerly of Sinclair and Fox News and host of Newsmax's 8pm show The Balance, is leaving the network after three years — Eric Bolling has parted ways with Newsmax. — The veteran television host, who helmed the conservative network's 8 p.m. hour with The Balance …

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, The Wrap, Deadline, The Daily Beast, @ericbolling and Media Matters for America