Top News:
Emma Roth / The Verge:
Disney CEO Bob Iger says the company's password sharing crackdown will kick off “in earnest” in September, after announcing paid sharing in February 2024 — Disney Plus will soon no longer let you share your password with people outside your household.
Discussion:
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Todd Spangler / Variety:
Disney reports Q3 revenue up 4% YoY to $23.2B, operating income up 19% YoY to $4.2B, DTC revenue up 15% YoY to $6.4B, and a $47M DTC profit as Disney+ grows — Company warns weak theme park demand could extend into the ‘next few quarters’ … That said, there were some mixed emotions …
Discussion:
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Lillian Rizzo / CNBC:
Disney reports Q3 revenue up 4% YoY to $23.2B and its streaming business turned a profit, a first, with a $47M operating income, vs. a $512M loss in Q3 2023 — WATCH NOW — Disney reported its fiscal third-quarter earnings Wednesday, topping analyst estimates as its combined streaming businesses turned …
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Disney says the “outcome of the Hulu deal arbitration is uncertain” and it might have to pay up to $5B more to complete the buyout of NBCUniversal's 33% stake — Dispute over fair value of Hulu entered arbitration in May 2024, according to Disney
Discussion:
Reuters, The Wrap, The Information, Deadline and @tvgrimreaper
Katie Robertson / New York Times:
The NYT reports adding 300K digital subscribers in Q2, for 10.8M in total, and digital ad revenue up 7.8% YoY to $79.6M; The Athletic losses fell to $2.4M — The publisher added about 300,000 digital subscribers in the latest quarter, and now has more than 10.8 million subscribers.
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The New York Times Company:
The NYT reports Q2 revenue up 5.8% YoY to $625.1M, subscription revenue up 7.3% YoY to $439.3M, and operating profit up 13.6% YoY to $104.7M — NEW YORK, August 7, 2024 - The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT) announced today second- quarter 2024 results. Key Highlights
Discussion:
Nieman Lab and @tvgrimreaper
Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:
Reddit says it plans to test AI-powered search result pages later in 2024, using a combination of first-party and third-party tech to power the feature — Reddit users will soon see AI-generated summaries at the top of search results. — Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman told investors during …
Discussion:
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Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
GB News says it now has 10,000 paying members, after soft launching its membership scheme with £5, £10, or £20 per month tiers in November 2023 — More than 10,000 people have signed up as paying members of GB News, according to the broadcaster.
Jesse Whittock / Deadline:
Sony Pictures reports Q1 revenue down 7% YoY to $2.2B and operating income down 36% YoY to $73M, despite strong movie debuts and streaming subscriber growth — Sony Pictures Entertainment posted first quarter operating income of $73M, down over 36% year-on-year on a U.S. dollar basis.
Discussion:
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Etan Vlessing / The Hollywood Reporter:
Roku plans to launch a free, ad-supported 24/7 sports channel on August 12, with live Sunday MLB games, Originals, and more on its devices, apps, and website — The free, ad-supported 24/7 service will stream Major League Baseball games, the ‘The Rich Eisen Show’ talker …
Discussion:
The Streamable, Advanced Television, The Wrap, Awful Announcing, Digital Trends, The Verge, Next TV and Engadget, more at Techmeme »
Juby Babu / Reuters:
IAC reports Q2 revenue down 15% YoY to $949.5M and profit up 24% YoY to $87.3M; Dotdash Meredith reports revenue up 3% YoY to $425.2M and ad revenue up 16% YoY — IAC (IAC.O) posted a 24% rise in its core profit in the second quarter, banking on advertising and licensing revenues of Dotdash Meredith, its biggest business.
Ryan Browne / CNBC:
Sony says the company has no plans to submit a revised offer for Paramount Global as the deal “does not fit well with our strategy” — Sony's finance chief on Wednesday said the Japanese technology and media giant will not reconsider a fresh bid for film and TV production group Paramount Global.
Discussion:
The Wrap, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: the NBA's deal with Amazon has several provisions that WBD can't match, including promotion of the NBA during Amazon's NFL streaming telecasts — League's media deal with tech giant included provisions Warner couldn't match, setting stage for legal fight
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, Sports Media Watch and USA Today
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Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Charles Barkley, a mainstay of TNT's Inside the NBA, reverses plans to retire and says he will keep working with WBD, which is fighting to keep NBA media rights
Charles Barkley, a mainstay of TNT's Inside the NBA, reverses plans to retire and says he will keep working with WBD, which is fighting to keep NBA media rights
Discussion:
Pressroom, Fox News, New York Times, Brian Steinberg on LinkedIn, Los Angeles Times, Awful Announcing, USA Today, New York Times, Sportico, CNN, Deadline, Associated Press, Awful Announcing, TVLine, Front Office Sports, New York Post, The Wrap, CNBC, Barrett Media, New York Daily News and The Hollywood Reporter