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Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Warner Bros. Discovery announces a restructuring to create two separate units: one for linear TV networks and one for production studios and streaming platforms — The maneuver was unveiled just days after Comcast said it planned to spin off the bulk of its NBCUniversal cable networks …
Discussion:
Business Insider, Warner Bros. Discovery, The Wrap, TVNewsCheck, Reuters, Yahoo Finance, Bloomberg, Broadband TV News, @asharma, The Information, @bristei, @bristei, CNBC, @tvgrimreaper, @mediaevan.bsky.social, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, The Verge, WORLD SCREEN, Barron's Online and The Hollywood Reporter
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Brian Stelter / CNN:
Warner Bros. Discovery's shares jump 13%+ after the company announced a restructuring that is expected to take effect by mid-2025 — Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN's corporate parent, announced Thursday, it is establishing a new corporate structure that splits its cable networks off from its growing streaming business.
Discussion:
Adweek, @mediaevan and @lucas_shaw
Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
BuzzFeed reaches a deal to sell Hot Ones owner First We Feast for $82.5M in cash to a consortium of investors led by an affiliate of Soros Fund Management — The sale, to a group that includes the show's host, Sean Evans, and Soros Fund Management, will allow BuzzFeed to pay down tens of millions of dollars in debt.
Discussion:
The Wrap, Business Insider, Forbes, Bloomberg, Nicholas Schonberger on LinkedIn, Deadline, The Information, The Hollywood Reporter, @jusaire, @lanceulanoff, @pkafka, @pkafka@threads.net, @ernie.tedium.co, @katienotopoulos.bsky.social, @maxwelltani, @sizpatel, @benmullin, @pkafka and @katienotopoulos.bsky.social
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Todd Spangler / Variety:
BuzzFeed says selling First We Feast will cut its outstanding debt by $89M to $30M and let it operate with a cash balance larger than its total outstanding debt — “Hot Ones” is going solo. — BuzzFeed announced a deal to sell First We Feast, the studio behind the popular YouTube chicken …
Discussion:
Benzinga, Reuters, Just Jared, Rich Antoniello on LinkedIn and The Verge
Costas Pitas / Reuters:
Donald Trump picks former news anchor and hardline Republican Kari Lake to be the director of US government-funded media outlet Voice of America — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said he was picking Kari Lake, a former news anchor and a hardline Republican who failed to win …
Discussion:
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Katie Robertson / New York Times:
The NYT Tech Guild and its 600+ members reach a tentative deal with management on a contract enhancing job security, setting flexible hybrid schedules, and more — The union, which represents some 600 tech workers at the publication, had been negotiating for a contract for more than two years.
Jessica Toonkel / Wall Street Journal:
Current and former Netflix staff say the company has walked back its parental-leave benefits, after shifting its focus from subscriber growth to profitability — Employees worry the pullback and other new restrictions mean the entertainment giant is losing the identity that fueled its success
The Guardian:
Guardian and Observer journalists hold a second 48-hour strike against The Observer sale to Tortoise Media; the Scott Trust has agreed to the sale in principle — Second two-day action follows news that the deal was agreed in principle last week by the Scott Trust
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Nic Fildes / Financial Times:
Australia plans a levy on tech companies like Meta with $250M+ in local revenue to force them to pay publishers for journalism, after Meta quit the prior deal — Move is designed to close loophole after Meta walked away from existing deal to use media content
Discussion:
Engadget, TechCrunch, Sydney Morning Herald, @jason_kint, The Guardian, B&T, Business News Australia, Reuters, Al Jazeera, The Register, Australian Financial Review, Raw Story, BBC, 9News, Reuters, Mumbrella, Australian Business Journal, @ketanjoshi.co, @asherwolf.bsky.social, Dave Earley on LinkedIn and Crikey, more at Techmeme »
Matt Yoder / Awful Announcing:
YouTube tells customers that the monthly price for YouTube TV's base plan will jump from $73 to $83 in January 2025, after raising it from $65 to $73 in 2023 — YouTube TV logo — Streaming services became a popular alternative to cable and satellite television because they were available …
Discussion:
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Julia Jacobs / New York Times:
The NLRB issues a complaint against Netflix's Love Is Blind and classifies its contestants as employees, a case that could have ripple effects across reality TV — The National Labor Relations Board's case against the Netflix hit could have ripple effects across the reality TV industry.
Discussion:
Axios, @poniewozik.bsky.social, @noamscheiber.bsky.social, AV Club, The Wrap and Media Play News, more at Techmeme »
Ken Klippenstein:
Slack messages: NYT editors tell reporters to “dial back” on using photos of alleged UnitedHealth gunman Luigi Mangione and to avoid publishing his “manifesto” — Times management directs staff to “dial back” Luigi Mangione headshots
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Sources: CNBC plans to launch streaming outlet CNBC+ in Q1 2025, to make a “global feed” available that lets users follow programming from Asia and Europe — The bottom of a TV screen isn't the only place CNBC fans will be able to follow its famous ticker.
Discussion:
The Streamable, Media Play News, Matthew Keys on LinkedIn, The Desk, Adweek, TVNewsCheck, Cord Cutters News and Talking Biz News
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