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Sony buys ~$320M of shares in Japanese media powerhouse Kadokawa, which owns FromSoftware, taking its stake to ~10% and becoming Kadokawa's top shareholder — Sony Group (6758.T) said on Thursday it will invest about 50 billion yen ($320 million) to acquire new shares of Kadokawa (9468.T) …
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Engadget, Polygon, @ssstylishhuntr, @cattheplayed11, @jawmuncher, Comic Book, @madcap412, Eurogamer.net, Newsweek, @_nixne, @playstationsize, Screen Rant, @naijeru03, Sony Group Portal, Gematsu, @gibbogame, Wccftech, @crylowe_, The Japan Times, @hoeglaw, @stealth40k.bsky.social, The Verge, Benzinga, r/Games, r/GamingLeaksAndRumours and r/PHGamers, more at Techmeme »
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As part of Sony's Kadokawa investment, the companies plan to adapt Kadokawa's IP into live-action films and TV dramas globally, co-produce anime works, and more — PlayStation firm will up existing stake to 10% for $318 million — News by James Batchelor Editor-in-chief
Discussion:
Windows Central and @kujikawaii.bsky.social

Neil Cavuto is leaving Fox News after 28 years at the network; source: Fox offered him a new deal that he declined to accept and ultimately decided to leave — Neil Cavuto is leaving Fox News after 28 years at the network and will bid viewers farewell at the end of Your World Thursday afternoon, Mediaite has learned.
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, Adweek, New York Post, HuffPost, TVLine, The Hill, Talking Biz News, The Wrap, Newser, al.com, Winnipeg Free Press, BizPac Review, Daily Mail, Daily Caller News Foundation, Washington Examiner, @mattklewis, @janicedean, The US Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, Daily Kos, @brianstelter, @markpmeredith, @meghanmccain, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The Independent, @howardkurtz, @brianstelter, The Gateway Pundit, Deadline and Barrett Media

Semafor plans to launch an invite-only newsletter for CEOs, The CEO Signal, in January 2025, written by former FT US News Editor Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson — Numerous media outlets, looking for new lucrative lines of business, are pursuing newsletters and events aimed specifically at top executives.
Discussion:
Sara Fischer on LinkedIn, Semafor, @mediaevan, @semaforben, @semafor, @katie_robertson, @semafor and @dcnorg

John Robson, co-founder of kid-focused studio Moonbug, is stepping down; Moonbug bought CoComelon in 2020, and Candle Media acquired Moonbug in 2021 — Moonbug is owned by Candle Media and has the lucrative CoComelon franchise. Robson's fellow Co-Founder, Rene Rechtman told staff about the news in a memo circulated today.

The Baltimore Banner, launched in June 2022, expects 2024 revenue to rise 37% YoY to $13M+, with subscriber count growing 50%+ in 2024 to ~55,000 — The 2.5-year-old non-profit generates nearly half of its business from paying readers — Nonprofit newsroom The Baltimore Banner will bring …
Discussion:
Mark Stenberg on LinkedIn

Canal+ shares sink 15%+ as UBS says the stock is fairly valued after its London listing on December 16; CAN is down 32%+ since its listing — The stock dropped as much as 19% to 191.10 pence as UBS analysts including Ben Shelley started coverage with a neutral rating and a 240 pence price target.

Ankler hires Alison Brower as its executive editor; Brower was Los Angeles bureau chief at Business Insider before leaving in February — Ankler, which covers the entertainment industry, has hired Alison Brower as its executive editor. — Brower was Los Angeles bureau chief at Business Insider before leaving in February.

Reporters Without Borders urges Apple to scrap Apple Intelligence's notification summaries after a BBC complaint said the feature created a misleading headline — A major journalism body has urged Apple to scrap its new generative AI feature after it created a misleading headline about a high-profile killing in the United States.
Discussion:
@yacc143@mastodon.social, Washington Examiner, BGR, MacRumors, 9to5Mac and Reporters Without Borders

A look at the quickly disappearing web, as digital decay and link rot erase all kinds of media; a Pew study says 38% of webpages accessible in 2013 are now gone — The internet is forever. But also, it isn't. What happens to our culture when websites start to vanish at random?

A look at TuneIn: top executive departures and mass layoffs since 2020, the service hasn't updated its podcast database since February 2024, and more — In December 2009, I visited Bill Moore, in an industrial estate north of Dallas TX. Bill was the founder of TuneIn - known at the time as RadioTime …
Discussion:
@james.crid.land

A look at NBCUniversal's push to increase revenue through live events and other “experiential” products tied to its famous shows and anchors like Wille Geist — Geist has interviewed 539 different celebrities and newsmakers during his tenure as Sunday host, and, on January 22 …
Discussion:
@dannygroner.bsky.social, @likesherlock17.bsky.social and @bristei