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Substack launches Creator Accelerator Fund to lure US creators who already have $2K+ per month in recurring revenue away from other subscription-based platforms — Substack on Thursday announced the launch of its Creator Accelerator Fund, which provides a $20 million funding guarantee aimed …
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Substack Reads, Bloomberg, Tubefilter, @jeridansky@sfba.social, @ernie.tedium.co and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
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A look at growth of sponsorships and ads for independent newsletters on platforms like Substack and Beehiiv: rates, formats, and management tools vary widely — Authors are using DIY methods to moonlight as media sellers as ads begin to infiltrate their newsletters
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Press Gazette, Substack Reads, The Information, @jryedinak, @jryedinak, @kantrowitz, @mediaevan.bsky.social and Feed Me

Mark Thompson previews CNN's paid streaming service, says CNN plans to launch a subscription in 2025 for “lifestyle” content, and cuts ~200 jobs in its TV unit — Mark Thompson has promised to reinvent CNN since he arrived in 2023. Now, he is remaking the network's TV lineup and its work force.
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The Verge, Engadget, The Hollywood Reporter, The Independent, @emilypasser, @bristei, @bristei, @sherman4949, @bristei, Daily Mail, Australian Financial Review, @kimmasters.bsky.social, The Desk, @bgrueskin.bsky.social, @brianstelter, BGR, @dylanbyers, New York Daily News, @benmullin, @hameturgeman, @benmullin, CNN, Adweek, Newser, Wall Street Journal, AV Club, Newsbusters, The Hollywood Reporter, @seanhowe.bsky.social, TVLine, Yahoo Finance, @dankennedy.net, Financial Times, Eschaton, The US Sun, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Reuters, Fox Business, Bloomberg, Cord Cutters News, Breitbart, Adweek, The Wrap, New York Post, Barrett Media, TVNewsCheck, CNN, Business Insider, Deadline, MediaPost, IJR, Louder With Crowder, @realDonaldTrump … and CNBC
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Chicago Public Media offers buyouts to Chicago Sun-Times journalists and WBEZ business staff; CEO Melissa Bell is aiming to shave $3M-$5M from the annual budget — Struggling with declining revenue in its groundbreaking nonprofit radio/newspaper model, Chicago Public Media is offering voluntary buyouts …

Washington state legislators introduce a bill to provide journalism grants that would be funded by increasing a business tax surcharge on big software companies — {"uid":"1","hostPeerName":"https:// www.seattletimes.com","initialGeometry" :"{\"windowCoords_ t\":10,\"windowCoords_r\":1583 …

David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker for over a quarter of a century, remains at work amid speculation over his potential successor as the magazine turns 100 — Staffers of The New Yorker who go into the office, as Condé Nast now requires them to do, have noticed something different …
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RedState

Len Blavatnik invests $827M in DAZN, bringing his total to $6.7B, as DAZN eyes Middle East funding to become the “Spotify of sport” — Commitment takes billionaire's investments in DAZN to more than $6.7bn since the streaming service was founded in 2016

Former Barstool Sports CEO Erika Ayers Badan joins Vice Media's board of directors; Vice Media launched a sports division in December 2024 — Deadline was the first to report last December on the creation of a sports division at Vice, which has a number of unscripted projects in the pipeline.
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TVNewsCheck

SAG-AFTRA says it has reached a tentative deal with Telemundo Television Studios to represent its Spanish-language TV performers through September 2028 — Telemundo is the largest employer of Spanish-language talent in the United States. If approved, the deal will cover the contract period from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2028.

Filing: Disney CEO Bob Iger's total pay rose by 30% YoY in FY 2024 to $41.1M, primarily as bigger stock and option awards and a bonus — Disney's CEO earned $41.1 million in the year that ended in September, up from $31.6 million in fiscal 2023, according to a filing Thursday.
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The Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap, Wall Street Journal, Deadline, TVNewsCheck, Los Angeles Times and MickeyBlog.com

The UK ICO says publishers can use the “consent or pay” cookie model provided that users have a “genuine free choice” and data protection laws are met — The UK's information watchdog has said publisher “consent or pay” cookie models are acceptable providing users have a …
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The Register, @martinsfp.bsky.social and City A.M.

Netflix scores big in Oscar nominations, as Emilia Pérez wins the most nominations for a film this year with 13; A24 received 14 nominations — Netflix scored a leading 16 Oscar nominations on Thursday, most of which were awarded to “Emilia Pérez,” a genre-spanning musical drama …
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