Top News:
Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
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.
Discussion:
Broadband TV News, Columbia Journalism Review, The Verge, Engadget, The Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter, One America News Network, Daily Mail, The Gateway Pundit, @bristei, @bristei, @bristei, @emilypasser, @sherman4949, @bgrueskin.bsky.social, @dylanbyers, @kimmasters.bsky.social, BGR, @brianstelter, @benmullin, @hameturgeman, @benmullin, AV Club, The Desk, Australian Financial Review, The Independent, New York Daily News, Adweek, Newser, CNN, Wall Street Journal, Newsbusters, Eschaton, @seanhowe.bsky.social, TVLine, Yahoo Finance, @dankennedy.net, Financial Times, Fox Business, The US Sun, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Reuters, Bloomberg, Cord Cutters News, Breitbart, Adweek, The Wrap, Barrett Media, New York Post, TVNewsCheck, CNN, Business Insider, Deadline, MediaPost, IJR, Louder With Crowder, @realDonaldTrump … and CNBC
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Sara Fischer / Axios:
Mark Thompson says CNN aims to reach $1B in digital revenue by 2030; memo details $70M to be invested in digital plans, a modernized ad sales approach, and more
Discussion:
The Daily Beast, Poynter, HuffPost, RetailWire, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Yahoo Finance and Cord Cutters News
Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:
Meta begins a “limited, early test” of ads in Threads in the US and Japan, with the goal of making the ads “as interesting as organic content” — Meta's X rival Threads said Friday that it is now testing ads with select brands in the U.S. and Japan.
Robert Channick / Chicago Tribune:
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 …
Katie Deighton / Wall Street Journal:
ShopMy, which lets brands run influencer marketing efforts, raised a $77.5M Series B led by Bessemer and Bain, sources say at a $410M valuation vs. $80M in 2024 — Tech firms that speed up and automate brands' partnerships with social-media influencers are becoming hot commodities as advertisers scramble to reach consumers online
Adweek:
Newsweek generated $90M in revenue at a profit margin of 20% in 2024, up from $20M revenue in 2018; digital advertising made up 63% of revenue in 2024 — The publisher has shaken off its legal woes and super-sized its reach — The general interest publisher Newsweek …
Matthew Keys / The Desk:
Source: Allen Media Group reverses some of its plans to lay off 100+ local TV meteorologists and outsource regional weather forecasts to its Atlanta facilities — Allen Media Group has reversed some of its plans to lay off more than 100 local television meteorologists and outsource regional weather forecasts …
Charlotte Klein / New York Magazine:
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 …
Discussion:
The Wrap, @simonowens, @mediaevan, @charlottetklein, Variety, Deadline and RedState
Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
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
Discussion:
Advanced Television, Broadband TV News and The Streamable
Melanie Goodfellow / Deadline:
Apple TV+ signs a four-year agreement with French audiovisual groups, investing 20% of its net annual France turnover in European and French content — The accord, which does not cover cinema, will see the platform adhere to obligations set out in France's 2021 SMAD decree governing investment quotas …
Brier Dudley / The Seattle Times:
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 …
Jake Kanter / Deadline:
In a statement to UK's Culture, Media, and Sport Committee, BBC says a funding crisis, caused by license fee cuts and more, is affecting multiple TV productions — The BBC has issued the starkest warning yet about the UK scripted funding crisis, telling lawmakers that multiple greenlit series are “stuck in limbo.”
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck and UK Parliament Committees
Sahil Patel / The Information:
Sources: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy set an internal goal for Prime Video to be profitable by the end of 2025, focusing on live sports to boost its ad revenue — In the summer of 2022, a year after becoming CEO of Amazon, Andy Jassy wanted the executives running the company's Prime Video business …
Discussion:
Reuters and @tvgrimreaper
Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:
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 …
Discussion:
Substack Reads, Music Ally, TVNewsCheck, Tubefilter, @jeridansky@sfba.social, Bloomberg, @ernie.tedium.co and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
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