Mediagazer: Investigation: Google's Display & Video 360 ad platform openly serves up sensitive information about Americans, despite Google's rules against such practices (Wired)

3:55 PM ET, February 20, 2025

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Justin Kroll / Deadline:

Amazon MGM Studios, Michael G. Wilson, and Barbara Broccoli form a JV to house James Bond IP rights, under which Amazon gains creative control of the franchise — In news that will send shock waves through the industry, longtime James Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli …

Discussion: BBC, Variety, SlashFilm, Variety, The Wrap, The Hollywood Reporter, About Amazon, Advanced Television, @jeffbezos, CNN, Forbes, The Daily Wire, Gizmodo, Axios, @autismsupsoc.bsky.social, @illdave.bsky.social, @_patmurray@mastodon.social, Esquire, Syracuse Post-Standard, Engadget, Comic Book, @billhuntbits.bsky.social, Rolling Stone, Wall Street Journal, GoldDerby, World of Reel, Entertainment Weekly, New York Times, New Jersey Online, Fortune, TVNewsCheck, Business Insider, WFAA-TV, Reuters, Mirror, Yahoo Finance, Financial Times, Bloomberg, CNBC, The Verge, WPXI-TV, The Information, Quartz, Los Angeles Times, @mgsiegler, CBR, @joerussotweets, @ronmarz.bsky.social, @mrfengi.bsky.social, Steve Siskind on LinkedIn, @moviessilently.bsky.social, GB News, Carlo Bertucci on LinkedIn, @michaelthec@poweredbygay …, @deeketweak, @gigawattconduit.bsky.social, Screen Rant, @jjdotbiz.bsky.social, @josie.zone, @taraconlan.bsky.social, @bunndumm, LADbible, @nedraggett.bsky.social, @gigawattconduit.bsky.social, @vinzenzhediger.bsky.social, @benschwartz.bsky.social, Consequence, Rolling Stone UK, Town & Country, @caseym.org, @mutarada.bsky.social, Cord Cutters News, @davidjcourt.bsky.social, @jacobkleinman, IndieWire, @benroyturner, @richlightshed, @sonnybunch, Collider, Gizmodo, @nextbestpicture, The Playlist, GQ UK, FemaleFirst, Media Play News, NDTV, Oh No They Didn't! and Just Jared

Oliver Darcy / Status:

40 news organizations signed a letter delivered to the White House this week, asking the White House to lift its AP ban immediately in support of press freedom — News outlets across the political spectrum have united behind the AP, signing a WHCA-backed letter urging the White House …

Lauren Easton / Editor and Publisher:

Memo: AP is launching its Local Investigative Reporting Program, to be led by Ron Nixon, to support US state and local newsrooms in investigative reporting — In a memo to staff Thursday, Executive Editor Julie Pace announced AP will launch a Local Investigative Reporting Program led by Ron Nixon:

Discussion: TVNewsCheck, Ron Nixon on LinkedIn, @rebuildlocalnews.bsky.social and @sdkstl.bsky.social

Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:

YouTube plans a premium lite tier in the US, Australia, Germany, and Thailand, offering podcasts and how-to clips without ads; music videos will have ads — - The service will continue to put ads in music videos — The tier will launch in areas that include the US, Australia

Discussion: The Desk, The Information and 9to5Google, more at Techmeme »

Financial Times:

Mathias Döpfner calls Trump's Politico attacks a “misunderstanding” and says many Europeans had “intentionally misunderstood” JD Vance's speech in Munich — Mathias Döpfner says many Europeans had ‘intentionally misunderstood’ the US vice-president's speech that caused widespread horror

Discussion: @shakeelhashim, @Akshay@eupolicy.social, @jeffjarvis.bsky.social, @jonworth.eu and @lilouzovert.bsky.social

Matthew Keys / The Desk:

National Association of Broadcasters CEO Curtis LeGeyt calls for the FCC to end ownership caps that prevent TV and radio conglomerates from growing larger — The chief executive of the commercial broadcasting industry's largest lobbying group has called on federal regulators to eliminate national …

Discussion: TV Tech, Inside Radio, RADIO ONLINE, Barrett Media and Radio & Television …

Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:

A look at London news startups, including Jim Waterson's London Centric, that launched since the Evening Standard's daily print edition closure in summer 2024 — Two upmarket London news start-ups are finding a growing (albeit small so far) market for paid online news about the UK capital.

Discussion: Alexander Smith on LinkedIn, LinkedIn and @pressgazette

Matt Novak / Gizmodo:

Elon Musk says he will “fix” Community Notes as they are “increasingly being gamed by governments & legacy media”, after disagreeing with notes about Ukraine — The billionaire has a history of manipulating X to fit his far-right worldview.

Discussion: Mediaite, The Hill, @jamesrbuk, @TodayInTwitter@mastodon …, @carlquintanilla.bsky.social, @micheil.bsky.social, @willoremus.com, @olivia10.bsky.social, @paleofuture.bsky.social, University of Manchester and Commentary Magazine, more at Techmeme »

Nellie Andreeva / Deadline:

Apple says Severance has become the most-viewed series on Apple TV+ globally, surpassing Ted Lasso; the series also helped bump subscription signups in January — According to the streamer, Severance has broken Apple TV+ records, launching as the platform's #1 series in history based on number …

Discussion: AppleInsider, 9to5Mac, Forbes, Decider, Deseret News, CBR, Collider, MacRumors, Inverse, Dexerto, @carlquintanilla.bsky.social, @benstiller.redhour.com, BGR, Comic Book, 9to5Mac, Screen Rant and Just Jared

Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:

A+E Networks launches a digital division to unify its digital efforts, including YouTube channels and SVOD platforms, and plans a History.com relaunch — Ann McGowan will join the company as its digital GM, with a relaunch of History.com as the first big project.

Discussion: Adweek, Variety, The Wrap and WORLD SCREEN

Jess Weatherbed / The Verge:

Spotify begins accepting AI-narrated audiobooks recorded using ElevenLabs' software; Spotify already allows AI-recorded audiobooks, with several restrictions — A new ElevenLabs partnership aims to help authors bring AI-narrated audiobooks to Spotify listeners.

Discussion: TechCrunch and Spotify, more at Techmeme »

Alex Sherman / CNBC:

Sources: ESPN plans to add some user-generated content to its flagship streaming service, which will debut later in 2025 and could be priced at $25 or $30/month — In an attempt to court younger audiences, Disney's ESPN is planning to add some user-generated content to its yet …

Discussion: The Desk, Awful Announcing, @dannygroner.bsky.social and Barrett Media

BBC:

BBC News says it made the “reluctant decision” to close its office in Azerbaijan after the government ordered the suspension of its operation in the country — The Azerbaijani government has ordered the suspension of BBC News' Azerbaijani operation in the capital city, Baku.

Discussion: NDTV, Voice of America, Reuters, Bloomberg, news.am and APA.AZ

Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:

Substack adds the ability to post videos from its app and lets creators monetize videos, and plans to add more video tools like trimming and enhanced analytics — As TikTok's future in the U.S. remains uncertain, Substack tries to lure creators to its platform by doubling down on video.

Discussion: TVNewsCheck and On Substack

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Michel Rose / Reuters:
A French court upholds TV channel C8's shutdown for failures to protect human rights and protect minors, as right-wing politicians claim a free speech violation

Discussion: Luiz Junior on LinkedIn

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Gallery Media Group says it made $50M in 2024 revenue from its women's media title PureWow and 50+ social-only brands on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts

Georg Szalai / The Hollywood Reporter:
Netflix commits to invest $1B in Mexico for the production of series and films over the next four years, including $2M for the iconic Churubusco Studios

Discussion: Wired, The Ankler, The Wrap, The Rio Times, TVNewsCheck, Media Play News, Reuters, Variety and Deadline, more at Techmeme »

Wired:
Investigation: Google's Display & Video 360 ad platform openly serves up sensitive information about Americans, despite Google's rules against such practices

Discussion: Michael Mittelman on LinkedIn, Mostly signs, @evacide@hachyderm.io, @couts.bsky.social, @dmehro.bsky.social, @johnnyryan.bsky.social, @timmarchman.bsky.social, @dell.bsky.social, @wired.com, @johnnyryan@eupolicy.social, @cdarwin@c.im, @johnnyryan@eupolicy.social, @jaylender.bsky.social and @jshermcyber.bsky.social, more at Techmeme »

Jess Weatherbed / The Verge:
Twitch plans to implement a 100-hour storage cap for Highlights and Uploads from April 19, automatically deleting content from streamers who exceed the limit

Georg Szalai / The Hollywood Reporter:
TelevisaUnivision reports Q4 revenue down 1% YoY to $1.3B, operating expenses flat at $892M, and says its DTC business generated $1B in annual revenue

Discussion: Radio & Television …, TVNewsCheck, Inside Radio, MediaPost, TelevisaUnivision, Deadline and Variety

Abid Rahman / The Hollywood Reporter:
MPA: Max added 1.4M subscribers in Q4 2024 in Southeast Asia, capturing 26% of net customer additions for streaming services, while Netflix accounted for 48%

Discussion: WORLD SCREEN, Decider, Deadline and Variety

Earlier Picks:

PEN America:
The DOD's schools for children in US military families are flagging some books, including Vance's Hillbilly Elegy, for “compliance review” after Trump's EOs

Discussion: The 19th, Above the Law, @kma500@sfba.social, @penamerica.bsky.social, Cele|bitchy and Mock Paper Scissors

Lawrence Bonk / Engadget:
Twitch rolls out changes to its violation enforcement system: minor infractions expire after 90 days and serious ones, like hateful conduct, in one or two years

Discussion: Game Rant, Dexerto, Tech Times and Twitch Safety Center, more at Techmeme »

Winston Cho / The Hollywood Reporter:
A US federal judge declined to dismiss an investor lawsuit alleging Bob Chapek aimed to hide Disney+ costs and make forecasts it would be profitable by 2024

Discussion: TVNewsCheck

Deadline:
The BBC added a clarification to its documentary Gaza: How To Survive a Warzone and apologized, after failing to declare the narrator was a Hamas leader's son

Discussion: HotAir, BBC, israelhayom.com, Daily Caller News Foundation, Newsbusters, The Gateway Pundit, One America News Network, The Guardian and New York Post

Matt Tamanini / The Streamable:
FanDuel Sports, the renamed regional sports network that succeeded Bally Sports, is now available on Amazon Prime Video, offering channels for $19.99/month

Discussion: Barrett Media, Orlando Sentinel, FOX 2, Barrett Media, Business Wire, Awful Announcing, TVNewsCheck, Bloomberg, The TV Answer Man! and Cord Cutters News

Suzanne Vranica / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: top X executives hinted to Interpublic and other ad firms that not spending on X could lead to legal woes, due to X's lawsuit against some advertisers

Michael Levenson / New York Times:
A Mississippi judge has ordered a local newspaper to remove an editorial criticizing Clarksdale city officials; the paper's owner plans to challenge the order

Tom Wheeler / Brookings:
FCC Chair Brendan Carr should clarify the vague “public interest standard”, as his politicization of FCC's processes against CBS goes against legal precedent

Discussion: Radio & Television …, Status, The Hill, Mediaite, TVNewsCheck, The Hill and The Wrap

From Techmeme:

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Bain:
India's e-commerce market grew 10%-12% YoY to ~$60B in GMV in 2024, versus historical rates of over 20%, with 270M+ people shopping online, second only to China

Keach Hagey / Wall Street Journal:
A book excerpt details how the OpenAI board ousted Sam Altman with help from Mira Murati, who provided examples of his alleged lies and other toxic behavior

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