Top News:
Stuart Dredge / Music Ally:
Open letter: SoundCloud CEO Eliah Seton says a 2024 TOS update did not intend to allow AI training on user content; SoundCloud revised the wording on May 14 — - Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email — Music Ally NEXT 2025: Tickets on sale now!
Zach Vallese / CNBC:
YouTube unveils Peak Points, a pilot Gemini feature for targeting ads after viewers are most engaged with a video, aiming for more impressions and a higher CTR — YouTube on Wednesday announced a new tool that will allow advertisers to use Google's Gemini AI model to target ads to viewers when they are most engaged with a video.
Discussion:
Benzinga, TechCrunch and Quartz, more at Techmeme »
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Lauren Forristal / TechCrunch:
YouTube previews new ad formats coming to the platform, including an enhanced shoppable connected TV offering that has an interactive product feed on the right — YouTube made its pitch to advertisers on Wednesday, accompanied by a flashy performance from Lady Gaga and special appearances …
Discussion:
YouTube Official Blog, Variety, Adweek and TheStreet, more at Techmeme »
Sara Salinas / CNBC:
Netflix says its ad-supported tier now has 94M MAUs, up from 70M in November 2024, and reaches more 18- to 34-year-olds than any US broadcast or cable network — Netflix said Wednesday its cheaper, ad-supported tier now has 94 million monthly active users — an increase of more than 20 million since its last public tally in November.
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About Netflix, TechRadar, Profit, The Desk, The Indian Express, @minddestroyedx, Tubefilter, Streaming Better, 9to5Mac, TechCrunch, Reuters, Adweek and Media Play News, more at Techmeme »
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Bill Bradley / Adweek:
Netflix says its in-house ad platform Netflix Ads Suite, currently live in the US and Canada, will be available in all 12 of its ad-supported countries by June
Discussion:
Advanced Television, Ars Technica, The Drum, BMI, TV Tech, Media Play News, Ad Age, MediaPost, Cord Cutters News, TVNewsCheck, Deadline, The Wrap, The Hollywood Reporter and The Verge
Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:
Hedra, which offers a web-based video generation and editing suite used by creators to make video podcasts, raised a $32M Series A, after a $10M seed — People are using AI video generation tools to contribute to an unexpected new viral trend: podcasts featuring AI-generated talking babies.
Discussion:
Investing.com, Reuters, @hedra_labs, StartupNews.fyi and Tech Funding News
Paul Farhi / Vanity Fair:
C-SPAN, with revenue down 35% since 2018 and an $8M budget shortfall in 2025, looks to multichannel streamers; YouTube TV cites a lack of subscriber interest — Despite fans across the aisle—including Trump—the cable network's financial path is “not sustainable,” per CEO Sam Feist …
Discussion:
TVREV, @calderone.bsky.social, @benjaminoc.bsky.social and @mlcalderone
Barbara Moens / Financial Times:
The EU provisionally finds that TikTok breached the DSA by failing to offer a publicly searchable ad library, potentially opening the platform up to a fine — Ad transparency investigation is one of several ongoing European cases against social media platform
Discussion:
Reuters, Euractiv, Bloomberg, Associated Press, Politico, Wall Street Journal, European Commission and The Business Times, more at Techmeme »
Marshall Cohen / CNN:
Court filings: Smartmatic accuses Fox News execs, including Rupert Murdoch, of intentionally destroying damning evidence in its 2020 election defamation case — A voting technology firm suing Fox News for defamation over its 2020 election coverage claimed senior corporate executives …
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck and The Wrap
Wall Street Journal:
A profile of Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks, who is trying to settle President Trump's CBS lawsuit, calm nerves at CBS News, and complete a merger with Skydance — Co-CEO George Cheeks is trying to settle Trump's ‘60 Minutes’ lawsuit and mollify wary CBS News staff while completing a merger with Skydance
Discussion:
Radio & Television … and TVNewsCheck
Johnny Ryan / Irish Council for Civil Liberties:
The Belgian Court of Appeal rules the Transparency & Consent Framework, used by Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and much of the internet, is illegal across Europe — Landmark court decision against “TCF” consent pop ups on 80% of the internet — 14 May 2025
Discussion:
Sophie on LinkedIn, @mario_gug, @chronotope, @johnnyryan.bsky.social, @CCC@social.bau-ha.us, @lilianedwards.bsky.social, @johnnyryan.bsky.social, @andrewhinton.bsky.social, @johnnyryan.bsky.social, @openpolicy.bsky.social, @bthalpin.bsky.social, @hannejakobsen.bsky.social, @aral@mastodon.ar.al and Engadget, more at Techmeme »
Alondra Nelson / Time:
Alondra Nelson resigns from the National Science Board and Library of Congress Scholars Council, citing DOGE's interference and eroded institutional integrity — Today, I am resigning from the National Science Board and the Library of Congress Scholars Council.
Discussion:
Timnit Gebru on LinkedIn, John Butler on LinkedIn, Andrew Pace on LinkedIn, @alondra.bsky.social, @heidilifeldman@mastodon …, @mszll@datasci.social, @grrlscientist@mastodon.social, @tornatrix@wx.social, @Sheril@mastodon.social, @kfitz@hcommons.social, @Axomamma@mastodon.online and CleanTechnica
Elsa Keslassy / Variety:
Profile of Mubi founder Efe Cakarel and the streamer's shift to a full-fledged studio to rival A24; Mubi aims for an annual slate of 15 movies costing $5M-$25M — Mubi, the upstart indie film company that made “The Substance” into an Oscar sensation, traces its origins to Tokyo on New Year's Eve 2006 …
Discussion:
Deadline, World of Reel and Media Play News
Jennifer Maas / Variety:
Warner Bros. Discovery says it will change the name of its Max streaming service back to HBO Max this summer, and tweaks its logo; WBD dropped “HBO” in May 2023 — Turns out, Warner Bros. Discovery thinks HBO has some pretty good brand equity, after all.
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, Pressroom, New York Times, UPI, Deadline, Steffi Binder on LinkedIn, Cele|bitchy, @hbo, @streamonmax, Wall Street Journal, @dkthomp, @screenbrief, @sherman4949, @streamonmax, @mattbinder, @peacock, @scottnover, Decrypt, @tvgrimreaper, @loudmouthjulia, @maxwelltani, @mikeisaac, @kerrymflynn, @caitiedelaney, @loudmouthjulia, @morningbrew, @lingounbound, @danprimack, Daring Fireball, @willfulchaos, @seanyoo, @pkafka, @brettredacted, @nathanallebach, @jeremiahdjohns, @timeimmemorial_, Business Insider, MacRumors, Hollywood Life, The Daily Wire, LateNighter, Aftermath, Dallas Taylor on LinkedIn, @jeffjarvis@mastodon.social, @ernie.tedium.co, Chris Heatherly on LinkedIn, Newser, @moryan.bsky.social, StreamTV Insider, TV Tech, Erin Sarofsky on LinkedIn, @chrisyogerst.com, @juansaaa.com, The Verge, Cara Lustik on LinkedIn, TODAY.com, Screen Rant, Chicago Tribune, Broadband TV News, MediaPost, Yahoo Finance, @thelincoln.bsky.social, The Drum, SlashFilm, @chopaganda@shakedown.social, WPXI-TV, Engadget, @harrymccracken.com, Streaming Better, @defunctgames.com, Advanced Television, @gedeonm@mastodon.social, GamesRadar, @rbripley.bsky.social, Dara Gruen on LinkedIn, @carnage4life.bsky.social, 9to5Mac, @tuphlos.bsky.social, @parismarx.com, @dbreunig@note.computer, The Hollywood Reporter, Comic Book, BGR, Polygon, Associated Press, @riversoverflow.bsky.social, Consequence, The Information, @scalzi.com, CNN, @izzos.us, @alexkoppelman.bsky.social, @kaleidotrope.bsky.social, The Streamable, Bloomberg, Adweek, TVLine, Entertainment Weekly, @stefan@stefanbohacek.online, @mcdaragh.bsky.social, Axios, The Verge, IndieWire, Reuters, TechCrunch, The Wrap, WORLD SCREEN, GoldDerby and Just Jared, more at Techmeme »
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