Top News:
New York Times:
Sources: Paramount Skydance, Comcast, and Netflix bid in the first round for WBD; Comcast and Netflix are seeking just the studio and streaming parts of WBD — The outcome of the sale could alter the trajectory of the entertainment business. — The heavyweights of Hollywood made their cases …
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Financial Times:
A look at the WBD bidding process as first-round bids arrive; sources say Paramount CEO David Ellison and Larry Ellison enjoy an advantage in Washington
Discussion:
New York Post, @katiefallow.bsky.social, @robertscotthorton.bsky.social, Benzinga and Washington Times
Hugo Lowell / The Guardian:
Sources: a White House official discussed with Larry Ellison cutting CNN hosts that President Trump loathes and running CBS shows like 60 Minutes on CNN — Senior officials indicated favorability toward Paramount Skydance to acquire Warner Bros Discovery — Senior White House officials …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, RADAR, The Information, American Prospect, The Independent, Washington Examiner, @adamgurri.liberalcurrents.com, @jonathancohn.bsky.social, @freedom.press, @freedomofpress, @mmeadway.bsky.social, @punkonbuslives.bsky.social, @drrenemd.bsky.social, @brianstelter.bsky.social, Nieman Lab, @brentosaur.bsky.social, @karlbode.com, @marklemley.bsky.social, The Wrap, @mattgertz, @rbreich, @callyson.bsky.social, TV Insider, @davidclinchnews, @keithboykin.bsky.social, Straight Arrow News, Raw Story, @karaswisher.bsky.social, @vidiot.bsky.social, Mediaite, @stevereddog.bsky.social, @zjmontague.bsky.social, @jeffjarvis.bsky.social, TVNewsCheck, Alternet.org, New Republic, Daily Caller News Foundation and The Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »
Reuters:
A Spanish court orders Meta to pay €479M to 87 Spanish digital media outlets for unfair competition practices and infringement of EU data protection regulations — A Spanish court has ordered that the multinational tech company Meta (META.O) pay 479 million euros ($552 million) …
Letterboxd:
Letterboxd says it will launch rental platform Letterboxd Video Store, curated with undistributed festival standouts, restorations, and more, in early December — Coming in early December: Letterboxd Video Store, our latest feature to get you adding films to your watchlist and, crucially, checking them off.
Discussion:
@autismronin, Dexerto, @merphed, @stevenwallaby, @evenstqrs, @scaredchris, @transyapper7781, @richardkadrey.bsky.social, @mikeisaac, @letterboxd, TechCrunch, @ali_sivi, @wickskiller, @wengelll, @maicasx, Lowpass, PCMag, Engadget, The A.V. Club, CNET, Gizmodo and IndieWire, more at Techmeme »
The Japan Times:
A Japanese court orders Cloudflare to pay a ~$3.2M fine to four major Japanese publishers for its role in hosting servers for manga piracy sites — The Tokyo District Court on Wednesday ordered Cloudflare to pay ¥500 million ($3.2 million) to major Japanese publishers after the U.S. firm …
Discussion:
The Japan News, TorrentFreak and Plagiarism Today
John Buckley / Capital Brief:
Sources: US officials raised concerns with Australia over its streaming content quotas that the government is trying to push through the Senate before year end — The US Embassy has directly raised concerns about the policy in Canberra, raising the stakes for the Albanese government as it pursues an aggressive tech reform agenda.
Matt Donnelly / Variety:
Q&A with Variety's new publisher and co-president, Dea Lawrence, on her career, on AI and digital creators being “crucial” for the outlet, and more — Dea Lawrence has assumed the top business role at Variety, succeeding Michelle Sobrino Stearns as publisher and also becoming co-president …
Sophie Culpepper / Nieman Lab:
A look at the “explosion” of LA media upstarts, like the LA Local News Initiative, which has $18M in funding, SFGate's Southland, and nonprofit LA Public Press — A well-funded coalition building out neighborhood news, a new newsletter from an expanding for-profit site …
Matt Hughes / The Guardian:
Paramount wins UK rights to show most UEFA Champions League games from 2027 to 2031; sources say its bid was much higher than TNT's current £1B per year deal — - US network made largest bid at this week's auction — Amazon Prime will have first pick of Tuesday matches
Lachlan Cartwright / Vanity Fair:
A look at Rupert Murdoch's California Post, which will focus on LA, Silicon Valley, and Sacramento when it launches in 2026; Ian Mohr will lead CA Page Six — California is a veritable news feast—politicians with national ambitions, climate disasters, the twin industries of Hollywood and tech.
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter
Ivan L. Nagy / Columbia Journalism Review:
An ex-Pentagon press corps member says Pentagon day pass requests now require an hour-by-hour activity summary and a list of people they plan to speak to — While veteran national security reporters can't get their calls answered, members of the new, MAGA-friendly press corps have a hotline to the Department of War.
Discussion:
@columjournreview.bsky.social
Bloomberg:
Analysis: YouTube's top conservative podcasters are driving a boom in host-read ads targeting right-wing audiences; nearly 91% of 876 episodes had political ads — On YouTube's conservative airwaves, podcast hosts tout products that let people buy into the MAGA crowd: Republican Red Winery vintages …
Discussion:
Mediaweek, NextDraft, @daveyalba, @daveyalba, @daveyalba, @daveyalba, @daveyalba, @daveyalba and Crooks and Liars, more at Techmeme »
Reuters:
The FCC opens a review of agreements between national networks and local TV stations, including about rules controlling how stations preempt network programs — - FCC reviews network-affiliate agreements after Trump's ABC license comments — FCC to ask whether national broadcasters …
Discussion:
Federal Communications Commission, The Wrap, Inside Radio, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, PCMag, @michaelnaphys.bsky.social, Truth on the Market, Bloomberg, The Hill, @brendancarrfcc, TheDesk.net, @diversetechgeek.bsky.social, GB News, NewsMax.com and Cybersecurity Dive, more at Techmeme »
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