Top News:
Hadas Gold / CNN:
Anthropic is running Super Bowl ads criticizing ads in chatbots, prompting a public response from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman defending plans for ads in ChatGPT — A long-simmering rivalry between two of the world's biggest AI companies was on public display this week as Anthropic and OpenAI took swings at one another online.
Discussion:
@sama, Anthropic, Wall Street Journal, MediaPost, PC Gamer, PitchBook, BBC, @bcmerchant, @hadas_gold, Mediaweek, Android Headlines, @nikitabier, CNBC, Wired, The Verge, @neo_antiquarian, @johncodes, @paulroetzer, SFist, @tomwarren.co.uk, Adweek, TVREV, Notebookcheck, Computerworld, Observer, MediaBrief, ZDNET, Variety, Techstrong.ai, PCWorld, WinBuzzer, Sherwood News, Futurism, Digital Trends, The Indian Express, Entrepreneur, Communicate Online, Phandroid, Blockonomi, Just Jared, Inc, Moneycontrol, GameRevolution, The Decoder, Business Standard, Benzinga, BMI, Digit, Livemint, Business Today, Mumbrella, SmartCompany, John Battelle's Search Blog, The Economic Times, Business Insider and SiliconANGLE
Financial Times:
Sources: WaPo is losing about $100M per year but aiming to break even by the end of 2026, which could unlock fresh funding from Jeff Bezos — Billionaire hopes that culling hundreds of journalists will stem heavy losses and refocus the struggling newspaper
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Wrap, @realbobwoodward, Axios, @hshaban, @wapotechguild, Newsbusters, @bencjacobs, @michaelscherer, @gregjaffe, @jeremymbarr, @rachelbianca, @moorehn, @jayrosen.bsky.social, @francescaebel, twitchy.com, @meredithfailson.bsky.social, @sarahellison, @davidclinchnews, Daily Caller News Foundation, @dogmomager, Diane Ravitch's blog, Los Angeles Times, BIG by Matt Stoller, The Bulwark, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, Drezner's World, Sky News and NPR
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Drew Lerner / Awful Announcing:
WaPo Publisher Will Lewis appeared at NFL Honors in San Francisco Thursday, after failing to show for a Zoom call in which WaPo announced historic layoffs — Will Lewis likes sports. He just doesn't like paying sports journalists. — The Washington Post publisher who presided over the axing …
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Wrap, New Republic, @andrewhazlett, @farhip, @awfulannouncing.bsky.social, @dkthomp, @jdawsey1, @sallyjenki, @nickijhabvala, @jadabird, The Daily Beast, @ashleyrparker, @dylanbyers, @bryancurtis, @debbieegeorge, @richarddeitsch, @jstein_wapo, @bryancurtis, @bbaby41.bsky.social, Eschaton and Axios
Wall Street Journal:
A civil subpoena shows the US DOJ is investigating Netflix for potential anticompetitive tactics as DOJ probes the company's proposed acquisition of WBD — As it probes bids for Warner, the department is asking if the streamer has engaged in conduct that could make it a monopoly
Discussion:
Financial Times, Dow Jones Newswires, New York Post, @karlbode.com, Newsmax, Sherwood News, O'Dwyers PR and Cartoon Brew, more at Techmeme »
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Filing: Amazon's spending on content, including music, sports rights, and licensed and produced TV and film, rose 10% YoY to $22.4B — The figure was disclosed Friday in the ecommerce giant's 10-K annual filing with the SEC, a day after Amazon reported fourth quarter 2025 results.
Discussion:
Media Play News
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The Guardian:
The UK raises the TV license fee, the BBC's main funding source, from £174.50 to £180 a year from April 1, saying it gives the BBC a “stable financial footing” — Inflation-linked increase comes as ministers continue to review options for BBC's future funding
Discussion:
Advanced Television, Broadband TV News, GB News, Mirror, The Sun, TVNewsCheck and Telecompaper
Neel Dhanesha / Nieman Lab:
How journalism co-ops Defector, Hell Gate, Aftermath, Coyote, Sequencer, and Range practice horizontal governance, structure their newsrooms, manage ads, more — “If I was less self-directed, I'd probably be freaking out.” — Defector almost didn't exist.
Democracy for Sale:
Docs: a Labour thinktank run by a current UK minister hired a PR firm in 2023 to investigate journalists from the Guardian and other outlets to ID their sources — Labour Together put private investigators onto journalists writing about its funding. Starmer's right-hand man knew. — Peter Geoghegan
Will Oremus / Washington Post:
NewsGuard sues the FTC, alleging censorship after the FTC barred Omnicom from working with NewsGuard as a condition of the ad agency's Interpublic acquisition — NewsGuard files lawsuit alleging censorship after Trump's FTC barred a major ad agency from using its ratings
Discussion:
MediaPost, Deadline, Courthouse News Service, Bloomberg, Raw Story, FIRE, @willoremus.com and @scottnover.bsky.social
Adam Jacobson / Radio & Television Business Report:
SiriusXM reported Q4 net income of $99M vs. $287M a year ago, rev. of $2.19B vs. $2.17B est., and “robust” guidance including an in-car audio focus; SIRI up 9% — Year-over-year sales were flat. Subscriber rolls were down compared to the final three months of 2024.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Benzinga, Radio Ink, Insider Monkey, The Hollywood Reporter, SiriusXM, Inside Radio, Motley Fool and Barrett Media
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Streaming-only Super Bowl ads gain traction among advertisers; source: NBCUniversal charges around $3M for a 30-second ad rather than $7M-$10M for a TV ad — While other Super Bowl sponsors like Instacart, Pringles and Bud Light will trot out famous faces like Ben Stiller …
Discussion:
Oregonian, San Francisco Chronicle, Sports Business Journal, Fox News, Entertainment Weekly, New York Times, Adweek, NPR, Digiday, MLive.com and CNBC
Leo Barraclough / Variety:
Germany is set to introduce an investment commitment obliging streaming services and TV broadcasters to spend 8% of their German revenue on local content — The German government is set to introduce an investment commitment on streaming platforms and TV broadcasters that would oblige …
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, Screen, Broadband TV News and Reuters
Rebecca Rubin / Variety:
Lionsgate hires Kathleen Grace, previously chief strategy officer at AI company Vermillio, as its first-ever chief AI officer to lead AI strategy and execution — Lionsgate is leaning into AI, hiring Kathleen Grace to serve as its first-ever Chief AI Officer.
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Etan Vlessing / The Hollywood Reporter:
Lionsgate reports a Q3 net loss of $46.2M, vs. a $21.9M loss a year earlier, $724.3M in revenue, vs. $705.9M est., motion picture revenue up 35% YoY to $421.2M
Lionsgate reports a Q3 net loss of $46.2M, vs. a $21.9M loss a year earlier, $724.3M in revenue, vs. $705.9M est., motion picture revenue up 35% YoY to $421.2M
Discussion:
Advanced Television, TheDesk.net, Deadline, Variety, Lionsgate, Media Play News and The Wrap
Kenneth Li / Reuters:
Thomson Reuters reports Q4 revenue up 5% YoY to $2B, matching est., and news division organic revenue up 5% to $232M, boosted by licensing deals; TRI falls 7%+ — Thomson Reuters (TRI.TO) reported higher fourth-quarter revenue on Thursday, boosted by its legal, tax and accounting and corporates businesses …
Discussion:
Benzinga, Thomson Reuters, Talking Biz News, Dow Jones Newswires, Wall Street Journal and Associated Press
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