Top News:
Katie Deighton / Wall Street Journal:
OpenAI acquires tech news show TBPN, promising editorial independence; TBPN was on track to make over $30M in revenue in 2026 and will wind down its ad business — TBPN staff will help with marketing and communications at OpenAI but keep their editorial independence, the ChatGPT parent says
Discussion:
Business Insider, OpenAI, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, @johncoogan, Axios, The Information, Forbes, Tubefilter, @sama, SiliconANGLE, On my Om, TechCrunch, @eriktorenberg, CNBC, The Hill, @jessicalessin, Dow Jones Newswires, New York Times, Wired, Implicator.ai, XDA Developers, @zebulgar, @paris.nyc, @dblumenfeld, @parkerortolani, @joshsternberg.com, 9to5Mac, @miles_brundage, @bdanweiss, @jbsdc, ZeroHedge News, @alexshultz.bsky.social, Pulse 2.0, Bloomberg, @pitdesi, TBPN on YouTube, @joannastern, @alexrkonrad, @pinemikey.bsky.social, @danshipper, @tbpn, Jordi Hays on LinkedIn, @nicholas_shawa, @mikeisaac, Yossi J Levi on LinkedIn, @scobleizer, Tech in Asia, @willmanidis, @mikeisaac, @jason, @absoluttig, @jaltma, @ricburton, @dylanabruscato, Jaspreet Singh on LinkedIn, @caseynewton.bsky.social, @mikeisaac, @chaykak, @austin_rief, @isolyth.dev, @miles_brundage, @ti_morse, @jordihays, @mgsiegler, The Wrap, @aagave, @lindsmccallum, @edzitron, @mikeisaac, @edzitron, @scobleizer, @dylanabruscato, @loudmouthjulia, @joelleeman, Variety, Deadline, Inc.com, TBPN, The Hollywood Reporter, Yahoo Finance, Talking Biz News, Benzinga, The Verge and Daring Fireball, more at Techmeme »
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George Hammond / Financial Times:
Source: OpenAI bought TBPN, which has 11 staffers and averages about 70,000 viewers per daily episode, for “low hundreds of millions of dollars” — ChatGPT-maker moves into broadcasting with deal for TBPN after it had pledged to abandon ‘side-quests’
Discussion:
Business Insider, Wall Street Journal, The Information, PitchBook, Feed Me and The Economic Times, more at Techmeme »
Katie Deighton / Wall Street Journal:
WME is selling sports marketing agency 160over90 to Publicis Groupe for, sources say, $500M+; WME bought the agency in 2018 for about $200M — Publicis Groupe is set to acquire 160over90 in a bid to win more of advertisers' spending in sports — Publicis Groupe is acquiring …
David Pierce / The Verge:
Flipboard launches Surf, an app for creating custom feeds from Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, RSS, podcasts, and YouTube, after over a year in beta — It combines Bluesky, Mastodon, RSS, and other content into something that feels entirely new. … Surf is a slightly hard app to explain.
Discussion:
Engadget, CNET, TechCrunch, Ben Werdmuller, @jglypt, Surf and @marcimccue.bsky.social, more at Techmeme »
Erik Wemple / New York Times:
Judges have now cited verbal attacks on the press by Trump and appointees when ruling against the US government in at least three cases involving news outlets — Judges have cited attacks on the press by the president and his appointees when ruling against the government in at least three court cases.
Discussion:
@brianstelter.bsky.social, @juliannemcshane.bsky.social and @boutrousted
The Intercept:
In an amicus brief, 42 media outlets and advocates argue Trump's EO targeting some law firms restricts media access to pro bono and inexpensive legal counsel — A cohort of 42 media organizations and press freedom advocates filed an amicus brief supporting court decisions against Trump's attempts …
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
An interview with WSJ EIC Emma Tucker on increasing digital-only subscriptions by 30% to 4.29M since 2023, culture change, events, print, AI tools, and more — The Wall Street Journal's recent run of subscriptions growth is not down to an accident or luck, editor-in-chief Emma Tucker has made clear.
Discussion:
The Wrap and Talking Biz News
Casey Newton / Platformer:
Sources: Meta has told members of its Oversight Board that it may stop funding the board after 2028, though eliminating all funding is not its preferred option — Shifting priorities and budget pressures could bring an end to the company's experiment in independent governance, sources say
Matthew Gault / 404 Media:
A photojournalist and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press sue the FAA over a ban on flying drones within 3,000 feet of DHS buildings and vehicles — Minnesota photojournalist Rob Levine and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press are suing the Federal Aviation Administration …
Reuters:
Australia says it will ban gambling ads featuring celebrities and limit online gambling ads to logged-in users over 18 starting in 2027 — Australia said it would ban gambling advertisements featuring celebrities and limit online gambling advertisements to internet users over 18 from next year …
Discussion:
eMarketer, @davidpurdum, Sports Business Journal, 9News, SBS News, Guardian Australia on YouTube, @owenrask, 9 News Australia on YouTube, 9News, The Conversation, @albomp, @tmfscottp, iGB, Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, The Australian, The Guardian, The Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald, ABC, BBC, Daily Mail, The Guardian, Bloomberg, Sportico, Mumbrella and Australian Financial Review
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Versant buys StockStory, an AI-powered service that generates reports with investment advice to support CNBC; PitchBook: the startup has raised $3.2M since 2020 — Versant, the publicly traded cable spinoff from Comcast, has acquired StockStory, an AI-powered platform that generates reports …
Discussion:
TV Tech, Business Wire, Deep Bagchee on LinkedIn, The Wrap and Deadline
Nellie Andreeva / Deadline:
J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot is closing its Los Angeles office and is expected to open a New York office, working with a smaller in-house team and outside producers — Word of the restructuring quickly spread around Hollywood Thursday despite the day being a major Jewish holiday, Passover.
Discussion:
Variety, The Wrap, New York Post and The Hollywood Reporter
