Top News:
Todd Spangler / Variety:
FCC filing: Paramount says the merged Paramount-WBD will be 49.5% owned by foreign investors, with ~38.5% of the equity held by a trio of Middle Eastern funds — Paramount Skydance said the merged Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery will be 49.5% owned by foreign investors …
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Ashley Carman / Bloomberg:
Spotify reports Q1 revenue up 8% YoY to €4.53B, MAUs up 12% YoY to 761M, above 759M est., and forecasts Q2 operating income below est.; SPOT drops 10%+ — Spotify Technology SA, the music streaming leader, reported results that underwhelmed Wall Street, forecasting operating income …
Zack Sharf / Variety:
President Trump says “Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC” over Kimmel's joke about Melania Trump — Just hours after his wife, Melania, wrote in an X post that ABC must “take a stand” against Kimmel and his “atrocious behavior,” Trump took to his Truth Social account …
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Madeline Halpert / BBC:
Melania Trump calls on ABC to “take a stand” on Jimmy Kimmel, after his joke that she has “a glow like an expectant widow” days before the WHCD shooting — First Lady Melania Trump called late-night host Jimmy Kimmel a “coward” after he made a joke calling her an …
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The Guardian:
Australia unveils a draft News Bargaining Incentive scheme that imposes a 2.25% levy on local revenues for platforms; Meta says the government is “simply wrong” — Google also rejects need for reform after Albanese government reveals draft news bargaining incentive scheme
Reuters:
Bertelsmann agrees to combine BMG with Concord in a cash-and-stock deal giving it a 67% stake; Concord shareholders will receive a 33% stake and $1.16B in cash — Bertelsmann (BTGGg.F) will combine its music division BMG with rival Concord in a deal that would create the world's fourth …
Max Tani / Semafor:
Sources: Axel Springer and Politico execs met with staff after a letter from employees accused Mathias Döpfner of using Politico to promote his political agenda — The Scoop — Executives at Politico and its parent company, Axel Springer, held a meeting on Monday with its journalists …
Discussion:
@maxwelltani, @jonahdispatch, @elianayjohnson and @slowhoneybee
Ben Fritz / Wall Street Journal:
Regal Cinemas charged $50 for opening-night tickets to Dune: Part Three in premium formats, as the industry adopts airline-style audience segmentation — Theaters raising prices for most avid moviegoers despite complaints from Hollywood studios — One of the best selling points of a night …
Discussion:
Entrepreneur, @dangillmor@mastodon.social, The US Sun and The Independent
Rebecca Stewart / Adweek:
WPP reports Q1 revenue down 6.6% YoY to £3.3B and revenue less pass-through costs down 8.9% to £2.3B, its ninth quarter of decline — Rose will now only lead updates at WPP's half-year and full-year results, the company told ADWEEK … The numbers
Discussion:
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Jay Peters / The Verge:
Google launches Ask YouTube, a conversational AI search “experiment” that generates pages with videos and text summaries, for Premium users in the US aged 18+ — ‘Ask YouTube’ is a new way to search that generates an AI Mode-like page of information.
Discussion:
WinBuzzer, Android Authority, The Decoder, Search Engine Land, PCMag, Digit, Digital Trends, Phandroid, Engadget and Korea Joongang Daily, more at Techmeme »
Alexandra Steigrad / New York Post:
Sources: CBS News ousted London bureau chief Claire Day after clashes with Bari Weiss over Iran, Gaza coverage; Shayndi Raice will lead international coverage — CBS News has ousted London bureau chief Claire Day after she clashed with editor-in-chief Bari Weiss over the network's coverage of Iran and Gaza, The Post has learned.
Discussion:
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New York Times:
Barry Diller announces a broad overhaul of IAC, changing its name to People, with a focus on its publishing business and MGM stake, and will cut 77 positions — The artificial intelligence giant has reportedly fallen behind on its own user and revenue targets, raising questions about its data center and I.P.O. plans
Discussion:
The Wrap, IAC, Variety, Telegraph, CNBC, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, @symmetry_invest, PYMNTS.com, Decrypt and Semafor, more at Techmeme »
