Top News:
Wall Street Journal:
Source: Rupert Murdoch warned Trump at a dinner in February that if streamers gained rights to more games, including NFL games, it would kill broadcast networks — Fox founder lobbies Trump to preserve air rights for broadcasters as powerful streamers encroach on their turf
The Athletic:
Sources: Netflix will air the NFL's first-ever regular-season game in Australia, featuring the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams on September 10 — Netflix will air the NFL's first-ever regular-season game from Australia during this year's opening week, sources briefed on the move tell The Athletic.
Discussion:
Between The Hashmarks, Media Play News, The Streamable, Sports Business Journal, Puck, @ourand_puck, @andrewmarchand, Sports Business Journal, New York Post, @tvgrimreaper, Bleacher Report, @andrewmarchand, Barrett Media, Sports Business Journal, Sports Business Journal, Awful Announcing, @mysportsupdate, NBCSports.com, Awful Announcing, Associated Press, Deadspin, The Charlotte Observer and San Francisco Chronicle
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Sony Pictures reports FY 2025 revenue flat YoY to $9.9B; Sony Music reports FY 2025 sales up 15% YoY to $13.46B, and operating income up 25% to a record $2.85B — Music segment revenue up 15% for fiscal year, PlayStation sales flat — Sony Pictures Entertainment revenue came in roughly flat …
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, Media Play News, Sony Group and Deadline, more at Techmeme »
Tim Page / New York Times:
Manuela Hoelterhoff, who won a 1983 Pulitzer for arts criticism at the WSJ and later wrote a book about the backstage world of opera, died on Wednesday at 77 — She won the top journalism honor for criticism while with The Wall Street Journal. She later wrote a wry, perceptive book about the backstage world of opera.
Discussion:
Editor and Publisher, @billkristol, Onward and Upward, @davidasmanfox, Wall Street Journal, Slippedisc and Talking Biz News
On Substack:
Q&A with Emily Sundberg about her business, tech, and culture newsletter Feed Me, building a media business on Substack from scratch, paywalls, and more — Building a media business from scratch, why she's tired of being asked how much she makes, and where Feed Me is going next
Discussion:
@mattmarlinski, @anuatluru, @michaeloburns, @jameygannon, @hamishmckenzie, @tweetsweet, @substack, @hamishmckenzie and Feed Me
Oliver Darcy / Status:
Letter: Freedom of the Press Foundation and RSF seek Paramount's records over reports the Ellisons allegedly agreed to compromise CNN to secure the WBD deal — Two press freedom groups that hold Paramount shares are demanding internal records over concerns the Ellisons have agreed to compromise …
Corbin Bolies / The Wrap:
News Corp reports Q3 revenue up 9% YoY to $2.19B, vs. $2.11B est., WSJ subscriptions up 8% to 4.7M, and News Media circulation and subscription revenue up 7% — The company saw its revenue grow 9% during its third fiscal quarter boosted by its Dow Jones, real estate services and book publishing divisions
Discussion:
Publishers Weekly, Mumbrella, Yahoo Finance, New York Post, A Media Operator, Dow Jones Newswires, News Corp and Capital Brief
Lily Ford / The Hollywood Reporter:
Substack says paid subscriptions to creators in the UK, its second-largest market, hit 500K+; global paid subs hit 5M+, with 50+ creators earning $1M+ annually — Charli XCX and Jamie Oliver are among the high-profile Brits currently using Substack, as the platform reveals exclusive new data …
Pew Research Center:
Surveys: half of US adults under 50 get health info from influencers or podcasts; 86% of health influencers are on Instagram, 62% on TikTok, and 45% on YouTube — Half of U.S. adults under 50 say they get health and wellness information from social media influencers or podcasts.
Discussion:
Galen Stocking on LinkedIn, CNET, New York Times, The 19th, Vox, Wall Street Journal and The Keyword
Bloomberg:
Sources: Elliott Management selected Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase to lead a combined London IPO of book retailers Barnes & Noble and Waterstones Booksellers — Elliott Management Corp. has selected banks to lead a combined initial public offering of book retailers Barnes & Noble Inc …
Vaishnavi Mishra / NDTV Profit:
Axios Middle East correspondent Barak Ravid rejected allegations that his outlet coordinated with oil market insiders ahead of his story on a US-Iran peace deal — Reports cited Iranian political analyst Mohammad Marandi as claiming that Trump, his envoy Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law Jared Kushner …
Discussion:
@laurnorman, @barakravid, @jakewilkns, @alexbward, @barakravid, @deitaone, @barakravid, @luismorenolg, @caronpolymarket and VINnews
Etan Vlessing / The Hollywood Reporter:
Starz reports a Q1 net loss of $164.9M on revenue of $306.9M, compared with $330.6M in Q1 2025, and forecasts positive YoY streaming revenue growth in FY 2026 — No longer disclosing subscriber counts, the now-solo Starz marked a year from separating from Lionsgate as it looks to grow its streaming TV platform.
Discussion:
Media Play News, Starz Entertainment LLC, The Wrap, Decider and Deadline
