Mediagazer: Antenna: ad-supported tiers make up ~50% of all US premium subscription VOD sign-ups; ad tiers drove 78% of ~65M net subscriber adds in the past nine quarters (Wall Street Journal)

Adam Jacobson / Radio & Television Business Report:

Salem Media agrees to be acquired by The Christian Community Foundation, doing business as WaterStone, in a deal that will take Salem Media private — Salem Media Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by The Christian Community Foundation, Inc., doing business as WaterStone …

Discussion: Pulse 2.0, Barrett Media, @larryoconnor, @johnnycast60804, @ounkaonx, HotAir, Inside Radio, Radio Ink, Barrett Media, NewsMax.com, Salem Media Group, Inc. and Radio World

Rohan Goswami / Semafor:

Paramount sent a letter to California AG Rob Bonta last week saying “Paramount and WBD have every intention” to keep filling theaters in the state and worldwide — THE SCOOP — Paramount is racing to reassure Hollywood that its takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery …

Discussion: Variety, American Prospect, @chevistian1, PYMNTS, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, @shipwreckedintexas …, @ooccouchgags, Reuters, Paramount Skydance Corporation, @rogoswami, @variety, @tvgrimreaper, The Wrap, The Post Millennial and TheDesk.net

Gene Maddaus / Variety:

SAG-AFTRA's tentative contract lets studios use synthetic actors if they add “significant” value and requires bargaining if studios license performances for AI — The deal, unveiled on Monday, allows studios to use synthetic performers only if they bring “significant additional value” to a project.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter and The Wrap

John Koblin / New York Times:

YouTube is shifting its creator monetization strategy by acting as a matchmaker between creators and sponsors, as Netflix and TikTok increasingly woo creators — The company is trying to help streaming influencers, who are increasingly being wooed by competitors like Netflix and TikTok.

Discussion: Tubefilter, Wall Street Journal, Financial Post, Social Media Today, WeRSM, PCMag, MediaPost and Communicate Online

Wall Street Journal:

Antenna: ad-supported tiers make up ~50% of all US premium subscription VOD sign-ups; ad tiers drove 78% of ~65M net subscriber adds in the past nine quarters — Advertiser spending on streaming is projected to hit $20 billion by 2029, as consumers flock to cheaper ad-supported plans

Discussion: eMarketer and Jamnews in English

Sam Schube / Wall Street Journal:

A profile of Kareem Rahma, host of Subway Takes, which has 2M Instagram followers, as he prepares to launch 10-episode YouTube series Keep the Meter Running — Kareem Rahma is making programs for the one screen everyone's watching — | Photography by Tonje Thilesen for WSJ. Magazine

Discussion: Cultured Mag and Deadline

Tim Starks / CyberScoop:

Google launches Intrusion Logging, a feature developed with Reporters Without Borders and others to log sophisticated attacks, on Android 16 Pixel devices — Intrusion Logging marks the first feature from a major device vendor to aid with forensic detection of sophisticated threats, Amnesty International said.

Discussion: Amnesty International … and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »

Sarah Fielding / Fast Company:

BuzzFeed's shares jump 90.44% following the deal with Allen Family Digital; BuzzFeed plans to set up BuzzFeed Studios and Tasty as a new independent entity — Allen will become CEO, while founder Jonah Peretti will transition to a new role. BuzzFeed shares had been trading at under a dollar for most of 2026.

Max Goldbart / Deadline:

Ofcom is investigating GB News over a Trump interview from November for “due impartiality and material misleadingness”, after initially declining to investigate — Ofcom will probe GB News over a Donald Trump interview after all. — The UK regulator, which has been in something …

Sara Fischer / Axios:

ProPublica says it is launching a regional reporting hub in California, covering issues including tech and housing plus the state's role in national politics — ProPublica is launching a new regional reporting hub in California as part of a broader effort to grow its investigative footprint across the country.

Discussion: Tyson Evans on LinkedIn

Mark Sweney / The Guardian:

In a meeting, the BBC announces a pay freeze for executive committee members, the organization's 12 highest-paid bosses, including the director general — Workers told to be realistic about outcome of union talks as corporation aims to make savings with job cuts

Emma Roth / The Verge:

Nonprofit RSL Media launches the Human Consent Standard, an AI licensing framework for use of people's work or likeness, backed by George Clooney and others — This new standard will allow people to set terms for how AI systems can use their likenesses and creative works.

Discussion: Variety, The Register and @marcmaxmeister.bsky.social