Top News:
Michael Schneider / Variety:
CBS issued takedown notices to YouTube users over Stephen Colbert's return to public access series Only in Monroe, but says it will stand down after outcry — Yes, it's true, Paramount/CBS had been issuing takedown notices to YouTube users who were uploading bootleg copies …
Discussion:
The Wrap, The Desk on YouTube, LateNighter, @michellekinney, Reality Tea, Mediaite, @hammancheez.bsky.social, @robertscotthorton.bsky.social, @tombunchofnumbers.bsky.social, @chiky_handlr, New York Post, @scottdagostino.ca, Kotaku, @rebeccaaguilar, @jimiadams.bsky.social, NME, Deadline, @laurenshirleyj.bsky.social, @omgitsemilyward, @livelaughnot, @julieroginsky, @jonpaula, @adamrose.bsky.social, @crabapplejones.bsky.social, @socialmedialab.ca, The Hollywood Reporter, @twstedtv.bsky.social, @bristei.bsky.social, @maxkennerly.bsky.social, Associated Press, Decider, WJBK-TV, Billboard, Us Weekly, E! Online, New York Times, Showbiz411, CNBC, Consequence, Mother Jones and Rolling Stone
RELATED:
Lucas Manfredi / The Wrap:
CBS says Colbert's Only in Monroe episode was financed and produced by CBS Studios but it has decided to stop issuing takedown notices “until additional review” — And why the network has suspended its effort to police unauthorized versions of the public access show online
Discussion:
NBC News, Reality Tea, TheDesk.net, @justadude-69.bsky.social, @matthewkeyslive, Page Six, The Detroit News, NPR, Boing Boing and Variety
Tariq Panja / New York Times:
Sources: Fox is paying $485M for 2026 World Cup broadcast rights, an estimated $500M to $1B below market value, after FIFA moved to avoid litigation with Fox — A decision to stave off litigation between Fox and FIFA turned into a bonanza worth hundreds of millions of dollars in discounted World Cup rights to the broadcaster.
Discussion:
@anotherdancohen, Australian Financial Review and The Athletic
RELATED:
Mark Stenberg / Adweek:
eMarketer: live sports TV ad spend in the US will top $20B in 2027 and hit ~$25B by 2030, growing 27% from 2026 to 2030, 4x the rate of the overall TV ad market — Live sports advertising is set to become a more than $20 billion business in 2027, growing far faster than the broader television market …
Adi Robertson / The Verge:
The US FTC settles with Cox, MindSift, and 1010 Digital Works for $930K over claims they falsely said they could use phone mics to spy on users for ad targeting — More specifically, it was fined for allegedly lying by claiming that it could. … An exceptionally weird controversy has come …
Reuters:
Handelsblatt: the EU plans to fine Google a high triple-digit million euro amount as part of a 2025 probe over concerns it favors its own services in Search — The European Union is planning to fine Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google a high triple-digit million euro amount as part of an antitrust investigation …
Discussion:
ResearchBuzz, Silicon Republic, Neowin, Benzinga, SiliconANGLE, Reuters and @justinhendrix.bsky.social, more at Techmeme »
Lakshmi Varanasi / Business Insider:
X says it is cracking down on large accounts that have been gaming its revenue-sharing program by “programmatically reuploading content from smaller accounts” — X is introducing new strategies to rein in its copycat economy. — Elon Musk's social media platform is now cracking …
Discussion:
@ianmiles, @jarvis_best, @saurabhverma, @nikitabier, @rainmaker1973, @beffjezos, Social Media Today, @jason, @rainmaker1973, @patel_patriot, @marionawfal, @pitdesi, @devahaz, @fb_filmanalysis, @tomwarren, @nikitabier, @devahaz, WeRSM, @nikitabier, @datachaz, @marionawfal, @djsnm, @rainmaker1973, Livemint, @ianmiles, @minchoi, @nikitabier, @rnaudbertrand, @rainmaker1973, @congressdj, @being_humor, @nikitabier, @nikitabier, @allegrajacchia, @viralrushx, @greg16676935420, @adriandittmann, @thefigen_, @nicholasmoreano, @viralrushx, @rainmaker1973, @lolhith07, @coreyseidman, @jason, @nikitabier, @cremieuxrecueil, @dsonoiki, @nikitabier and Digital Trends, more at Techmeme »
Scott Nover / Washington Post:
Some Vox staffers express cautious optimism about James Murdoch's acquisition, noting that he is saying all the right things about long-form journalism — James Murdoch is taking over New York magazine and Vox, building a different media company than his father's. — Summary
Discussion:
@scottnover, @scottnover.bsky.social and Pulse 2.0
Politico:
The US DOJ charges Thomas Pauken II, a US journalist who worked for Chinese state-run news outlets, for allegedly acting as an unregistered agent for China — The individual Pauken reached out to, who is not named in public court papers, “was not hired for the exact job he wanted …
Lewis Parker / Kotaku:
Sources: Valnet issued new “Pay Per Session” contracts to TheGamer staff, including not paying writers if their articles do not exceed a minimum views threshold — Editors and writers at the Valnet-owned site TheGamer will now reportedly not be paid for their work if their articles do not accrue enough views
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
ITN rebrands its ITN Archive YouTube channel as Frontline by ITN, with a £3.99-per-month subscription option, and launches two new consumer-facing channels — Move supports digitisation of the ITN archive on new Frontline by ITN channel. — ITN has expanded the use of its archive footage …
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Love Island brought Peacock ~2M new subscribers in 2025, a rare bright spot after ~$1B in recent losses; Comcast says Peacock has 46M subscribers — Reality-dating show ‘Love Island USA’ got off to an unremarkable start, then scorched in season seven. Can it heat up another summer for Peacock?
