Top News:
Brooks Barnes / New York Times:
A24's Backrooms and Focus' Obsession join a wave of breakout films from young directors who started on YouTube; Backrooms opened to $82M in North American sales — “Backrooms,” a psychological horror flick opening this weekend, is part of a wave of breakout films from fledgling directors who honed their instincts on YouTube.
Discussion:
@markduplass, The Wrap, Variety, Bloomberg, TechCrunch, @mikeisaac, @kevinbankston, Entrepreneur, The Hollywood Reporter, Screen, @vampomarks.bsky.social, Forbes, Variety, World of Reel, ScreenRant, CNN, Media Play News, @velodus.bsky.social, @mikeisaac, Chet Devaskar on LinkedIn, Polygon.com, @aperren.bsky.social, @jmrivera.bsky.social, @teroterotero.bsky.social, @frydawolff.bsky.social, Business Insider, Hollywood Life, Gold Derby, The Verge and TechRadar
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
NBC News launches Meet the Moment Live, a new live-event franchise for Meet the Press, its latest show to try to develop new revenue through live events — Soon people will have an opportunity to really meet “Meet the Press.” — Kristen Welker, the current moderator of the long-running …
Discussion:
Barrett Media, @bristei.bsky.social and NBC News
Sherry Su / Bloomberg:
Sky ends its UAE joint venture with IMI amid criticism of Sky News Arabia's Sudan war coverage; IMI will take full ownership, and Sky will license the brand — Sky UK is ending a news joint venture with International Media Investments in the United Arab Emirates that has come under criticism for its coverage of the civil war in Sudan.
Discussion:
Advanced Television and The Guardian
Max Goldbart / Deadline:
UK TV personality KSI, who has 18.4M YouTube subscribers, says he is exiting his collective The Sidemen, which has 140M+ YouTube subscribers collectively — KSI, one of the world's most popular YouTubers, is exiting his collective The Sidemen. — In a video titled 'I'm leaving …
Discussion:
The Sun, KSI on YouTube, Daily Star, Forbes, @thisisfg_, @manny_official, @sidemen, BBC, @louulive, Sidemen on Instagram, FemaleFirst, @enderman, The Guardian, @mar3lg, Mirror, KRDO and Celebrity Insider
Jesse Whittock / Deadline:
The UK blocks YouTube political commentator Cenk Uygur and Twitch streamer Hasan Piker from entering the UK, meaning both will miss SXSW London talks this week — YouTube political commentator Cenk Uygur and his nephew, Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, have been blocked entry to the UK by the Home Office …
Discussion:
@cenkuygur, Mediaite, Forbes, Washington Examiner, The Post Millennial, Breitbart, Mirror, Kotaku, thenational.scot, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters, New York Post, Metro.co.uk, Politico, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, @conceptualjames, GB News, @cenkuygur, @aaronjmate, @macaesbruno, The Wrap, @msmelchen, @jeremycorbyn, @anakasparian, @cenkuygur, @comicdavesmith, @davidtaylor85, @lewisgoodall.com, @doctor_rahmeh, @saikatc, @cenkuygur, @cenkuygur, @hasanthehun, @taylorlorenz, @ryangrim, Variety and Just Jared
Matthew Keys / TheDesk.net:
DirecTV removes 50+ Scripps local channels from its satellite and online platforms, after a distribution agreement lapsed on Sunday without a new one in place — Satellite and streaming provider DIRECTV was forced to pull more than 50 local channels owned by the E. W. Scripps Company …
New York Times:
Source: Barry Diller's People Inc. prepares an offer for MGM Resorts that values the casino giant at $18B+, seeking the 73.9% stake it does not already own — The mogul's People Inc. is preparing an offer to buy the portion of the casino giant that it doesn't already own, at an $18 billion valuation.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, The Wrap, Reuters, CBS News, Forbes, Financial Times, Yahoo Finance, Barron's Online, @dylanbyers, Bloomberg, Blockonomi, Skift, CNBC and The Hollywood Reporter
Jesse Whittock / Deadline:
RTL closes its acquisition of Sky Deutschland from Comcast for an upfront purchase price of €68M, down from the €150M announced in 2025 — The deal completed this morning, bringing together two of central Europe's big players as entertainment businesses seek consolidation to reach scale and compete against the tech giants.
Discussion:
Advanced Television, Telecompaper, TVBEurope and Broadband TV News
Sukhman Singh / The Athletic:
Inside JioStar's Mumbai-based production facility, the nerve center for IPL cricket streams that have attracted 1.1B+ viewers across TV and streaming in 2026 — The humidity hits on a Mumbai summer afternoon. — The cab was headed to Urmi Estate in Lower Parel, a skyscraper home …
Discussion:
The Indian Express
Kathryn VanArendonk / Vulture:
An interview with Jimmy Kimmel, who says late night TV is “not just dying of natural causes” but being “poisoned”, ABC told him his show is profitable, and more — “There are a lot of people offering to help me who have no ability to help me,” Jimmy Kimmel says with a laugh.
Discussion:
Variety, @kvanaren.bsky.social, @megh.bsky.social and @variety
Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
Zee Entertainment secures Indian broadcast and streaming rights to 39 FIFA soccer events spanning 2026 to 2034, including the FIFA World Cups in 2026 and 2030 — Zee Entertainment Enterprises has secured Indian broadcast and streaming rights to 39 FIFA soccer events spanning 2026 to 2034 …
Discussion:
Sports Business Journal, MediaNews4U, Bloomberg, Reuters, Fortune India, BMI and Business Today
Max Tani / Semafor:
NYPR's new CEO Christy Tanner, a CBS News veteran, has eliminated many senior figures, surprising staff and unsettling some of its remaining leaders — The Scoop — In her first four months on the job, the new CEO of New York Public Radio has swiftly eliminated many of its seniormost figures …
