Top News:
Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
ITV says advertising revenues from the World Cup are about 30% higher than those from Euro 2024; Telemundo says it sold out of key World Cup ad inventory — Spending by US tech companies and major expansion of 2026 tournament lift revenues at struggling UK broadcaster
Discussion:
Laura Wootton on LinkedIn, The Guardian, The Sun, Deadline, Digiday, The Hollywood Reporter and The Drum
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Samuel Agini / Financial Times:
A look at the race to capture audiences with FIFA World Cup-related content on YouTube, podcasts, social media, and at live events, beyond live match broadcasts — YouTube, podcasts and live events are opening new ways to monetise the tournament — It is the moment football media companies …
Discussion:
Barrett Media, CNET, New York Times, The Indian Express, iPhone in Canada and YouTube Official Blog
Natalie Korach / Status:
Sources: Lesley Stahl has inked a new two-year contract to remain a correspondent on 60 Minutes; her most recent deals were year-to-year — It's done. Lesley Stahl has inked a new contract to remain as a correspondent on “60 Minutes,” according to people familiar with the matter.
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Ted Johnson / Deadline:
WSJ asks a judge to toss out Trump's revised defamation lawsuit over its Jeffrey Epstein letter story, saying it is a “re-package” of claims already dismissed — Trump's new lawsuit, the Journal's legal team wrote, “does not remedy any of the defects identified in the court's dismissal order.
Discussion:
Talking Biz News, The Wrap, Courthouse News Service, Mediaite, Bloomberg and Raw Story
Clare Duffy / CNN:
Sen. Maggie Hassan's report: Spotify removed 3,500 podcast accounts and 57,000 episodes promoting illegal online pharmacies between May and November 2025 — Spotify has removed tens of thousands of phony podcasts promoting illegal online pharmacies, a new investigation has found …
Discussion:
Wired, Business Insider and Variety
Max Goldbart / Deadline:
BBC Storyville plans to start making premium short documentaries alongside features for the first time, with 10- to 40-minute films for BBC Four and BBC iPlayer — The storied BBC documentary strand will begin making premium short docs alongside features for the first time …
Discussion:
Televisual and BBC
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
El País publisher says the Spanish newspaper, which launched its first paywall in May 2020, hit 442,092 digital subscribers by the end of 2025 and is profitable — The publisher of Spanish newspaper El Pais has set its sights on expansion in the Americas after six years of massive growth in terms of paying online readers.
Discussion:
Digiday
Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:
An interview with The Times publisher Christopher Longcroft on digital revenue overtaking print soon, traffic growth despite Google changes, AI tools, and more — The Times is close to “cresting the hill” in terms of digital revenue overtaking print, according to executive vice president and publisher Christopher Longcroft.
Terrence O'Brien / The Verge:
Deezer launches an AI music detection tool for users of 20 services, including Spotify and Apple Music, after no company licensed its AI detection tech — Since the competition won't buy their tech, they're bringing it directly to users. … Deezer will now scan your playlists …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Deezer Newsroom, The Decoder, Esquire, Thurrott, Music Ally, The Next Web, Reuters, Digital Trends, Music Business Worldwide, TechRadar and MacRumors, more at Techmeme »
Ethan Millman / The Hollywood Reporter:
The National Music Publishers' Association announces licensing agreements with AI music generation platforms Udio and Klay at its annual meeting — The National Music Publishers' Association used its annual meeting to unveil deals with Udio and Klay, even as the major trade org says its being vigilant about “bad actor” AI companies.
Discussion:
CMU, Music Ally, Music Business Worldwide, Digital Music News and Billboard
James Faris / Business Insider:
Sources: Paramount is on pace to unify tech platforms for Paramount+ and Pluto TV this summer, keeping the services separate and “redeploying” some employees — Paramount Skydance is preparing to move around some streaming staffers as David Ellison's company wraps up its long-term project …
Discussion:
TheDesk.net, Cord Cutters News, The Next Web and @karlbode.com
Kylie Madry / Reuters:
DAZN strikes a deal to bring DirecTV Latin America's DSPORTS channels with all World Cup matches to its platform in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay — Sports streaming platform DAZN, backed by British-American billionaire Len Blavatnik, said it had struck a deal …
Discussion:
DAZN, Media Play News, Advanced Television and Sports Video Group
