Top News:
Ted Johnson / Deadline:
ABC is airing direct appeals to its audience for The View and for stations it owns, asking viewers to comment on FCC actions challenging the show and stations — The spots, which will start airing on Monday, are the latest pushback from The Walt Disney Co. and the network …
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, TheDesk.net, Washington Post, The Hill, New York Times, Fox News, The Guardian, CNN, New York Sun, @brendancarrfcc, The Daily Caller, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Wrap, @jeremymbarr, Variety, Reality Tea, Washington Examiner, Reuters, Cord Cutters News, Bloomberg and Just Jared
Ben Fritz / Wall Street Journal:
Google invests in independent movie studio A24 as part of a new AI partnership; sources say Google is investing $75M, equal to what Thrive invested in 2024 — Search giant is putting about $75 million into the film company as part of an artificial-intelligence research partnership
Discussion:
TechCrunch, /Film, Reuters, The Keyword, IndieWire, The A.V. Club, The Next Web, Los Angeles Times, Gizmodo, Scott Belsky on LinkedIn, DualShockers, Inc.com, Screen, Neil Parris on LinkedIn, Consequence, The Wrap, Digital Trends, San Francisco Business Times, The Verge, Hindustan Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Decrypt, Variety, Proactive, How-To Geek, @discussingfilm.net, Helena Malikova on LinkedIn, Sherwood News, Far Out Magazine, @jeffjarvis.bsky.social, Showbiz411, Yahoo Finance, Ben Fritz on LinkedIn, World of Reel, Deadline and The Decoder, more at Techmeme »
Max Tani / Semafor:
The Atlantic ramps up its video podcasts, doubling its video team from ~10 to ~20, and says its podcast revenue is up 104% YoY and downloads rose ~50% YoY — One of America's oldest magazines is investing in video after seeing notable growth in its audience in recent months.
Discussion:
@johnspurlock
New York Times:
People Inc., a major food content creator, is ramping up social media video production that emphasizes human-made recipes and testing to stand out from AI slop — People Inc., the home of Food & Wine and Southern Living, publishes more food content than anyone else.
Katie Kilkenny / The Hollywood Reporter:
Instagram is testing horizontal video on Instagram for TV, plans to experiment with longer-form storytelling and episodic series, and launches on Samsung TV — The Meta-owned company is going decidedly retro by experimenting with time-honored video formats with its creators.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Meta Newsroom, The Wrap, PYMNTS, Neowin, Digital Trends, WeRSM, @kennysmith.org, The Next Web, Engadget and iThinkDifferent
Mark Bergen / Bloomberg:
Getty Images signs a licensing deal with OpenAI, letting its image library appear in ChatGPT's search and discovery features; GETY jumps 120%+ and is up 5%+ YTD — Shares of Getty Images Holdings Inc. jumped about 200% in premarket trading on Monday after the photography repository announced a licensing deal with OpenAI.
Discussion:
Forbes, Yahoo Finance, Benzinga, Digital Trends, The Decoder, The Decoder, GlobeNewswire News Room, @danyahenninger.bsky.social, Engadget, The Next Web, Proactive, ZeroHedge News, Blockonomi, PetaPixel, @kennysmith.org, Fast Company, Zeina Tabbara on LinkedIn and iThinkDifferent, more at Techmeme »
Ben Sisario / New York Times:
Clive Davis, one of music's most powerful executives who guided Aretha Franklin, Barry Manilow, and Whitney Houston's careers, dies at 94 — He rose from a midlevel position at Columbia Records to become one of music's most powerful executives, shepherding stars like Barry Manilow and Whitney Houston.
Discussion:
Billboard, HuffPost, Reuters, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap, Deadline, Forbes, HOLA!, David Ellis on LinkedIn, Reality Tea, RADAR, Digital Music News, Instapundit, @katiestereo.bsky.social, Hypebot, Daily Mail, @canaansdad1987.bsky.social, Vanity Fair, Mirror, KFOR-TV, Vibe, The Stranger, E! Online, HELLO!, Daily Star, Fox News, Us Weekly, TMZ.com, The Detroit News, Los Angeles Times, Page Six, The Sun, Rolling Stone, Just Jared, TODAY.com, @newyorktheater.bsky.social, @larrytenney.bsky.social, Suggest, Bossip, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, KOIN.com and WPXI-TV
Borys Kit / The Hollywood Reporter:
Netflix wins rights to the Sesame Street movie; Rideback, the production company behind live-action Lilo & Stitch and Aladdin movies, will produce the feature — Rideback, the production company behind the billion-dollar live-action “Lilo & Stitch” and “Aladdin” movies, brought it to the studio and will produce.
Discussion:
Gizmodo, IGN, Just Jared, @rwmead.bsky.social, World of Reel and The InSneider
PYMNTS:
Walmart integrates its US and international ad operations into one framework and rebrands Sam's Club Member Access Platform to Sam's Club Connect — Walmart is integrating its advertising operations into one framework amid growing ad revenue. — Get the Full Story
Discussion:
Walmart Inc.
Associated Press:
Staff of Czech public broadcasters stage a warning strike, protesting government plans to shift funding from license fees to the state budget starting next year — Journalists and other employees formed a human chain around the Czech public radio in Prague on Monday as part of a warning strike …
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Guardian and Newser
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Disney plans an interactive hub called ESPN Fan House alongside ESPN's College GameDay in August, with fan experiences like live polls and merchandise showcases — Disney wants to help advertisers reach more of the sports fans under its own roof. — The entertainment giant this August …
Discussion:
Adweek, Sports Business Journal, ESPN Press Room U.S., MediaPost and Deadline
Echo Wang / Reuters:
Sources: Vimeo owner Bending Spoons seeks to raise ~$1.62B in a US IPO, selling 58M shares at $26 to $28 apiece, at a valuation of $19B at the top of the range — Bending Spoons, an Italian technology company that acquires and revamps software businesses, is seeking to raise as much as $1.62 billion …
Discussion:
The Next Web and Finimize, more at Techmeme »
