Top News:
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
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 …
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.
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.
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
Kerry Flynn / Axios:
Sources: marketing tech startup AppsFlyer raised a $1B Series E at a $2.7B post-money valuation; Moloco, Google, Meta, and Unity acquire minority stakes — AppsFlyer has raised more than $1 billion in Series E funding at a $2.7 billion post-money valuation, Axios has learned from sources familiar with the financing.
Discussion:
CTech, Kerry Flynn on LinkedIn and Ben Billingsley on LinkedIn
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:
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:
MediaPost, Sports Business Journal, ESPN Press Room U.S. and Deadline
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, The Wrap, Meta Newsroom, The Next Web and Engadget, more at Techmeme »
Mallory Moench / BBC:
Israeli strikes kill Al Jazeera correspondent Ahmed Wishah, claiming he was “a sniper operative”; Al Jazeera says it “strongly condemns” the killing of Wishah — Israeli strikes in Gaza have killed at least six people, including an Al Jazeera cameraman and at least one child …
Discussion:
Al Jazeera, @simonrosenberg.bsky.social, RTÉ, New York Post, The Times of Israel, NBC News, The Guardian, Associated Press and Arab News
Martin Peers / The Information:
WPP Media expects ad revenue from AI search and chatbots to reach $5.1B in 2026 and $101B in 2030, but notes lack of historical data makes forecasting difficult — If you've wanted to visit the South of France, this might be the week. The annual Cannes Lion ad festival …
Discussion:
The American Bazaar and Digiday
Andy Baio / Waxy.org:
A case of brazen copyright infringement of John Koenig's The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, part of a trend where people use AI to repackage and replace sources — Last week, a MetaFilter member posted a link to what appeared to be a new website for The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows …
