Mediagazer: A look at the declining representation of LGBTQ+ characters on TV, as smaller audiences and slow growth pressure execs to cater to “safer” mainstream audiences (Jose Alejandro Bastidas/The Wrap)

Max Tani / Semafor:

Documents: The Daily Wire, founded by conservative podcaster Ben Shapiro in 2015, seeks to raise at least $100M in a round that would value the company at $750M — The Scoop — The Daily Wire, one of the biggest players in conservative media, is in talks to take on at least $100 million in investment …

Discussion: @solomonrmissouri.com, @steveschulz.bsky.social, @normjess@tech.lgbt, @paleofuture.bsky.social and @semafor.com

Discussion: Ad Age, WeRSM, The Ankler and Martech Record

Perry Stein / Washington Post:

Source: the US DOJ sought to force WaPo and WSJ reporters to testify before a grand jury but withdrew the subpoenas this month after the outlets challenged them — Subpoenas for reporters to appear before a grand jury are exceedingly rare. The journalists have not testified. — Summary

Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:

A UK report on the plan to require social platforms to prominently show “trustworthy news” acknowledges that criteria for trustworthiness are yet to be defined — The British government is asking social media companies to put more news — real news, produced by public service broadcasters …

Discussion: GOV.UK, The Guardian, GOV.UK, National Union of Journalists …, GOV.UK, @antiinsanity.bsky.social, @alexanderhay.myatproto.social, @michaelsavage.bsky.social, City A.M., The Next Web, HoldtheFrontPage and Press Gazette

Discussion: @jeffjarvis.bsky.social, Mirror, Reuters, The Sun, MediaNama, @europa, @m_simonyan, @sprinterpress, BBC, Breitbart and The Daily Sceptic

Deadline:

Piers Morgan's Uncensored raised $27M led by Raine Ventures and Antenna Group, with Elisabeth Murdoch participating, sources say at a $145M valuation — Among those backing the former CNN anchor is Elisabeth Murdoch, an interesting detail for media watchers, given that Morgan carved …

Discussion: @piersmorgan, The Wrap and Press Gazette

Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:

An interview with Bob Iger on stepping down as Disney's CEO, his legacy, new CEO Josh D'Amaro, Bob Chapek, Apple, Disney+, purchasing Pixar, AI, and more — For two decades, Hollywood's most indispensable executive has been synonymous with Disney. Can he really tear himself away?

Discussion: The Verge, Daniel Thomas on LinkedIn, Gamereactor UK, 9to5Mac, Comic Book, @trevorbaxendale, @rwhelanwsj, @laurenshirsch, Deadline, AppleInsider, @johnwilson, Variety, IGN, LateNighter, The Hollywood Reporter and GamesRadar

Sarah Nassauer / Wall Street Journal:

Walmart acquires Paris-based Vibe.co, which lets businesses create and buy ads on CTVs, sources say for $1.4B, as it competes with Amazon for ad revenue — Retail giant is paying $1.4 billion for Vibe.co, a company that enables advertising through connected TVs

Discussion: Variety, Walmart Inc., eMarketer, MediaPost, The Information, @arthurquerou, TV Tech, Pulse 2.0, AdExchanger, @whoa-magic.lol, Adweek, TheDesk.net, Media Play News, Transport Topics, PYMNTS, AdTechRadar and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »

Jose Alejandro Bastidas / The Wrap:

A look at the declining representation of LGBTQ+ characters on TV, as smaller audiences and slow growth pressure execs to cater to “safer” mainstream audiences — The loss of high-profile queer characters on TV is a troubling sign, but surprise hits like “Heated Rivalry” offer a glimmer of hope

Discussion: The Guardian

Brooks Barnes / New York Times:

How CAA is repositioning its marginal creator division to an urgent bet as it signs big names, poaches creator-focused agents, and attends Cannes Lions — Trisha Paytas, a digital star, is part of CAA's growing roster of creators.Michelle Groskopf for The New York Times

Amy Ross Arguedas / Nieman Lab:

Digital News Report: 10% of people across 48 markets use AI chatbots for news weekly, up from 7% in 2025; the most common use was asking questions about a story — Countries where people already rely more heavily on search engines, social and video networks, and aggregators for news also tend …

Discussion: PR Daily, Semafor, Search Engine Journal and Tech Times

Hillel Aron / Courthouse News Service:

YouTube settles a lawsuit ahead of a second California trial over social media harms to minors; Meta, TikTok, and Snap remain defendants — The case will now pit a 15-year-old Black teen against tech giants Meta, TikTok and Snap. — LOS ANGELES (CN) — YouTube and its parent company Google …

Discussion: The Next Web, Anadolu Ajansı …, Bloomberg Law, BSS, The Wrap, Deadline, Channel NewsAsia, SiliconANGLE, Reuters and BBC

Research Information:

Springer Nature announces the sale of its consumer media businesses, including Scientific American, which is being acquired by LabX Media Group — Be first to read the lastest industry news and analysis! SUBSCRIBE to the Research Information Newsline! — Springer Nature has announced …

Discussion: @jeremymbarr, @jeremymbarr and group.springernature.com

Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:

Sources: CBS News' ombudsman has issued no public statements or internal feedback since being hired as a condition of FCC approval for Skydance's Paramount deal — With CBS News rocked by controversy, some viewers have turned to the network ombudsman for a public response. So far, they haven't gotten one.

Discussion: @benmullin, @scottnover, @timjgraham, @jayshams and @erikwemple

Zac Ntim / Deadline:

UNIC: cinema admissions fell 4.4% YoY to 873.2M in Europe in 2025 and box office revenue fell 1.2% to €6.9B; US movies make up the bulk of the European market — Cinema admissions dropped 4.4% across Europe to 873.2 million in 2025, according to a new report published by the International Union of Cinemas (UNIC).

Discussion: @paulharper.eurosky.social