Top News:
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Netflix executives are increasingly worried about declining engagement and are exploring adding live TV and bundling streaming services like Peacock — Streamer is rethinking some of its core strategies to compete with rivals — Top Netflix executives who gathered …
A.J. Katz / The Wrap:
NYT introduces The Local: Twin Cities, a pilot newsletter with original reporting, a goal of promoting local outlets, and an August launch date — “The Local” marks the latest step in the publisher's push to deepen regional coverage and engage its customer base
Anthony D'Alessandro / Deadline:
Analysis: the 2026 Emmy nominations for acting and hosting hit an 11-year low with only 22 performers of color recognized, down 21% from the nominees in 2025 — The number of 2026 Emmy nominees from diverse backgrounds in the actor, actress, reality and game show host categories fell to an 11-year low of 22 this year.
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap, Washington Times, Breitbart, Daily Mail, TheGrio and Bloody Disgusting!
RELATED:
Peter White / Deadline:
HBO Max received 122 Emmy nominations, Netflix landed 111, Disney received 111 overall, Apple scored 87, its most-ever, and Amazon landed 39 for Prime and MGM+
HBO Max received 122 Emmy nominations, Netflix landed 111, Disney received 111 overall, Apple scored 87, its most-ever, and Amazon landed 39 for Prime and MGM+
Discussion:
ScreenRant, The Ankler, Gold Derby, Variety, The Wrap, The Streamable, Cele|bitchy, K-Jewel 99.3 FM, Variety, The Indian Express, Reuters, Deadline, /Film, Twyla Huang-DiSimone on LinkedIn, The Wrap, NBC News, The Hollywood Reporter, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, TVLine, Katie Couric Media, Bossip, CBC News, USA Today, @walteriv.bsky.social, Los Angeles Times, BBC, Associated Press, MovieWeb, FemaleFirst, New York Times, The Wrap, Bloomberg, The A.V. Club and r/popculturechat
Mark Stenberg / Adweek:
USA Today CEO Mike Reed says the company is prepared to opt out of Google Search in the next 6 to 12 months because it has no licensing agreement with Google — The nuclear option is gaining traction as web traffic collapses and Google refuses to negotiate with content creators
Matthew Keys / TheDesk.net:
Bango: 43% of Americans would change providers for a better sports bundle, 64% pay for a sports SVOD, 46% missed a game because they didn't find where to watch — Live sports has become such a confusing endeavor across streaming television services that many fans are willing to switch …
Discussion:
Bango, MediaPost, TV Tech and WCPO 9 Cincinnati
Matthew Keys / TheDesk.net:
A DC appeals court dismisses a Free Press suit that challenged FCC approval of the Nexstar-Tegna deal; the ruling doesn't affect a separate case in California — A federal appeals court on Wednesday dismissed a legal challenge brought by a public interest group against the Federal Communications Commission …
Discussion:
Radio & Television …, @matthewkeyslive and Cord Cutters News
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Joe Flint / Wall Street Journal:
Paramount-WBD is set to emerge with ~$80B in debt, with net debt projected to equal ~6.5 times annual EBITDA, a level analysts consider high for a media company — Paramount CEO has promised not to sell off assets or cut content spending — When Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison unveiled …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Awful Announcing, CNN and Bloomberg Law
Andy Cheatwood / Nieman Lab:
A look at LAist's success with a registration wall, which garnered 90K emails in four months, and with charging for a premium product, attracting non-members — We needed to test a question public media rarely asks out loud: if we offered these readers something to buy, rather than something to support, would they?
Discussion:
@claeshs.bsky.social, @niemanfoundation.bsky.social and @david@social.ofaolain.com
Rose Horowitch / The Atlantic:
How the internet, smartphones, social media, and now generative AI are accelerating a drop in the reading of longer works like books — twenty-three hundred years ago, the legend goes, King Ptolemy I of Egypt asked his court adviser to assemble a comprehensive collection of the world's written works.
Discussion:
Jacob Soll on LinkedIn, @joshkraushaar, @ashleyrparker, @mviser, @sfmcguire79, Joanne Jacobs, New York Times, @metzgov, @dkthomp, MS NOW, @charlottealter, @dominicjpino, @taylorlorenz, @sketchesbyboze, Rose Else-Mitchell on LinkedIn, @obrien_kat@mastodon.world, @tinywriterlaura, @kristinaparts, @emmabgo, @andrewaoyama, The Daily Wire, @brianstelter, @annbauerwriter, Rose Horowitch on LinkedIn, @afinetheorem, @yuanyi_z, @tahrahoops, @allegraehobbs, @thestalwart, Henry Shevlin on LinkedIn, @brandyljensen, @megireid.bsky.social, @annbauerwriter, @tobyn.bsky.social, @aatif_rashid, @adriennelaf, The Parnas Perspective, @cszabla, Kathryn Hume on LinkedIn, @benkrauss5, @jonathanchait, @maxwelltani, @nick_field90, @robkhenderson, @sketchesbyboze, @charlespulliam.bsky.social, @spencerklavan, @estherschindler@newsie.social, @martinnutbeem.bsky.social, @nikkimcentee17.bsky.social, @bobbyfijan, @kimkelly.bsky.social, @leighelse@mastodon.nz, NextDraft, The Overspill, The Ankler, Hacker News, r/neoliberal and r/Longreads
Alex Ritman / Variety:
Banijay and All3Media complete their $8B merger, creating Banijay Entertainment, a London-based production company owned 50-50 by Banijay Group and RedBird IMI — Banijay Entertainment and the Redbird IMI-owned All3Media have completed their $8 billion merger, creating what the two have described as …
Blake Brittain / Reuters:
The NYT and other outlets ask a court to sanction OpenAI for allegedly lying to the court about its inability to search its systems for copyrighted material — A group of newspapers including the New York Times (NYT.N) and New York Daily News asked a federal court in Manhattan on Thursday …
Discussion:
Variety, TechCrunch, The Hill, Al Jazeera, UPI, Sun-Sentinel, Bloomberg Law, Denver Post, New York Times, Ars Technica and PYMNTS
Todd Spangler / Variety:
iHeartMedia agrees to a consent decree to settle an FCC probe into claims iHeartMedia pressured artists to perform at shows in exchange for more radio airtime — iHeartMedia, the largest owner of radio stations in the U.S., agreed to enter into a consent decree with FCC to settle a probe …
Discussion:
Billboard, Inside Radio, FCC, Radio & Television …, Cord Cutters News, Radio World, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Barrett Media and Reuters
