Top News:
Winston Cho / The Hollywood Reporter:
Paramount investors sue David and Larry Ellison, claiming the two struck an illegal deal with Trump for approval of the WBD merger by promising to overhaul CNN — The lawsuit claims that the Ellisons illegally promised to overhaul CNN as the administration looks to reshape media.
RELATED:
Gene Maddaus / Variety:
Paramount agrees to a request from 12 states, led by CA, to link their federal antitrust case in the WBD merger to an existing Paramount+ subscriber lawsuit — Paramount has agreed to a request from 12 states to link their federal antitrust case to a pre-existing suit brought by Paramount+ subscribers.
Discussion:
Reason, The Wrap, @agomezfcc.bsky.social, Politico, JURISTnews and ByteHaven
Brian Stelter / CNN:
Sources: execs expect a judge to grant a temporary restraining order delaying the Paramount-WBD merger; Paramount still expects to close the merger before Q4 — Executives involved in the pending Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery deal expect that a judge will hit pause on the takeover plan in the coming days.
Todd Spangler / Variety:
The Writers Guild of America sues Paramount and WBD in an effort to stop their merger, claiming the deal would hurt wages and working conditions for writers
Discussion:
US District Court, Northern District of California, Inverse, The Wrap, The Hollywood Reporter, Graphic Policy, The Ankler, Mercury News, @balancecrafting, Broadband TV News, Wyatt Fore on LinkedIn, @balancecrafting, Media Play News, Advanced Television, Writers Guild of America West, Civil Discourse …, Kellie Lerner on LinkedIn, Associated Press, Screen, Wall Street Journal, @cinephiliabeyond.org, @filmbrainbmb.bsky.social, Los Angeles Times, IndieWire, Cord Cutters News, @susanrinkunas.com, Reuters, Deadline, Oh No They Didn't!, Bloomberg, MediaPost, Bloomberg Law and Sports Media Watch
Winston Cho / The Hollywood Reporter:
Letter: Tennessee Deputy Governor Stuart McWhorter urged David Ellison to move Paramount's corporate headquarters from California to Tennessee
Letter: Tennessee Deputy Governor Stuart McWhorter urged David Ellison to move Paramount's corporate headquarters from California to Tennessee
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Trump's recent comment on a “normal path” for CNN raised eyebrows amid the Paramount-WBD merger; Paramount would need CNN revenue to help pay off $80B in debt
Trump's recent comment on a “normal path” for CNN raised eyebrows amid the Paramount-WBD merger; Paramount would need CNN revenue to help pay off $80B in debt
Discussion:
Variety, MS NOW, @danpfeiffer, @danpfeiffer, @danpfeiffer, The Message Box, Reuters, New York Magazine, The Wrap and r/MediaMergers
Ted Johnson / Deadline:
Brendan Carr proposes repealing the national ownership cap, which restricts amassing TV stations that cover more than 39% of households, and sets an Aug. 6 vote — FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is proposing a repeal of the national ownership cap, which restricts broadcasters from amassing stations …
Discussion:
Breitbart, Ars Technica, CNN, Reuters, Poynter, Los Angeles Times, The Hill, FCC, TV Tech, The Wrap, Politico, Barrett Media, Radio & Television …, @lucas_shaw, Bloomberg, Variety, @jeremymbarr, Blockonomi, The Hollywood Reporter, TVNewsCheck and Bloomberg Law
Corey G. Johnson / ProPublica:
Ethics disclosures show 7 out of 10 FCC commissioners since 2016 have accepted Kennedy Center tickets worth thousands courtesy of CBS or its parent company — Reporting Highlights — Expensive Gifts: Despite regulating broadcast media, FCC commissioners have accepted pricey tickets …
GTLN:
The Georgia Trust for Local News purchased The Macon Telegraph and The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer from McClatchy; The Macon Melody will merge with The Telegraph — Deal will revitalize local journalism in Middle, West and South Georgia — Dublin, Ga. - The Georgia Trust for Local News today purchased …
Patrick Coffee / Wall Street Journal:
How TikTok Shop sellers are using AI creators and AI twins to boost sales; eMarketer: US sales on TikTok Shop are expected to hit $23.4B in 2026, up 48% YoY — Brands issue warnings as more creators use avatars and duplicates of themselves to boost affiliate sales
Discussion:
The Independent and PR Daily
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Apple publishes a policy for upcoming Maps ads, says home services ads are banned, medical services ads will be “evaluated on a case-by-case basis”, and more — Apple has quietly published a rulebook for its new Maps ads, revealing a more curated approach than advertising giant Google.
Discussion:
Apple Ads, iThinkDifferent, 9to5Mac, Mobile Dev Memo and AppleInsider
Jessica Davies / Digiday:
Ozone: publisher ad supply in Q2 fell by 32% to 37% YoY in the US and 39% to 41% YoY in the UK, driven by AI-era zero-click search and reduced referral traffic — Publisher ad supply fell by up to 40% in Q2 of 2026 as AI era, zero-click search choked the flow of traffic to news and other open-web sites …
Ethan Baron / Mercury News:
California and Google will contribute $20M each over two years to the CA Civic Media Program, far below the $250M promised in 2024, with grants of up to $250K — Critic says the funding ‘goes backwards’ for local news — Months after Gov. Gavin Newsom stripped state funding from a much larger plan …
Discussion:
Governor of California
Bauer Media:
Bauer Media appoints Frances Hedges as Editor of Grazia; she was previously Deputy Editor of Harper's Bazaar UK — Bauer Media has appointed Frances Hedges as Editor of Grazia. She joins from Harper's Bazaar UK where she was Deputy Editor since 2019. — Frances will lead Grazia's editorial vision …
Discussion:
Lauren Holleyoake on LinkedIn
Reuters:
Sources: Lionsgate has attracted takeover interest from France's Bolloré Group, owner of Canal+, and Banijay, which just completed an $8B merger with All3Media — Lionsgate Studios (LION.N), the entertainment company behind the “Hunger Games” and “John Wick” franchises …
Discussion:
Deadline, The Wrap, Variety, Bloomberg and r/MediaMergers
