Top News:
Reuters:
Sources: Jeff Bezos pushed Prime Video head Mike Hopkins to highlight AI in an overhaul of the service, leading to an internal effort called Project Lighthouse — Jeff Bezos has identified a new, high-profile platform to help showcase the hundreds of billions of dollars Amazon (AMZN.O) has bet on artificial intelligence: Prime Video.
Discussion:
The Streamable, Digital Trends, PYMNTS, The American Bazaar and @grantmeaccess.bsky.social, more at Techmeme »
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Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Amazon is integrating its Luna cloud gaming service into Prime Video via a new Games tab, starting with games like Hogwarts Legacy and EA Sports FC for Fire TV — The Amazon Luna gaming platform, which had been included in the larger Prime offering, will now be baked into Prime Video too.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Variety, GeekWire, PCMag, Thurrott, Deadline, Push Square, 9to5Google, Video Games Chronicle, IGN, DayOne, TechRadar, GamesIndustry.biz, Polygon.com, Amazon Game Studios and The Game Business
Kelcee Griffis / Bloomberg:
Comcast reports Peacock revenue up 54% YoY to $1.9B and its adjusted EBITDA of $189M, its first-ever quarterly profit; film revenue rose 25% YoY to $3.04B — Comcast Corp. reported earnings that beat analysts' estimates on key metrics, buoyed by the first-ever quarterly profitability …
Discussion:
MediaPost, The Wrap, Reuters, Benzinga, Proactive, CNBC, Quartz, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Wall Street Journal, Cord Cutters News, @tvgrimreaper, Business Wire and Finimize
Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:
A specialist UK tribunal awards BBC correspondent Vincent Kearney £20K in damages after MI5 and police admitted to illegally obtaining Kearney's call records — Former BBC Northern Ireland journalist paid £20,000 in damages by MI5 and PSNI. — A journalist whose communications data …
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Standard and RTÉ
Chris Roush / Talking Biz News:
Forbes Chief Content Officer and magazine EIC Randall Lane has left after joining in 2011; executive editor Kerry Lauerman will oversee editorial operations — Randall Lane, the chief content officer at Forbes, has left the business news organization. — “We can confirm that Randall Lane …
Discussion:
The Wrap and @benmullin
Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
WNET, parent company of New York PBS station Thirteen, names Edward O'Keefe as its new CEO; O'Keefe was previously VP at CNN and executive producer at ABC News — Mr. O'Keefe, who was previously an executive at CNN, is the chief executive of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, Radio & Television … and Current
Dade Hayes / Deadline:
TelevisaUnivision reports Q2 revenue up 10% to $1.3B due to FIFA rights in Mexico, US ad revenue down 29% to $323.3M, subscription and licensing up 40% to $621M — TelevisaUnivision reported second-quarter financials largely shaped by the FIFA World Cup, which boosted results in Mexico …
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter and Telecompaper
Max Goldbart / Deadline:
UK PM Andy Burnham keeping Lisa Nandy on as culture secretary renews pressure over potential streaming license fees and puts the WBD deal back in the spotlight — UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy was widely expected to change jobs when her good friend Andy Burnham became Prime Minister this week …
Discussion:
The Wrap
Todd Spangler / Variety:
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr says ABC's decision to not carry Trump's July 16 speech about elections live will be part of its review for ABC-owned station licenses — Are TV broadcasters obligated to carry the U.S. president's comments live on their government-licensed airwaves?
Discussion:
Barrett Media, Washington Examiner, Deadline, @kennysmith.org, Breitbart, HuffPost, @freedom.press, @replaurafriedman@threads.com, CinemaBlend, TheDesk.net, @robertscotthorton.bsky.social, @newsjennifer.bsky.social, New York Sun, @carlquintanilla.bsky.social, @mattmitovich.bsky.social, Via Satellite, Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg Law and Chicago Sun Times
The Hollywood Reporter:
SEC filing: Primordial Soup, Darren Aronofsky's AI film and content studio, is raising $15M in cash, selling over $11M in equity so far since July 1 — Primordial Soup, which launched last year, quietly filed with the SEC for a $15 million raise. … Earlier this month Primordial Soup Labs …
Discussion:
The Wrap, World of Reel, Gizmodo, Deadline and Variety
David W Fitzsimmons / David Fitzsimmons:
Lee Publishing blocks cartoonist David Fitzsimmons from donating 10K+ cartoons to the University of Arizona by requiring the college to sign a licensing deal — For years, Lee Publishing, owner of The Arizona Daily Star, has been blocking me from donating my professional life's work …
Discussion:
Daniel Barr on LinkedIn and @andrewhsowards.bsky.social
The Guardian:
A four-month investigation finds employees of lobbying firm CT Group say they pay UK journalists to write news pieces favorable to CT clients for UK newspapers — Exclusive: Guardian investigation of CT Group uncovers practice that appears to seek hidden influence over public opinion
