Top News:
Associated Press:
The DOJ withdraws subpoenas that would have forced three NYT reporters to testify about sources, after a federal judge criticized the DOJ for sloppy legal work — Criticized by a federal judge for sloppy legal work, the government on Thursday withdrew subpoenas that would have compelled three …
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Natalie Korach / @nataliekorach:
Memo: HuffPost EIC informs staff that ~15 editorial jobs will be cut, the first layoffs under new owner Byron Allen, and executive editor Kate Palmer is leaving — Scoop: Byron Allen has begun his first round of layoffs since acquiring the BuzzFeed properties, with HuffPost staffers being notified of 15 editorial cuts Thursday [image]
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Status and TheDesk.net
Ted Johnson / Deadline:
A judge extends the temporary order pausing the Paramount-WBD merger for 14 more days and writes that the WGA can participate in a scheduled hearing on August 3 — U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín wrote on Thursday that the TRO was extended to give the parties …
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The Wrap, Radio & Television …, New York Post, @balancecrafting, @balancecrafting, @balancecrafting, @balancecrafting, @balancecrafting, New York Times, US District Court, Northern District of California, Media Play News, The Hollywood Reporter, TheDesk.net, Barrett Media, Variety and r/MediaMergers
James Faris / Business Insider:
Internal docs: Paramount+ plans to launch a free tier for movies and shows in Q3, requiring users to register via email — Paramount+ is looking to level up by making more of its content free. — Paramount's flagship streamer plans to expand access to movies and shows available …
Discussion:
The Streamable and @phillysky.bsky.social
Corbin Bolies / Variety:
Patreon lays off 20% of its employees, or 93 people, citing a “painful” restructuring due to “profound” changes in the creator economy over the past six months — Patreon, the creator-focused monetization platform, said on Thursday it was laying off 20% of its employees …
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Facebook plans to test a full-screen “immersive video” player when users open the app, replacing the newsfeed, in select international markets this year — The social platform says it will test a video-first look for users when they open the app in select countries, potentially bringing it to the U.S. next year.
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Barrett Media, @alexweprin, Meta Newsroom, The News International, New York Times and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Brooks Barnes / New York Times:
Sony Pictures Entertainment plans to restore the Cinerama Dome and adjacent 14-screen theater in Los Angeles, reopening in 2028 and operated by Alamo Drafthouse — The iconic Cinerama Dome and adjacent 14-screen theater complex will reopen in 2028 after a renovation. The venue closed in 2020 because of the pandemic.
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Deadline, PR Daily, PetaPixel, @stevekovach.bsky.social, The Real Deal, Bloomberg, Los Angeles Times, Just Jared, Sony Pictures Entertainment, RedState, Bisnow, The A.V. Club, Los Angeles Business Journal, Commercial Observer, KTLA, Associated Press, The Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire and The Wrap, more at Techmeme »
Munsif Vengattil / Reuters:
Delhi High Court rules OpenAI's use of ANI content to train ChatGPT wasn't copyright infringement as the news agency didn't show ChatGPT reproduced its reports — An Indian court said on Friday that OpenAI's use of news agency ANI's content to train its ChatGPT service did not amount to copyright infringement.
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MediaNama, Moneycontrol, Chat GPT Is Eating the World, Financial Express, Live Law India, Inc42, Reuters, The Indian Express and BMI, more at Techmeme »
Financial Times:
Financial firms, their lawyers, and ethics experts say there could be legal risks in paying Trump Media for fast access to Truth Social posts via an API — New venture has raised questions as financial firms decipher risk of paying for advanced access to market-moving feed
Nicole Sperling / New York Times:
How special-edition popcorn buckets designed for major movies became lucrative; AMC Theatres estimates they will generate $100M in revenue this year — Fans of “The Odyssey,” the summer blockbuster directed by Christopher Nolan, could choose between two popcorn buckets …
Discussion:
Entrepreneur, @elvialimon, KTLA, @dannygroner.bsky.social, CinemaBlend and PC Gamer
Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:
Hearst, Dow Jones, Condé Nast and NJ.com are setting subscription renewal prices using dynamic pricing, often using AI and referred to as “personalized offers” — Outlets like Wired, NJ.com, and The Wall Street Journal are setting renewal prices just for you — and being forced to disclose it.
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.
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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
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
Discussion:
Advanced Television, T3, Trusted Reviews, This Week in Videogames, Broadband TV News, Creative Bloq, ScreenRant, Phandroid, AFTVnews, Aftermath, Telecompaper, Neowin, CNBC, The Verge, GeekWire, PCMag, Thurrott, Deadline, Push Square, TechCrunch, 9to5Google, KitGuru, Video Games Chronicle, DayOne, IGN, Variety, The Game Business, Polygon.com, TechRadar, Engadget, GamesIndustry.biz, Android Authority, Amazon Game Studios and Blue's News
Jeremy Fuster / The Wrap:
FilmLA: on-location shooting of shows and movies in Los Angeles fell 12% YoY in Q2, falling to 4,711 shoot days, down from 5,394 in Q2 2025 — While high-employment TV dramas are holding on, reality TV's continued exodus fueled the decline — Though California's expanded production tax credit …
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New York Post, The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Times, IndieWire, FilmLA, Deadline and Variety
