Top News:
Brian Stelter / CNN:
Filing: Paramount and state AGs agree to freeze the WBD merger until an antitrust trial occurs or until June 2027; a preliminary injunction hearing is canceled — Paramount announced Friday afternoon that its takeover of CNN's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, will be delayed for many months …
Discussion:
Deadline, Variety, Variety, New York Post, Breitbart, Forbes, TechCrunch, The Hollywood Reporter, Awful Announcing, New York Times, Mashable, Polygon.com, CNBC, Telecompaper, @tedstew, @jimsciutto, @balancecrafting, @brianstelter, @bedoyausa, CNN, @balancecrafting, @danielnmiller, NBC News, @balancecrafting, @markruffalo, @mgsiegler, @newjerseyoag, State of California, US District Court, Northern District of California, UPI, Screen, New York Post, IGN, TV Tech, Joe.My.God., Sports Media Watch, Fox Business, @brianstelter.bsky.social, Associated Press, Front Office Sports, Newser, Media Play News, Gizmodo, Cord Cutters News, Wall Street Journal, The Contrarian, World of Reel, Barron's Online, Barrett Media, @normeisen.bsky.social, The Wrap, @katzish.bsky.social, @azalben.bsky.social, KTLA, The A.V. Club, TheDesk.net and r/MediaMergers
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New York Times:
Sources: Paramount proposed to pause its merger with WBD because the company thought going to a trial was the fastest way to complete the deal — A flurry of negotiations last week cleared the way for an antitrust court battle with states that could determine the fate of the two iconic media giants.
Discussion:
Deadline, Cord Cutters News, Radio & Television …, Media Play News, CNN, Ars Technica, Forbes, International Business Times and The Wrap
Natalie Korach / Status:
Eight antitrust experts assess what Paramount's pause on WBD acquisition means, which side it benefits most, and where the merger is headed over the next year — The pause is the latest update in what is shaping up to be one of the most consequential antitrust trials Hollywood has faced in decades, with the saga far from over.
Alyssa Ray / The Wrap:
At the rescheduled WHCA dinner, Trump praised the press corps' response to the April shooting before insulting journalists and celebrities who criticized him — “[Collins] shouldn't get the award. It was a fake,” the president rails in his White House Correspondents' Dinner speech
Discussion:
CNN, Associated Press, New York Times, The Independent, The Guardian, TMZ.com, twitchy.com, Us Weekly, The Gateway Pundit, RADAR, Raw Story, @defiantls, The Daily Caller, @billkristol, Just Jared, @lutherlowe, @cspan, @acyn, @nicksortor, @emkenobi, @acyn, Deadline, Straight Arrow, TV Insider, ZeroHedge News, Salon, @newsguy.bsky.social, HuffPost, The Dean's Report, @ashleyvotesblue.bsky.social, @rpsagainsttrump, @cnnpr, @bristei, @bristei, @rapidresponse47, Joe.My.God., @janetskwatson.bsky.social, Townhall, Crooks and Liars, Diane Ravitch's blog, ABC News, C-SPAN on YouTube, Daily Mail, NPR, Wall Street Journal, Breitbart, Financial Times, The Hill, RedState, New York Times, GB News, CBC News, Al Jazeera, The Independent, Axios, Advocate, Staff Stories, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, New York Post, Wall Street Journal, One America News Network, MS NOW, WAGA-TV, FOX 11 Los Angeles, Washington Post, The Hill, Associated Press, Twin Cities, Time, CBS News, Reuters and Washington Times
Winston Cho / The Hollywood Reporter:
Kalshi asks Netflix to take down a trailer for Instadocs: The Prediction Games, saying it falsely suggests users placed bets in Nevada, where Kalshi is blocked — In a cease-and-desist, the company takes issue with the trailer falsely suggesting that Kalshi is violating a court order barring it from operating in Nevada.
Discussion:
CNN, Awful Announcing, Netflix Tudum, Benzinga, The Hill, TechCrunch, CoinGape, @newsguy.bsky.social, Front Office Sports, The Wrap and Deadline
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]
Discussion:
Status, @matthewkeyslive, @fitzador.bsky.social, @jvl.bsky.social and TheDesk.net
Melos Ambaye / Bloomberg:
US microinfluencers, or those with less than about 100K followers, can now earn enough from brand deals to rival middle-class salaries, but they face precarity — A growing tier of microinfluencers is proving that loyal audiences, affiliate links and brand deals can rival — or exceed — traditional office pay.
Discussion:
@business, The Daily Wire and @simonowens.bsky.social
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.
Akriti Sharma / Bloomberg:
As student protests spread across India, Narendra Modi turns to Reels, swapping his trademark cinematic videos for self-recorded messages aimed at Gen Z — As student protests spread across India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has turned to Meta Platforms Inc.'s Instagram Reels …
Discussion:
The Asia Business Daily, Financial Times, The Indian Express, The Guardian, @mitrapredator, Drop Site News, @jasveer10, Implicator.ai, Financial Post, The Economist, Al Jazeera, Reuters, NPR, @maitreyabhakal, @jyotsnamohan, @prempanicker, @chetanecostani, Wall Street Journal, New York Times and PBS NewsHour, more at Techmeme »
Michael Birnbaum / Washington Post:
Trump says he supports subpoenaing reporters in leak probes and that reporters should be forced to reveal the source of the leaked SCOTUS ruling overturning Roe — Hours before addressing the White House press corps, the president endorsed using subpoenas against reporters in national security leak investigations.
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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
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
Discussion:
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Kelly McBride / NPR:
How CPB's closure has affected public media, one year in: a rise in donations, attempts to cut state funding, a likely rise in unaffiliated stations, and more — Bigger changes to the public radio network are still coming — One year ago, Congress passed legislation that stripped $535 million …
Discussion:
Editor and Publisher
Todd Spangler / Variety:
WBD sues Amazon, accusing it of a “lawless employee shopping spree” to poach WBD employees who are under contract, including HBO marketing veteran Pia Barlow — In its lawsuit, WBD alleged that “Amazon has chosen to ride on the coattails of other well-established Hollywood mainstays …
Discussion:
TheDesk.net, @joshsternberg.com, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, The Verge, Engadget, Tech in Asia, @artisny.bsky.social, The Wrap and Variety
