8:10 AM ET, May 23, 2025
May 23, 2025
7:55 AM
Todd Spangler /
Variety
:
Melania Trump releases an audiobook of her memoir with her “official AI voice” created by ElevenLabs, available exclusively on the ElevenReader app
7:20 AM
Charlotte Tobitt /
Press Gazette
:
Redbird Capital Partners buys the Telegraph at a £500M valuation, ending nearly two years of ownership limbo; IMI will take a minority investment
5:55 AM
Sara Guaglione /
Digiday
:
Similarweb: ChatGPT sent 243.8M visits to 250 news and media websites in April, up 98% from January; 83% of OpenAI's referral traffic went to news sites
3:25 AM
Gene Maddaus /
Variety
:
WGA report finds 40.4% of TV writers in the 2023-24 season were BIPOC, up from 32% three years prior, even as the overall number of TV writers contracted
12:55 AM
Harry McCracken /
Fast Company
:
An interview with Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood about diversifying Roku's business beyond hardware, its services business, the Roku Channel, ads, and more
May 22, 2025
10:25 PM
Jill Goldsmith /
Deadline
:
Lionsgate Studios reports Q4 revenue up 22% YoY to $1.1B and a $21.9M net income, vs. a $47M loss a year ago, in its first earnings report since the Starz split
9:45 PM
Jeremy Barr /
Washington Post
:
Many CBS News staffers say they view Wendy McMahon's abrupt resignation as an indicator that CBS will settle the $20B lawsuit filed by President Trump
7:15 PM
Adrià Calatayud /
Wall Street Journal
:
Publicis acquires Captiv8, a marketing platform that connects influencers and brands; a source says the acquisition is valued at $150M
4:45 PM
Lucas Shaw /
Bloomberg
:
Filing: Disney sues YouTube, claiming breach of contract after YouTube hired longtime Disney executive Justin Connolly as its global head of media and sports
3:50 PM
Mark Stenberg /
Adweek
:
Adelaide launches the AU Ecosystem, a marketplace for media buyers and sellers to transact based on the quality of media using Adelaide's Attention Unit metric
3:20 PM
New York Times
:
Sources: the US FTC is investigating whether Media Matters illegally colluded with advertisers; Elon Musk sued the advocacy group in 2023
3:00 PM
Naman Ramachandran /
Variety
:
Netflix is launching House of Streams, a reality TV show in which eight content creators compete for bitcoin, with a live chat feature for viewer interaction
2:25 PM
Kate Knibbs /
Wired
:
Politico union members say AI tools used by the outlet, including live news summaries, violate their contract and are taking the dispute to arbitration in July
1:40 PM
The Mozilla Blog
:
Mozilla plans to shut down Pocket, the read-it-later service it acquired in 2017, on July 8, and Fakespot, which helps identify unreliable reviews, on July 1
12:20 PM
Washington Post
:
Kimi Yoshino, who has led The Baltimore Banner for 3.5 years as its first editor-in-chief, is joining The Washington Post as managing editor, starting July 7
12:00 PM
NBC News
:
The White House removes official transcripts of Trump's public remarks from the government's website, replacing them with selected videos of his appearances
11:45 AM
Committee to Protect Journalists
:
Five major US-based press freedom orgs launch the Journalist Assistance Network to provide legal and safety resources to journalists and newsrooms in the US
10:40 AM
Tom Garry /
The Guardian
:
Sources: Disney signs a five-year deal to stream Women's Champions League matches on Disney+ in multiple European broadcast territories, including the UK
10:05 AM
Helen Davidson /
The Guardian
:
The Hong Kong Journalists Association says it has been subject to “random” tax audits, along with at least eight independent outlets and at least 20 journalists
8:55 AM
Peter White /
Deadline
:
Danish podcast service Podimo hires Amazon's Georgia Brown as CCO as part of its push into English language content; Podimo has 1M+ paying subscribers
8:10 AM
David Folkenflik /
NPR
:
The EU says it will give $6.2M in emergency funding to RFE/RL, after Trump withheld its funding; Sweden pledged $2M, but those funds have yet to arrive
7:45 AM
Anthony Hughes /
Bloomberg
:
Austin-based CTV ad platform MNTN raises $187M in its IPO, selling 11.7M shares at $16 each, the top of its $14 to $16 range, and giving it a ~$1.24B market cap
5:05 AM
Corbin Bolies /
The Daily Beast
:
Sources: Disney CEO Bob Iger and ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic asked The View hosts to tone down their political rhetoric, particularly about Trump
2:35 AM
Wall Street Journal
:
An overview of major streamers' revenues, subscriber churn, cancellation rates, shares of US TV viewing time, and shares of US sports TV rights deals since 2023
1:35 AM
Ashley Spencer /
New York Times
:
How Disney's Lilo & Stitch, released in 2002, became one of its most merchandised characters, rivalling Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse, ahead of a new movie
May 21, 2025
7:35 PM
Wall Street Journal
:
Sources: NBCUniversal made an offer to take over MLB rights after ESPN opted out of continuing its contract, but is offering far less than ESPN currently pays
5:30 PM
Ashifa Kassam /
The Guardian
:
More than 90 European EICs and publishers call on the EU to act over proposed Hungarian legislation that could ban media organizations that get foreign funding
4:35 PM
Richard Headland /
Press Gazette
:
The Economist details its new engagement model, assigning different weightings to content types like narrated articles and podcasts, to reduce subscriber churn
3:35 PM
Sarah Perez /
TechCrunch
:
Epic v. Apple: Spotify says its recent update supporting web payments has resulted in “a significant increase in iOS users upgrading to a Premium subscription”
2:45 PM
Ira Boudway /
Bloomberg
:
Ampere: sports made up 12% of newly commissioned TV docs in Q2, up from 3% in Q1 2019, as the number of first-run unscripted shows rose from <600 to ~1.3K
1:40 PM
Kyle Wiggers /
TechCrunch
:
Google tests bringing ads to AI Mode, both below responses as well as “integrated into” them, and expands ads in AI Overviews to desktop in the US
1:10 PM
Andrew Romero /
9to5Google
:
AI videos from Google's Veo 3, which features synchronized audio as well as crisper, more detailed video, are both impressive and terrifying
12:45 PM
Betsy Morais /
Columbia Journalism Review
:
Several women attest to Pulitzer winner and author Wesley Lowery's pattern of predatory behavior toward young women in journalism between 2018 and 2024
11:55 AM
Dade Hayes /
Deadline
:
DirecTV and Tribeca Festival partner to launch a streaming hub for films, festival talks, and behind-the-scenes content as one of DirecTV's FAST channels
9:55 AM
Brian Stelter /
CNN
:
Live Nation, which is facing a US DOJ antitrust probe, adds Trump ally and the newly installed President of the Kennedy Center Richard Grenell to its board
9:10 AM
The Wrap
:
Atlas sues Comscore for allegedly leveraging its monopoly on box office data to “suppress competition” and forcing Atlas to shut down its CinemaCloudWorks app
8:15 AM
Jake Kanter /
Deadline
:
Channel 4 unveils its Creative Investment Fund to invest in production companies as part of a move to in-house production; the UK broadcaster has £111M in cash
7:25 AM
Benjamin Mullin /
New York Times
:
Every, which runs an online magazine, released an AI-powered word processor, and advises media companies on using AI, raised $2M from Reid Hoffman and others
6:50 AM
Wall Street Journal
:
Sources: under Kristi Noem, the DHS has significantly expanded the use of polygraph exams to identify employees suspected of leaking information to the media
6:15 AM
Brooks Barnes /
New York Times
:
How animation startup Toonstar uses its AI tools to make animated content up to 90% cheaper than traditional methods; its YouTube series has 30M weekly viewers
5:50 AM
CNBC
:
Google announces new video and image generation models Veo 3 and Imagen 4, alongside a new AI filmmaking tool Flow and expanded access to Lyria 2
5:15 AM
Killian Faith-Kelly /
Press Gazette
:
An interview with Jonathan Nunn, founder of Vittles, a newsletter about food that has 84,000 subscribers, on the decision to launch a biannual print magazine
3:00 AM
Ben Strauss /
Washington Post
:
A profile of Tony Reali as Around the Horn, the ESPN show that he hosts and which showcases sportswriters, draws to an end on May 23
12:00 AM
Bill Adair /
Nieman Lab
:
Q&A with Richard Gingras, Google's longtime global VP for news who announced his retirement last week, on the news industry's decline, AI, local news, and more
May 20, 2025
9:00 PM
Ben Thompson /
Stratechery
:
The ad-supported web is dying and may be replaced by the agentic web, on which web native digital payments, including micropayments, are viable
6:00 PM
Theodore Schleifer /
New York Times
:
A look at some of the projects looking to raise money from Democratic megadonors as party strategists try to “find the next Joe Rogan”
5:15 PM
Matt Grobar /
Deadline
:
Darren Aronofsky's AI-focused studio Primordial Soup partners with Google's DeepMind to produce three short films
4:40 PM
Julian Wyllie /
Current
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PBS furloughs 25% of PBS Kids staff after the Department of Education canceled the Ready to Learn grant at the start of May 2025
3:40 PM
Saleah Blancaflor /
Adweek
:
IAB releases its updated Terms for Digital Advertising Agreements and opens a 60-day public comment period until July 21; IAB last updated its T&Cs in 2010
3:25 PM
Matt Stevens /
New York Times
:
LA mayor Karen Bass issues an executive directive to streamline city processes, lower filming costs, and ease shoots at well-known city-owned locations
2:20 PM
Jill Goldsmith /
Deadline
:
Antenna: ad tiers made up 46% of US subscriptions at SVOD platforms offering ad-free and ad-supported plans at the end of March 2025, up from 39% in March 2024
1:30 PM
Dan Kennedy /
Media Nation
:
The Chicago Sun-Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer ran a supplement featuring an AI-generated guide to summer books that do not exist
12:35 PM
Joe Flint /
Wall Street Journal
:
Three US senators send Shari Redstone a letter questioning whether Paramount is engaging in bribery by settling Trump's lawsuit to influence merger approval
12:10 PM
Sara Fischer /
Axios
:
At The Moment Media launches to give execs the ability to pay for their video coverage and says it's a complement to traditional journalism and not a competitor
11:10 AM
Anita Komuves /
Reuters
:
Over 80 editors from European news outlets sign a petition opposing Hungary's proposed legislation that would restrict foreign-funded media and rights groups
10:30 AM
Max Tani /
Semafor
:
MSNBC hires Marcus Mabry, CNN Worldwide's SVP of digital editorial and programming, to serve as its SVP of Content Strategy
10:15 AM
Jake Kanter /
Deadline
:
ITV tells staff it plans to cut 220 jobs in a major daytime overhaul, which includes scaling back shows and moving Good Morning Britain to ITV News producer ITN
9:50 AM
Saskia Koopman /
City A.M.
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Channel 4 says it will be the first UK broadcaster to bring video programming to Spotify later this week, with content from its youth-focused brand Channel 4.0
9:10 AM
Jake Tapper /
@jaketapper
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Source: Paramount could settle with President Trump for as much as $30M to $50M
8:35 AM
Hannah Miller /
Bloomberg
:
Chuck Todd plans to launch Sunday Night With Chuck Todd with media startup Noosphere on June 1, featuring interviews at restaurants and bars in Washington, DC
8:00 AM
Kate Knibbs /
Wired
:
Inside the US case against a North Carolina man who the government claims made $10M+ in royalties between 2017 and 2024 by using bot armies to stream AI tracks
5:35 AM
Emma Roth /
The Verge
:
Spotify says Apple approved an update to let users in the US buy individual audiobooks from its iOS app and see audiobook prices, after the Epic v. Apple ruling
4:50 AM
Mark Sweney /
The Guardian
:
A look at Sky, seven years after Comcast's £31B acquisition, as the US media giant writes down Sky's valuation by 25% amid job cuts and losing exclusive shows
4:25 AM
Ayushi Kar /
The Reporters' Collective
:
How Indian news agency ANI is using YouTube's copyright policy in India to demand high licensing fees and shut down YouTubers, including those critical of Modi
2:20 AM
Dominic Ponsford /
Press Gazette
:
Cavendish Press head Jon Harris warns freelance court reporters face extinction as UK newsrooms prioritize free police handouts over professional reporting
May 19, 2025
11:50 PM
Samantha Schmidt /
Washington Post
:
Journalists from El Salvador's top independent investigative news outlet El Faro say they have left the country amid Nayib Bukele's crackdown on dissent
9:20 PM
Matthew Keys /
The Desk
:
CBS News pulled a 60 Minutes segment on IRS job losses hours before airing, learning the IRS reversed the firings, and plans to broadcast it later with new info
7:25 PM
Ashley Carman /
Bloomberg
:
The Daily Wire names Mike Richards, former Jeopardy! producer, as president; he joined the company in December 2024 and will also serve as chief content officer
5:15 PM
Katie Hicks /
Marketing Brew
:
The Onion launches America's Finest Creative Agency, offering copywriting and creative strategy services for brands
4:20 PM
Todd Spangler /
Variety
:
SAG-AFTRA files an NLRB unfair labor practice charge against Epic's Llama Productions for using AI to recreate James Earl Jones' Darth Vader voice in Fortnite
3:45 PM
Brian Steinberg /
Variety
:
Sources: CBS News is considering new changes to the Evening News as Wendy McMahon exits and the program falls further behind its rival programs at ABC and NBC
3:10 PM
Matthew Keys /
The Desk
:
Source: about 60 of the 500 VOA workers whose contracts were terminated by the USAGM are likely to be deported within the next month due to losing their jobs
2:30 PM
Karissa Bell /
Engadget
:
Bluesky is allowing some accounts to link their Twitch or YouTube accounts to their profiles, displaying a red indicator and “live” badge when they're streaming
1:36 PM
Alex Sherman /
CNBC
:
Sources: Paramount Global co-CEO George Cheeks had a discussion with CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon on Saturday and asked for her resignation
1:10 PM
Jennifer Maas /
Variety
:
Netflix starts streaming new episodes of Peppa Pig in the US along with a “World of Peppa Pig” gaming app, as it focuses on kids and pre-K titles
11:45 AM
Naman Ramachandran /
Variety
:
BBC Studios launches a reorganization, with a “Global Production” unit and “Unscripted Productions” division to capitalize on surging unscripted content demand
10:42 AM
Michael M. Grynbaum /
New York Times
:
Memo: CBS News President and CEO Wendy McMahon is stepping down from the network, saying “it's become clear the company and I do not agree on the path forward”
10:25 AM
Andrew Webster /
The Verge
:
Netflix says Season 56 of Sesame Street will be available on Netflix “later this year”; Sesame Street had searched for a streamer since Max dropped it in 2024
9:35 AM
Max Tani /
Semafor
:
Vice renews Shane Smith's podcast for a second season after it got tens of millions of YouTube views, and launches the Vice News Collective for news influencers
8:25 AM
Richard Headland /
Press Gazette
:
The Times and Sunday Times launch online subscription sharing, after 76% of test users with “bonus accounts” said they were more likely to keep subscribing
7:20 AM
ITV News
:
Gary Lineker says he will leave the BBC after Match of the Day on April 25 and apologizes for his now-deleted Instagram post criticized as antisemitic
7:05 AM
BBC
:
Source: Gary Lineker is set to leave the BBC sooner than planned after a new social media antisemitism row; BBC executives believe he caused reputation damage
6:45 AM
Oliver Darcy /
Status
:
Q&A with YouTube Managing Director of US Partnerships Brian Albert on YouTube's NFL push and how it paid 3M+ creators $70B+ over three years across 20B videos
6:15 AM
New York Times
:
Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway re-sign their Vox Media deal using a novel revenue-sharing contract with no guaranteed payments, potentially earning them ~$70M
5:30 AM
New York Times
:
Some long-trusted Indian media news outlets and TV networks reported unverified information and fabricated stories during the latest India-Pakistan conflict
4:05 AM
Matt Flegenheimer /
New York Times
:
An interview with ESPN's sport commentator Stephen A. Smith about a potential 2028 presidential run, emulating Joe Rogan to build political clout, and more
May 18, 2025
10:40 PM
Max Tani /
Semafor
:
Sources: Bill Maher's podcast company Club Random Studios has ceased operations, after launching in March 2024
8:20 PM
Lucas Shaw /
Bloomberg
:
A look at the reasoning behind David Zaslav's strategy to rebrand HBO Max as Max, its failure to broaden the streamer's appeal, and the push to bring “HBO” back
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