Top News:
Todd Spangler / Variety:
A US judge approves Paramount's settlement with 12 state AGs who tried to block its WBD deal, and Paramount tentatively sets October 6 to close the acquisition — Paramount chief David Ellison, after a fierce year-long battle, is finally about to get his hands on Warner Bros. Discovery …
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Times, CNN, Deadline, Semafor, Reuters, @benmullin, The A.V. Club, MediaBrief, Variety, Bloomberg Law, Sports Media Watch, @brianstelter, @mediaanddemocracy.bsky.social, Reuters, How-To Geek, Newser, @angiegreeley.bsky.social, @mitchxxvi.bsky.social, @therealblueg.bsky.social, NBC News, World of Reel, Bloomberg, The Verge and r/MediaMergers
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Todd Spangler / Variety:
Ynon Kreiz, who steps down as Mattel CEO, joins Paramount as co-CEO, overseeing daily operations; David Ellison will lead strategy, creative, and tech functions — As chairman and CEO, Ellison will lead all strategy, creative and technology functions. Kreiz, as co-CEO, will oversee …
Discussion:
Paramount, Advanced Television, @dylanbyers, @dylanbyers, @jeremymbarr, Puck, CNN, @rogoswami, Axios, Washington Examiner, Financial Times, CNBC, Business Insider, Wall Street Journal, Adweek, @kevdgrussing.bsky.social, Screen, Deadline, Barrett Media, Yahoo Finance, New York Post, Bloomberg, Yahoo Finance, The Hollywood Reporter, Quartz, The Wrap, Reuters and The A.V. Club
Los Angeles Times:
California Governor Gavin Newsom signs a bill that creates refundable tax credits for local news outlets based on the number of journalists they employ — - 7 min Click here to listen to this article — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed a landmark bill that would give a financial boost to California's struggling newsrooms.
Discussion:
Rebuild Local News, News/Media Alliance, Governor of California, CalMatters, Poynter, Matt Pearce on LinkedIn, twitchy.com, @govpressoffice, Julie Patel Liss on LinkedIn, @dankennedy.net, @cdarwin@c.im, Sarabeth Berman on LinkedIn, Mercury News, Courthouse News Service, San Francisco Chronicle, Jim Friedlich on LinkedIn, Steven Waldman on LinkedIn, Bloomberg Government, @sammyroth.bsky.social, TV Tech, The NewsGuild, Radio & Television … and Pluribus News
Raquel Coronell Uribe / NBC News:20 minutes ago
The White House once again removes CNN from the press pool traveling with Trump; the judge's order only addressed access to White House grounds — CNN was previously scheduled to fly on Air Force One and also provide on-the-ground coverage of Trump's trip.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Deadline and @jeremymbarr
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Sohee Kim / Bloomberg:
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos says growth is slower than he would like and defends the WBD pursuit, adding Netflix isn't seeking another acquisition to replace it — Ted Sarandos, co-chief executive officer at Netflix Inc., said the US streaming giant isn't growing as quickly as he would like.
Discussion:
The Wrap, Barrett Media, NME, Deadline, @business, Deadline, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, The Sun Malaysia, Bloomberg, The Motley Fool, Nairametrics, Forbes and ScreenRant
Terrence O'Brien / The Verge:
Neon plans to release an SCP Foundation film in 2027 under the required CC BY-SA license; A24 announced an SCP project without consulting with the SCP Wiki team — The studio says the movie will be in theaters next year. … A24 pissed off one of the internet's largest horror communities …
Discussion:
Deadline, Gizmodo, Engadget, Tubefilter, The A.V. Club, Boing Boing, IndieWire, The Wrap, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Condé Nast CEO Roger Lynch is stepping down after 7.5 years to become the CEO and chairman of Mattel; lead independent director Mike Perlis will be interim CEO — Condé Nast, where Lynch has been CEO, named Mike Perlis Interim chief executive. — Call it media world musical chairs.
Discussion:
Condé Nast, Yahoo Finance, Quartz, Pulse 2.0, Wall Street Journal, Digiday, @brianstelter, @alexweprin, Deadline, Media Play News, New York Post, Barron's Online, Adweek, Retail Dive, The Wrap, Los Angeles Times, Reuters, Daily Front Row, The Hollywood Reporter, Business Insider, New York Times, Bloomberg, Bloomberg Law, Finimize, Vogue and CNBC
Reuters:
Egyptian police arrest six journalists, who made up the entire newsroom of investigative media outlet Matsaddash, accusing them of spreading misinformation — Egyptian police arrested six journalists from a fact-checking and investigative media outlet, accusing them of spreading misinformation …
Discussion:
OCCRP and Committee to Protect …
Sarah Scire / Nieman Lab:
An interview with NPR's new Chief Content Officer Nadine Zylstra on expanding into video podcasts, including Machine Gods from Casey Newton and Kevin Roose — NPR's new chief content officer Nadine Zylstra on how the public media company acquired Machine Gods — which she thinks can be “the Car Talk of AI.”
Discussion:
Inside Radio, @newsguy.bsky.social and Doc Searls Weblog
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Audible debuts new features, including a character guide and AI-powered stories that let users interact with characters, built with creator involvement — Facing new competition in the audiobook market from Spotify, Audible is turning to AI and other technology to enhance the listening experience.
Brooks Barnes / New York Times:
Google partners with talent agency Range Media to launch 100 Zeros, a rotating fund designed to shape positive onscreen depictions of tech and test AI tools — Jonathan Zepp, left, Google's head of entertainment content and platforms, and Peter Micelli, chief executive of Range Media Partners …
David Shepardson / Reuters:
FCC Chair Brendan Carr says taxpayer-funded TV ads featuring Trump are not improper; ethics experts and lawmakers from both parties have criticized the ads — The chair of the Federal Communications Commission said on Wednesday that taxpayer-funded television ads featuring President Donald Trump …
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