Mediagazer

5:25 PM ET, December 12, 2024

Top News:

Katie Robertson / New York Times:

Sources: Patrick Soon-Shiong told LA Times opinion leaders not to publish an editorial critical of Trump's cabinet picks without publishing an opposing view — Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong's public comments and actions, including recently blocking an editorial weighing in on President-elect Trump's cabinet picks …

Discussion: Mediaite, @justinbaragona.bsky.social, @cephalopod.bsky.social, @katekilla.bsky.social, @scottjohnson.wtf, @ashtonlattimore.bsky.social, The Present Age, @emilybell.bsky.social, @jamellebouie.net, @rmac.bsky.social, @noahshachtman.bsky.social, @katierobertson.bsky.social, @edmundlee.bsky.social and Slate

Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:

BuzzFeed reaches a deal to sell Hot Ones owner First We Feast for $82.5M in cash to a consortium of investors led by an affiliate of Soros Fund Management — The sale, to a group that includes the show's host, Sean Evans, and Soros Fund Management, will allow BuzzFeed to pay down tens of millions of dollars in debt.

Todd Spangler / Variety:

BuzzFeed says selling First We Feast will cut its outstanding debt by $89M to $30M and let it operate with a cash balance larger than its total outstanding debt — “Hot Ones” is going solo. — BuzzFeed announced a deal to sell First We Feast, the studio behind the popular YouTube chicken …

Discussion: Adweek, Los Angeles Times, The Daily Caller, Brian Samuels on LinkedIn, Karim Lateef on LinkedIn, Rummel A Medina on LinkedIn, Reuters, NBC News, Just Jared, Todd Spangler on LinkedIn, Benzinga, BuzzFeed, Inc., Rich Antoniello on LinkedIn and The Verge

Brian Steinberg / Variety:

Warner Bros. Discovery announces a restructuring to create two separate units: one for linear TV networks and one for production studios and streaming platforms — The maneuver was unveiled just days after Comcast said it planned to spin off the bulk of its NBCUniversal cable networks …

Brian Stelter / CNN:

Warner Bros. Discovery's shares jump 13%+ after the company announced a restructuring that is expected to take effect by mid-2025 — Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN's corporate parent, announced Thursday, it is establishing a new corporate structure that splits its cable networks off from its growing streaming business.

Discussion: Adweek, @lucas_shaw and @mediaevan

Costas Pitas / Reuters:

Donald Trump picks former news anchor and hardline Republican Kari Lake to be the director of US government-funded media outlet Voice of America — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said he was picking Kari Lake, a former news anchor and a hardline Republican who failed to win …

Discussion: CNN, New York Times, Tv Technology, USA Today, Truthout, Nicole Carr on LinkedIn, Mediaite, Adweek, NPR, Forbes, RedState, Raw Story, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, @backyardpolitics.bsky.social, The Independent, Townhall, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, Washington Post, The Hill, @brianstelter, @brianstelter, @nicksortor, @admcrlsn, @damintoell, @usa_polling, @aidnmclaughlin, @andrewfeinberg, @libbeydean_, @farhip, @samstein, @yashar, Roll Call, New York Post, The American Spectator, Alternet.org, Politico, Twitchy, Breitbart, Al Jazeera, Daily Mail, UPI, Arizona Mirror, Fox News, @davidfolkenflik.bsky.social, @davidfolkenflik.bsky.social, @dangillmor.mastodon …, Associated Press, NBC News, The Desk, @matthewkeys.net, The Gateway Pundit, CBS News, Washington Examiner, @bubbaprog.lol, @davidakaye.bsky.social, @helenkennedy.bsky.social, @olgalautman.bsky.social, @samlitzinger.bsky.social, @dandrezner.bsky.social, @kerravon.bsky.social, @joshtpm.bsky.social, Axios, Bloomberg, Crooks and Liars, WTTG-TV, Deadline, HuffPost, Washington Times, ABC News and Daily Kos

Skylar Woodhouse / Bloomberg:
Fox News has been a prominent source of Trump's second-term cabinet picks, as he prioritizes telegenic looks and showmanship over government experience

Discussion: TVNewsCheck, @skylarwoodhouse, @uaau.bsky.social and @carlquintanilla.bsky.social

Jessica Toonkel / Wall Street Journal:

Current and former Netflix staff say the company has walked back its parental-leave benefits, after shifting its focus from subscriber growth to profitability — Employees worry the pullback and other new restrictions mean the entertainment giant is losing the identity that fueled its success

Discussion: Business Insider, @rwhelanwsj, Cord Cutters News, @cpoetzscher, @kedseconomist.com, @joshsternberg.com, Marc Effron on LinkedIn, @wsjbusiness, Jessica Toonkel on LinkedIn and Benzinga, more at Techmeme »

Ken Klippenstein:

Slack messages: NYT editors tell reporters to “dial back” on using photos of alleged UnitedHealth gunman Luigi Mangione and to avoid publishing his “manifesto” — Times management directs staff to “dial back” Luigi Mangione headshots

Discussion: Boing Boing, @matthewkeys.net, BET, @noturtlesoup17, @williamturton, @snarlsdegaulle, @peter@thepit.social, @gianmarcosoresi, @heerjeet, @yc, @goldstein.bsky.social, @kenklippenstein.bsky.social, New York Times and Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Daniele Lepido / Bloomberg:

Italian broadcaster MediaForEurope says it is looking to accelerate its plan to build a pan-European free-to-air TV hub after securing a €3.4B credit facility — - Broadcaster adds financial muscle to bankroll future plans — CEO doesn't rule out a bid for rest of Germany's ProSieben

Discussion: Reuters

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:20 minutes ago

An interview with Business Insider CTO Harry Hope on BI's use of AI, including AI-powered search and ad tools, shifting away from mass audience, and more — Interview with Business Insider's CTO Harry Hope on AI and shift away from mass audience. — Business Insider's chief technology officer …

Discussion: Talking Biz News

Matt Hardigree / The Autopian:

Hearst Magazines, owner of Car and Driver, Autoweek, and Road & Track, is acquiring MotorTrend Group, which owns MotorTrend, Automobile, and Hot Rod, from WBD — It hasn't been a huge secret that MotorTrend, the popular magazine and website, was in the process of being offloaded.

Discussion: Variety, HEARST, @matthardigree and The Drive

Dominic Ponsford / Press Gazette:

Email: the Guardian Media Group declined to engage with an alternative bid enquiry for The Observer due to exclusivity terms with Tortoise — Guardian Media Group declined to engage with an alternative bid enquiry for The Observer on Tuesday, telling the interested party it could not speak …

Discussion: @dominicponsford.bsky.social

The Guardian:
Guardian and Observer journalists hold a second 48-hour strike against The Observer sale to Tortoise Media; the Scott Trust has agreed to the sale in principle

Discussion: National Union of Journalists …, @susannajrustin.bsky.social, @gonuj.org, @isaaqtomkins.bsky.social, @nujofficial.bsky.social and Press Gazette

Nic Fildes / Financial Times:

Australia plans a levy on tech companies like Meta with $250M+ in local revenue to force them to pay publishers for journalism, after Meta quit the prior deal — Move is designed to close loophole after Meta walked away from existing deal to use media content

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More News:

Todd Spangler / Variety:
Former NBC News president Noah Oppenheim, Lloyd Braun, and Sarah Bremner launch indie studio Prologue Entertainment, backed by Jeff Zucker and RedBird Capital

Discussion: The Wrap, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter

Nilay Patel / The Verge:
YouTube removed the ability to click video titles in YouTube Player for Publishers; outlets lose ad revenue by using the standard player to link to YouTube

Discussion: @reckless.bsky.social, @ianbetteridge.com and @mookie@shumai.xyz

Matt Yoder / Awful Announcing:
YouTube tells customers that the monthly price for YouTube TV's base plan will jump from $73 to $83 in January 2025, after raising it from $65 to $73 in 2023

Discussion: The Desk, Deadline, Business Insider, Tv Technology, CBS News, MacRumors, Boston Herald, Hollywood Life, Cord Cutters News, RetailWire, Barron's Online, New York Daily News, Decider, Engadget, The Hill, KCTV, TVLine, The Information, The Streamable, @tvanswerman, @tvgrimreaper, Sportico, CNET, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, @joepompliano, @gimmetheludt, Streaming Better, @tvgrimreaper, Google Help Center, Front Office Sports, @youtubetv, BetaNews, The Verge, The Wrap, BGR, @sherman4949, Media Play News, masslive.com, @youtubetv, @maxwelltani, @chrisjbakke, @chriswelch@threads.net, @kellycnbc, @mikejanela, @jd60pe5, @seldo.com, Ars Technica, Droid Life, @youtubetv, @austin_rief, 9to5Google, @justafamilyman_, @maxwelltani, @bigseanq_, @rheidrick24, @jyarow, Cord Cutters News, Digital Trends, @mgsiegler@threads.net, Consequence and Barrett Media, more at Techmeme »

Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
In a letter to UK ministers, the Copyright Alliance, representing Disney, Fox, and others, opposes potential laws allowing AI companies to scrape their content

Discussion: TechCrunch, @ednewtonrex.bsky.social and The Guardian, more at Techmeme »

Julia Jacobs / New York Times:
The NLRB issues a complaint against Netflix's Love Is Blind and classifies its contestants as employees, a case that could have ripple effects across reality TV

Discussion: Reuters, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Quartz, @poniewozik.bsky.social, Axios, @noamscheiber.bsky.social, AV Club, The Wrap and Media Play News, more at Techmeme »

Earlier Picks:

Katie Robertson / New York Times:
The NYT Tech Guild and its 600+ members reach a tentative deal with management on a contract enhancing job security, setting flexible hybrid schedules, and more

Discussion: New York Post, @nytguildtech, @nytguildtech, @nytguildtech, @nytguildtech, @viccro, @code_cwa, @chobeat@mastodon.bida.im, Reuters, The Wrap, The Verge, NewsGuild of New York and @nytguildtech

Aluf Benn / Columbia Journalism Review:
Haaretz Editor-in-Chief Aluf Benn vows that the Israeli news outlet will “not be silenced” after Israel's government bans advertising in the newspaper

Discussion: Israpundit and @marklittle.bsky.social

Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Nexstar Media, owner of NewsNation, The Hill, The CW, and local TV stations, plans layoffs that it says will affect less than 2% of its 13,000-member workforce

Discussion: Adweek, Deadline, @madelinegmonroe, @alxmara, St. Louis Business Journal, The Wrap, The Desk, Brian Steinberg on LinkedIn, The Hollywood Reporter, TVNewsCheck and The Independent

Clayton Davis / Variety:
In a first, the 97th Academy Awards will stream live on Hulu, along with airing on ABC, giving it an unprecedented boost in accessibility and viewership

Discussion: Deadline, Engadget, @tvgrimreaper, AV Club, Decider, Rolling Stone, The Streamable, IndieWire, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap and GoldDerby

From Techmeme:

Victoria Song / The Verge:
Google unveils Android XR, a mixed reality OS with Gemini built in for headsets and smart glasses, and plans a 2025 launch with Samsung's Project Moohan headset

Avram Piltch / Tom's Hardware:
Microsoft's new version of Recall appears to still capture sensitive data like credit card numbers, even with the “sensitive information” filter enabled

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple plans to roll out its own Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip as part of Apple TV and HomePod mini updates in 2025, and in iPhones later in the year

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