After a string of misses at theaters, Apple reverses course on upcoming action comedy Wolfs, starring Brad Pitt, by opting for a very limited theatrical release (Nicole Sperling/New York Times)

Mediagazer: After a string of misses at theaters, Apple reverses course on upcoming action comedy Wolfs, starring Brad Pitt, by opting for a very limited theatrical release (Nicole Sperling/New York Times)

Top News:

Reuters:

Reuters says a member of its team was “unaccounted for” and two others were hospitalized after a strike on a hotel in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk— A member of the Reuters team covering the war in Ukraine was missing and two others were hospitalised after a strike …
Discussion:

Chris Roush /
Talking Biz News: Reuters staffer Evans killed in Ukraine attack

Caroline Frost /
Deadline: Reuters Team Member Missing, Two In Hospital, After Strike On Hotel In Ukraine

Helen William /
London Evening Standard: Reuters safety adviser killed and two journalists injured after Ukraine strike

Jon Williams /
@williamsjon: Dreadful news: thoughts with friends @Reuters after missile hits hotel in eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk - one of team missing, two others hospitalised. Reminder, if needed, of terrible toll 2024 taking on journalists - from #Gaza to #Ukraine & beyond. #protectjournalists

Nick Beake /
BBC: Reuters journalist missing after strike in Ukraine

Nick Beake /
@beaking_news: Many condolences to the family and colleagues of Ryan Evans - the British man killed in a missile strike in Ukraine last night. He was a safety advisor for Reuters, doing invaluable work looking after his team of journalists. https://www.bbc.com/...

Marika Katanuma /
@marikakatanuma: > The journalists, ages 38 and 40 years, suffered concussion, broken limbs, cuts and other wounds, Ukrainian officials said. The third is missing in debris as search efforts continue.

Kateryna Chursina /
Bloomberg: Reuters Journalists Wounded in Russian Strike on Kramatorsk

Ellie Doughty /
The Sun: Putin unleashes his fury & launches missile strike at Ukraine hitting hotel with one journalist missing & 2 injured

Christopher Miller /
Financial Times: Reuters team member killed in Russian missile attack on Ukraine hotel

Christopher Miller /
@christopherjm: An unfortunate update to this story: The office of the prosecutor-general of Ukraine said on Sunday evening that the body of a UK citizen had been recovered from the debris of the hotel. I understand this person was a Reuters security advisor. Awful news. Thoughts with his family

New York Times:

After a string of misses at theaters, Apple reverses course on upcoming action comedy Wolfs, starring Brad Pitt, by opting for a very limited theatrical release— “Wolfs,” a new film starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt, was going to get a robust theatrical release. But the company is curtailing that plan.

Discussion:
@tvgrimreaper and Screen Rant

Discussion:
@tvgrimreaper: I like @MattBelloni's idea that Apple is bailing on wide theatrical releases because besides the financial results being terrible, they're also very public, and heavily covered in the media. Apple likes to control its narrative, and that's completely out of its control.

What's On Disney Plus:

Disney says it will shut down its on-demand apps for DisneyNOW, Freeform, FXNow, ABC, and Nat Geo TV on mobile devices and connected TVs on September 23, 2024— What's On Disney Plus > Blog > Disney+ News > Disney To Close DisneyNOW, FXNOW, Nat Geo, Freeform & ABC Apps

Discussion:
Cord Cutters News and

Engadget:

A profile of TollBit, which has raised $7M and aims to create a marketplace where AI companies can pay publishers for their content on an ongoing basis— So far though, its business model of becoming a marketplace where AI companies can pay publishers directly for their data is a complete hypothetical

Discussion:
The San Francisco Standard, @pranavdixit, Observer, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Greg Ferenstein /
The San Francisco Standard: Google's deal with publishers shows how to meet AI with innovation, not red tape @pranavdixit: Despite raising $7M, bringing on Meta's former high-profile media partnerships head @campbell_brown, and onboarding 100 publishers, TollBit's model is still hypothetical. No money has changed hands yet, but investors are knocking on their door. 💸🚪 https://www.engadget.com/...

@pranavdixit:
Founded by two ex-Toast colleagues, TollBit is a martplace where AI companies can buy fresh, high-quality data from publishers on an ongoing basis.💡📈 https://www.engadget.com/...

@pranavdixit:
New: I wrote about @Tollbitofficial, a startup aiming to be the “iTunes” of AI content licensing. Its founders told me they want to end the “Napster days” of AI by making it easy for AI companies to pay for the data they need. 🎶🤖 https://www.engadget.com/...

Deadline:

Nielsen: the Democratic National Convention's final night averaged 26.2M US viewers over 15 networks; the RNC's final night drew 25.4M viewers over 14 networks— The final night of the Democratic National Convention, buoyed by a speech from Vice President Kamala Harris accepting …

Discussion:
@morningbrew, Newser, @mulvihill79, @xdata, The Hollywood Reporter, Status, @oliverdarcy@threads.net, New York Times, Rolling Stone, Variety, The Wrap, Daily Kos and MediaPost

Discussion:
@morningbrew: Average TV viewership for this year's DNC and RNC: DNC: 22 million RNC: 19.1 million It's not much of an indicator of who will win Over the past 16 presidential election cycles, the party that had bigger convention numbers has won 8 times and lost 8 times [image]

Bob Cronin /
Newser: Harris Outdrew Trump in Acceptance Speeches

Michael Mulvihill /
@mulvihill79: As expected the DNC lead over the RNC narrowed significantly from 17% in overnights to 4% in the nationals, still good enough to give the DNC a bigger audience for all four nights of the conventions. @xdata: This year's Democratic National Convention ignited conversations far and wide, fueling a high volume of engagement across the platform. [image]

Rick Porter /
The Hollywood Reporter: TV Ratings: Democratic Convention Closes With 26M Viewers, Edging RNC Final Night

Oliver Darcy /
Status: Trumped in the Ratings — MSNBC is posting the strongest total viewership during the DNC.

Oliver Darcy /
@oliverdarcy@threads.net: The final night of the DNC averaged 26.2 million viewers, which surpassed the 25.38 million viewers who tuned into the final night of the RNC, according to Nielsen. That means every night of the DNC out-rated the RNC.

Michael M. Grynbaum /
New York Times: Harris's Convention Speech Seen by 29 Million, a Narrow Win Over Trump's

Charisma Madarang /
Rolling Stone: DNC Brings in Higher Ratings Than RNC All Four Nights

Loree Seitz /
The Wrap: DNC Night 4 Ratings Surge to 26.2 Million Viewers as Kamala Harris Accepts Historic Presidential Nomination

Andrew Mangan /
Daily Kos: Trump's worst nightmare: DNC trounces RNC in TV ratings

Wayne Friedman /
MediaPost: First 2 Nights Of DNC Viewing Up 23% Over RNC

Wall Street Journal:

Sources: WBD has started working on creating more original programming for TNT and rebooting series and made-for-TV movies, albeit with smaller budgets— Entertainment company is plotting ‘high-adrenaline’ dramas for a cable channel that has become closely associated with reruns

Discussion:
@tvgrimreaper, Deadline, TVLine, Deadline, Screen Rant, Dean Devlin on LinkedIn, The Wrap and Variety

Discussion:

@tvgrimreaper:
They're just thrashing about with no logical strategy. Adding some cheap dramas isn't going to help with carriage fee negotiations. Why bother?

Nellie Andreeva /
Deadline: TNT Greenlights CIA Miniseries As Network Eyes Potential Scripted Ramp-Up Post Write-Down & Restructuring

Matt Webb Mitovich /
TVLine: TNT Grabs Librarians Sequel From The CW, Orders Season 2, as Part of Plan to Replenish Drama Slate

Peter White /
Deadline: ‘The Librarians: The Next Chapter’ Lands At TNT After Being Pulled By The CW

Lucas Manfredi /
The Wrap: WBD Ramps Up TNT Investment With ‘The Librarians: The Next Chapter,’ CIA Miniseries

Joe Otterson /
Variety: ‘Librarians: The Next Chapter’ Moves to TNT From CW

Sportico:

Diamond Sports reaches deals to continue broadcasting games for 13 NBA teams and nine NHL teams through the leagues' 2024-2025 seasons in their local markets— Nearly a month to the day after a Houston court agreed to postpone a crucial confirmation hearing in the Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy case …

Discussion:
Front Office Sports, @mikevorkunov, @powergate92, @evandrellich, @nationmffl, @theathletic, @evandrellich, @british_buzz, @crupicrupicrupi, @mikevorkunov, WXIA-TV, @jeremydstanley.com, Tampa Bay Times, Mavs Moneyball, Dallas Morning News, The Detroit News, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, The Commercial Appeal, New York Times, The Desk, Awful Announcing and Cord Cutters News

Discussion:

Eric Fisher /
Front Office Sports: Diamond RSNs Get Renewed Deals With NBA, NHL

Mike Vorkunov /
@mikevorkunov: The Pelicans will also not be on Bally Sports in their market next season, as @cclark_13 had previously reported. The Diamond Sports filing said the two sides agreed to split as well. They're going to WVUE-TV and Gray Television, he reported.

Donavon /
@powergate92: Diamond Sports has filed an agreement with the Bankruptcy Court that will keep 7 NHL Teams on Bally Sports through the 2024-25 Season, and if they confirmed a Chapter 11 Plan, it will continue beyond the 2024-25 Season. [image]

Evan Drellich /
@evandrellich: Diamond Sports has reached deals with the NBA and NHL, deals it has said for a while it was closing in on. There's a hearing scheduled for Sept. 3 where, presumably, we'll get some sort of overall update on the bankruptcy process. @nationmffl: NEWS: The Dallas Mavericks and Bally Sports Southwest will be parting ways. Diamond Sports has filed a motion asking the bankruptcy judge to reject the deal as well to terminate the rights for the upcoming NBA season. (via @MikeVorkunov) [image] @theathletic: Regardless of whether it successfully emerges from bankruptcy, Diamond Sports Group is now promising it will operate through the 2024-25 NBA and NHL seasons. The company said it has reached agreements with both leagues. ✍️ @EvanDrellich and @MikeVorkunov https://www.nytimes.com/...

Evan Drellich /
@evandrellich: Statement from David Preschlack, CEO of Diamond Sports Group: [image]

James Plowright /
@british_buzz: Following today's announcement by Diamond Sports Group (Bally Sports), it appears the Charlotte Hornets will REMAIN on @HornetsOnBally this season. The Hornets are not mentioned as one of the teams released from the contract on the published court documents earlier today. [image]

Anthony Crupi /
@crupicrupicrupi: Big news from the world of the RSNs as Diamond Sports appears to have cinched a lifeline* by re-upping with 20 of its NBA & NHL partners. *naturally, the endemic stressors on the distribution model aren't going anywhere, so maybe this buys them 2 years? https://www.sportico.com/...

Mike Vorkunov /
@mikevorkunov: Seems Dallas Mavericks will not be on Bally Sports Southwest next season. Diamond Sports filed a motion asking bankruptcy judge to reject its deal with the Mavs and said franchise “mutually” wants to terminate rights agreement ahead of 2024-25 season. The judge needs to sign off.

Eduardo A. Encina /
Tampa Bay Times: Bally Sports set to continue broadcasting Lightning games in 2024-25

Matt Martinez /
Mavs Moneyball: Diamond, Bally Sports reportedly drop regional broadcast deals with Mavericks, Pelicans

Tony Paul /
The Detroit News: Red Wings, Pistons staying on Bally Sports Detroit for at least 2024-25

Alden Gonzalez /
ESPN: Diamond drops Mavs, Pels, but agrees to air NBA, NHL for '24-25 seasons

Nolan O'Hara /
Sports Illustrated: Timberwolves will remain on Bally Sports North for 2024-25 season

Damichael Cole /
The Commercial Appeal: Diamond Sports Group, NBA reach agreement: Grizzlies games expected to air on Bally Sports

Daniel Kaplan /
Awful Announcing: Bally Sports RSNs reach new agreements with NHL, NBA for 2024-2025 seasons

Sacramento Bee:

Buffy Wicks, who dropped her effort to make Big Tech pay California news orgs after Google agreed to give to a nonprofit supporting local news, defends the deal— The California legislator at the center of a first-in-the-nation deal between Google and the state to help fund local news organizations …

Discussion:
@mattdpearce, @bcmerchant, @cherthedev, TechCrunch, @bcmerchant, @adamkovac, @kortizart, @froomkin, @mattdpearce, Associated Press, @mattdpearce, Columbia Journalism Review, The Hill, Tim Griggs on LinkedIn, The Verge, New York Post, Blood in the Machine, MEDIANAMA, Raw Story, The Desk, The Wrap, Fast Company, BuzzMachine and Media Nation

Discussion:

Matt Pearce /
@mattdpearce: Meanwhile it was a Politico intern who broke the story that this was all going down, because half the publishers of in-state publications like @CalMatters were shoving their hands into the cash register as soon as the public looked the other way.

Brian Merchant /
@bcmerchant: @mattdpearce @MediaGuildWest Neither journalism bill had *at any point* contained language on AI. Now, in the 11th hour, here comes this deal, cut between Google, legislators and publishers—and 0 journalists—that suddenly includes public funding, and *an AI accelerator*. Journalists were stunned and livid.

Cher Scarlett /
@cherthedev: The thing I learned during the data privacy bill creation in Washington state is that I had to put everything in my fight for the people in public, while tech companies hid in the shadows against me. They got to keep location data. Something is very wrong with this system.

Kyle Wiggers /
TechCrunch: Google just made a $250M deal with California to support journalism — here's what it means

Brian Merchant /
@bcmerchant: Meanwhile, actual working journalists, who had formed a cautious alliance with the bill's sponsor, Buffy Wicks, and, in a very rare move, publishers themselves, put themselves on the line to support CJPA. Here was a real chance for structural reform to save local news.

Adam Kovacevich /
@adamkovac: The CA news journalists union @MediaGuildWest helped write CJPA, so it's natural that they don't like @BuffyWicks' compromise. But just to set a few things straight in response to their criticism of the deal... https://x.com/...

Karla Ortiz /
@kortizart: What a disgusting use of California's tax payer's dollars. California has some amazing bills in the works, but this one sets everything back by not only normalizing GenAi worst exploitative practices but having all of US pay into it. I HOPE @BuffyWicks reconsiders this awful bill

Dan Froomkin /
@froomkin: Google's secretive backroom deal with the California legislature to pay a relative pittance to local news orgs sets off all sorts of alarms for me, but @jeffjarvis persuasively argues that it has some good points, too. https://buzzmachine.com/...

Matt Pearce /
@mattdpearce: Jeff Jarvis was a paid lobbyist for the Chamber of Commerce. The only people willing to publicly defend California's ugly Google deal right now are the same people Google and its allies paid to kill AB 886. This is a job.

Matt Pearce /
@mattdpearce:

Tim Griggs /
Tim Griggs on LinkedIn: I'm a pragmatist, generally, and that means I'm all for any move that's designed to help local news publishers. …

Jess Weatherbed /
The Verge: Google reaches a $250 million deal to skirt proposed journalism bill

Thomas Barrabi /
New York Post: California Democrat defends ‘disastrous’ $250M Google deal with newspapers

Brian Merchant /
Blood in the Machine: How a bill meant to save journalism from big tech ended up boosting AI and bailing out Google instead

Mimansa /
MEDIANAMA: Google Agrees to $250M ‘Local Journalism Supporting’ Partnership in California Amidst Protest from Journalist Unions

Matthew Keys /
The Desk: Google's plan to fund California newsrooms draws scorn from journalism groups

Benjamin Lindsay /
The Wrap: Google's $250 Million Deal for California Newsrooms Should Pilot How to ‘Bolster Local Journalism,’ SPJ Says

Chris Morris /
Fast Company: Will Google's $250 million deal with California really help journalism?

Jeff Jarvis /
BuzzMachine: California's Deal for News

Status:

Source: Penske Media has laid off dozens of staff over the last several weeks; Penske says it's grown its total headcount in 2022, 2023, and 2024— The layoffs at Penske's media empire comes as his company faces tough headwinds, many of them industry wide.

Discussion:
@oliverdarcy@threads.net and Talking Biz News

Discussion:

Oliver Darcy /
@oliverdarcy@threads.net: Jay Penske owns Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Sportico, WWD, IndieWire, and plenty more. But, quietly, his media empire is bleeding, laying off dozens of people in piecemeal fashion over the last few weeks. What's going on? …

Chris Roush /
Talking Biz News: Hollywood Reporter, Variety have had layoffs

Variety:

Filing: the NBA seeks to dismiss WBD's lawsuit over the league's media rights, detailing how WBD had failed to match the terms of Amazon's offer— This game may never start. … Spokespersons for the NBA and Warner's TNT Sports were not able to respond immediately to queries seeking comment.

Discussion:

Dominic Patten /
Deadline: NBA Slam Dunks Warner Bros Discovery, Says Company Lacks Reach & Cash To Challenge Amazon TV Rights Deal; TNT Insists League's “Actions Are Unjustified” As Court Battle Heats Up

Baxter Holmes /
ESPN: NBA files motion to dismiss Warner Bros. Discovery lawsuit

Ryan Dunleavy /
New York Post: NBA files for dismissal of Warner Bros. Discovery's broadcast rights lawsuit

Arthur Weinstein /
Awful Announcing: NBA files to dismiss WBD's lawsuit, says TV rights offer ‘not even close’ in terms

Brian Steinberg /
@bristei: MORE: Letter from NBA's Bill Koenig to WBD sports chief Luis Silberwasser details multiple ways in which Warner failed to match Amazon's bid for new rights package from league https://variety.com/...

Matthew Keys /
The Desk: NBA seeks dismissal of WBD's lawsuit over telecast rights

Eric Fisher /
Front Office Sports: NBA Moves to Dismiss WBD Lawsuit, Says Network Sought to Rewrite Deal

Drew Lerner /
Sports Media Watch: NBA-WBD, Diamond, Venu and more

Lucas Manfredi /
The Wrap: NBA Files Motion to Dismiss WBD Matching Rights Lawsuit

Lucas Manfredi /
TVNewsCheck: NBA Files Motion To Dismiss WBD Matching Rights Lawsuit

Daniel Kaplan /
Awful Announcing: Amazon, NBC want media deals under seal in WBD lawsuit against NBA

Advanced Television:

Disney says it is expanding availability of its ad-supported Disney+ plan to Finland, the Netherlands, and Portugal on October 17— Following the launch of its ad-supported plan in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK in 2023 …

Discussion:
UK Press and Media Play News

Advanced Television:

Liberty Media announces plans to sell F1 shares worth $825M to partially fund its 86% stake in Dorna Sports, the MotoGP commercial rights holder valued at $4.2B— Liberty Media has revealed plans to sell F1 shares worth $825 million (€742m) in order to ‘partially fund’ its planned acquisition of MotoGP.

Discussion:
Broadband TV News, PlanetF1, Motorsport Week, Sports Illustrated and Motorsport.com

Discussion:

Elizabeth Blackstock /
PlanetF1: Liberty Media announce huge $825m F1 stake sale to fund $4.2bn MotoGP takeover

Saajan Jogia /
Sports Illustrated: Liberty Media Ready To Sell $825 Million In F1 Stakes To Raise A Whopping $4.2 Billion For MotoGP Purchase

Mark Mann-Bryans /