BBC plans to lay off 500 more staff by March 2026 and reports a £263M operating deficit in 2023/24, up from £193M in 2022/23, projected to be £492M in 2024/25 (Max Goldbart/Deadline)

Mediagazer: BBC plans to lay off 500 more staff by March 2026 and reports a £263M operating deficit in 2023/24, up from £193M in 2022/23, projected to be £492M in 2024/25 (Max Goldbart/Deadline)

Top News:

Digiday:

Google says it won't be “deprecating third-party cookies” in Chrome and will instead keep working on “privacy-preserving alternatives” via Privacy Sandbox APIs— After much back and forth, Google has decided to keep third-party cookies in its Chrome browser.
Discussion: Privacy Sandbox, Wall Street Journal, Press Gazette, Inside Radio, @cmagovuk, Information Commissioner's …, Silicon Republic, @mysk@mastodon.social, @ryanbarwick, Angelina Eng on LinkedIn, @torgo@mastodon.social, @jaffathecake@mastodon.social, Simo Ahava on LinkedIn, Reuters, @vtoubiana, @jeffjarvis, Mumbrella, @keithepetri, Mark McEachran on LinkedIn, @lukolejnik, @glenngabe, @michaelmiraflor, Engadget, Alex Cone on LinkedIn, @murakamiwood, @alextcone, Rio Longacre on LinkedIn, @pedrodias, @paperghost, @ngriffin_uk, Adweek, @simoahava, Axios, 9to5Google, Marc Majewski on LinkedIn, @levie, Mahesh Narayanan on LinkedIn, @chronotope, Paul Bannister on LinkedIn, Search Engine Land, The Media Leader, The Drum, W Media Research, @jdaykin, Fast Company, Matthias Cada on LinkedIn, @dalmaer, The Register, @edzitron, Ad Age, @lauren@mastodon …, Oliver Klander on LinkedIn, James Rosewell on LinkedIn, @sarafischer, @robinberjon, GOV.UK, @ariellesgarcia, @aripap, @simonw, @samueljscott, @thezedwards, @aripap, Financial Times, MediaPost, @kendraebarnett, The Information, @wchr@mastodon.social, @mattlanza, AdExchanger, The Drum, @LukaszOlejnik@mastodon.social, @rowan_m, The Verge, @incloud, @wolfiechristl and CBS News, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Anthony Chavez /
Privacy Sandbox: A new path for Privacy Sandbox on the web

Patience Haggin /
Wall Street Journal: Google Is Keeping Cookies in Chrome After All

Dominic Ponsford /
Press Gazette: Google scraps plan to ditch cookies on Chrome @cmagovuk: #Google has confirmed a new approach to third-party cookies. Instead of removing them from #Chrome, it will introduce a user-choice prompt. We're considering the impact of this announcement and welcome views until 12 August. Read more: https://www.gov.uk/... [image] Information Commissioner's Office: ICO statement in response to Google announcing it will no longer block third party cookies in Chrome @mysk@mastodon.social: Google's blog about introducing a new experience in Chrome that “lets people make an informed choice” regarding browser cookies has one button on its cookie banner. It's labeled “Hide.” — https://privacysandbox.com/... #Privacy — #Google — [image]

Ryan Barwick /
@ryanbarwick: 🚨NEW: Google says third-party-cookies are here to stay. “Instead of deprecating cookies, we would introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing” https://privacysandbox.com/...

Angelina Eng /
Angelina Eng on LinkedIn: 🚨 Big News from Google on Privacy! 🚨 — Google is shifting its approach to online privacy by prioritizing user control …

Daniel Appelquist /
@torgo@mastodon.social: This is a disappointing (though hardly surprising) climb-down for Google Chrome. However, it reinforces what I've been saying for ages: don't use Chrome. Use a browser that respects your #privacy. There are many Chromium-based options that respect privacy out of the box, such as Brave and Vivaldi. …

Jake Archibald /
@jaffathecake@mastodon.social: Chrome's dropping their plans to fully deprecate third party cookies. https://privacysandbox.com/...

Simo Ahava /
Simo Ahava on LinkedIn: Third-party cookie deprecation in Chrome pushed back to “never”. — https://lnkd.in/...

Vincent Toubiana /
@vtoubiana: Let's call that the “DoNotTrack” setting? https://privacysandbox.com/... [image] @jeffjarvis: Google kills everything *except* cookies. Publishers and regulators demanded that cookies die ... until they didn't. Google Is Keeping Cookies in Chrome After All https://www.wsj.com/...

Nathan Jolly /
Mumbrella: ‘We are proposing an updated approach that elevates user choice’: Google backflips on crushing cookies

Keith Petri /
@keithepetri: This is insane because by Google's own accord, they met the CMA requirements: “Early testing from ad tech companies, including Google, has indicated that the Privacy Sandbox APIs have the potential to achieve these outcomes. And we expect that overall performance using Privacy

Mark McEachran /
Mark McEachran on LinkedIn: The cookie lives. — While the outlook maintains some uncertainty now that there will be a new privacy roadmap Chrome, I'm encouraged by the bold move here. …

Lukasz Olejnik /
@lukolejnik: After four years of attempts, Google is backtracking from plans to phase out third-party cookies? https://privacysandbox.com/... [image]

Lukasz Olejnik /
@lukolejnik: So after @ICOnews detailed study and criticism of Privacy Sandbox they're going to assess if retaining third-party cookies is really a better alternative for online privacy? :-) #GDPR. Competition regulator won't accept nothing in place ...

Glenn Gabe /
@glenngabe: Whoa, big reversal -> Google says it won't be “deprecating third-party cookies” in Chrome and will instead keep working on “privacy-preserving alternatives” “In an ‘updated approach’ announced in a blog post today, Google revealed it won't be “deprecating third-party cookies.” [image]

Michael J. Miraflor /
@michaelmiraflor: What a turn of events. Huge news for everyone that spends digital ad dollars, big brands and small, who care about customer acquisition costs and data fidelity (and privacy) moving forward.

Pranav Dixit /
Engadget: Google isn't killing third-party cookies in Chrome after all

Alex Cone /
Alex Cone on LinkedIn: Today is a big day for the Privacy Sandbox team. https://lnkd.in/... We announced that we're proposing a new approach to Sandbox on the web … @murakamiwood: #Google has reversed its decision to eliminate #thirdpartycookies, in favour of some bullshit about user choice. #Privacy clearly not as important to them as #surveillance #advertising revenue, as if we didn't know that.

Alex Cone /
@alextcone: Today is a big day for the Privacy Sandbox team. https://privacysandbox.com/... We announced that we're proposing a new approach to Sandbox on the web that we believe works for the entire industry (publishers, devs, advertisers, etc.). We plan to prioritize user choice in order to

Rio Longacre /
Rio Longacre on LinkedIn: Rug pull of the century by our friends at Google: 3P cookies will NOT be deprecated next year as planned. …

Pedro Dias /
@pedrodias: Google seems to be losing the “charm” that once “dazzled” so many smaller companies. No wonder, given the frustrations that they've fostered and eroded trust on their users

Chris Boyd /
@paperghost: every few months it felt like i had to write yet another blog about how google's cookie sunsetting plan was being pushed back a little bit more but it was definitely happening honest, and now

Nicholas Griffin /
@ngriffin_uk: @jaffathecake Good, their solution was bad overall and was a complete land grab, and, in reality just made ads much, much worse. In the long term, this could have most certainly ended up with Google sneaking in advantages for their own products, with a bunch of lawyers backing them up.

Simo Ahava /
@simoahava: Third-party cookie deprecation in Chrome moved from a perpetual “in two years' time” to an effective “never”.

Marc Majewski /
Marc Majewski on LinkedIn: Prediction arrived - Google (Chrome) will NOT kill third-party cookies! 👈 — A good choice in my opinion, but a final decision after years of uncertainty and endless discussions? …

Aaron Levie /
@levie: Every time I tried to understand how the web was supposed to work after this, I got more confused.

Mahesh Narayanan /
Mahesh Narayanan on LinkedIn: Privacy Sandbox, as we knew/thought of it, is changing. — Key Takeaway seems to be: 3PC stays 🙂 …

Aram Zucker-Scharff /
@chronotope: Assuming regulators are insane enough to approve this incredibly baffling plan, not a thing that I would say will for-sure happen, it is a mistake to frame this as 3p being “here to stay”. It looks like the proposal is a consent wall for 3p at the browser level. Assume mostly NOs

Paul Bannister /
Paul Bannister on LinkedIn: Huge news from Google today that they won't be deprecating 3PC, or at least not without users deciding when they want to do it themselves. …

Sabrina Quagliozzi /
The Media Leader: Google backtracks on killing third-party cookies, focuses on user choice

Kendra Barnett /
The Drum: UK data privacy regulators ‘disappointed’ in Google's decision to keep third-party cookies

Jerry Daykin /
@jdaykin: Cookies might strictly be here to stay in Chrome... but consumers and Safari are still kicking them to the curb in many situations. Quite the switcharoo though 😂 🫣

Chris Morris /
Fast Company: Google reverses course on privacy, opting to keep targeting cookies in Chrome

Matthias Cada /
Matthias Cada on LinkedIn: That's a news to all #cookieless fans - — Chrome keeps the #3Pcookie and we all think, what the...? One could think, why all these efforts?!? …

Dion Almaer /
@dalmaer: Wow. So. Much. Time. “In light of this, we are proposing an updated approach that elevates user choice. Instead of deprecating third-party cookies, we would introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and

Thomas Claburn /
The Register: Google's plan to drop third-party cookies in Chrome crumbles

Ed Zitron /
@edzitron: so google just gave up on what was meant to be the big move away from tracking cookies after all. Ah! Nevertheless,

Lauren Weinstein /
@lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org: After years of work, #Google decides NOT to abandon third-party cookies. — My take on this is that the regulatory issues surrounding the replacement (Privacy Sandbox) and the technical challenges of actually eliminating third-party cookies everywhere without breaking significant parts of the Web, have just been too much. …

Oliver Klander /
Oliver Klander on LinkedIn: Ooooo... Be honest... we saw it coming. — “After years of uncertainty, Google says it won't be ‘deprecating third-party cookies’ in Chrome.” …

James Rosewell /
James Rosewell on LinkedIn: 🚨 Whilst Google's announcement concerning their Privacy Sandbox is a welcome development, it is not yet competition on the merits. …

Sara Fischer /
@sarafischer: Ad tech stocks tick up on news that Google pulled the plug on cookie phaseout [image]

Robin Berjon /
@robinberjon: Five years ago when the Chrome team announced the Privacy Sandbox, I called a “delaying tactic.” Not getting rid of cookies as the first step was never going to work. Today they announced that they won't be deprecating third-party cookies. That's five years wasted. [image]

Arielle Garcia /
@ariellesgarcia: Yeah, this. They will effectively kill cookies under the guise of consumer choice, when they're good and ready. This is just a marginally more convincing “privacy” cover.

Ari Paparo /
@aripap: My guess is they're going to slowly move from opt out of third-party cookies, to recommending blocking to users, then eventually to opt in only.

Simon Willison /
@simonw: @jaffathecake I honestly can't decipher that blog post, I would love it if someone could write a translation of that including HTTP-protocol-level examples of what would work / not work and what their proposed alternative path would look like

Samuel Scott /
@samueljscott: And your reminder: Attribution is useless. No one buys something because of one ad they saw one time. For years, ad tech companies have brainwashed marketers who should know better that cookie-based attribution means something.

Zach Edwards /
@thezedwards: Google's decision not to deprecate 3rd party cookies is further proof they can't be trusted with the responsibilities they have as a global data controller via Chrome. From bait and switches on their competitors to broken privacy promises to regulators. Absolute clown show.⛈️⚖️⛈️

Ari Paparo /
@aripap: Google has been trying to remove third-party cookies for longer than Biden has been in office, but at least Biden has a back-up plan.

Stephen Morris /
Financial Times: Google abandons plan to remove cookies from Chrome browser

Laurie Sullivan /
MediaPost: Google To Keep Cookies

Kendra Barnett /
@kendraebarnett: BREAKING: @Google scraps years-long plans to eliminate 3rd party cookies on Chrome. They'll remain running for those who don't disable them, but Google plans to debut a new prompt that “elevates user choice.” My story for @TheDrum: https://www.thedrum.com/...

Wolfie Christl /
@wchr@mastodon.social: Third-party cookie are staying in Chrome, I cannot f*cking believe it. I mean, sure I can believe it, but. — Google has been misleading everyone for years, making regulators, policymakers, civil society advocates and an entire industry think third-party cookies will soon go away. …

Matt Lanza /
@mattlanza: Any plan to eliminate cookies is a terrible business idea. Why on earth would you deprive people of cookies during this time of upheaval?

Lukasz Olejnik /
@LukaszOlejnik@mastodon.social: After four years of attempts, Google is backtracking from plans to phase out third-party cookies? https://privacysandbox.com/... [image]

Rowan Merewood /
@rowan_m: We'll update the developer docs soon, but this doesn't change the core implementation work to move away from third-party cookies. The APIs and cookie feature changes you need to make your site more private and more secure are ready *right now* - do it for your users.

Richard Lawler /
The Verge: Google's plan to turn off third-party cookies in Chrome is dying

Mike O'Neill /
@incloud: After a decade of regulators failure to enforce #ePrivacy, W3C failure to let #DoNotTrack become a standard, Google finally admits its addiction to surveillance marketing.

Wolfie Christl /
@wolfiechristl: Third-party cookie are staying in Chrome, I cannot f*cking believe it. Google has been misleading everyone for years, making regulators, policymakers and an entire industry think they will soon go away. Year-long deception at its finest, I take off my hat. https://privacysandbox.com/... [image]

The Hollywood Reporter:

WBD says it intends to match one of the offers for NBA rights; a source says it is targeting the package from Amazon, which is for about $1.8B per year— TNT has held NBA rights for 35 years. What happens next will determine if the network keeps them.

Discussion:
@tntsportsus, MediaPost, Variety, New York Times, Front Office Sports, CNBC, Sports Business Journal, The Wrap, @mattbelloni, The Streamable, Media Play News, Cord Cutters News, CNN, Awful Announcing, Adweek, Sportico, @benjstrauss, @sherman4949, @mgsiegler, @alexweprin, The Hill, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The Information, @ourand_puck, Sports Media Watch and Next TV

Discussion:

Wayne Friedman /
MediaPost: Warner Bros. Discovery Matches Amazon's NBA Deal: Sources

Brian Steinberg /
Variety: Warner Aims to Match Amazon's $1.8 Billion Per Year NBA Package in Sports-Rights Showdown

Andrew Marchand /
New York Times: TNT Sports plans to match Amazon's media rights package, forcing NBA staredown

Alex Sherman /
CNBC: Warner Bros. Discovery tells NBA it intends to match Amazon's media rights package

Lucas Manfredi /
The Wrap: Warner Bros. Discovery Files to Match Amazon's $1.8 Billion NBA Deal

Matthew Belloni /
@mattbelloni: lol Warner Discovery is gonna try to match an NBA rights bid. Game on! [image]

Matt Tamanini /
The Streamable: Warner Bros. Discovery Matches NBA Rights Offer; Is This Just a Ploy to Get Settlement From League?

Erik Gruenwedel /
Media Play News: WBD Says It Will Match Prime Video's $1.8 Billion Annual NBA Media Rights Offer

Raymond McCain /
Cord Cutters News: Warner Bros. Notifies NBA That It Will Match Amazon's $1.8B TV Rights Package

Liam Reilly /
CNN: Warner Bros. Discovery notifies NBA it will match Amazon's $1.8 billion offer to carry league games

Brendon Kleen /
Awful Announcing: Warner Bros. Discovery officially matches Amazon's NBA broadcast rights bid

Bill Bradley /
Adweek: Warner Bros. Discovery Sends NBA Rights Deal Into Overtime

Ben Strauss /
@benjstrauss: Turner says it delivered paperwork to NBA to match one of its rights deals. A person familiar says it's Amazon's deal. NBA will now review the match and can accept or contest. If accepted, Turner would take over Amazon's deal. If contested, Turner can choose to sue the league.

Alex Sherman /
@sherman4949: I'm told a fourth package game is extremely unlikely at this point. The league looked into it and media partners weren't willing to cede games. Plus, the NBA doesn't really want four partners. https://www.cnbc.com/...

Alex Sherman /
@sherman4949: The NBA responds to Warner Bros. Discovery: “We've received WBD's proposal and are in the process of reviewing it.” https://www.cnbc.com/...

Alex Weprin /
@alexweprin: In this story: Amazon agreed to pay 3 years of rights fees up front. Sources say WBD has lined up a letter of credit that would allow it to do the same.

Dominick Mastrangelo /
The Hill: WarnerBros. Discovery makes last-ditch effort for NBA rights

Stephen Battaglio /
Los Angeles Times: Warner Bros. Discovery says it will match Amazon's bid for NBA rights

Mike D. Sykes /
USA Today: TNT is matching Amazon's $1.8 billion per year contract with the NBA and now things could get messy

John Ourand /
@ourand_puck: NBA: “We've received WBD's proposal and are in the process of reviewing it.”

Jon Lafayette /
Next TV: Warner Bros. Discovery Says It Matched NBA Rights Offer

The Information:

Reddit COO Jen Wong says the company has revenue sharing deals with the NFL, NBA, MLB, and others to get video and other content, hoping to draw advertisers— Reddit, known for its chat forums on everything from Proust to Wall Street stocks, is going big on sports.

Discussion:
The Verge, Reddit Upvoted, Bloomberg, Sherwin Su on LinkedIn, Cord Cutters News, @amir, Quartz and Reuters

Discussion:

Aisha Counts /
Bloomberg: Reddit Lands Content Partnerships With NFL, NBA, MLB

Sherwin Su /
Sherwin Su on LinkedIn: Incredible work by Sarah Rosen & Christine Wixted here strengthening our partnerships with the National Football League (NFL) and National Basketball Association (NBA). …

Raymond McCain /
Cord Cutters News: Reddit Partners With NFL, NBA, MLB & More to Offer Highlight Videos on Reddit

Amir Efrati /
@amir: Reddit shares up 5% on sports league content deals reported by @sizpatel https://www.theinformation.com/ ... $rddt [image]

Laura Bratton /
Quartz: Reddit's big sports move is boosting the stock

Zaheer Kachwala /
Reuters: Reddit partners with NFL, NBA to boost revenue

Bloomberg:

Spotify reports Q2 revenue up 20% YoY to €3.8B, MAUs up 14% YoY to 626M, paid subscribers up 12% YoY to 246M, above 245.2M est., and a €266M operating income— Spotify Technology SA, the Swedish audio-streaming giant, reported second-quarter subscriber growth that exceeded analysts' projections …

Discussion:
Variety, Reuters, Music Business Worldwide, @eldsjal and Spotify, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Todd Spangler /
Variety: Spotify Turns in Record Profit in Q2, Grows Premium Subscribers to 246 Million

Martin Coulter /
Reuters: Spotify slightly misses revenue prediction, falls short of user growth target

Murray Stassen /
Music Business Worldwide: Spotify subscriber base grew by 7m to 246m in Q2, as streaming company posts ‘record high’ quarterly profit

Daniel Ek /
@eldsjal: Q2 results are out and it was a strong quarter. Lots of reasons why it's such an exciting time for us. Here's a sneak peek, but I'll share more in a few minutes on our investor call. Congrats to the team and huge thanks to all the Spotify listeners around the world. [video]

Deadline:

BBC plans to lay off 500 more staff by March 2026 and reports a £263M operating deficit in 2023/24, up from £193M in 2022/23, projected to be £492M in 2024/25— The BBC will lay off 500 more staff by March 2026 as its annual report paints a worrying financial picture including …

Discussion:
BBC

Sky News:

Source: former UK Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi approached billionaire backers like the Reuben family to prepare a £600M bid for The Daily Telegraph and Spectator— Nadhim Zahawi, who stepped down as an MP at the recent general election, has approached prospective billionaire backers including …

Discussion:
@evandxle, @paulanthonytho6, @markkleinmansky, The Independent, The Guardian and Reuters

Discussion:

Evan Dale /
@evandxle: Nadhim Zahawi, plots £600m Telegraph bid, Sky News can reveal He stepped down as an MP at the recent general election, and has approached prospective billionaire backers about an offer for the Telegraph and Spectator titles. cc: @MarkKleinmanSky https://news.sky.com/...

Paul Anthony Thorpe /
@paulanthonytho6: Zahawi is going into journalism now, it seems. Telegraph group, which includes the Sunday Telegraph and Spectator. After his attempted tax swindle, he shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a media platform. Not a fit person. A typical Tory charlatan.

Mark Kleinman /
@markkleinmansky: EXCLUSIVE: Nadhim Zahawi, the former Tory chancellor, is sounding out billionaire investors about backing a bid for The Daily Telegraph and The Spectator magazine in a move which could up-end the auction of some of Britain's most influential media assets. https://news.sky.com/...

Jabed Ahmed /
The Independent: Who is Nadhim Zahawi? Millionaire former chancellor plotting a ‘£600m Telegraph takeover bid’

Mark Sweney /
The Guardian: Former Tory chancellor Nadhim Zahawi ‘seeks backers for £600m Telegraph bid’

Sky News:

A Russian court sentences Russian-American RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva to six and a half years in prison for spreading “false info” about the Russian army— Alsu Kurmasheva, an editor at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, was convicted for six and a half years in a secret trial, a court spokesperson said.

Discussion:
Associated Press, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Reuters, CNN, @freedomofpress, @pressgazette, European Federation …, @bentavener, @samberkhead, CNN, @hadas_gold, @bbcstever, BBC, The Guardian, @janlipavsky, Voice of America, New York Times, @reidstan, @rebecca_vincent, @samagreene, CBS News, Semafor, Committee to Protect … and USAGM

Discussion:

Dasha Litvinova /
Associated Press: US-Russian journalist convicted in a rapid, secret trial, gets 6 1/2 years in prison, court says

Rowan Humphries /
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: American RFE/RL Reporter Alsu Kurmasheva Tried & Convicted in Russian Court CNN: US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva given 6.5 years in Russian jail in swift and secret trial @freedomofpress: U.S.-Russian reporter Alsu Kurmasheva's only “crime” is doing her work as a journalist, but Russia is proving once again its intolerance to reporting about the war in Ukraine that doesn't toe the Kremlin's line. Russia should #FreeAlsu immediately because #JournalismIsNotACrime. @pressgazette: Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, an editor for US govt-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, sentenced to 6.5 yrs in jail in Russia accused of spreading false information- as WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich sentenced to 16 yrs in a penal colony https://www.bbc.com/...

Ben Tavener /
@bentavener: In a statement to the BBC Alsu Kurmasheva's husband Pavel Butorin & his two daughters wrote: “The girls & I know Alsu has done nothing wrong. And the world knows it too. We need her home.”

Samantha Berkhead /
@samberkhead: ⚡ U.S.-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva was secretly sentenced to 6.5 years in prison on Friday for spreading “fake news” about the Russian army, AP reports. The U.S., where she holds citizenship, has yet to declare her “wrongfully detained.” https://apnews.com/...

Jennifer Hansler /
CNN: Family of another American journalist held in Russia calls on Biden administration to do more to help

Hadas Gold /
@hadas_gold: A Russian court has sentenced Alsu Kurmasheva, a longtime American-Russian journalist for US-backed Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), to six and a half years to be served in a general regime colony https://cnn.com/...

Steve Rosenberg /
@bbcstever: Turns out that last Friday, while we were witnessing one Russian court sentencing Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in prison, another Russian court (in Kazan) was sentencing US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva to 6 ½ years behind bars for allegedly spreading “false information”

Robert Greenall /
BBC: Russian-US journalist jailed for ‘false information’

Jan Lipavský /
@janlipavsky: Day after day, Russia confirms that basic human rights mean nothing to it. The trial and the sentence of @RFERL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva is a mockery of the law. Czech diplomacy will continue to fight for her release and for justice for other political prisoners. #FreeAlsu

Ivan Nechepurenko /
New York Times: Russia Sentences Alsu Kurmasheva, American Editor, to a Penal Colony

Reid Standish /
@reidstan: My colleague Alsu Kurmasheva was just sentenced in a secret trial to 6 1/2 years in a Russian prison on baseless charges. DC journalists, her husband @PashaButorin will be in Washington this week and is available to talk. https://x.com/...

Rebecca Vincent /
@rebecca_vincent: Just three days after the outrageous sentencing of Evan Gershkovich, there's been another shameful verdict against an American journalist in Russia. Alsu Kurmasheva should be immediately released - and the US government must up the ante NOW to better support her. #FreeAlsu

Sam Greene /
@samagreene: The news that a Russian court sentenced Alsu Kurmasheva on the same day as Evan Gershkovich suggests—but does not prove—that the Kremlin is preparing a deal. More likely, they are preparing to offer up a negotiating table that Washington will find it difficult to ignore. /1 CBS News: Russia sentences U.S. dual national journalist Alsu Kurmasheva to prison for reporting amid Ukraine war Committee to Protect Journalists: US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva sentenced to 6.5 years in secret trial

Bloomberg:

Sources: AMC Entertainment reached an agreement with creditors that includes restructuring its debt and moving US theaters into a different unit of the company— The asset shift would move the theaters' value out of the reach of some creditors and allow the company to exchange existing debt …

Discussion:
@lucas_shaw, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline and Variety

Discussion:

Lucas Shaw /
@lucas_shaw: The world's largest movie theater chain is restructuring its debt as it continues to fight off bankruptcy. https://www.bloomberg.com/...

Etan Vlessing /
The Hollywood Reporter: AMC Theatres Secures Refinancing Deal to Push Debt Maturities to 2029

Jill Goldsmith /
Deadline: AMC Entertainment Inks Key Refinancing Deal With Lenders, A Relief For Chain And Its Shareholders

Press Gazette:

Free London paper City AM says Christian May will return as EIC after four years away, and signs a deal to provide business and financial news to Reach titles— City AM will provide business and financial news for many of Reach's biggest newspaper titles including the Daily Express.

Discussion:

Charlotte Tobitt /
Charlotte Tobitt on LinkedIn: Double bubble big news from City AM this morning as Christian May returns as editor and it signs a major content sharing deal with David Higgerson and co at Reach plc. …

Christian May /
Christian May on LinkedIn: I'm absolutely thrilled to be returning as City A.M.'s Editor at such an exciting time. — https://lnkd.in/...

Semafor:

Semafor plans to launch Semafor Gulf on September 16, led by veteran journalist Mohammed Sergie, following the success of the US and sub-Saharan Africa editions— The News — Semafor will launch in the Middle East this September, marking a major milestone in its global expansion strategy …

Discussion:
@semaforben, @reedalbergotti and Talking Biz News

Discussion:

Reed Albergotti /
@reedalbergotti: Sign up for our new @semafor Gulf newsletter. It's the latest international vertical we've launched and a particularly interesting one for me because of rhetorical intersection with AI. Stay tuned.

Chris Roush /
Talking Biz News: Semafor hires Sergie as editor of Gulf edition

Reuters:

A US judge rules that Nina Jankowicz, a former Biden anti-disinformation official, could not back up her defamation claims against Fox News and parent Fox Corp— Fox News Media and its parent Fox Corp (FOXA.O) won a ruling on Monday dismissing a lawsuit by a former Biden administration official …

Discussion:
The Hill, Mediaite, Los Angeles Times and NPR

Discussion:

Dominick Mastrangelo /
The Hill: Judge dismisses Nina Jankowicz lawsuit against Fox News

Jamie Frevele /
Mediaite: Fox News Scores Court Victory as Defamation Lawsuit Tossed

Stephen Battaglio /
Los Angeles Times: Hunter Biden drops lawsuit against Fox News over mock trial show

Bloomberg:

A look at Comcast's bet on the Paris Olympics, which executives hope will greatly elevate Peacock against Netflix and Disney+; Peacock has exclusive US rights— - US viewers will be able to see every Olympic event on Peacock — Coverage of Games will promote Peacock original programming

Discussion:
Slate, E! Online, @lucas_shaw, The Streamable, IndieWire and Rolling Stone

Discussion:

Alex Kirshner /
Slate: The Most Mockable Streaming Service Has Transformed Itself

Brett M Malec /
E! Online: How to Watch the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony and All Your Favorite Sports

Lucas Shaw /
@lucas_shaw: Peacock was supposed to launch out of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Then Covid happened. This summer, Peacock gets to try again with the 2024 games in Paris. @hgmiller29 and I spoke to folks at Comcast about their plans. https://www.bloomberg.com/...

Matt Tamanini /
The Streamable: After Years of Demand, ‘Homicide: Life on the Street’ Set to Stream on Peacock Next Month

Brian Welk /
IndieWire: Peacock Reinvents the Olympics with Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Prompts and an A.I. Al Michaels

Alan Sepinwall /