Despite some global box office hits, China has been a total washout for US studios this summer; 80%+ of China's box office is now generated by homegrown movies (Bloomberg)

Mediagazer: Despite some global box office hits, China has been a total washout for US studios this summer; 80%+ of China's box office is now generated by homegrown movies (Bloomberg)

Top News:

Reuters:

Reuters says a strike on a hotel in eastern Ukraine killed Ryan Evans, who was a safety adviser for the agency, and two journalists were hospitalized— Ryan Evans, a member of the Reuters team covering the war in Ukraine, was killed and two Reuters journalists were injured in a strike …
Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, Deadline, London Evening Standard, Talking Biz News, Metro.co.uk, @williamsjon, BBC, @beaking_news, Al Jazeera, @marikakatanuma, Bloomberg, @w7voa@journa.host, The Wrap, Voice of America, Associated Press, @kyivindependent_official …, CBS News, @reuterszengerle, Financial Times and @christopherjm

Discussion:

Rachel Pannett /
Washington Post: Reuters safety adviser killed, journalists injured in hotel strike in Ukraine

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

Helen William /
London Evening Standard: British man who worked for Reuters killed and two journalists injured in hotel missile strike in Ukraine

Chris Roush /
Talking Biz News: Reuters staffer missing in Ukraine after 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

Steve Herman /
@w7voa@journa.host: Update: The body of Reuters safety advisor Ryan Evans has been found under the rubble of the Hotel Sapfir in Kramatorsk. — [image] Associated Press: Russian missile strike on hotel in eastern Ukraine kills British safety advisor embedded with journalists @kyivindependent_official@threads.net: ⚡️UPDATE: Reuters safety adviser killed, 6 others injured in Kramatorsk strike. Ryan Evans, a member of the Reuters team reporting on the war in Ukraine, was killed, and two other Reuters journalists were injured in a Russian missile strike on Kramatorsk that occurred late at night on Aug. 24, the news agency said.

Patricia Zengerle /
@reuterszengerle: Aug 25 (Reuters) - Ryan Evans, a member of the Reuters team covering the war in Ukraine, was killed and two Reuters journalists were injured in a strike on a hotel in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, the news agency said on Sunday. [image]

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:
@traceyryniec, @lokimicap, @tvgrimreaper and Screen Rant

Discussion:

Tracey Ryniec /
@traceyryniec: How much longer before Apple just gets out of the content business altogether? You cannot “win” at it. You will have big failures and likely lose money. $AAPL Apple Rethinks Its Movie Strategy After a String of Misses https://www.nytimes.com/... [image] @lokimicap: Not even as rich a company as Apple is good at everything. It has failed so far at the theaters and despite having many quality movies and series, it has done a crappy job promoting such content on Apple TV+ $AAPL https://www.nytimes.com/... [image] @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.

Bloomberg:

Despite some global box office hits, China has been a total washout for US studios this summer; 80%+ of China's box office is now generated by homegrown movies— Ticket sales are down, and fans aren't turning out for US films like they used to — We'll run through why the Chinese box office …

Semafor:

Megyn Kelly's “The Megyn Kelly Show” YouTube channel, which has 2.3M subscribers, had ~117M views in July 2024, more than NBC News, CBS News, BBC News, and CNBC— When then-host Megyn Kelly was pushed out of NBC News in 2019, many television network insiders thought her broadcast career was likely over.

Semafor:

Q&A with Nigerian satirist Bello Galadanci, aka Dan Bello, a trained journalist who has 1M+ TikTok followers of his videos blending social commentary and comedy— THE FACTS — Nigerian satirist Bello Galadanci, best known by his stage name Dan Bello, has amassed more than a million followers …

Discussion:
@hamzaish and Al Jazeera

Discussion:

Hamza Ibrahim /
@hamzaish: Nigerian satirist @BelloGaladanchi has amassed over a million followers on TikTok. He tells me about everything, from the power of comedy to the importance of performing in Hausa. https://www.semafor.com/... — via @SemaforAfrica #Africa. @alexisak @YinkaWrites

Semafor:

A group of media veterans and Democratic political operatives launch The Barbed Wire, a Texas for-profit digital news outlet; Olivia Messer is editor-in-chief— The Scoop — A group of media veterans and Democratic political operatives are launching a new for-profit digital news outlet in Texas.

Discussion:

Dan Solomon /
@dansolomon.bsky.social: real psyched about this! lotta talent in this newsroom, and lord knows there's enough going on in this state for em [embedded post]

Olivia Ruth Messer /
@oliviamesser: launching a news outlet is v brat summer https://thebarbedwire.com/... [image]

Olivia Messer /
The Barbed Wire: Are You There, Texas? It's Me, Olivia.

Jeff Rotkoff /
The Barbed Wire: A Note from Our Publisher — Like What You See? — All killer, no filler. — Let's Be Friends...With Benefits

Elizabeth Spiers /
@espiers.bsky.social: Been working on this for a while and we're really excited about it. More coming tomorrow! [embedded post]

Karen K. Ho /
@karenho.bsky.social: This opening letter from @oliviamesser.bsky.social is phenomenal, and worth reading in full: thebarbedwire.com/2024/08/22/ a... [embedded post]

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

Discussion:

Sean McNulty /
The Ankler: ☀️LGF's August to Forget, as Box Office Gains Continue @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

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

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

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 /