In an earnings call, David Zaslav says the Trump Administration may be more merger friendly, enabling a "real positive and accelerated impact on this industry" (Dade Hayes/Deadline)
Mediagazer: In an earnings call, David Zaslav says the Trump Administration may be more merger friendly, enabling a “real positive and accelerated impact on this industry” (Dade Hayes/Deadline)
Top News:
Washington Post:
A look at Amazon Prime Video's election night show, with former NBC News anchor Brian Williams, a wide array of news team members and guests, and a surreal set— The former NBC News anchor's deeply strange (and ambitious) live stream captured the surrealism of the night.
Discussion: @thr: Brian Williams Brings Standard Election Night Coverage to Streaming With Live Amazon Special https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
Melanie McFarland /
Salon: Brian Williams held our hand, giving us a way to check out from cable news - and the election
Chase Manning /
@chaseman777@threads.net: Highly disappointed in Amazon Prime's election coverage with Brian Williams. They just had Ben Shapiro on as if he were any old intelligent, unbiased, reliable expert correspondent and not the hate-filled bigoted tool bag with zero percent journalistic integrity that he is.
Baratunde Thurston /
@baratunde@threads.net: When James Carville isn't on tv he's on the phone. Sometimes he's doing both at the same time. A little behind the scenes form this Brian Williams election night special on Amazon prime https://www.amazon.com/... @estellasrevenge@threads.net: Brian Williams election coverage on Prime is repub heavy. Ugh. What streaming will you watch tonight?
Rick Porter /
The Hollywood Reporter: Brian Williams Brings Standard Election Night Coverage to Streaming With Live Amazon Special
Brian Steinberg /
Variety: Brian Williams Goes Long on Talk, Short on Flashy Graphics in Amazon Election-Night Streaming Debut
Garrett Searight /
Barrett Media: Is Brian Williams Ready for a Television News Comeback After Amazon Prime Video Election Night Special?
Erik Pedersen /
Deadline: Brian Williams Leads Prime Video's First Live Election Night Special - Watch The Cold Open
Raquel ‘Rocky’ Harris /
The Wrap: How to Watch Brian Williams' Live Election Special on Amazon for Free
Taylor Soper /
GeekWire: Amazon makes its live news debut as TV vet Brian Williams hosts election night coverage
Josh Sorokach /
Decider: Where To Watch Brian Williams' Election Night Coverage: Channel, Start Time, Streaming Info
Christopher Tremoglie /
Washington Examiner: Will Brian Williams be dodging enemy fire in a helicopter on his way to a new election coverage gig?
RELATED:
Fortune:
Streams Charts: Election Day livestreams generated nearly 84M hours watched with 80.6% on YouTube; Fox News was the top outlet with a record 1.14M+ peak viewers— A man seen watching the broadcasting of the U.S. election results at the restaurant in Bangkok.
Discussion:
Streams Charts and DNyuz
Discussion:
Dmytro Murko /
Streams Charts: U.S. Election Results in Live-streaming — over 9 million Peak Viewers; new records for top streamers and platforms
Deadline:
Nielsen: 42.3M viewers watched election night coverage across 18 US TV networks, down 25% from 2020; Amazon Prime Video was not included in the measurement— The measurement was in the 7 p.m. - 11 p.m. ET period, which was hours before the final tally of Trump's win and Vice President Kamala Harris' loss was in.
Discussion:
Wayne Friedman /
MediaPost: Election Night TV Viewing Down 25% To 42.3M Barrett Media: Network and Cable News Coverage of 2024 Presidential Election Results Drops More Than 25% Compared to 2020
Jeremy Barr /
@jeremymbarr: What's also wild is that 67 million people watched the Trump/Harris debate two months ago. That's a massive drop in TV interest.
Alex Weprin /
@alexweprin: @jeremymbarr ... I don't know for sure, but I will note that for a debate you want to watch the event, for Election Day you want the analysis, and there are a million places to get real time analysis.
Stephen Battaglio /
Los Angeles Times: Fox News leads election night ratings as MSNBC tops CNN for the first time
Sara Fischer /
Axios: 42 million tune into election night coverage
Mark Mwachiro /
Adweek: 42.3 Million Viewers Watched Presidential Election Night Coverage
Ben Mullin /
@benjaminmullin@threads.net: Inbox: more than 42 million viewers tuned in to watch 2024 presidential election coverage, down *25 percent* from 2020, per Nielsen:
Joe Otterson /
Variety: Election Night 2024 Coverage Draws 42.3 Million Viewers, Down Over 25% From 2020
Isabella Simonetti /
Wall Street Journal: Fox News Led Election Night Ratings Amid Lower Cable Viewership
Loree Seitz /
The Wrap: Election Night 2024 Ratings: Fox News Dominates With 9.8 Million Viewers, MSNBC Beats CNN for First Presidential Election Ever
TechCrunch:
Perplexity's US election hub offered helpful, real-time election insights and maps on November 5, linking to reliable resources and providing historical context— On Tuesday, two AI startups tried convincing the world their AI chatbots were good enough to be an accurate …
Discussion:
Maxwell Zeff /
Maxwell Zeff on LinkedIn: On Election Day, a couple AI startups tried convincing the world their AI chatbots were good enough to be an accurate, real-time source of information during a high-stakes presidential election. …
Aravind Srinivas /
Aravind Srinivas on LinkedIn: “Perplexity took a risky bet, and it paid off.” - TechCrunch, declaring Perplexity as the other election night winner. — https://lnkd.in/gP6uvd9J
Emilia David /
VentureBeat: Tech leaders congratulate Trump on winning 2024 election, pledge to work together on innovation
Helen Li /
Business Insider: Elon Musk's Grok AI was pretty excited Trump won the 2024 election. Here's what else AI chatbots had to say.
Sharon Goldman /
Fortune: Perplexity bets big on AI search during the election while Google and OpenAI say they can't help New York Times: In the election run-up, TV networks had prepared for a long wait, like in 2020, that didn't come; around 2:30AM ET, every network covered Trump's victory speech
Discussion:
@davidoatkins, DNyuz, Poynter, Variety and The Guardian
Discussion:
David Atkins /
@davidoatkins: You cannot cede the information environment and algorithmic influence to the far right, and then make up for it with billions in paid media and ground volunteers.
Tom Jones /
Poynter: Who won the 2024 presidential election coverage?
Brian Steinberg /
Variety: As Trump Gained Election Lead, TV Anchors Tried to Convince Viewers to Keep Watching
Axios:
How Trump and his allies could go after the media in his second term through harassment campaigns and lawsuits, draining the companies of time, money, and trust— - “The regulatory threat is on the edges at most,” said Andrew Jay Schwartzman, a veteran communications lawyer.
Discussion:
Columbia Journalism Review, @maxwelltani, @freedomofpress, @karlbode.bsky.social, Freedom of the Press …, @benmullin, @trevortimm, @robeno, @mehdirhasan, @kittypurrzog, @perspectvortex, @matthewkeyslive, Alternet.org, Boing Boing, Politico, Deadline and Sara Fischer on LinkedIn
Discussion:
Kyle Paoletta /
Columbia Journalism Review: Trump Wins, the Press Loses @freedomofpress: Donald Trump will almost certainly roll back limits on his power to spy on journalists and sources. That's why the Senate must pass the PRESS Act NOW. https://freedom.press/...
Karl Bode /
@karlbode.bsky.social: You're gonna love the Trump FCC run by lickspittle sycophant Brendan Carr — once they've butchered the FCC's entire broadband consumer protection authority with the help of a corrupt court, they'll pivot toward threatening broadcasters and tech companies that don't adequately bend the knee to fascism [image]
Ben Mullin /
@benmullin: https://vox.com/ uses Trump's victory as an occasion to remind readers to donate: [image]
Trevor Timm /
@trevortimm: Trump has spent the last year calling for more leak investigations, imprisoning journalists, and censoring news outlets he doesn't like. Lawmakers and the White House must act—before it's too late. Pass the PRESS Act! Our statement at @FreedomofPress: https://freedom.press/...
Rob Eno /
@robeno: I give @brianstelter a lot of shit. And have for years. But if this is a truly sincere effort to turn the page and self reflect. Let's do it. This is worlds different from his tone in 2016 the day after the election. https://view.newsletters.cnn.com/ ...
Mehdi Hasan /
@mehdirhasan: People - including top US journalists, perhaps especially top US journalists - don't quite get how bad it's going to be. How beyond term one it'll be. How bad the Musks and RFKs will be. I don't think even I fully accept how bad it's going to be and I have been shouting how bad
Katie Herzog /
@kittypurrzog: Congratulations to the New York Times, cable news, the ACLU, GLAAD, and much of the nonprofit industrial complex. Next few years gonna be flush. @perspectvortex: A lesson Rush Limbaugh learned 30 years ago. Being the opposition is better for your grift
Matthew Keys /
@matthewkeyslive: “Donald Trump ran a campaign based on retribution. Now he is perfectly positioned to carry it out.”
Matthew Keys /
@matthewkeyslive: The media has a major opportunity to course correct over the next four years. Or they can stay the course and repeat the same mistakes. Not sure which path the industry will take.
David Badash /
Alternet.org: The list of who Donald Trump has ‘pledged to punish’ — according to one of his targets
Ellsworth Toohey /
Boing Boing: Trump revenge list: politicians, prosecutors and journalists targeted for retaliation
Josh Gerstein /
Politico: Trump promised to get revenge. Here are his targets.
Sara Fischer /
Sara Fischer on LinkedIn: 💡 Even if #DonaldTrump wins the election, he won't have as much political power to go after the media as you might think, thanks to strong legal and regulatory protections …
RELATED:
CNN:
After Trump won, US journalists question what a “red wave” election says about the information environment and the media's credibility, influence, and audience— New York CNN — — Donald Trump's return to power is a hinge point for the American media - in ways big, small, and to be determined.
Discussion:
Radhamely De Leon /
Decider: Jake Tapper Goes Viral For Candid Reaction To Kamala Harris' Underwhelming Performance: “Holy Smokes”
David Weigel /
Semafor: The 2024 election buried Barack Obama's coalition
New York Times:
How Trump, a master of the media, embraced online celebrities and podcasts in the 2024 election cycle, evolving beyond tabloids, reality TV, X, and cable news
New York Times:
Experts say news outlets could see a “Trump bump 2.0”, but it would be more muted than in his first term due to news fatigue and changing consumption habits
Discussion:
Jon Allsop /
Columbia Journalism Review: In Defense of ‘Resistance’ — Last night, less than twenty-four hours after Donald Trump swept …
Ben Mullin /
@benmullin: new: in the aftermath of Donald Trump's election, experts expect a short-term increase in news subscriptions, philanthropic giving to news nonprofits and cable news ratings. But news fatigue may sap that enthusiasm over time https://www.nytimes.com/...
Harry McCracken /
@harrymccracken@mastodon.social: Every ounce of effort the media puts into predicting what's going to happen could be put to better use. https://www.nytimes.com/...
Brendan Carr /
@brendancarrfcc: NBC knew the FCC's Equal Time rule. SNL even said that they could not bring any candidates on, while still complying with that law, given the number of other candidates that would have Equal Time rights. Nonetheless, NBC and SNL decided to bring just one candidate on less
Benjamin Mullin /
TVNewsCheck: Trump Bump 2.0? Experts Expect Another Audience Surge, With Caveats
GeekWire:
Jeff Bezos, who ended the WaPo endorsing political candidates, congratulates Donald Trump on his “political comeback and decisive victory” in a rare X post
Discussion:
@jeffbezos, Columbian, Barron's Online, Status, @eriksherman, @davill, @bgrueskin, @mattdpearce, @jstein_wapo, @canteverdie, @teddyschleifer, @drericding, @jbendery, @markmobility, San Francisco Business Times, Townhall, Variety, Reuters, The Independent, TMZ.com, GB News, Mediaite, New York Times, @nickdaly.bsky.social, CNN, The Gateway Pundit, KDFX-TV and Daily Kos, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Jeff Bezos /
@jeffbezos: Big congratulations to our 45th and now 47th President on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory. No nation has bigger opportunities. Wishing @realDonaldTrump all success in leading and uniting the America we all love.
Alex Halverson /
Columbian: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has some kind words for Trump
Abby Schultz /
Barron's Online: Trump's Victory Boosts Billionaires' Wealth. Musk and Bezos Are Winners, Too.
Oliver Darcy /
Status: Paving Trump's Path
Erik Sherman /
@eriksherman: Yup, really bad look and strategy. The grift economy is alive and well.
Dave Limp /
@davill: Echoing Jeff's congrats here. Exciting times for space exploration are ahead of us.
Bill Grueskin /
@bgrueskin: Wow, that's quite an, um, endorsement!
Matt Pearce /
@mattdpearce: good stuff
Jeff Stein /
@jstein_wapo: From a story I did recently on billionaires, including Bezos, signaling their openness to Trump pre-election: “Trump has had no issue calling out political enemies by name and threatening to use the force of government for retribution, and apparently that is intimidating a lot of @canteverdie: billionaires blatantly bought this last election via purchase of media spaces, of flooding the internet strategically with their influence, and democrats are holding onto the past. they're not grappling with the current political landscape that the right is operating in
Teddy Schleifer /
@teddyschleifer: Hmmmmm
Eric Feigl-Ding /
@drericding: Now we know why Washington Post was muzzled by Bezos.
Jennifer Bendery /
@jbendery: Jeff Bezos last week: “What presidential endorsements actually do is create a perception of bias. A perception of non-independence.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
Mark Elliott /
@markmobility: WaPo's endorsement finally drops. San Francisco Business Times: Sam Altman, Tim Cook and other tech leaders had this to say about Trump's victory
Todd Spangler /
Variety: Jeff Bezos Praises Donald Trump's ‘Extraordinary Comeback’ After Tech Mogul Spiked Washington Post's Presidential Endorsement
Katie Hawkinson /
The Independent: Bezos gushes over Trump's ‘extraordinary political comeback’ after reportedly killing Harris endorsement
Holly Bishop /
GB News: Kamala Harris finally concedes in phone call to Donald Trump hours after victory declared
Benjamin Mullin /
New York Times: Jeff Bezos Congratulates Trump on Victory
Nick Daly /
@nickdaly.bsky.social: Which reminds me, I haven't canceled my WaPo subscription yet [embedded post]
Liam Reilly /
CNN: Jeff Bezos congratulates Trump for ‘extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory’
Anthony Scott /
The Gateway Pundit: Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos Congratulates Trump on “Extraordinary Political Comeback” KDFX-TV: Reporters from Politico, Axios, and more were denied credentials to Trump's election night event; a source says Politico's were revoked after critical coverage
Emily Singer /
Daily Kos: Washington Post owner ditches ‘independence’ for fawning congrats to Trump
Deadline:
In an earnings call, David Zaslav says the Trump Administration may be more merger friendly, enabling a “real positive and accelerated impact on this industry”— Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said Donald Trump's re-election as president bodes well for media M&A.
Discussion:
Variety, The Streamable, The Wrap, Yahoo Finance, The Information, BIG by Matt Stoller and The Hollywood Reporter
Discussion:
Todd Spangler /
Variety: Trump May Increase Opportunity for ‘Needed’ Industry Consolidation, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav Says
David Satin /
The Streamable: WBD's David Zaslav Optimistic About Industry Consolidation After Trump Election
Adam Chitwood /
The Wrap: David Zaslav Touts ‘Opportunity for Consolidation’ Under Trump Administration
Alexandra Canal /
Yahoo Finance: Warner Bros. Discovery CEO: Media consolidation may pick up under Trump administration
Martin Peers /
The Information: Media Executives Says Trump May Help Speed Mergers
Matt Stoller /
BIG: Wall Street Celebrates a Coming Trump Merger Boom
Georg Szalai /
The Hollywood Reporter: David Zaslav: Trump May Bring “Opportunity for Consolidation” That's “Positive” for Business
RELATED:
The Hollywood Reporter:
WBD reports Q3 adjusted EBITDA for DTC, including streaming and pay-TV, of $289M, up from $111M in Q3 2023, and 110.5M subscribers, up 7.2M from Q2 2024— The David Zaslav-led conglomerate posted its third-quarter results. … The company, led by CEO David Zaslav, on Thursday …
Discussion:
Variety, The Streamable, Reuters, The Wrap, TVNewsCheck, The Information, Media Play News, CNBC and Yahoo Finance
Discussion:
Jennifer Maas /
Variety: Warner Bros. Discovery Adds 7 Million Streaming Subs in Q3 to Hit 110 Million as Box Office Dives 40% in ‘Barbie’-Less Summer
David Satin /
The Streamable: Max Posts Massive Subscriber Increase in Q3 2024, Jumping to 110.5 Million Globally
Lucas Manfredi /
The Wrap: Warner Bros. Discovery Posts Streaming Profit of $289 Million in Q3 as Subs Grow to 110.5 Million TVNewsCheck: Warner Bros. Discovery Sees Streaming Subs Rocket To 110M As International Rollout Gathers Pace
Martin Peers /
The Information: WBD Reports Lower Revenues and Profits Despite Streaming Improvement
Erik Gruenwedel /
Media Play News: Warner Bros. Discovery Added Record 7.2 Million Quarterly Streaming Subs, Operating Profit Increased to $289 Million
Lillian Rizzo /
CNBC: Warner Bros. Discovery adds 7.2 million Max subscribers, the streamer's largest single-quarter jump
Deadline:
WBD report Q3 revenue down 3% YoY to $9.62B, adjusted EBITDA down 18% YoY to $2.4B, and net income of $135M, as its box offices numbers drop— Warner Bros Discovery added more than seven million net subscribers in the third quarter of 2024 as its international Max rollout gathered pace …
Discussion:
Adweek, The Streamable and Benzinga
Discussion:
Saleah Blancaflor /
Adweek: Trump Could Be a ‘Real Positive’ for Industry Consolidation, Says WBD CEO
Reuters:
Canada orders TikTok's business in the country to be dissolved, citing national security, but says it is not blocking Canadians' access; TikTok plans to appeal— Canada on Wednesday ordered the wind up of TikTok's business in the country citing national security risks …
Discussion:
CBC News, Associated Press, Gizmodo, Music Business Worldwide, Music Ally, MEDIANAMA, DNyuz, Government of Canada, Canada's National Observer, UPI, TechCrunch, Michael Geist, @privacylawyer, The Information, @geoffreygertz, @prairiecentrist, @gray_mackenzie, New York Times, @scott_dlb, Digital Music News, The Desk, Reuters, Boing Boing, Billboard, Engadget, Variety, Daily Sabah and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »
Discussion:
Catharine Tunney /
CBC News: Trudeau government bans TikTok from operating in Canada — but Canadians can still use it
Matthew Gault /
Gizmodo: Canada Is Doing Its Own Extremely Weird TikTok Ban
Daniel Tencer /
Music Business Worldwide: TikTok vows court battle as Canada orders shutdown of local subsidiary
Stuart Dredge /
Music Ally: Canadian government is shutting down TikTok (but not its app)
Simone Lobo /
MEDIANAMA: After US, Canada orders Tiktok to shutdown operations over national security concerns Government of Canada: Government of Canada orders the wind up of TikTok Technology Canada, Inc. following a national security review under the Investment Canada Act
Tara Deschamps /
Canada's National Observer: National security concerns prompt Ottawa to shut down TikTok's Canadian arm
Clyde Hughes /
UPI: Canada orders TikTok to close local operations citing national security concerns
Ingrid Lunden /
TechCrunch: Canada orders shutdown of TikTok offices over security risks (but won't block app)
David T.S. Fraser /
@privacylawyer: In another remarkably stupid move, the Gov't of Canada orders TikTok to shutter its Cdn subsidiary (which presumably writes the cheques to Cdn creators), but the app will still be available in Cda. I can't see how this does anything but harm creators. https://www.canada.ca/...
Geoffrey Gertz /
@geoffreygertz: This is also curiously almost the exact inverse of another social media policy trend, which is requiring platforms to have a local presence, someone to be accountable to gov't regulators. If I understand this order, Canada is compelling TikTok not to have a local presence? 🤷
John Mark Taylor /
@prairiecentrist: Idk what this means.
Mackenzie Gray /
@gray_mackenzie: The Canadian Government just announced they're ordering the wind up of TikTok Technology Canada, Inc. after a national security review but Tik Tok itself is not being banned in Canada. So the company is banned, the Tik Tok itself will still be accessible in Canada #cdnpoli [image]
Meaghan Tobin /
New York Times: Canada Shuts TikTok's Offices Over National Security Risks
Scott /
@scott_dlb: So zero security concerns are resolved but we lose the ability to tax and regulate it. The Liberals really are the masters of finding the dumbest possible middle ground on an issue
Ashley King /
Digital Music News: Canada Bans TikTok Business Operations in Canada — App Still Available Though
Matthew Keys /
The Desk: Canada says TikTok must dissolve domestic business
Rob Beschizza /
Boing Boing: Canada bans Tik Tok from operating in country, but allows the app to stay
Tyler Jenke /
Billboard: TikTok Banned From Operating In Canada
Karissa Bell /
Engadget: Canada orders TikTok to shut down its business operations in the country due to ‘national security risks’
Michaela Zee /
Variety: TikTok Ordered to Shut Down Canadian Business by Country's Government, App Access to Continue
New York Times:
Richard Winfield, who worked to protect reporters' sources, convinced judges to allow cameras in court, and more as general counsel for the AP, died at age 91— As a lawyer for The Associated Press and other news outlets, he challenged efforts to muzzle reporters and organized lawyers to promote free expression around the world.
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck
Discussion:
Deadline:
ITV reports revenue down 8% YoY to £2.74B in January to September 2024, Studios revenue down 20% YoY to £1.21B due to strikes, and plans £20M in extra cost cuts— UK network ITV is planning an additional £20M ($25.9M) in net cost savings, as impacts …
Discussion:
Advanced Television, Variety, The Media Leader, London Evening Standard and The Hollywood Reporter
Discussion:
K.J. Yossman /
Variety: Hollywood Strikes Ripple Effect Continues as U.K. Broadcaster ITV Sees 8% Drop in Revenue
Jack Benjamin /
The Media Leader: ITV expects 6-7% ad revenue decline in golden quarter
Henry Saker-Clark /