A look at the fading dominance of Apple Podcasts, as a study of 603 weekly podcast consumers finds 31% use YouTube, followed by Spotify at 21%, and Apple at 12% (Ashley Carman/Bloomberg)

Mediagazer: A look at the fading dominance of Apple Podcasts, as a study of 603 weekly podcast consumers finds 31% use YouTube, followed by Spotify at 21%, and Apple at 12% (Ashley Carman/Bloomberg)

Top News:

The Verge:

Q&A with Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion, and Danielle Strle, chief product officer, on how they bought the outlet, why they're making a print version, and more— The new owners of the satire site rescued it from content farm hell. Now, they're relaunching its newspaper.
Discussion: @mvario@mastodon.social: The Onion's new owners on escaping content farm hell and relaunching a newspaper - The Verge — https://www.theverge.com/... #TheOnion — [image]

Christina Child /
Christina Child on LinkedIn: “We moved on to WordPress. We looked at other platforms, of course. But yeah, moving fast, here we are. It's a WordPress world.” — No fake news here. …

Jordan LaFlure /
Jordan LaFlure on LinkedIn: We were so close. After decades of R&D, testing, and optimizing, The Onion was just another 3 to 5 years away from debuting an infinitely long slideshow … @verge@mastodon.social: How The Onion is saving itself from the digital media death spiral https://www.theverge.com/... @hack13@cyberfurz.social: This is a great episode hearing about people coming together to keep a publication online even if it is a fake news publication. Just to keep The Onion around. — Decoder with Nilay Patel: How The Onion is saving itself from the digital media death spiral — Episode webpage: https://www.theverge.com/... …

Wall Street Journal:

In a letter, Skydance lawyers accuse Paramount's special committee of breaching its terms with Skydance by extending the time it can talk with other bidders— In a letter from its lawyers, Skydance accuses Paramount's committee of directors of violating the terms of its deal

Discussion:
Variety, The Wrap, The Desk, TrekMovie.com, Media Play News, TVNewsCheck and The Verge

Discussion:

Todd Spangler /
Variety: Skydance Accuses Paramount of Violating Deal Agreement by Negotiating With Edgar Bronfman Jr.: Report

Lucas Manfredi /
The Wrap: Skydance Calls on Paramount to Stop Negotiating With Edgar Bronfman Jr., Accuses Special Committee of Violating Merger Agreement

Anthony Pascale /
TrekMovie.com: Paramount Extends Skydance Merger Deal Date To Consider Competing Bid [UPDATED: Skydance Responds]

Erik Gruenwedel /
Media Play News: Skydance Media Cries Foul as Paramount Global Extends Bidding Window to Edgar Bronfman Jr.

RELATED:
New York Times: Sources: Paramount extends its deadline for sales talks until early September to evaluate Edgar Bronfman Jr.'s new bid, which could shake up the Skydance deal

Discussion:
Axios, The Special Committee …, Deadline, Reuters, The Media Leader, Business Insider, CNBC, The Desk, Los Angeles Times, Advanced Television and Broadband TV News

Discussion:
The Special Committee of the Board …: PARAMOUNT GLOBAL'S SPECIAL COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES RECEIPT OF ACQUISITION PROPOSAL AND 15-DAY EXTENSION OF “GO SHOP” PERIOD TO CONTINUE ENGAGEMENT

Sabrina Quagliozzi /
The Media Leader: Bronfman sweetens bid for National Amusements, Paramount Stake

Matthew Keys /
The Desk: Bronfman raises bid for Paramount, now offers $6 billion

Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Edgar Bronfman Jr. raises his Paramount bid to $6B, adding $1.7B to let non-Redstone, nonvoting Paramount shareholders cash out at $16 a share

Discussion:

David Satin /
The Streamable: Bronfman Ups Bid for Paramount to $6 Billion as Company Extends ‘Go-Shop’ Period

Bethy Squires /
Vulture: Edgar Bronfman Jr. and His $6 Billion Bet on Paramount

Sahil Patel /
The Information: Paramount Receives New Bid From Edgar Bronfman Jr., Extends ‘Go-Shop’ Period

Aimee Picchi /
CBS News: Paramount extends its Skydance go-shop period to consider acquisition bid from Edgar Bronfman

Ben Kesslen /
Quartz: Edgar Bronfman Jr. upped his Paramount bid to $6 billion, extending negotiations

Jessica Toonkel /
Jessica Toonkel on LinkedIn: Things are getting interesting in Paramount land. Edgar Bronfman Jr ups his offer, including a tender offer to nonvoting shareholders. …

Rick Howe /
Rick Howe on LinkedIn: As I said yesterday, This feels like a #BreakUp Strategy. Certainly Skydance would have discarded some non-strategic assets. But methinks …

Erik Gruenwedel /
Media Play News: Paramount Extends Acquisition Bid Window 15 Days as Bronfman Ups Offer to $6 Billion

Lucas Manfredi /
The Wrap: Paramount Extends Negotiating Window As Edgar Bronfman Jr. Raises Bid to $6 Billion

Todd Spangler /
Variety: Edgar Bronfman Jr. Boosts Paramount Bid to $6 Billion, Board Extends Deal-Negotiation Period Deadline: Paramount Merger Saga Continues: Go-Shop Period Extended As Edgar Bronfman Vies With Skydance, Boosts His Offer To $6B

Jill Goldsmith /
Deadline: Edgar Bronfman Jr. Sweetens Bid For Paramount To $6 Billion

CNBC:

In a pitch deck, AI search engine Perplexity told advertisers it plans to start running ads in Q4; a source says Perplexity's CPM prices will be $50+— Perplexity AI, the artificial intelligence startup that's been embroiled in controversy due to accusations of plagiarizing content from media outlets …

Discussion:

Hayden Field /
@haydenfield: Scoop: Perplexity AI plans to start running ads on its search app in Q4, CNBC has learned. The company, which focuses on AI-assisted search & in April doubled its valuation to $1 billion, is circulating a pitch deck, promoting its reach & increasing usage.https://www.cnbc.com/... @researchbuzz@researchbuzz.masto.host: Dear Perplexity, — A business plan of “Hope our customers are too stupid to notice our goony CPM” isn't viable. — 'With advertising, Perplexity will follow a model called CPM, or cost per thousand impressions, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because the details are not public. …

Trishla Ostwal /
Adweek: Inside the Deck Perplexity Is Using to Pitch Advertisers @vortexegg.regretfully.online: Ahh, so the business model is running ads on media scraped from other websites. Classic bit. [embedded post]

Hayden Field /
Hayden Field on LinkedIn: Perplexity AI, the AI startup that's been embroiled in controversy due to accusations of plagiarizing content from media outlets …

Hayden Field /
TVNewsCheck: Perplexity AI To Start Running Ads In Q4 As AI-Assisted Search Gains Popularity

CNN:

Unions and some state senators criticize Google's plan for a California local news fund, which stalled bills that would have forced Big Tech to fund journalists— New York CNN — — Google struck a first-in-the-nation deal with California lawmakers on Wednesday to fund newsrooms …

Discussion:
Society of Professional …, Media Guild of the West, Associated Press, @bcmerchant, Jeff Jarvis on LinkedIn, @mattdpearce, @jeffjarvis, Ars Technica, The Wrap, @spj_tweets, Observer, @mattdpearce, The Desk, Fast Company, The Drum, @tvgrimreaper, @bcmerchant, @ddayen, @jeffjarvis, Inside Radio, LION Publishers, @jeffjarvis, New York Post, CalMatters, KQED, @passantino@threads.net, Editor and Publisher, UPI, a14.asmdc.org, The Verge, New York Times, Media Nation, The Information, MediaPost, Engadget, Free Press and Politico

Discussion:
Society of Professional Journalists: $175M California journalism agreement sparks debate on industry impact and inclusivity

Brian Merchant /
@bcmerchant: @jeffjarvis That hedge fund line is right out of Google's opposition PR materials—it distorts the issue at hand, as I think you know it does. Most CA papers are not owned by hedge funds, and no one was happy about sending the money to those that were, which was why safeguards were built in

Jeff Jarvis /
Jeff Jarvis on LinkedIn: Breaking news: The two protectionist bills for the news industry in California are superseded by a negotiated deal with Google (and, I hope …

Matt Pearce /
@mattdpearce: THIS DEAL INVOLVES AUTOMATIC PAYMENTS OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS TO HEDGE FUNDS AND NO ONE KNOWS THAT BECAUSE THE TERMS ARE SECRET our guild is on that board and will be very, very lonely @jeffjarvis: @bcmerchant We have a similar structure in NJ and it is working well because it does not automatically hand money out to hedge-funds but instead operates on goals and merit. Maybe give it a chance.

Jon Brodkin /
Ars Technica: Google avoids “link tax” bill with deal to fund California journalism and AI

Benjamin Lindsay /
The Wrap: Google's $250 Million Deal for California Newsrooms Should Pilot How to ‘Bolster Local Journalism,’ SPJ Says @spj_tweets: SPJ calls on California decision-makers to ensure that yesterday's agreement between California lawmakers and Google serves as a genuine step forward in reversing our nation's alarming decline in newsroom employment. Read our full statement: https://www.spj.org/... [image]

Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly /
Observer: Google Agrees to Shell Out $250M to Support Journalism—But Not Everyone Is Thrilled

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

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

Webb Wright /
The Drum: Google agrees to pay up to $130m to support California news publishers & AI innovation

Brian Merchant /
@bcmerchant: @jeffjarvis It's profoundly undemocratic—the two bills passed with supermajority, bipartisan votes. I just spent an hour on a call with devastated journalists from diverse newsrooms. The man set to chair the UCB board isn't answering Qs. Newsguild and working CA journalists oppose this bill!

@jeffjarvis:
I just put up a post about California's deal for news with more information I have learned about the structure of it. Nobody's 100% pleased but this is a step in a better direction. (Gift link but remember I always crosspost at Buzzmachine.) https://medium.com/...

Hayley Milloy /
LION Publishers: Scaling sustainability: How Knight Foundation's investment strategy uplifts the entire local news ecosystem

@jeffjarvis:
I am proud to have been involved in this process, testifying in Sacramento, talking with legislators and aides, and researching a paper on the bills that proposed a solution such as this. A fund is preferable for it involves goals and accountability.

Thomas Barrabi /
New York Post: California, Google's paltry $250M million deal to fund newsroom blasted as ‘disastrous’ by critics

Jeanne Kuang /
CalMatters: California tried to make Google pay news outlets. The company cut a deal that includes funding AI

Jon Passantino /
@passantino@threads.net: Google agrees to first-in-the-nation deal to fund California newsrooms, but journalists are calling it a disaster. ""The Legislature embarked on an effort to regulate monopolies and failed terribly. Now we question whether the state has done more harm than good." https://www.cnn.com/...

Diane Sylvester /
Editor and Publisher: Google avoids content payment mandates in California with surprise media partnership deal

Erin Ivie /
a14.asmdc.org: Assemblymember Wicks secures agreement with State, major tech companies to support the work of California journalists

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

Dan Kennedy /
Media Nation: California's proposed deal with Google to support local news comes under criticism

Amy Kroin /
Free Press: Closed-Door Deal Between Google, Gov. Newsom and State Lawmakers Sells Californians and Local News Short Amy Kroin August 21, 2024 …

Columbia Journalism Review:

Star Spangled Media, behind websites posing as news outlets, such as The Morning Mirror, appears to have close ties to pro-Democratic super PAC Forward Majority— A quasi-local news site whose operators sought a news media exception to dodge campaign finance regulators has emerged as a vehicle …

Discussion:
Sinclair Cornell on LinkedIn

The Media Leader:

WARC: global ad spending will grow by 10.5% to $1.07T in 2024; Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta will account for 43.6% of global ad spending in 2024 and 46% by 2026— Global adspend will grow by 10.5% to $1.07tn this year, crossing the $1tn mark for the first time, according to Warc's Global Ad Spend Outlook 2024/25.

Discussion:
Media Makers Meet, Radio & Television … and Advanced Television

The Hollywood Reporter:

Study: women accounted for 23% of creators working on original programs on TV and streaming in the US in 2023-24, down from 26% in 2022-23 and 30% in 2021-22— The latest “Boxed In” report, now in its 27th year, offers grim findings for female representation across broadcast and streaming.

Bloomberg:

A look at the fading dominance of Apple Podcasts, as a study of 603 weekly podcast consumers finds 31% use YouTube, followed by Spotify at 21%, and Apple at 12%— Hello! Welcome back to Soundbite. Today we're looking at the fading dominance of Apple Podcasts.

Advanced Television:

Survey: 66% of US TV viewers use FAST platforms, 53% of them have cut down on paid streaming, and 43% signed up to a pay service to continue watching a show— Two in three (66 per cent) TV viewers in the US are using free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) platforms in a typical month …

Committee to Protect Journalists:

In Nigeria, Kenya, and Senegal, journalists have been targeted, assaulted, and detained by security forces as they covered anti-government protests— “He hit me with a gun butt,” Premium Times newspaper reporter Yakubu Mohammed told the Committee to Protect Journalists …

Discussion:
Freedom of the Press …, Voice of America, The Intercept and Reporters Without Borders

Discussion:
The Intercept: “I Was Pulled Off of the Sidewalk”: At Least 3 Journalists Arrested Covering DNC Protests

The New York Times Company:

The NYT hires Vox Media exec Amanda Kludt, who built up Eater, as senior editor overseeing Projects and Initiatives, working across the newsroom and company— Amanda Kludt joins The Times next month to oversee an innovative team that works across the newsroom and the company.

Discussion:
@nytimespr and @edmundlee@threads.net

Discussion:
@nytimespr: We're thrilled to announce that @kludt is joining The Times as senior editor overseeing Projects and Initiatives. https://www.nytco.com/...

Variety:

Chinese streamer iQiyi reports Q2 revenue down 5% YoY to ~$1.04B and net profit down 80% YoY to ~$9.6M, as subscription revenue shrinks for a second quarter— China-based video streaming company iQiyi recorded a 5% decrease in revenue in the second quarter and an 80% plunge in net profits.