Sources: Apple is laying off ~100 people in its services group, impacting Apple Books, News, and other teams, a rare move as part of a shift in its priorities (Mark Gurman/Bloomberg)

Mediagazer: Sources: Apple is laying off ~100 people in its services group, impacting Apple Books, News, and other teams, a rare move as part of a shift in its priorities (Mark Gurman/Bloomberg)

Top News:

Washington Post:

After raising complaints, Trump says he will participate in the ABC debate with Harris on September 10 and the rules “will be the same as the last CNN debate”— The ABC News-hosted debate is set to take place Sept. 10 in Philadelphia, Trump said Tuesday.
Discussion: CNN, The Daily Beast, TVNewsCheck, Slate, Newser, Reuters, Las Vegas Review-Journal, New Republic, Raw Story, New York Daily News, Mediaite, Wall Street Journal, HuffPost, Poynter, News Talk WBAP-AM, Fox News, Black America Web, Politico, CBS News, KVUE-TV, Vanity Fair, New York Post, The Wrap, Fortune, New Jersey Online, Deadline and Daily Kos

Discussion:

Mary Ann Akers /
The Daily Beast: Harris-Walz Ads Portray Trump as Vengeful Autocrat

Dave Goldiner /
New York Daily News: Trump claims deal reached for Sept. 10 debate on ABC with muted microphones

Isaac Schorr /
Mediaite: Trump Says He Has Agreed To ABC Debate With Kamala Harris In Rant Slamming ‘Nastiest and Most Unfair’ Network

Ron Dicker /
HuffPost: ‘Morning Joe’ Pundit Nails Trump Dilemma As Harris Aims To Unmute Debate Mics

Zack Linly /
Black America Web: Kamala Harris Campaign Wants To Keep Trump Debate Mics On At All Times Amid Allegations He's Scared To Face Her

Eugene Daniels /
Politico: Is this thing on? Harris and Trump battle over hot mics at debate.

Josh Christenson /
New York Post: Trump takes up Harris campaign's dare to debate without ‘muted microphones’

Natalie Korach /
The Wrap: Kamala Harris and Donald Trump Tussle Over Muted Microphones at ABC News Debate

Stephanie Lai /
Fortune: Harris campaign says Trump's team is afraid to let him debate without mute button

Ted Johnson /
Deadline: “Stop Hiding Behind The Mute Button”: Kamala Harris' Campaign In Debate Dispute With Trump Campaign Over Shutting Off Mics

Sports Business Journal:

Sources: Amazon recently pulled its January 2024 offer to invest $115M in Diamond Sports Group, as the broadcast landscape changed— Amazon recently pulled its eight-month-old offer to infuse Diamond Sports Group with $115M in cash, multiple sources told SBJ, a development that has delayed …

Discussion:

Dan Rayburn /
StreamTV Insider: Rayburn recap: YouTube Sunday Ticket multiview, Disney shutters TVE apps

Daniel Frankel /
Next TV: Amazon Pulls Back From $115 Million Bally Sports Investment

Arthur Weinstein /
Awful Announcing: Amazon reportedly withdraws $115 million offer to Diamond Sports Group

Luke Bouma /
Cord Cutters News: Amazon Reportedly Pulls Out of Bally Sports Deal, Will Not Stream NBA Games & Won't Invest $115 Million

The Guardian:

Venezuelan journalists are using AI avatars to host daily newscasts without putting themselves at risk, as President Nicolás Maduro cracks down on the media— Journalists are using artificial intelligence avatars to combat Maduro's media crackdown since disputed election

Discussion:
Fox News: Maduro crackdown on political opponents following rigged election: ‘chilled people into silence’

Kevin Lind /
Columbia Journalism Review: Q&A: Liz Seegert on the summer of aging in American politics

Grady Booch /
@grady_booch: Now, this is a use case I'd only seen in the movies.

Stephen E. Arnold /
Beyond Search: Can an AI Journalist Be Dragged into Court and Arrested? @niemanlab: “Being on camera is no longer sensible”: persecuted Venezuelan journalists turn to AI https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

Andrew Blakeley /
Andrew Blakeley on LinkedIn: How about a potentially life-saving use of AI? — Journalists in Venezuela, who are critical of Maduro, are using AI avatars to bring unpublishable news …

Jeremy Werner /
Jeremy Werner on LinkedIn: There's a lot to unpack here. — “In the four weeks since Venezuela's disputed election, local journalists have come up with a distinctly 21st-century tactic …

Katherine Pennacchio /
LatAm Journalism Review: Journalists in Venezuela protect themselves with AI avatars that present the news

Axios:

Snap launches new safety tools and resources for US educators, and says Snapchat has 20M+ US teen users; Pew says 51% of US teens used Snapchat daily in 2023— - Snapchat was the third most used app among teens in a 2023 Pew study, behind YouTube and Instagram.

Discussion:
Christopher Rinkus on LinkedIn

TechCrunch:

VerSe Innovation, the parent of Indian news aggregator Dailyhunt, buys digital marketing agency Valueleaf for an undisclosed sum in a cash and equity deal— VerSe Innovation, India's content tech unicorn that owns local language news aggregator Dailyhunt, digital newsstand platform Magzter …

Discussion:
Entrackr

Discussion:

Kunal Manchanada /
Entrackr: Dailyhunt-parent VerSe acquires digital marketing firm Valueleaf

Bloomberg:

Sources: Apple is laying off ~100 people in its services group, impacting Apple Books, News, and other teams, a rare move as part of a shift in its priorities— - Layoffs will include some workers in Books and News apps — Company is eliminating about 100 positions in Tuesday's move

Discussion:
@markgurman, @aaronp613, The Verge, @migueldeicaza.bsky.social and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Mark Gurman /
@markgurman: This marks the third known layoff at Apple this year, following the major cuts after the self driving car and microLED projects were shut down in February.

Mark Gurman /
@markgurman: NEW: Apple is laying off about 100 people in its Services division in a rare move. The cuts impact Apple Books, News and other teams in Eddy Cue's growing division https://www.bloomberg.com/...

Jess Weatherbed /
The Verge: Apple is cutting jobs across its Books and News apps

Miguel de Icaza /
@migueldeicaza.bsky.social: Don't make me regret going to Apple Books over kindle [embedded post]

Zac Hall /
9to5Mac: Gurman: Apple issues fourth known round of layoffs this year with Services job cuts

Variety:

Jason and Travis Kelce sign a deal with Amazon's Wondery for rights to their popular New Heights podcast; a source says the three year deal is worth $100M+— Three-year pact gives Wondery rights to ad-sales, distribution and more to NFL stars' weekly show

Discussion:
Advanced Television, Reuters, The Hollywood Reporter, The Information, @morningbrew, @highyieldharry, @vinny_daniel0, @adamsinger, @deadline, Brad Haugen on LinkedIn, Grant Derkac on LinkedIn, New York Post, Sabrina Yaghoubzadeh on LinkedIn, CNN, Ray Harkins on LinkedIn, Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, Bobby Gay on LinkedIn, Josh Mandell on LinkedIn, Barrett Media, The Hill, RADIO ONLINE, Front Office Sports, SheKnows, Forbes, Sportico, The Media Leader, The Ankler, UPROXX, E! Online, TVNewsCheck, Awful Announcing, The Wrap, Maggie Clifton on LinkedIn, USA Today, TMZ.com, Bloomberg, The Daily Beast, Wall Street Journal, Page Six, Deadline, New York Daily News, Us Weekly, The Verge and KNSD-TV

Discussion:

Nik Roseveare /
Advanced Television: Kelce brothers sign Amazon podcast deal

Caitlin Huston /
The Hollywood Reporter: Travis and Jason Kelce's ‘New Heights’ Podcast Moves to Wondery in Nine-Figure Deal

Martin Peers /
The Information: Amazon's Swiftie Moment @morningbrew: Recent major podcast deals: • Joe Rogan (Spotify) $250M • Alex Cooper (SiriusXM) $125M • SmartLess (SiriusXM) $100M • Kelce Brothers (Amazon) $100M • Dax Shepard (Amazon) $80M It's good work if you can get it [image] @highyieldharry: How is everyone getting a $100 million podcast, does anyone want to gimme a meager $10 million podcast?

Vinny Daniel /
@vinny_daniel0: We are finally starting to see the commercialization of alternative. Podcasters getting NBA contracts

Adam Singer /
@adamsinger: Building an (interested) audience is still way undervalued by most people. Different than just ‘having followers.’ The leverage it affords is crazy, if you've used the internet long enough you understand. If you're scratching your head you'll get there eventually... @deadline: The show follows the NFL stars' personal and sporting lives, plus insight on football and pop culture. It is a regular top sports podcast on Apple and Spotify. Wave will continue to provide production services MORE: https://deadline.com/...

Brad Haugen /
Brad Haugen on LinkedIn: A lot of people will say that the Kelce Brothers podcast grew because of the Taylor Swift effect. There's probably some truth to that …

Grant Derkac /
Grant Derkac on LinkedIn: I cannot be more excited and honored to welcome New Heights to Wondery! We are so thrilled to be working with Jason, Travis, Aaron Eanes …

Jaclyn Hendricks /
New York Post: Inside Travis Kelce's ever-growing financial empire after $100 million Amazon deal

Sabrina Yaghoubzadeh /
Sabrina Yaghoubzadeh on LinkedIn: Big things are happening at Wondery! I'm beyond thrilled to announce our exciting new partnership with New Heights! 🏈 — https://lnkd.in/...

Ray Harkins /
Ray Harkins on LinkedIn: I am not a football dude but even I know the impact that this show has had on the industry and for sports podcasting in general. …

Wendy Lee /
Los Angeles Times: ‘New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce’ podcast lands deal with Amazon's Wondery

Bobby Gay /
Bobby Gay on LinkedIn: Exciting news in the podcast world today! Shoutout to Aaron Eanes, Andre Eanes, Maggie Clifton and all others for bringing this deal to life …

Josh Mandell /
Josh Mandell on LinkedIn: Cause players gonna play, play, play, play, play...and it'll be discussed on New Heights...which as of today, is a part of the Wondery fam! 🏈 🎉 …

Dominick Mastrangelo /
The Hill: Amazon's Wondery podcast studio inks deal with Kelce brothers

Kristyn Burtt /
SheKnows: Travis Kelce's Taylor Swift Relationship Might Have Indirectly Helped His $100 Million Podcast Deal

Conor Murray /
Forbes: Jason And Travis Kelce Sign Reported $100 Million Podcast Deal With Amazon's Wondery

Jason Clinkscales /
Sportico: Travis, Jason Kelce Bring ‘New Heights’ Podcast to Wondery

Sabrina Quagliozzi /
The Media Leader: Kelce brothers touchdown huge podcast deal with Amazon

Sean McNulty /
The Ankler: ☀️Next Steps for SKYDANCE/PAR with Edgar Out

Robby Kalland /
UPROXX: Travis And Jason Kelce Reportedly Signed A Podcast Deal Worth Over $100 Million With Amazon

Olivia Evans /
E! Online: Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce Score Eye-Popping Podcast Deal Worth at Least $100 Million

Todd Spangler /
TVNewsCheck: Kelce Brothers Sign Deal With Amazon's Wondery for ‘New Heights’ Podcast Worth More Than $100 Million

Ben Axelrod /
Awful Announcing: Kelce brothers reach $100 million-plus deal with Amazon for ‘New Heights’

Natalie Korach /
The Wrap: Kelce Brothers Ink ‘New Heights’ Podcast Deal With Amazon's Wondery Worth Over $100 Million

Maggie Clifton /
Maggie Clifton on LinkedIn: As part of our new media management firm, Brick Media, I have been fortunate enough over the past serveral months to work alongside …

Glenn Erby /
USA Today: Jason and Travis Kelce sign $100 million deal With Amazon for ‘New Heights’ Podcast

Ashley Carman /
Bloomberg: NFL's Kelce Brothers Sign $100 Million Podcast Deal With Amazon

Dan Ladden-Hall /
The Daily Beast: Kelce Brothers Sign $100M+ Deal for Their ‘New Heights’ Podcast

Anne Steele /
Wall Street Journal: Kelce Brothers Sign Amazon Podcast Deal Worth More Than $100 Million

Francesca Bacardi /
Page Six: Travis, Jason Kelce sign ‘New Heights’ podcast deal worth more than $100M

Jami Ganz /
New York Daily News: Travis, Jason Kelce's ‘New Heights’ inks $100M deal with Amazon's Wondery

Tufayel Ahmed /
Us Weekly: Travis and Jason Kelce Sign 9-Figure Deal for Their ‘New Heights’ Podcast: Report

The Information:

Memo: TikTok Global Head of Content Nicole Iacopetti plans to leave on September 6, after joining in 2020 from Disney; she helped shape TikTok's news strategy— It's been a tumultuous year for TikTok employees, between a looming potential ban of the app in the U.S. to its first widespread layoffs earlier this year.

Vanity Fair:

A look at the potential threats posed to US journalists by Donald Trump's possible second term, and proactive safeguards for news outlets— The former director of the Committee to Protect Journalists lays out the grave threats that American news outlets might confront—and offers proactive safeguards.

Discussion:
TVNewsCheck, @tilojung, @nanavsliars, @jodieginsberg, @joelsimonsays and @sauthoff.bsky.social

Discussion:

Joel Simon /
TVNewsCheck: American Journalists Beware: A Second Trump Term Could Pose Very Real Risks

Tilo Jung /
@tilojung: “Trump reportedly urged the postmaster general to raise postal rates as a way of punishing Amazon, whose founder, Jeff Bezos, also happened to own The Washington Post, which consistently investigated and found fault with his administration's policies.” https://www.vanityfair.com/... @nanavsliars: “Trump has twice discussed scenarios for jailing journalists in the course of leak investigations and implied that the threat of a prison rape could get them to cough up their sources.” Unfit to work at McDonald's, much less the Oval Office. #DemVoice1 https://www.vanityfair.com/...

Jodie Ginsberg /
@jodieginsberg: I spoke to my @pressfreedom predecessor @JoelSimonSays for this @VanityFair article on what a second Trump term might mean for journalists in the United States. https://www.vanityfair.com/...

Joel Simon /
@joelsimonsays: In his first term, Trump tried and largely failed to stifle #pressfreedom and put journalists in jail. He might succeed the second time around. My latest for @VanityFair https://www.vanityfair.com/...

Reuters:

India's antitrust body clears the $8.5B Reliance-Disney merger, a source says after getting commitments over not raising ad rates on cricket streaming and more— Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) and Reliance Industries (RELI.NS) have won approval for an $8.5 billion merger of their Indian media assets subject …

Discussion:
Variety, Deadline, Bloomberg and @adityakalra

Discussion:

Jesse Whittock /
Deadline: Disney India-Reliance Merger Gets Go-Ahead From Antitrust Watchdog

Aditya Kalra /
@adityakalra: India antitrust body says it has cleared Reliance-Disney $8.5 billion media merger after scrutiny over cricket rights; source says commitment given on ad rates on cricket streaming & that they won't bundle and sell ad slots for different tournaments https://www.reuters.com/...

Axios:

Gallery Media Group CEO Ryan Harwood says GMG, which owns PureWow and 50+ lifestyle brands primarily on social media, aims to end 2024 with $50M in revenue— - Its executives credit cautious spending, smart owners and a relentless focus on their consumers.

Bloomberg:

Sources: Disney is in contract renewal talks with DirecTV that could see ABC, ESPN, and other channels blacked out as early as September 1 if no deal is reached— DirecTV is looking to ease contract terms that have long required cable and satellite-TV distributors to charge customers …

Discussion:

Roger Palmer /
What's On Disney Plus: Disney & DirecTV Clash - ABC, ESPN + More Channels Could Go Dark This Weekend

Alex Weprin /
The Hollywood Reporter: Disney and DirecTV Trade Barbs as Carriage Talks Come Down to the Wire

Dade Hayes /
Deadline: Disney And DirecTV Lock Horns In Carriage Renewal Talks: Will The Result Be A Bold New Pay-TV Plan Or Just Private Equity “Spin”?

Todd Spangler /
Variety: Disney Alleges DirecTV ‘Has Not Engaged in Earnest’ With Various TV Deal Options as Contract Expiration Looms

Joe Wright /
@sctvman: Last agreement was 5 years ago. Only the ABC O&Os involved in this, but it was a a major pain when this almost happened to DirecTV customers in 2019.

John Ourand /
@ourand_puck: Puck subscribers knew about these talks more than a week ago. #NotSoHumbleBrag https://puck.news/...

Andrew Bucholtz /
Awful Announcing: DirecTV-Disney carriage talks spotlight next crucial TV model divide

Chris Palmeri /
Chris Palmeri on LinkedIn: While always a feature of the pay-TV universe, the fights between cable and satellite-TV distributors and the media giants that supply them programming seem to be getting fiercer. …

James Faris /
Business Insider: DirecTV is on the warpath against Disney in a battle it says is existential for cable TV

Ananya Gairola /
Benzinga: DirecTV And Disney Talking Over Flexible Netflix-Like Channel Packages, But Fallout From Failed Talks Could Cause ESPN Blackout Next Week

Luke Bouma /
Cord Cutters News: Cheaper Sports Only Packages Coming to YouTube TV, DIRECTV, & Others? Disney is Reportedly Open to It

Christopher Palmeri /
TVNewsCheck: DirecTV Looks To Rewrite Pay TV Rules In Disney Networks Talks

Phillip Swann /
The TV Answer Man!: Report: DIRECTV Could Lose Disney, ESPN This Sunday In Carriage Row

Nilutpal Timsina /