Sports rights deals are moving money out of Hollywood to leagues: sports make up 40% of Disney's content budget, NBC's NBA deal will replace 150+ hours of shows (Alex Weprin/The Hollywood Reporter)

Mediagazer: Sports rights deals are moving money out of Hollywood to leagues: sports make up 40% of Disney's content budget, NBC's NBA deal will replace 150+ hours of shows (Alex Weprin/The Hollywood Reporter)

Top News:

The Guardian:

In a letter to ex-prime minister Gordon Brown, the UK's Met police say a special team is examining claims that Will Lewis helped cover up phone hacking claims— Exclusive: Scotland Yard move on complaint by ex-PM Gordon Brown, who accuses Will Lewis of phone hacking ‘cover-up’ in 2011
Discussion: NPR, @bgrueskin, @jackshafer, @froomkin, @jeffjarvis@mastodon.social, @jeffjarvis, @davidfolkenflik, Byline Times

Discussion:

David Folkenflik /
NPR: U.K. police open criminal investigation into Washington Post publisher

Bill Grueskin /
@bgrueskin: Jeff Bezos surely wasn't planning on “Scotland Yard investigates Washpost CEO” stories after he hired Will Lewis. But when you bring aboard a top executive from a Rupert Murdoch property, that risk has to be built into the transaction. https://www.npr.org/...

Jack Shafer /
@jackshafer: “Blazoned across the top of every edition of the Washington Post is the statement, ‘Democracy dies in darkness’,” Brown wrote. “But what if the publisher himself is a master of the dark arts?” https://www.npr.org/...

Dan Froomkin /
@froomkin: WILL LEWIS MUST GO. I wrote this back when we only knew the very least of it. It's now truer than ever. https://presswatchers.org/...

Jeff Jarvis /
@jeffjarvis@mastodon.social: Will Lewis can't hide now.... UK police special enquiry team to examine role of Washington Post chief in email deletions — https://www.theguardian.com/ ... @jeffjarvis: Murdoch's man, Will Lewis, might be hiding under a rock, hoping the storm over him blows over. No. His hole gets deeper. First Murdoch papers targeted me. Now there is evidence they falsely implicated me in a cover-up By Gordon Brown https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

David Folkenflik /
@davidfolkenflik: Lewis has denied all wrongdoing but has not commented on these details. Murdoch's News UK says the concern was real though a consultant found no signs of tampering. Former PM Gordon Brown denied the scheme. His complaint to Scotland Yard led police to open the new inquiry.

David Folkenflik /
@davidfolkenflik: Lawyers for Prince Harry and leading politicians allege Lewis ordered millions of emails destroyed. They also say he concocted a false alibi to justify that; months later, he told police of a tip that a former prime minister schemed to steal emails from Murdoch's CEO in the UK.

David Folkenflik /
@davidfolkenflik: News: Scotland Yard has opened a criminal inquiry into the actions of Washington Post publisher Will Lewis while police were investigating phone hacking and other crimes at Rupert Murdoch's tabloids in 2011. My story from London for NPR (and thread): https://www.npr.org/...

Graham Johnson /
Byline Times: Washington Post Boss Will Lewis Informed the Police on ex-PM Gordon Brown and Lord Tom Watson with Allegedly ‘Fake’ story

RELATED:

NPR:

Lawyers for Prince Harry and others accused WaPo CEO Will Lewis of fabricating a fake security threat 13 years ago in order to delete emails at Murdoch tabloids— LONDON — Attorneys for Prince Harry and prominent U.K. politicians today accused Washington Post chief executive and publisher …

Discussion:
The Guardian, Media Nation and Byline Investigates

Discussion:

Gordon Brown /
The Guardian: First Murdoch papers targeted me. Now there is evidence they falsely implicated me in a cover-up

Dan Kennedy /
Media Nation: Will Lewis is back in the news. And once again, it's for all the wrong reasons.

Al Jazeera:

An Israeli airstrike kills Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Ismail al-Ghoul and his cameraman Rami al-Refee in the Gaza Strip— Ismail al-Ghoul and Rami al-Refee killed in Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City. — Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Ismail al-Ghoul and his cameraman Rami al-Refee …

Discussion:
The Desk, Jacobin, Mediaite, @pressfreedom, Committee to Protect …, @hadas_gold, @mkpetkova@mastodon.world, The Times of Israel and Reuters

Discussion:

David Gilmour /
Mediaite: Al Jazeera Reporter Breaks Down On Air Covering Graphic Killing Of Two Colleagues In Gaza @pressfreedom: CPJ calls on #Israel to explain the killing of Al Jazeera #Gaza correspondent Ismail Al Ghoul and camera operator Rami Al Refee in an Israeli airstrike west of Gaza City on Wednesday. Read our statement: https://cpj.org/... Committee to Protect Journalists: Al Jazeera journalists Ismail Al Ghoul and Rami Al Refee killed in Gaza

Hadas Gold /
@hadas_gold: A correspondent for the Al Jazeera network - Ismail al-Ghoul - and his cameraman Rami Al-Rifi, have been killed in Gaza in an airstrike while reporting from Haniyeh's family home. They had been live all day.

Mariya /
@mkpetkova@mastodon.world: The Israeli army killed today two colleagues, Ismail Al Ghoul and Rami Al Rafee. May they rest in peace and their killers face justice. — #Palestine #Gaza #Genocide — https://www.aljazeera.com/...

Emanuel Fabian /
The Times of Israel: Palestinian media says Israeli Gaza strike killed 2 Al Jazeera journalists; IDF doesn't comment

Deadline:

In a Q&A at the NABJ convention, Trump questions Kamala Harris' ethnicity, calls ABC News' Rachel Scott “very rude”, and complains about audio problems— “I've known her for a long time indirectly, directly, very much,” Trump said. “And she was always of Indian heritage and she was promoting Indian heritage.

Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, The Guardian, Media Matters for America, The Wrap, Fox News, TIME, Mediaite, Variety, The Atlantic, Axios, TheGrio, Vanity Fair, New York Times, @noahcrothman, @willsommer, @brianstelter, Boing Boing, Forbes, @kamalahq, @corbinbolies, Mother Jones, @brianstelter, @semaforben, @abbydphillip, @acyn, NABJ, @parkermolloy, New York Daily News, TMZ.com, Rolling Stone, New Republic, @jeffstorobinsky, Shari Dunn on LinkedIn, @trumpstaxes, Barrett Media, @hadas_gold, NBC4 Washington, Associated Press, Semafor, Washington Post, CBS News, ABC7 and The Hill

Discussion:

Kevin Dolak /
The Hollywood Reporter: Donald Trump's Contentious National Association of Black Journalists Address Goes Off the Rails Immediately

Adria R Walker /
The Guardian: Black journalists respond to ‘disastrous’ Trump panel at annual convention

Lis Power /
Media Matters for America: Harris Faulkner does damage control for Trump after his disastrous NABJ panel she co-moderated

JD Knapp /
The Wrap: Kamala Harris Campaign Slams Trump's NABJ Appearance as ‘Simply a Taste of the Chaos’ to Come Fox News: Trump clashes with ABC News reporter over ‘nasty question,’ blasts ‘fake news network’ during heated Q&A

Philip Elliott /
TIME: Trump Falsely Claims Harris Hasn't Always Identified as Black

Zachary Leeman /
Mediaite: Conservative Commentator in Complete Shock Any Advisor Would Recommend Trump's Wild NABJ Appearance

Clayton Davis /
Variety: Donald Trump: 'I Didn't Know' Kamala Harris ‘Was Black Until a Few Years Ago’ When ‘She Happened to Turn Black’

David A. Graham /
The Atlantic: Donald Trump Questions Whether Kamala Harris Is Really Black

April Ryan /
TheGrio: Harris won't attend NABJ convention as group faces backlash over Trump invitation

Jon Skolnik /
Vanity Fair: All of the Crazy Things Donald Trump Said to a Roomful of Black Journalists

Noah Rothman /
@noahcrothman: I really don't get the white-hot reaction from NABJ dissidents raging against Trump's appearance. This was one of the toughest interviews he's sat through in a while, and it was really illuminating. Lots to chew on. The panel did a great job.

Will Sommer /
@willsommer: The pioneer of the “Kamala Harris isn't black” smear was Stop the Steal rally organizer Ali Alexander — who hasn't been seen much in the discourse since being caught up in a teen sexting scandal. But his attack lives on! [image]

Brian Stelter /
@brianstelter: Real headline about something that really happened today... https://www.motherjones.com/ ... [image]

Ellsworth Toohey /
Boing Boing: Trump's NABJ meltdown: Orange snowflake roasted by Black journalists

Sara Dorn /
Forbes: Trump Questions Kamala Harris' Race: Claims She ‘Became A Black Person’ In Combative Interview

Corbin Bolies /
@corbinbolies: Harris Faulkner says the audience listening to Trump speak today only really ever saw him on TV and didn't know a lot about his policies. The audience is comprised of hundreds of journalists.

Brian Stelter /
@brianstelter: Harris campaign responds to Trump's “tirade” at NABJ by reupping the debate challenge: “All Donald Trump needs to do is stop playing games and actually show up to the debate on September 10” [image]

Ben Smith /
@semaforben: This is the absolute best way to resolve these arguments about platforming people.

Abby D. Phillip /
@abbydphillip: Incredibly proud of @rachelvscott and @kadiagoba today. Substantive but tough questioning. NABJ leadership made a decision grounded in journalism to have Trump come answer questions. And it produced one of the newsiest interviews with him this year. @acyn: Faulkner: What I loved that we could not see today was how much of that audience was enjoying the moment of hearing from the candidates [video]

Kstewart /
NABJ: VP Harris In Talks With NABJ For Virtual or In-Person Q&A in September, Former President Trump Set to Appear In Person Wednesday

Parker Molloy /
@parkermolloy: There's like a 50/50 chance he just doesn't know the difference between Harris and Nikki Haley. He's confused the two on multiple occasions.

Dave Goldiner /
New York Daily News: Trump to Black journalists: Kamala Harris only recently ‘became a Black person’

Edith Olmsted /
New Republic: Trump Pushes Unhinged Conspiracy About Kamala's Race

Jeff Storobinsky /
@jeffstorobinsky: The ENTIRE @NABJ Trump Interview (34 Minutes) [video]

Shari Dunn /
Shari Dunn on LinkedIn: The foolishness and F-ery of this situation. Insults, lack of answers, and unbridled ignorance about how white supremacy impacts Black identity in the United States. … @trumpstaxes: The entire #NABJ24 interview of Trump in Chicago was a Category 5 Dumpster Fire, but THIS is the clip that everyone will be talking about. It will quickly remind everyone what a weird, disgusting, racist piece of garbage Trump is. [video] Barrett Media: News Media Reacts to Donald Trump Appearance at National Association of Black Journalists Convention

Hadas Gold /
@hadas_gold: Trump attacking Rachel Scott sitting right next to her says her questions are ‘nasty’

Hadas Gold /
@hadas_gold: @rachelvscott Trump now seems to be blaming Rachel for the equipment issues????

Hadas Gold /
@hadas_gold: @rachelvscott “You invited me under false pretences” Trump says, attacks NABJ for what he says is not having equipment ready and being late

Alex Fisher /
NBC4 Washington: ‘All of a sudden’: Trump tells Black journalists in Chicago Kamala Harris ‘turned Black’

Caroline Anders /
Semafor: Trump falsely says Harris ‘turned Black’ after previously promoting Indian heritage at NABJ meeting CBS News: Trump spars with reporters at Black journalists' conference over Kamala Harris's ethnicity, immigration and jobs ABC7: Trump questions Harris' race in NABJ interview in Chicago, says VP pick ‘does not have any impact’

Cheyanne M. Daniels /
The Hill: NABJ members divided over decision to allow Trump to speak at conference

The Hollywood Reporter:

A TikTok account leaks 12+ videos of HBO's House of the Dragon finale, filming the screen with another device; the season one finale also leaked in October 2022— Several clips from the finale were uploaded on TikTok ahead of its debut on Aug. 4. — It happened again …

Discussion:
Variety, ComingSoon.net, Comic Book, Inverse, Deadline, Screen Rant, TV Insider, Dexerto, TVLine, Forbes, AV Club, TVNewsCheck, Metro.co.uk, The Mirror and The Wrap

Discussion:

Brandon Schreur /
ComingSoon.net: HBO Issues Statement After House of the Dragon Season 2 Finale Leaks Online

Charlie Ridgely /
Comic Book: House of the Dragon Season 2 Finale Clips Leak Ahead of Premiere

Lyvie Scott /
Inverse: Warning: House of the Dragon's Finale Just Leaked Online

Lynette Rice /
Deadline: Quelle Surprise: Scenes From The ‘House Of The Dragon’ Season 2 Finale Have Leaked

Nathan Graham-Lowery /
Screen Rant: House Of The Dragon Season 2 Finale Leaks On Social Media Days Before Airing

Kelli Boyle /
TV Insider: HBO Confirms ‘House of the Dragon’ Finale Leak Cause

Tom Percival /
Dexerto: The House of the Dragon Season 2 finale has leaked; you know what you have to do now

Nick Caruso /
TVLine: House of the Dragon's Season 2 Finale Leaks on TikTok

Paul Tassi /
Forbes: Warning: The ‘House Of The Dragon’ Finale Has Leaked Online And Spoilers Are Everywhere

Emma Keates /
AV Club: The House Of The Dragon finale leaked... again

Todd Spangler /
TVNewsCheck: Apex Capital Trust Submits $43B Bid For Paramount Global, Including $400M Breakup Fee To Skydance

Lucas Hill-Paul /
The Mirror: House of the Dragon season 2 leak sparks outrage as huge spoilers spread on social media

Ross A. Lincoln /
The Wrap: ‘House of the Dragon’ Finale Leaks for the Second Season in a Row

The Desk:

A press release, now killed, said “Apex Capital Trust” put in a bid for Paramount, prompting multiple news stories, but background info on the org looks sketchy— A $43 billion offer to acquire Paramount Global from a group purporting to be an investment firm appears to be a hoax …

Discussion:
Reuters, Talking Biz News, Business Wire, Variety, The Wrap, Financial Times, @matthewkeyslive, @thedeskdotnet, @ft, @louis_ashworth, @antoinegara, @grimes_ce, Deadline, Quartz and Bloomberg

Discussion:
Reuters: Apex Capital Trust submits an offer to acquire Paramount Global, offering an all-cash deal for up to $43B that includes paying a $400M breakup fee to Skydance

Todd Spangler /
Variety: Apex Capital Trust Submits $43 Billion Bid for Paramount Global, Including Payment of $400 Million Breakup Fee to Skydance

Lucas Manfredi /
The Wrap: Apex Capital Trust Submits Competing Bid to Acquire Paramount for Up to $43 Billion

Louis Ashworth /
Financial Times: The latest takeover bid for Paramount is a little unusual

Matthew Keys /
@matthewkeyslive: Update: @TheWrap has amended its story, and LinkedIn has pulled an article that aggregated posts about the bid that wasn't.

Matthew Keys /
@matthewkeyslive: News orgs fall for hoax on $43 billion “bid” for Paramount Global from investment firm that doesn't exist; @Variety has already updated its article, but stories from @Reuters, @Deadline and @TheWrap are still online. https://thedesk.net/... $PARA @thedeskdotnet: MASSIVE HOAX: A $43 billion “bid” from “Apex Capital” for Paramount Global was based on a fake press release issued by @BusinessWire, which was widely reported on by Reuters, Variety, Deadline Hollywood and the New York Post before it was withdrawn. https://thedesk.net/...

Louis Ashworth /
@louis_ashworth: i love finance and markets https://www.ft.com/...

Antoine Gara /
@antoinegara: Even in the dead of summer and everyone's in Paris — the financial world keeps the @FTAlphaville desk fully stocked with fresh rabbit holes to crawl down and untangle. @Louis_Ashworth https://www.ft.com/...

Christopher Grimes /
@grimes_ce: Treat yourself to this: The latest takeover bid for Paramount is a little unusual https://www.ft.com/... via @ft Brilliant by @louis_ashworth

Dade Hayes /
Deadline: Paramount Shares Sink After Hours Amid Questions About Legitimacy Of Supposed New Bid - Update

Meta:

Meta reports Q2 revenue up 22% YoY to $39.07B, net income up 73% YoY to $13.47B, and family daily active people up 7% YoY to 3.27B on average for June 2024— Meta Platforms, Inc. (Nasdaq: META) today reported financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2024.

Discussion:
Variety, The Information, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Todd Spangler /
Variety: Meta Q2 Sales Jump 22% in Wall Street Beat as Its AR/VR and Metaverse Business Loses Billions

Kalley Huang /
The Information: Meta's Revenue Rises 22% in the Second Quarter

Jill Goldsmith /
Deadline: Facebook Parent Meta Shares Pop On Strong Q2 Advertising

Alex Weprin /
The Hollywood Reporter: Meta Beats Wall Street Estimates But Warns AI Spending Will Surge In 2025

The Hollywood Reporter:

Sports rights deals are moving money out of Hollywood to leagues: sports make up 40% of Disney's content budget, NBC's NBA deal will replace 150+ hours of shows— The league's $76 billion worth of long-term rights agreements may usher in a massive transfer of wealth from Hollywood …

Discussion:
@alexweprin, TVNewsCheck and Associated Press

Discussion:

Alex Weprin /
@alexweprin: At a time when content budgets are mostly flat (or even down), sports programing is eating up more and more of that budget. Even at Netflix, which will debut two NFL games this year, and the WWE in 2025. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...

Matthew Keys /
TVNewsCheck: Paramount Offer From ‘Apex Capital’ Appears To Be Hoax

New Yorker:

Spotify prioritizes what a user has recently listened to and recommended content, encouraging users to become passive listeners, a form of enshittification— The platform interface has gradually made it harder to find the music I want to listen to. With the latest app updates, I'd had enough.

Discussion:

Jarrett Fuller /
Jarrett Fuller on LinkedIn: It was an honor to talk with Kyle Chayka about Spotify, digital design, and my recent thinking about “corporation-centered design” for his latest piece in The New Yorker: …

Jon Goldmann /
Jon Goldmann on LinkedIn: Excellent write up on Spotify's “slow-motion bait and switch” in The New Yorker: https://lnkd.in/... …

Dan Klyn /
Dan Klyn on LinkedIn: This is about a lot of things, but mostly it's about information architecture — 👇😬🤡

Kyle Austin /
Kyle Austin on LinkedIn: I'm not ready to quit Spotify like Kyle Chayka, but I was happy to share a few thoughts with him for his latest piece in The New Yorker as someone …

Financial Times:

Ofcom: in 2023, 48% of UK 16- to 24-year-olds watched broadcast TV in an average week, a record low and down from 76% in 2018, as TikTok and YouTube dominate— Less than half of 16- to 24-year-olds are tuning in every week, Ofcom finds — Less than half of young audiences …

Discussion:
ofcom.org.uk, @michellemanafy@journa.host, ofcom.org.uk, The Guardian and Press Gazette

Discussion:
ofcom.org.uk: Public Service Broadcasters remain the most watched by audiences in Wales, despite a decline in overall TV viewing

Michelle Manafy /
@michellemanafy@journa.host: (I'm kind of surprised it is this many!) — Last year, 48 percent of 16- to 24-year-olds tuned in to regular broadcast services in an average week, a record low that compares with 76 percent in 2018, Ofcom found in its annual review https://www.ft.com/... #research #media

Caroline Davies /
The Guardian: Less than half of young people in UK watch live television, says Ofcom

Charlotte Tobitt /
Press Gazette: News is TV genre seeing biggest dip in viewing - Ofcom

Bloomberg:

Sources: Disney is cutting about 140 jobs at Disney Entertainment Television, or about 2% of staff; cuts will fall hardest on NatGeo, Freeform, and ABC stations— The company is eliminating about 140 jobs, or about 2% of staff at Disney Entertainment Television, said the people …

Discussion:
The Wrap, New York Post, Adweek, The Desk, Los Angeles Times, Deadline, mikemcguff.com, AV Club and TVNewsCheck

Discussion:

Loree Seitz /
The Wrap: Disney Entertainment Television Lays Off 140 Staffers, Including 13% of National Geographic Workforce

Alexandra Steigrad /
New York Post: ABC News, ‘GMA’ staffers brace for layoffs as Disney demands budget slashes: sources

Samantha Masunaga /
Los Angeles Times: Disney television unit hit with 140 layoffs, including cuts at National Geographic

Nellie Andreeva /
Deadline: Disney Entertainment Television Lays Off 140, National Geographic Heavily Impacted

Emma Keates /
AV Club: Maybe Disney should have invested some of that Russo money into National Geographic

The Verge:

Reddit CEO says Microsoft, Anthropic, and Perplexity need to pay to scrape the site's data, and it has been “a real pain in the ass to block these companies”— After striking deals with Google and OpenAI, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman is calling on Microsoft and others to pay if they want to continue scraping the site's data.

Discussion:
Engadget, Prof. Ahmed Banafa on LinkedIn, @jwherrman and more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Danny Gallagher /
Engadget: Reddit CEO wants Microsoft to pay for its content

Prof. Ahmed Banafa /
Prof. Ahmed Banafa on LinkedIn: Reddit CEO Steve Huffman tells me it has been “a real pain in the ass” to block Microsoft's Bing, Perplexity, and #Anthropic from scraping the site. …

John Herrman /
@jwherrman: the tech giants were built on the web. now they're strip-mining it https://nymag.com/...

John Herrman /