Fox Holds Weekend Christmas Game Rights, Including Fridays
Clarifying something I wrote earlier, Fox has always had rights to a Christmas game when it falls on a weekend (which includes Friday)
NFL Adds Games for Fox, NBC to Mend Media Ties
The NFL has licensed two additional games to Fox and one to NBC for next season. Is this an effort to improve relations between the two big legacy media partners the NFL does not have an ownership stake in?
Peacock, Universal TV Launch Fast & Furious TV Series
Peacock and Universal TV are developing a new scripted television series based on Fast & Furious franchise.
FCC Says ABC Targeted by Trump-Era Censorship Campaign
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez tells Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro in letter that ABC has been a victim of a “sustained, coordinated campaign of censorship and control” by the Trump administration. https://t.co/SpkWUR2Hih
Fox Secures Two Additional NFL Games Amid Tense League Relations
Fox Picks Up Two More NFL Games for Next Season amidst strained realtionship with the league https://t.co/QwCWHVgvvO via @WSJ
Fox Adds Munich NFL Game and Week 15 Saturday Slot
Fox's two new NFL games are Munich in week ten featuring Lions and a week 15 saturday game
Fox CEO Denies NFL Tension; Reporters Remain Skeptical
Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said there is no tension between the company and NFL. I have a feeling sports and media reporters whose ears have been ringing might beg to differ
Company Profited From Lies, Data Theft, and Hate
"This is the company that profited from trafficking in lies, that tuned its algorithms to boost hatred and division, that stole our data and used it against us, that created the culture of toxic memes that are now central to...
Disney Accuses FCC of First Amendment Violation Over ‘The View’
Disney's fight with FCC escalates with ABC accusing the FCC of violating the First Amendment in a clash over “The View” and equal-time rules. W/@thesimonetti https://t.co/SKZRGdgXsv via @WSJ
Disney's Defiance Signals End of FCC's Paper Tiger
FCC Commish Anna Gomez praises Disney's pushback against FCC attack on "The View." “The days of the FCC as a paper tiger are numbered. What the public will remember is who complied in advance and who fought back. I'm glad...
Rupert And
It's Rupert vs Roger over the NFL and the future of broadcast TV. W/@andrewlbeaton, @jdawsey1 & @DanaMattioli https://t.co/2dtCo2quDG via @WSJ
Break Up Studio Streaming Monopoly After Deal Block
The line that stuck out to me in this op-ed from Mark Ruffalo and Matt Stoller was what comes after they block the WBD-Paramount deal. "Go on the offensive and work to break up the studio streaming system that is...
Paramount's FCC Request Was Anything but Quiet
Why do some outlets keep saying David Ellison’s Paramount “quietly” asked the FCC to bless its finances for Warner deal which includes lots of Gulf State cash? It’s literally in a regulatory filing which is about the least quiet way to...
Skip Obvious On-Screen Captions; Trust Audience Inference
Memo to producers and executives: If two characters say they are going to Rio De Janeiro and are on a plane, you don't need a chyron three seconds later telling us they are in Rio De Janeiro.
Five More States Join California to Block Nexstar‑Tegna Deal
Five more states have joined California's suit to block the Nexstar-Tegna deal. Joining the party are: Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Vermont
Air Travel Tightens, Buses and Trains Stay Unchecked
Flying changed dramatically after 9-11 but buses and trains remain the same; no detectors to get on a bus or train. Tickets aren't even typically checked until you're on the train and seated. Do I want a world where getting...
WGA Warns Warner‑Paramount Merger Would Be Disastrous
WGA statement on Warner shareholders approving Paramount deal: The proposed merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery would be a disaster for writers, the entertainment industry, consumers, and the country. While shareholders approved this deal today, this merger is far from...
DOJ Shifts Sports Broadcasting Act Probe to Vegas
DOJ probe into Sports Broadcasting Act moved to Vegas this week as officials met with TV station operators at NAB convention to discuss sports TV marketplace and the SBA. W/@DanaMattioli https://t.co/1oyi55NoJX via @WSJ
Fonda Warns Warner‑Paramount Merger Threatens Media Diversity
Jane Fonda on WBD-Paramount shareholder vote: "Today’s decision by Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders to advance a merger with Paramount is a serious setback — for our industry, for the workers who sustain it, for consumers, and for the fundamental democratic values...
Warner Discovery Shareholders Overwhelmingly Back Paramount Merger
Warner Discovery stockholders overwhelmingly approve sale to Paramount, WBD says. "Based on the preliminary vote count from today's Special Meeting, WBD stockholders voted overwhelmingly to approve the adoption of the merger agreement with Paramount."
FCC Proposes Rating Changes for Gender Identity Content
FCC wants to update content ratings to include gender identity material. Says FCC: “Recently, parents have raised concerns that controversial gender identity issues are being included or promoted in children’s programs without providing any disclosure or transparency to parents.”
DOJ Probes Sports Streaming Pricing Competition and Bidding
Antitrust attorney Charlie Beller hints at what DOJ is looking at in its probe of sports moving to streaming. "The key antitrust question is whether the process by which those prices are set remains competitive. Are multiple parties able to...
NFL Takes Fight to FCC Over Sports Streaming
As federal regulators scrutinize the migration of sports to streaming, the NFL is going on the offensive. Top execs make trip to DC for meeting with senior FCC staffers. https://t.co/8qAgNq0k3L
Paramount+ and Pluto Invest Heavily to Grow Ads, Subscribers
Paramount+ and Pluto are spending more on content and merging technology in an effort to increase ad dollars and subscribers. https://t.co/psnzz9Mc0e via @WSJ
Euphoria Returns After Four Years, Everything’s Changed
“Euphoria,” HBO’s teenage wasteland, is back after four years. Everything has changed. W/@thesimonetti https://t.co/WMtYs6mAKo via @WSJ
Disney Announces Major Layoffs Under New CEO D’Amaro
Disney is preparing to make sizable layoffs in one of the first significant moves under new chief executive Josh D’Amaro w/@benfritz https://t.co/0L0fH4WC8x via @WSJ
Paramount President Jeff Shell Exits Amid Robinhood Lawsuit
Paramount President Jeff Shell is leaving the company, according to people familiar with the matter. Departure comes in midst of legal battle with @robinhood702 https://t.co/ae8hGtr8iZ via @WSJ
Euphoria Premiere Delays Make Axl Rose Appear Punctual
I don’t want to say the Euphoria premiere is running late but it is starting to make Axl Rose seem punctual.
Nexstar's $150M Demand Exposed Amid Tegna Blockade
Revealed in hearing -- Nexstar seeking $150 million from DirecTV and states seeking to halt the Tegna deal. That amount had been under seal, Nexstar lawyer says, and now it's out there. Oops.
Nexstar Argues Station Growth Doesn't Boost Distributor Leverage
Nexstar tells the judge it doesn't believe an increase in the number of stations it owns leads to an increase in leverage in negotiating with pay-TV distributors.
Court Weighs Standing, Injunctive Relief in Nexstar Case
Harm, standing, injunctive relief yada yada at Nexstar-Tegna v DirecTV & several states including CA.
Fox Set to Buy Back 2026 Big Ten Rights
Fox is near a deal to acquire the rights to the 2026 Big Ten championship game from NBC for between $45 million and $55 million. NBC had subleased the game from Fox and is now essentially selling it back.
Resource Sharing Hasn't Boosted Local News Coverage
But I thought combining resources and finding back room efficiencies would increase local news reporting. So confused.
Netflix Targets Thanksgiving and International Games for Football Expansion
Netflix wants more football and is eyeing the new Thanksgiving eve game and the opening week International game. W/@jtoonkel https://t.co/8l0pS5bogM via @WSJ
Jonathan Greenberger Appointed Politico Editor-in-Chief
Politico has named Jonathan Greenberger as its new editor in chief -- scoop from @alexbruell https://t.co/BLuYqXpIQb via @WSJ
Journalist Unfazed by AI-Generated News Stories
AI writing the news? That doesn’t scare this journalist --- from @thesimonetti https://t.co/ls83JoBQze via @WSJ
CBS Radio's Demise Inevitable, Regardless of Leadership
The CBS News radio operations would have been toast no matter who was running CBS News.
Fox Clears Groom’s Past After Multimillionaire Show Probe
While working on Bachelorette story I went down the rabbit hole of reality casting debacles and found this oldie but goodie from 2000. Fox Says 'Multimillionaire' Show Probe Absolves It Concerning Groom's History https://t.co/gsft3sAS5x
ABC's Bachelorette Revamp with Taylor Paul Costs Millions
“Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star Taylor Frankie Paul was supposed to return an aging “Bachelorette” franchise to glory. That decision blew up on ABC and cost it tens of millions of dollars. W/@wongalum https://t.co/DilR3zuVRQ
WGA Condemns CBS News Layoffs, Blames Greedy Leadership
WGA blasts CBS News layoffs: "Once again, our members have lost their jobs due to the recklessness and greed of their bosses. CBS News Radio is an institution, where generations of the finest journalists in the country spent their careers reporting...
Nexstar Completes Tegna Acquisition After FCC, DOJ Approval
Nexstar says it's closed Tegna deal. "Nexstar has closed its acquisition of TEGNA Inc. following approval of the transaction from the Federal Communications Commission and the United States Department of Justice."
Disney Pulls Bachelorette Season Amid Controversy, Backs Family
Disney statement on The Bachelorette: “In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of 'The Bachelorette' at this time, and our focus is on supporting the...
Nexstar Refuses Station Divestitures Amid Consolidation Concerns
Nexstar has not offered to make any station divestures to try to appease states concerned about media consolidation resulting from its deal to merge with Tegna, says California AG Rob Bonta.
NY AG Warns Pay‑TV Rates Will Jump Post‑merger
NY AG Letitia James says pay-TV prices will spike if Nexstar-Tegna deal goes through because they will demand higher carriage fees and those costs ultimately get passed on to consumers.
California AG Leads Multi-State Lawsuit to Block $6.2B Nexstar‑Tegna
California Attorney General Rob Bonta Files Lawsuit Seeking to Block $6.2 Billion Nexstar/Tegna Broadcasting Merger. Other states part of suit include NY, VA, CO, IL, CT and OR. https://t.co/yZIDbjQZLK
NFL Shifts Opening Games to Wednesday, Thursday, Skips Friday
Some small NFL TV news. The first game of the regular season will be on Wednesday night on NBC (vs usual Thursday). The Melbourne game will be on Thursday -- platform TBD. NFL can't do a Friday game this year...
Prime Video Ultra Launches, Price Rises to $4.99/month
We're writing to let you know that on April 10, 2026, Prime Video Ad Free will become Prime Video Ultra with enhanced viewing features, and your subscription price will increase to $4.99/month. If you are a Prime Annual plan member,...
Warner Deal Deemed Pro‑Competitive, Boosts Creative Champions
All competition enforcers will find our deal is pro-competitive says Paramount Chief Legal Officer Makan Delrahim of Warner deal. This is opportunity to build a "true champion" for the creative community that can compete effectively global stage and streaming market.
Paramount Boosts Budget, yet Star Producer Defects to NBCU
Paramount added $1.5 billion to its Paramount+ programming budget, says Paramount Chief Legal Officer Makan Delrahim. And yet its most successful producer jumped ship to NBCU.
Paramount Pushes Theater Attendance to Outpace Streaming Giants
Paramount Chief Legal Officer Makan Delrahim says "we want customers in theaters" and to compete most effectively against "highly scaled" streaming competitors.