Matt Belloni Predicts Ellison's Plan for New Fox News
I talked to @MattBelloni about Sunday's Oscars, the future of Hollywood, and why he thinks David Ellison wants to build a new Fox News: Excerpts here: https://www.businessinsider.com/oscars-prediction-paramount-ellison-gulf-matt-belloni-peter-kafka-2026-02 Full chat on Channels: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/channels-with-peter-kafka/id1080467174?i=1000754620316
Ellison and Paramount's Decisive Move Reveals Winning Strategy
The one BIG move that will tell us if Ellison and Paramount are playing to win. $PSKY $WBD $AMZN The LightShed Podcast, Ep. 304. With @BrandoLightShed and @WaltLightShed https://t.co/YJZW8CaF1O
Barnes Sues Pentagon over Retaliatory Press Credential Policy
Appreciate the reporting here by Barnes. Worth noting he’s also the plaintiff in the important lawsuit against the Pentagon over its new press policy that creates an opening for the Pentagon to revoke his credentials in retaliation over his...
Barry Diller Says He'd Overhaul CNN if He Buys It
Barry Diller on hopes to buy CNN: "I would change everything" Interview with Graham Bensinger. https://t.co/mkgyjN8GTY via @YouTube
Creator Platforms Launch Self‑made Awards to Celebrate Top Talent
The latest craze among creator platforms? Inventing their own awards shows to honor the most popular and creative people cranking out content on their apps. https://t.co/SVFliYvp6u via @variety
DC Council Delays Waymo Safety Report Four Years Late
One of the most important jobs of local journalism, which it historically finds most difficult to do, is saying “There is a quotidian procedural issue which affects this community but will not rate national attention. The government is lying about...
Digital Creators Cash In on Brands as Agencies Multiply
Creators Go Pro: Digital Stars Bank Brand Bucks While Talent Agencies and Support Firms Proliferate https://t.co/P1OMksQCSC via @variety
Paramount Aims to Challenge Netflix as Daily Streaming Hub
Game of Streams: David Ellison's Plan to Compete with Netflix called Paramount+HBO Paramount wants to be more than a survivor in the streaming wars. It believes it can catapult itself into a daily use streaming platform that can compete head-on...
Spread Your Brand Story Across Publishers for AI Visibility
Making a strong case for distribution of your company information / news / etc in a GEO world. This part makes me think a lot about the black box of training data and the long horizons of training data...
Media VC Deals Plunge 70% While AI Soars
.@thewrap looks at M&A so far this year: media VC deals are falling – 70% year over year – compared to AI which is soaring. Here’s the story in charts, in partnership with @PitchBook : https://t.co/dQDSQqFM6m
Rebel Audio Debuts Invite-Only AI Podcast App, Adds Mark Burnett
AI Podcast Start-Up Rebel Audio Launches App With Invite-Only Access, Taps Mark Burnett as Adviser (EXCLUSIVE) https://t.co/C0nR4IG3VQ
Google Earns 4× YouTube’s Ad Revenue, Still Monopolist
And Google generates 4x as much ad revenue as YouTube. And guess what? Google owns YouTube and provides most user data "signal" and discovery that has boosted it. And Google is a 'recidivist monopolist' according to DOJ + 4 federal...
Choose Credible Outlets, Not Random Social Media Posts
Yup. "Farid said the best way to remain accurately informed is to make a choice to get your news from credible journalistic outlets instead of scrolling through posts from 'random accounts' on social media." https://t.co/BYB495AEqW
NFL Expands Thanksgiving Eve Slot, Seeks New TV Windows
New: The NFL is plotting a new Thanksgiving Eve game and other potential new windows as it continues to dominate the TV landscape. https://t.co/5gWYad1A2P
VSCO Unveils Galleries: Collaborative Photo Sharing App
VSCO launched Galleries, a standalone app that lets photographers create collaborative online galleries. Multiple contributors, including photographers, organizers, and guests, can add photos in one place, reflecting modern workflows. The app continues VSCO’s efforts to support photographers throughout their creative...
Big Platforms Already Embrace Agentic Commerce and Advertising
Platforms and native agent proximity One can’t consider the future of agentic commerce, or agentic advertising, as a competition between nimble upstarts and inflexible, staid incumbents: the largest platforms have embraced agentic interaction models. If you believe that consumers will demand...
Bath & Body Works to Amplify Influencer Reach Tenfold
Bath & Body Works plans to increase influencer activity 10x as part of its brand transformation. 🧴 During its Q4 earnings call, CEO Daniel Heaf said the company wants thousands of creators posting about its products in their own voice. Another sign...
WSJ Exposes Administration Spreading False Info on Platform
So federal agents aren’t under attack, the administration is spreading false information on this very platform with most being US citizens. This is really incredible investigative reporting, and delivery back on this platform by WSJ. https://t.co/LCQdVQkqdG
Google’s $260B Ad Empire Fuels YouTube Monopoly
How bizarre. To edit this entire TechCrunch report, in particular this graph and not mention Google had north of $260B in ad revenue on top of YouTube. The monopolies are all tied. YouTube relies heavily on user data ingested from...
David Levy on Streaming Wars, Paramount‑WBD Impact, Women’s Sports Rise
New pod: Former Turner chief David Levy gives his view of the sports media business--from the streaming rights arms race to the sports implications of the Paramount –WBD deal to the continued growth of women's sports. https://t.co/tMMRVrLN2f
Young Staff Outsmart Outdated Media Oversight Teams
Yup and yup. WTF is wrong with social media oversight functions at large media companies. The young people managing these accounts 100% know what they are doing and know the old people 100% have no idea.
CNN's Tel Aviv Reporters Hide; Tehran Reporter Roams Free
Isn’t it ironic that the @cnni reporters in Tel Aviv are constantly running into bomb shelters yet their colleague in Tehran is reporting freely almost all the time… Who is winning? https://t.co/MWgoEWIWte
Media Mutes Outrage as GOP Leaders Ignore Anti‑Muslim Hate
Bigotry and xenophobia are pillars of fascism. Outrage should be a pillar of journalism, but reaction to Ogles and Fine has been muffled in media. Mike Johnson refuses to condemn anti-Muslim comments by Republican lawmakers https://t.co/gfhLvgwK79
AI Boosts Creators, Lets Journalists Focus on Ideas
Really don't see this being a problem Journalists will do journalism and this more or less says how that material is delivered can be augmented by AI and no-one would mind People read the best fiction to access something created by someone,...
Omidyar Fellowship Not Dark Money: Non‑partisan, Self‑Funded
Hutch is correct, Pierre Omidiyar’s non-partisan investigative journalism fellowship is not dark money. 1- it’s not political in nature, which it must be to be a dark money program, and 2- the funder is disclosed: Pierre Omidiyar. There are no...
TikTok Now a Top Search Hub; Brands Must Optimize
TikTok continues to grown as a search engine, with nearly half of U.S. consumers using it to discover recipes, DIY tips, beauty advice, product recommendations, and more. Video tutorials, product reviews, personal stories, and influencer recommendations remain the most preferred...
Labeling Omidyar-Funded Fellowship “Dark Money” Misleads
What's so wild about Destiny calling a public, non-partisan investigative reporting fellowship funded in full by Pierre Omidiyar "dark money," is that there are so many reputable journalists who have done that fellowship. The implication is that they have ALL...
YouTube's 2025 Ad Revenue Eclipses Major Media Giants
YouTube’s ad revenue in 2025 was $40.4B. More than Disney, NBC, Paramount, and WBD’s combined. (@THR)
Senators Warn Tencent-Backed Warner Deal Threatens Security
Scoop: Senators Richard Blumenthal & Elizabeth Warren are raising fresh concerns about David Ellison's expected use of foreign money to finance his takeover of Warners—this time, from China's Tencent. "Designated by the DOD as having ties to the Chinese military, Tencent’s...
Bluesky's New CEO Inherits Strong Community, Faces Tough Road
I wrote about Bluesky's CEO switch. Jay Graber deserves lasting credit for building a big and bustling community. But the challenges ahead of the company are significant: https://www.platformer.news/bluesky-ceo-change-graber/
Journalist Refuses Dark Money, Cites Ethical Standards
Debate what? There's nothing to debate. I've never accepted dark money. I can't as a journalist who writes for major outlets with strict journalistic ethics standards. I'm sorry this fact has sent you into a year long crash out 🤷🏻♀️
CNN-CBS Merger Explained After Four Decades of Planning
🎙️ NEW @PuckNews: A CNN-CBS News tie-up is 40 years in the making... curious how it would work? @SamFeistDC, the C-SPAN C.E.O. and 33-year CNN veteran, breaks it down: https://t.co/mPte9ax0DE
Explore X’s Regional Trending Tweets Feature Tutorial
Didja know that X (née Twitter) has an area where you can see the most popular tweets by region or language? It's fascinating stuff to explore, as I demonstrate in this tutorial: https://t.co/8o4AIegPOv #x #twitter @X @twitter https://t.co/qe9zECOboY
The Morning Show Dives Deeper, Adds Jeff Daniels
Lord. I can't think of a series that jumped the shark more decisively than The Morning Show. Now it is joined by the star of the show that started on the wrong side of the shark, The Newsroom. Jeff Daniels to...
Get Expert Media, Radio, Playlist Support for Releases
If you’re planning a new release and want help reaching more media outlets, radio shows, and playlists, I’d be happy to help. I’ve spent decades working with artists at every stage of their careers. Feel free to reach out at...
Netflix Move Stalls Barstool's YouTube Growth, Fans Upset
Only two months after some @barstoolsports podcasts went to Netflix, their YouTube growth has seriously slowed. Audiences also aren’t happy with the change. This is the trade-off shows have to consider — little growth on YouTube vs. reach on Hollywood’s biggest streamer...
Roku to Disclose Platform Revenue Segments for First Time
⚡️ Roku to Breakout Platform Revenue for the 1st Time Ever ⚡️ Investors have been asking @Roku to breakout the components of platform revenue for as long as we can remember. Earlier today, at an investor conference, $ROKU CFO, Dan Jedda,...
Gracenote Sues OpenAI over Stolen Metadata Structure
Scoop: Nielsen's Gracenote sues OpenAI for copyright infringement —Lawsuit is unique because it alleges not just that OpenAI stole its metadata, but that it also stole the proprietary sequence/structure that organizes that data & makes it useful @axios https://t.co/eeupqVybEE
Philo Relaunches $25 Plan After Price Backlash
In a recent video, I asked if Philo pushed it too far with its $33/month price. Now, the service has brought back a $25/month plan + free trial. The cheaper plan has no additional apps. Smart move. Here is my...
Paramount Skydance CEO Discusses Historic Warner Bros. Deal
A historic merger- I sat down with Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison for an exclusive interview about his company’s acquisition of Warner Brothers Discovery. Check it all out on CNBC and cnbc.com
Serena and Joe Launch Unwell Podcast on Love, Age Gap
‘Bachelor in Paradise’ Couple Serena Pitt and Joe Amabile Team With Alex Cooper’s Unwell Network for Video Podcast About Their Relationship (and Age Difference), Reality TV and Pop Culture, and More https://t.co/Xwsr104A0l via @variety
Live Oscar Preview on Y100 FM with Scott N Sports
🚨🆕 I'm going on 📻 @Y100FM 𝐍𝐎𝐖 with @ScottNSports for 📺 #TVTuesday to preview 🎬🍿 the 98th Annual #AcademyAwards #Oscars on @ABCNetwork and @hulu hosted by @ConanOBrien 🎧 𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐍𝐎𝐖 🔊 🗣“Play KUYY” or "Play Y100" 📱 💻 https://t.co/nlxHQ15c7o https://t.co/uUUzGc0YYF
Whalar Launches Lighthouse Studios, Partners with Lyrical Lemonade
Whalar Group Launches Lighthouse Studios to Build a TV-Like Schedule of Creator Content, Sets Joint Venture With Cole Bennett’s Lyrical Lemonade https://t.co/V4y1XtspOC via @variety
CNN and Variety Reunite for Oscars Red Carpet Pre-Show
After Viral Timothée Chalamet Town Hall, CNN and Variety to Partner Again on Oscars Red Carpet Pre-Show https://t.co/Wa14dUYbni
PR Must Fund Media to Preserve Third‑Party Validation
I almost cancelled my @WashingtonPost subscription. Being in PR, I try to support media by paying but with so many people I worked with now gone, I was on the fence about it. I already pay for: @NYTimes, @WSJ, @Business,...
Disney Uses Omar Raja To
Disney is betting on ESPN's Omar Raja to keep NBA fans tuned in to ABC as its Oscars red-carpet coverage starts, part of the company's growing focus on managing audiences around live telecasts.... https://t.co/ngxhWMK75a
From Zero Engagement to Growth: 3 Essential Writing Tips
My first 9 months writing online were brutal. I basically got zero likes, zero reposts, and zero comments. 3 writing tips I wish I knew 5 years ago (before publishing my first 100 posts):
Podcast Guesting Supercharges Nonfiction Book Launch
Therapist and nonfiction author Oona Metz was a guest on over 50 podcasts prior to her book's launch. Here's what she learned: https://janefriedman.com/how-to-use-podcast-guesting-to-promote-your-nonfiction-book/
Meta Adds DST Fees; Advertisers Must Manually Adjust Budgets
Meta announced today that it will begin applying "location fees" to ads run in countries that charge digital service taxes (DST) on digitally fulfilled ads. Those countries are: Austria: 5% France: 3% Italy: 3% Turkey: 5% UK: 2% Notably, automated campaign budget allocation logic will not take...
State AGs Turn Into Media Antitrust Enforcers
New @axios: State AGs becoming bigger media antitrust cops: 🎸EVENTS: 27 states +DC still suing to break up Live Nation/Ticketmaster 📺LOCAL TV: State AGs considering lawsuit to block Nexstar-Tegna 📽️HOLLYWOOD: Cali state AG is vocal about concerns re: WBD/Paramount https://t.co/rXMsHy4JxJ