Top News:
Paramount investors sue David and Larry Ellison, claiming the two struck an illegal deal with Trump for approval of the WBD merger by promising to overhaul CNN— The lawsuit claims that the Ellisons illegally promised to overhaul CNN as the administration looks to reshape media.
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Paramount agrees to a request from 12 states, led by CA, to link their federal antitrust case in the WBD merger to an existing Paramount+ subscriber lawsuit— Paramount has agreed to a request from 12 states to link their federal antitrust case to a pre-existing suit brought by Paramount+ subscribers.
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Reason,The Wrap,@agomezfcc.bsky.social,Politico,JURISTnewsandByteHavenCNN:
Sources: execs expect a judge to grant a temporary restraining order delaying the Paramount-WBD merger; Paramount still expects to close the merger before Q4— Executives involved in the pending Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery deal expect that a judge will hit pause on the takeover plan in the coming days.
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US District Court, Northern District of California,Inverse,The Wrap,The Hollywood Reporter,Graphic Policy,The Ankler,Mercury News,@balancecrafting,Broadband TV News,Wyatt Fore on LinkedIn,@balancecrafting,Media Play News,Advanced Television,Writers Guild of America West,Civil Discourse …,Kellie Lerner on LinkedIn,Associated Press,Screen,Wall Street Journal,@cinephiliabeyond.org,@filmbrainbmb.bsky.social,Los Angeles Times,IndieWire,Cord Cutters News,@susanrinkunas.com,Reuters,Deadline,Oh No They Didn't!,Bloomberg,MediaPost,Bloomberg LawandSports Media WatchWinston Cho /
The Hollywood Reporter:Letter: Tennessee Deputy Governor Stuart McWhorter urged David Ellison to move Paramount's corporate headquarters from California to TennesseeAlex Weprin /
The Hollywood Reporter:Trump's recent comment on a “normal path” for CNN raised eyebrows amid the Paramount-WBD merger; Paramount would need CNN revenue to help pay off $80B in debtDiscussion:
Variety,MS NOW,@danpfeiffer,@danpfeiffer,@danpfeiffer,The Message Box,Reuters,New York Magazine,The Wrapandr/MediaMergersBrendan Carr proposes repealing the national ownership cap, which restricts amassing TV stations that cover more than 39% of households, and sets an Aug. 6 vote— FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is proposing a repeal of the national ownership cap, which restricts broadcasters from amassing stations …
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Breitbart,Ars Technica,CNN,Reuters,Poynter,Los Angeles Times,The Hill,FCC,TV Tech,The Wrap,Politico,Barrett Media,Radio & Television …,@lucas_shaw,Bloomberg,Variety,@jeremymbarr,Blockonomi,The Hollywood Reporter,TVNewsCheckandBloomberg LawEthics disclosures show 7 out of 10 FCC commissioners since 2016 have accepted Kennedy Center tickets worth thousands courtesy of CBS or its parent company— Reporting Highlights — Expensive Gifts: Despite regulating broadcast media, FCC commissioners have accepted pricey tickets …
GTLN:
The Georgia Trust for Local News purchased The Macon Telegraph and The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer from McClatchy; The Macon Melody will merge with The Telegraph— Deal will revitalize local journalism in Middle, West and South Georgia — Dublin, Ga. - The Georgia Trust for Local News today purchased …
How TikTok Shop sellers are using AI creators and AI twins to boost sales; eMarketer: US sales on TikTok Shop are expected to hit $23.4B in 2026, up 48% YoY— Brands issue warnings as more creators use avatars and duplicates of themselves to boost affiliate sales
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The IndependentandPR DailyApple publishes a policy for upcoming Maps ads, says home services ads are banned, medical services ads will be “evaluated on a case-by-case basis”, and more— Apple has quietly published a rulebook for its new Maps ads, revealing a more curated approach than advertising giant Google.
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Apple Ads,iThinkDifferent,9to5Mac,Mobile Dev MemoandAppleInsiderOzone: publisher ad supply in Q2 fell by 32% to 37% YoY in the US and 39% to 41% YoY in the UK, driven by AI-era zero-click search and reduced referral traffic— Publisher ad supply fell by up to 40% in Q2 of 2026 as AI era, zero-click search choked the flow of traffic to news and other open-web sites …
California and Google will contribute $20M each over two years to the CA Civic Media Program, far below the $250M promised in 2024, with grants of up to $250K— Critic says the funding ‘goes backwards’ for local news — Months after Gov. Gavin Newsom stripped state funding from a much larger plan …
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Governor of CaliforniaBauer Media appoints Frances Hedges as Editor of Grazia; she was previously Deputy Editor of Harper's Bazaar UK— Bauer Media has appointed Frances Hedges as Editor of Grazia. She joins from Harper's Bazaar UK where she was Deputy Editor since 2019. — Frances will lead Grazia's editorial vision …
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Lauren Holleyoake on LinkedInSources: Lionsgate has attracted takeover interest from France's Bolloré Group, owner of Canal+, and Banijay, which just completed an $8B merger with All3Media— Lionsgate Studios (LION.N), the entertainment company behind the “Hunger Games” and “John Wick” franchises …
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