36 h. ago Virgin Media issue public apology after calling Wales rugby star a 'whore'

The media company has had to apologise for 'any upset caused'

Politics

2 d. ago Sky owner Comcast in talks to buy ITV’s broadcasting arm for £2bn

Deal would exclude ITV Studios but would mark major shake-up of UK televisionThe parent company of Sky is in talks to buy ITV’s broadcasting business for about £2bn, two decades after James Murdoch made an audacious move to become the biggest shareholder in the UK’s largest commercial free-to-air broadcaster.US media company Comcast, which owns assets including Universal Studios and bought Rupert Murdoch’s Sky for £30bn in 2018, is in talks to buy ITV’s broadcasting arm, which includes its TV channels and streaming service ITVX. Continue reading...

Economics

3 d. ago Sinclair saw its revenue tumble by 16% last quarter after leading charge to pull Kimmel from the airwaves

Conservative media company that owns or operates 185 domestic TV stations suffers sharp decline in third quarter results after dropping Jimmy Kimmel Live! in September

Politics

3 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Bulgaria moves to seize Russian refinery while Poland seeks to be US gas conduit

Lukoil’s Burgas plant is Bulgaria’s only refinery; Slovakia running out of reasons to buy Russian gas as US import deal takes shape. What we know on day 1,352Bulgaria is preparing to seize control of Lukoil’s Burgas oil refinery and sell it to a new owner after the Russian oil company came under US sanctions, according to Bulgarian media reports. Burgas is Bulgaria’s only oil refinery and as part of Lukoil is at risk of having to shut down because of the sanctions. The US joined Britain last month in imposing sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft, over Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Legislation was being drafted to allow the seizure, Bulgarian outlet Mediapool reported on Wednesday. Lukoil said last week that it was moving to sell foreign assets because of the sanctions.With international action progressively choking off Russia’s petroleum exports, Poland said on Wednesday that it was working on a deal to import liquefied natural gas from the US to su...

Events

1 week ago CBS News staffers to be laid off as part of massive round of cuts from Paramount

Paramount will lay off about 1,000 staffers Wednesday as part of a longer-term cost-cutting planFor months, CBS News staffers have been on edge waiting for a long-expected round of layoffs as part of the $2bn in cost-cutting that had been promised after parent company Paramount’s successful merger with Skydance Media.Those cuts began on Wednesday morning and are expected to affect a significant number of news division employees, though likely less than 100 people. The company declined to provide a specific amount. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Dr. Phil ordered to liquidate media company after losing bankruptcy case with ‘no hope for rehabilitation’

‘This Chapter 11 case is an anomaly” since ‘there never has been a pretense of a rehabilitation or a reorganization’ of Merit Street, a bankruptcy judge said this week.

Politics

1 week ago Dr. Phil’s media company ordered to liquidate after losing bankruptcy case with ‘no hope for rehabilitation’

‘This Chapter 11 case is an anomaly” since ‘there never has been a pretense of a rehabilitation or a reorganization’ of Merit Street, a bankruptcy judge said this week.

Politics

2 w. ago Meta found in breach of EU law over ‘ineffective’ complaints system for flagging illegal content

European Commission initial finding says Facebook and Instagram introduced unnecessary steps for users to submit reportsInstagram and Facebook have breached EU law by failing to provide users with simple ways to complain or flag illegal content, including child sexual abuse material and terrorist content, the European Commission has said.In a preliminary finding on Friday, the EU’s executive body said Meta, the $1.8tn California company that runs the social media services, had introduced unnecessary steps in processes for users to submit reports. Continue reading...

Society

2 w. ago Instagram and Facebook found in breach of EU law over flagging of illegal content

European Commission initial finding says mechanisms to report and remove illegal content may be ineffectiveInstagram and Facebook have breached EU law by failing to provide users with simple ways to flag illegal content including child sexual abuse material and terrorist content, the European Commission has said.In preliminary finding on Friday, the EU’s executive body said Meta, the $1.8tn California company that runs the social media services, had introduced unnecessary steps in processes for users to submit reports. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Warner Bros Discovery considers going up for sale as potential buyers show interest

Netflix, Comcast and Paramount Skydance are reportedly among possible bidders in sale that could shake up industryWarner Bros Discovery is considering an outright sale following interest from several potential buyers, the company said Tuesday, in what would be the latest shakeup across legacy media.Shares of the company rose 10.5% in morning trading. Netflix and Comcast are among the potential bidders, CNBC reported Tuesday, citing sources, following earlier reports that Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison was also in talks to acquire the combined company. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Parents will be able to block Meta bots from talking to their children under new safeguards

Measures come amid concern generative AI characters are having inappropriate conversations with under-18sParents will be able to block their children’s interactions with Meta’s AI character chatbots, as the tech company addresses concerns over inappropriate conversations.The social media company is adding new safeguards to its “teen accounts”, which are a default setting for under-18 users, by letting parents turn off their children’s chats with AI characters. These chatbots, which are created by users, are available on Facebook, Instagram and the Meta AI app. Continue reading...

Society

3 w. ago ‘We’re ripping ourselves to shreds’: with dance music bitterly divided, how far should cultural boycotts go?

Some artists and audiences are boycotting Boiler Room and other events over its parent company’s links with Israel – creating fierce debate about the best way to protest and how to remain uncompromisedThose attending Boiler Room’s two-day festival in London’s Burgess Park in August may have noticed a troubling message spray-painted on the site’s perimeter fence: “Boiler Room is owned by Israeli arms investors.” In nearby Brockwell Park, which hosted Field Day, Cross the Tracks and Mighty Hoopla – three festivals belonging to the same group as Boiler Room – graffiti depicted a bomb with the letters “KKR” emblazoned on it.In June 2024, the controversial private equity giant KKR acquired Superstruct Entertainment, the company that owns these four festivals and tens of others, many of which were the subjects of boycotts by artists this summer. That’s because KKR has considerable business interests in Israel, including investments in Axel Springer SE, a German media company that runs cla...

Culture