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New Fox is calling off plans to bid for the 22 Fox regional sports networks that Disney needs to divest due to its acquisition of several 21st Century Fox assets. The assets Disney acquired include Fox’s film and TV studio, its 30 percent stake in Hulu and several cable channels, in addition to the sports networks. Regulators told Disney that it could not own both ESPN and those networks. “Fox confirms that it does not intend to bid for any of the Fox regional sports networks that Disney (or any entity operating on its behalf) may sell as required by the consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice,” 21st Century Fox said in a Jan. 11 SEC filing. According to FOX Business, both Sinclair Broadcasting and rapper Ice Cube are still interesting in acquiring the properties, which analysts have said could come with a price tag of around $20 billion.
 Jeff Flake |
CBS News is reportedly in talks with former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) about taking on a role at the network. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Flake, a prominent critic of the president, was seen Jan. 4 at CBS headquarters in Manhattan. The Reporter said that CBS declined to comment on the situation. Last June, The Daily Beast reported that Flake had met with the heads of CNN and MSNBC about potential opportunities. If he does wind up at CBS, it will go against the guess of president Trump. “Jeff Flake is now selling real estate, or whatever he’s doing,” Trump said at a Jan. 2 cabinet meeting. “He’ll probably go to work for CNN. That’s my prediction.”
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IMDb, the movie website owned by Amazon, has launched a free streaming video channel. IMDb Freedive is available in the U.S. on the IMDb website as well as on Amazon Fire TV devices. The company says that a mobile app version of the service will be available soon. The ad-supported channel, which does not require viewers to purchase a subscription, offers movies and such TV programs as The Bachelor and Without a Trace. The video content currently available on IMDb—including trailers, celebrity interviews and short-form original series—is being bundled into Freedive, says the company, and will still be free to watch.
Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. has replaced CEO and former California Congressman Devin Nunes with Kevin McGurn, a seasoned media sales executive.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is being bought by the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, a nonprofit that is the parent organization of the Baltimore Banner... The British Broadcasting Corporation is axing approximately 2,000 jobs, about 10 percent of its work force... Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is also succumbing to layoff fever, announcing plans to lay off 16 percent of its employees, about 1,000 people.
CBS News Radio will go off the air on May 22, part of the axe-swinging managerial plan put into play by CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss... The Economist, which was first published in 1843, is changing hands. Canadian billionaire Stephen Smith has agreed to acquire a 26.9 percent stake in the publication from Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, her family and family foundation... Nexstar Media Group says it has closed its acquisition of TEGNA, the broadcast, digital media and marketing services company that was formed in 2015, when the Gannett Company split into two publicly traded companies.
USA TODAY brings on Jamie Stockwell as VP of news, effective March 30. Stockwell was most recently deputy managing editor of news for the Washington Post... YouTube expands its likeness detection capabilities to a pilot group of government officials, journalists and political candidates... The AP Fund for Journalism adds 50 news organizations to its local news program, bringing the total number of participating newsrooms to 100. 
Versant Media Group, the NBCUniversal cable TV spin-off, today reported its first financial results as 2025 revenues dipped 5.3 percent to $6.7B and standalone EBITDA dropped 9.1 percent to $2.2B.
