The numbers bear out a dire situation for satellite TV. Just 13 million U.S. households subscribe to it, a decrease of about 15.3 percent from last year. - The New York Times
While subscriber numbers are tanking, programmers prop up revenues by raising carriage fees for their channels—the aforementioned “higher contractual rates.” Instead of making TV bundles more attractive through choice and flexibility, the industry has chosen to fleece whoever hasn’t reached their personal breaking point through routine price hikes. - Tech Hive
Late night, it appears, is now firmly in belt-tightening mode. Or as one veteran late night producer says, “there’s definitely a new reality when it comes to budgets.” - The Hollywood Reporter
In October 2023, OPB's environmental reporter filed a public records request for documents about Portland's Clean Energy Fund. City officials denied it, and she appealed to the D.A. He ruled in her favor; OPB sued to keep the documents confidential; that case has now been dismissed. - Jefferson Public Radio (Ashland, Oregon)
The director filed suit against the trade magazine and two of its executive editors over a story posted in July which quoted anonymous sources saying that Coppola kissed scantily clad female extras uninvited. - TheWrap (MSN)
Brand partnerships saw the Deadpool and Wolverine characters shilling for everything from Xbox and Heineken, to Adidas, Aviation Gin (natch), Old Spice, DiGiornio pizzas, and more. - Fast Company
Google isn’t making things up when it says the AI hosts will “banter” with each other, either. When trying out Audio Overview for myself, I plugged in one of the sample notebooks about the invention of the lightbulb, and the results were... a bit uncanny. - The Verge
"Microsoft Gaming will lay off approximately 650 employees, or 3% of the Xbox owner’s global workforce, in a new round of eliminations following last year’s completion of its Activision Blizzard acquisition." - Variety
"The DGA has long kept animation directors out of the guild. And the chasm between the benefits afforded to live-action directors and animation directors is a growing source of frustration within the filmmaking community. … . But now, as animated films prop up the box office, their frustration is reaching a fever pitch." - TheWrap (MSN)
The government will soon trial age verification technology to restrict children from opening social media accounts by the end of 2024, blocking children from social media and other digital platforms up to a proposed age of 16. - Deadline
It’s a particularly interesting question when it comes to voice acting specifically. The full recreation of vocals may feel further along than the full recreation of whole performances, but they also feel more poignant. - Wired
Finally closing a case that started in 2016, the European Court of Justice agreed with the European Commission (the European Union's executive branch) that Ireland, where Apple has its EU headquarters, gave the tech giant "illegal" benefits and unfair market advantage by charging a tax rate of under 1%. - Axios
“The question of how to use images responsibly isn’t new, but in our era of endless transmission and surveillance, even a project meant to honor someone can become more than a little exploitative. The conundrum derives from the lack of agency we have over our digital selves.” - The Atlantic
“This creature of pure sex and mischief and silky ambiguity, I now saw, was also dark, vindictive and sad. This artist who liberated so many could be pathologically controlled and controlling.” - The New York Times
Winslet is playing Lee Miller, a photojournalist in WWII (and also the lover of Man Ray and a model for Vogue). She wanted another woman to direct, though “potential investors had been ‘patronising’ in their dismissal of Lee as 'a woman’s story.’” - The Observer (UK)
