Fortnite “customers could ultimately receive $245 million for what the agency called Epic’s use of ‘dark patterns’ to trick millions of players into unwanted purchases. Another $275 million will settle accusations that the studio violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.” - The New York Times
And that’s “noodle boys” - young, white, floppy-haired, and un-pumped. “There is clearly an appetite for male stars who don’t look as if they could crush a car with their bare hands.” - The New York Times
Hot Frosty is far from the end of Christmas programming. "It doesn't matter that the audience has seen some version of that story 1,000 times. They're going to keep watching it, keep enjoying it and we — love it or hate it — are going to keep talking about it.” - CBC
“Tomlin is proudest of the live Broadway production, but grateful that the 1991 film has been restored. ‘You’re never satisfied,’ she said. ‘That’s why I like to work live.’” - Variety
Eight months after cutting 14% of its staff, WBUR is eliminating "Radio Boston," a one-hour weekday show focused on local and regional affairs. Management says no jobs will be lost and "Radio Boston" staff will be moved to increase local coverage on "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered." - The Boston Globe
Nearly half of teens in the U.S. are online almost constantly, and the platform they’re using the most is YouTube, a new study from the Pew Research Center has found. - TechCrunch
This year, the biggest categories for YouTube were sports and children’s entertainment. Watch time for sports content grew 30% year-over-year, according to the company, which did not give the exact watch times for either 2023 or 2024. - The Wrap
The broadcaster has undergone a series of radical transformations, often referred to using the shorthand TeleMeloni. A monologue in which the writer Antonio Scurati was set to criticize Italy’s “post-fascist” leaders for failing to repudiate their neofascist origins was canceled. - Columbia Journalism Review
The company's new global linear networks division will house its networks of news, sports, scripted and unscripted programming like CNN, TBS, TNT, HGTV and the Food Network. A streaming and studios unit will house WBD's film studios and streaming platform Max. - CNBC (MSN)
"(The giant media conglomerate) said it is restructuring into two operating divisions, one focused on the legacy cable TV business and the other on streaming and studios, a move that could set the company up for dealmaking down the road." - The Wall Street Journal (MSN)
Andrew Wallenstein, then-co-editor-in-chief of Variety: "I’m not going to say if I had to do it all over again I would do it differently because I understand why I did what I did then. But looking back on the hack, I wish I’d taken a different tack. Let me explain why." - Variety
"YouTube just released some new stats that show how the service is being consumed on televisions, and the numbers are enormous. … The trend hasn’t changed in forever, but YouTube has spent the last couple of years finally doing something about it." - The Verge
"In the lame-duck session …, support continues to build for a bill that would require AM receivers to be included in vehicle dashboards. Three more House members have signed on as co-sponsors for the proposed AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, bringing the total number of supporters in the House to 271." - Inside Radio
