Business of Media
X has started paying celebrities for TV-like shows
The last time journalist Don Lemon sat down to film a TV segment in April, he perched on a stool in front of the glaring lights of a CNN studio. When he starts filming again after a nearly yearlong hiatus, Lemon will have a different backdrop – and he will be calling his own shots, reports Nine Publishing’s Kate Conger.
He will begin his next act, The Don Lemon Show, on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. The former CNN anchor, who was fired by the network last year, is among several politicos, celebrities and reporters whom X has wooed recently as part of a plunge into original video content.
Google joins effort to help spot content made with AI
Google, whose work in artificial intelligence helped make AI-generated content far easier to create and spread, now wants to ensure that such content is traceable as well, reports The New York Times’ Tiffany Hsu.
The tech giant said on Thursday that it was joining an effort to develop credentials for digital content, a sort of “nutrition label” that identifies when and how a photograph, a video, an audio clip or another file was produced or altered — including with AI The company will collaborate with companies like Adobe, the BBC, Microsoft and Sony to fine-tune the technical standards.
Warner Music CEO says their deal with TikTok is “fair,” believes Universal impasse will be resolved
Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl said his company remains happy with their deal with TikTok and he believes the social media platform and Universal Music Group will also come to an agreement, reports The Hollywood Reporter’s Caitlin Huston.
“I’m always very confident in the deals that we do. We don’t follow other companies. We don’t do carbon copies of other deals, we do our own, which is why we did the one last year,” Kyncl said.
“Our deal was very difficult too, but we got there and, for us, it was fair, but it was a year ago. It was also a different time. So I don’t know what is driving Universal’s positions, but if there’s any way we can help them, we will, all of us, and I’m confident they’ll sort it out,” he continued.
News Brands
‘Wooing, not suing’: News Corp in advanced talks with AI companies over content deals
Media company News Corp is “wooing, not suing” as it enters advanced negotiations to become a core content provider to AI companies, chief executive Robert Thomson says, reports The Australian’s Jared Lynch.
Thomson said News Corp aimed to set “meaningful precedents” with AI tech players, which rely on data and quality content, such as news articles and other media, to train their powerful engines.
Copyright has emerged as a key battlefield in the AI race. The New York Times is suing Microsoft and ChatGPT owner OpenAI over claims it used its content without permission, while Getty Images is taking Stability AI to court, alleging a similar breach.
Radio
Georgia Love set to read news on Kyle and Jackie O show on KIIS FM Melbourne
Georgia Love has made a surprise comeback to Melbourne’s airwaves with the much-hyped Kyle and Jackie O takeover on hold. Chatter is Love has signed a three-month contract to read the news alongside KIIS FM Melbourne fill-in breakfast presenter Byron Cooke, reports News Corp.
Love’s return comes as Kyle and Jackie O’s expected expansion into Melbourne is put on ice again, despite the pair having been on air for a couple of weeks in Sydney this year.
The former Bachelorette has been in the wilderness for a couple of years after she was pulled off the Channel 7 airwaves as a reporter in 2022 for posting a “racist” post to social media.
Television
Michael Usher exits The Latest as production relocates to Perth
Seven News presenter Michael Usher will exit late night programme The Latest as production relocates from Sydney, reports TV Tonight.
A Seven spokesperson said, “In March, 7NEWS will shift production and presentation of late-night news program The Latest to its Perth headquarters to streamline efficiencies. For viewers, the format, production quality and integrity of the program will not change.”
Usher has presented the show since its launch in 2018, frequently screening around 10:30pm, with Angela Cox more recently on alternate weeknights.
Sports Media
Super Bowl ads: More star power, more candy and other trends in five charts
Brands are testing the limits of how many celebrities can be squeezed into a single Super Bowl ad break, reports The Wall Street Journal’s Suzanne Vranica and Nate Rattner.
More than 40% of commercials shown during last year’s game featured multiple celebrities, iSpot.tv data shows, a nearly sixfold increase from 2010.
This year is expected to be no different. Many star-studded commercials have already been released, including a Michelob Ultra spot featuring Lionel Messi, Jason Sudeikis and Dan Marino, and a BetMGM ad starring Tom Brady, Vince Vaughn and Wayne Gretzky.