If anyone thought Colbert's cancellation — which won't come until his contract ends in May 2026 — might tamp down political commentary in other areas of Paramount's media empire, they learned differently this past week. - NPR
The theatrical box office market is down. It’s harder than ever to get people out of their homes and into the cinema. The business model for movies in streaming is still a work in progress. - Los Angeles Times
CBS, MTV Networks and Paramount Pictures are all bracing for upheaval when Larry Ellison and his son, David, take the keys from Paramount Global controlling shareholder Shari Redstone. - Los Angeles Times
In films like Ready or Not (2019) and The Menu (2022), the rich aren’t simply out of touch; they’re portrayed as predators, criminals or even monsters. - The Conversation
“Plenty of actors I’ve worked with have had that moment where they see what’s possible and realize, ‘Oh my God, this is so much better. It frees them up, takes off the pressure and helps them do a better job. Shutting AI out is naive.” - Los Angeles Times
Around the world, a new wave of child protection laws are forcing a profound shift that could normalize rigorous age checks broadly across the web. Some of the measures are designed to specifically block minors from accessing adult material, while others are meant to stop children from using social media platforms or accessing harmful content. - Wired
The episode did not hold back on crass jokes aimed at Trump, showing him with a “teeny tiny” penis both in animation and as a deepfake and portraying him as Satan’s lover in a style reminiscent of the gay Saddam Hussein character from the 1999 movie South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. - Wired
“American Public Media Group (MPR’s parent organization) plans to cut 5% to 8% of its 500 staff members over the coming weeks, citing a $6 million budget shortfall driven by state and federal funding cuts.” - The Minnesota Star Tribune
“The stamp of approval from the Federal Communications Commission comes after months of turmoil revolving around Trump’s legal battle with 60 Minutes. … With the specter of the Trump administration potentially blocking the hard-fought deal with Skydance, Paramount earlier this month agreed to pay a $16 million settlement with the president.” - AP
“It’s a grossly wasteful industry. Think about set builds that aren’t recycled, think about transport, think about food, think about housing, but also light and energy. The amount of wattage you need to create daylight and consistent light in a studio environment. It’s a lot of energy.” - The Guardian
As linear TV viewership plummets and online ad rates remain low, the economics of late-night talk shows no longer works. But there are consequences, both obvious and impalpable, to the disappearance of these franchises. - TheWrap (MSN)
Due to the Trump/Congress clawback of funding for public broadcasting, the 13 GBH employees who work on the history documentary series have lost their jobs and production of new episodes is paused indefinitely. Reruns of American Experience documentaries from previous seasons will be broadcast instead. - Current
“In state-run media systems, a government agency hires editors, dictates coverage, and provides full funding from the treasury. Public officials determine — or make up — what is newsworthy. Media operations survive only so long as the party in power is happy. Public broadcasting in the U.S. works in almost exactly the opposite way.” - Nieman Lab
National Public Radio will cut its budget by about $8 million in order to provide that money to member stations most impacted by last week’s rescission of federal funding. - Houston Public Media
