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☆ Rybakina takes down Azarenka to reach first Australian Open final
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The 22nd-seeded Rybakina was broken as she served for the set but Azarenka double-faulted to concede three match points in the next game, allowing the Kazakh to close out an emphatic win. Rybakina shrugged it off then broke Azarenka twice, repeatedly outrallying the powerful Belarusian. Running full tilt, she saved a set point with a forehand passing shot and put the pressure back on Rybakina. Though failing to land a first serve 11 times in succession, Rybakina saved three break points at 5-5 before momentum shifted again when Azarenka tightened up in the tiebreak. Rybakina wobbled when serving out the match, a double-fault coughing up three break points and opening the door for Azarenka.

☆ Italy supreme court upholds nullity of ruling over Vivendi's control of TIM
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Italy's supreme court upheld a ruling which had annulled a market regulator's resolution indicating French media group Vivendi (VIV.PA) was exercising 'de facto control' of Telecom Italia (TIM) (TLIT.MI), a court document showed on Wednesday. Italian market watchdog Consob ruled that Vivendi, TIM's top shareholder with a 24% stake, took control of two-thirds of the Italian phone company's board in 2017. Activist fund Elliott eventually wrested control from Vivendi the following year. In 2020, Italy's top administrative court annulled the resolution of Consob, which subsequently appealed that decision. The supreme court's ruling came as Vivendi is calling for governance changes in Telecom Italia to better reflect the relative weight of shareholders.

U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo speaks during a press conference with Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein at the State Department in Washington on Aug. 19, 2020. A demonstrator holds a poster with a picture of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi outside the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul, Turkey October 25, 2018. "And as even the New York Times reported, Khashoggi was cozy with the terrorist-supporting Muslim Brotherhood," Pompeo wrote. I confirm it to you," Khashoggi's widow, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, told NBC News on Monday. Hanan Elatr Khashoggi Widow of journalist Jamal Khashoggi

☆ Top seed Swiatek crashes out, Gauff exits Australian Open in tears
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"I felt the pressure, and I felt that I don't want to lose instead of I want to win," said Swiatek, who dominated last season with two Grand Slam wins. Rybakina, the 22nd seed, might have expected to face Gauff in the quarter-finals but the much-hyped American teen was upset 7-5 6-3 by Jelena Ostapenko, the forgotten Grand Slam winner of women's tennis. The win secured a first Australian Open quarter-final for hard-hitting Ostapenko, as well as the first at a Grand Slam since her run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2018. Latvia's first - and only - Grand Slam champion stunned the world when she hoisted the trophy at Roland Garros as an unseeded 20-year-old. Third seed Pegula will face the winner of Victoria Azarenka and China's Zhu Lin for a place in the semi-finals.

☆ In the fight against slowing growth, Netflix and its rivals are all in this together
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

For the past three years, the global media and entertainment industry has been defined by the streaming wars. Last year, the streaming wars didn't end, but a metaphorical meteor approached the entertainment world in the form of slowing growth. Read more: Netflix founder Reed Hastings is giving up his CEO roleMedia companies have, at least momentarily, found themselves fighting against a common enemy – streaming subscriber fatigue. The old media world was defined by Netflix disrupting the legacy industry. Now, as Netflix goes, so goes the media world.

☆ PSG to explore alternatives as Paris mayor says Parc des Princes not for sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Jan 14 (Reuters) - French champions Paris St Germain said they will explore "alternative options" for their home stadium after Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said the Parc des Princes was not for sale. The stadium, owned by the Paris city council, has been PSG's home since they entered France's top division in 1974. French media reported that Ligue 1 side PSG put forward an offer to buy the Parc des Princes in November last year. "... the Parc des Princes is not for sale. "It is surprising and disappointing to hear that the Mayor of Paris is taking a position which, effectively, will force PSG ... from the Parc des Princes while also ... adding tens of millions of euros to the taxpayer burden to maintain the structure of the building...," a PSG spokesperson told Reuters.

☆ Dutch regulator grants Russian independent TV Rain five-year broadcasting license
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 10 (Reuters) - The Dutch Media Authority issued a five-year broadcasting permit for the Russian independent television station TV Rain after its license had been cancelled in Latvia, according to a statement on the regulator's website. The permit, dated Dec. 22, will "provide a commercial television broadcasting service as a commercial media institution," the regulator said. Latvia cancelled the licence of TV Rain in early December after the company was branded a threat to national security. The liberal-leaning TV Rain, or Dozhd, shifted to broadcasting from Latvia and other countries in July, after being forced to shut its Moscow studio following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Reporting by Lidia Kelly and Elaine Monagham; Writing by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Sky spinoff is Comcast’s least-bad option
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The boss of U.S. media giant Comcast (CMCSA.O) may want to make an exception for Sky. Including acquired debt, Roberts paid a multiple of 15 times Sky’s EBITDA to clinch the deal, two and a half times the company’s enterprise value before the takeover battle began. The financial consequences of Roberts’ determination became apparent in October when Comcast took a non-cash impairment charge of $8.6 billion related to Sky. Goldman Sachs analysts expect Sky to generate adjusted EBITDA of $2.1 billion in 2023, nearly one-third less than in 2019. Comcast said on Oct. 27 that it took a non-cash impairment charge of $8.6 billion related to Sky assets for the third quarter of 2022.

☆ Starc threatens De Bruyn with Mankad after batsman crosses the line
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Mitchell Starc threatened South Africa number three Theunis de Bruyn with a 'Mankad' dismissal on Thursday after the batsman wandered way outside his crease at the non-striker's end during the second test in Melbourne. "Just stay in your crease, it’s not that hard," Starc barked at him. During the post-match media conference, Starc said he would consider dismissing players with the Mankad in future if he saw them taking off early like De Bruyn, earning a firm endorsement from his captain Pat Cummins. Starc said De Bruyn had been leaving his crease early on day three in Melbourne as well. Starc will not have the opportunity to Mankad De Bruyn in the next test, having been ruled out of the match due to an injured tendon on the middle finger of his bowling hand.

☆ NFL Sunday Ticket is leaving DirecTV and heading to YouTube TV
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —The popular NFL Sunday Ticket package is leaving DirectTV and heading to YouTube TV. The NFL announced the partnership with YouTube TV, owned by Google, on Thursday. Starting next season, NFL Sunday Ticket will be available as an add-on package on YouTube TV and standalone on YouTube Primetime Channels. In 2020, the NFL started streaming NFL Network and NFL RedZone to YouTube TV subscribers. The poaching of Sunday Ticket from DirecTV also represents a major boost to YouTube TV, one of the many online television services that seeks to replace cable and satellite television.

An American college student who was reported missing during a study abroad trip in France is alive in Spain, his family and officials said Friday. A spokesperson for the Grenoble public prosecutor’s office said prosecutor Eric Vaillant told French media that Ken DeLand Jr. had been able to speak with his parents. The family said on a website dedicated to finding DeLand that he called them early Friday morning. On the website, the family thanked news outlets, saying: "Without the media’s help, Kenny would not have seen himself in the news." DeLand was reported missing last month while studying at the University Grenoble Alpes in France, his family said in an older post on the website.

☆ 21 production companies that are acquisition targets as streamers race to get profitable and private equity bets big on Hollywood content
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Lucia Moses | Elaine Low | Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The streaming wars have fueled a wave of deal-making for Hollywood production companies. Private equity is leading the charge, with firms like Apollo and Blackstone spending big on content. Insider identified 21 top production companies that could attract buyers or investors in 2023. Media companies need fresh content to win and keep subscribers who have more options than ever to choose from. Insider spoke with five industry dealmakers, consultants, and other experts who named 20 companies that could be hot acquisition targets as the drive for content continues.

☆ Brad Pitt Sells Stake in Production Company to French Conglomerate Mediawan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Jessica Toonkel | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

French media conglomerate Mediawan said it agreed to buy a significant stake in Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment, whose credits include Oscar-winning films such as “12 Years a Slave” and “Moonlight.”The deal is the latest in a string of acquisitions of part or all of independent production studios looking to capitalize on the robust appetite for fresh content in Hollywood sparked largely by a boom in streaming services over the past few years.

☆ Brad Pitt sells 60% of his Plan B production company to French media conglomerate Mediawan, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Brad Pitt is selling 60% of his production company, Plan B Entertainment, to French media conglomerate Mediawan in a deal that's set to be announced this weekend, according to people familiar with the matter. Neither Plan B nor Mediawan responded to requests for comment. For TV, Plan B's productions have included HBO's 2014 adaptation of "The Normal Heart," directed by Ryan Murphy, and Amazon Prime Video's 2021 miniseries "The Underground Railroad." Candle Media also acquired a minority stake in Westbrook Inc. — the production company founded by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith – earlier this year. The boutique investment bank Moelis led the sale for Plan B.

☆ Jamie Dimon says cryptocurrencies are like 'pet rocks' and blasts the industry as a 'complete sideshow'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan, likened cryptocurrencies to "pet rocks" in a CNBC interview Tuesday. "I think crypto is a complete sideshow," Dimon said. "I think crypto is a complete sideshow," Dimon said in a Tuesday CNBC interview. "Crypto tokens are like pet rocks." Dimon also warned that the digital assets is used for spending on illicit activities, and that regulators should look into them.

☆ UBS reveals global stocks that will win — or lose — when China reopens
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

But when they do, Swiss bank UBS has identified stocks in the MSCI Europe index that will do better than others "in an environment where China's growth rebounds." The investment bank screened for companies in Europe that meet the following criteria: A high percentage of sales exposure to China. The stocks in the table below have been ranked using UBS' composite score, which brings together the above factors. London-listed engineering groups IMI and Weir Group and Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered were among the top 15 stocks with high exposure to China, according to UBS. According to UBS, shares of chemicals and specialty materials companies BASF , Solvay , Arkema and Sika are also exposed.

Such a plan met heavy reservations within Giorgia Meloni's new right-wing administration, which decided to put CDP's bid on hold on Monday night, two government officials told Reuters. TIM, which has been under pressure for years due to a hyper-competitive domestic market, had no immediate comment. Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti this month said Butti's plans required extensive discussions within the government, which had "several options" to secure control of TIM's network. Butti, who has openly criticised CDP's plans for TIM, has called on the Treasury-owned lender to take over TIM in full to then sell its service operations, including its Brazil-listed unit. TIM is expected to hold a board meeting on Wednesday to discuss the appointment of a director to replace Renault boss Luca de Meo.

Cabinet undersecretary Alessio Butti will now be in charge of the strategy, according to a decree on Friday seen by Reuters. Butti has been critical of the previous government's plan to cut TIM's 25 billion euro ($26 billion) debt pile by selling its landline grid. The sale is a key plank of CEO Pietro Labriola's strategy to break up and revamp the battered company. The multi-billion euro offer would be part of a broader project to merge TIM's network with smaller rival Open Fiber, which is controlled by CDP. Earlier this month Giorgetti warned that Butti's plans for TIM needs to be extensively discussed within the government.

☆ Italy PM empowers top aide Butti to oversee fast-broadband strategy - draft
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has given cabinet undersecretary Alessio Butti powers to oversee Rome's strategic policies to develop ultra-fast broadband networks, a government decree seen by Reuters showed on Friday. The multi-billion euro offer would be part of a broader plan to merge TIM's network with smaller rival Open Fiber, which is controlled by CDP. Butti criticised such a plan and called on CDP to take control of TIM as a way to pursue the goal of combining the former phone monopoly network assets with those of Open Fiber. TIM's top investor is French media company Vivendi (VIV.PA) with a 24% stake and the second largest is CDP with a 10% stake. Reporting by Elvira Pollina and Giuseppe Fonte; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy govt officials to discuss plans for Telecom Italia on Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Government officials will discuss plans for Telecom Italia (TIM) (TLIT.MI) later on Tuesday, Italy's economy minister said, responding to a question about the former phone monopoly's landline grid. Giorgetti was asked whether the new right-wing government backed Italian state lender CDP's plans to submit an offer for TIM's landline grid by the end of the month. CDP's multi-billion euro preliminary offer for TIM's landline grid is part of a plan to combine it with its broadband unit Open Fiber. The long awaited offer is expected to value TIM's landline grid and submarine cable unit Sparkle at between 15 and 18 billion euros including some 12 billion euros in debt, sources have previously said. Negotiations have been complicated by divergences on valuation, with TIM's top investor, French media conglomerate Vivendi (VIV.PA) demanding 31 billion euros to back a sale.

Robert Allbritton launched Protocol in early 2020 with a lofty goal of replicating his success with Politico for the tech industry. But that was a nonstarter, in part because Axel Springer, through a joint venture, already owned half of Politico Europe. Axel Springer acquired Protocol in October 2021 as part of its $1 billion-plus acquisition of Politico. Goli Sheikholeslami became CEO of Politico Media Group in February and was focused on the task of integrating Politico's US and Europe operations. The person familiar with the business said that Axel Springer gave Protocol a real shot.

According to a person familiar with the business, some inside Politico originally hoped to create what became Protocol as a direct offshoot — using a name like "Politico Tech." But that was a nonstarter, in part because Axel Springer already owned the rights to half of the Politico brand in Europe. Axel Springer acquired Protocol in October 2021 as part of its $1 billion-plus acquisition of Politico. Goli Sheikholeslami became CEO of Politico Media Group in February and was focused on the task of integrating Politico's US and Europe operations. A few former employees, in retrospect, wondered how committed Axel Springer was to the little tech-news site that came bundled with its Politico purchase.

☆ Vivendi representative Frank Cadoret resigns from Telecom Italia's board
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Telecom Italia (TIM) logo is seen displayed in this illustration taken, May 3, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationROME, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI) (TIM) said on Wednesday that Frank Cadoret, one of two board members representing top investor Vivendi (VIV.PA), resigned from the post. Vivendi has clashed with Rossi, a former Bank of Italy official, over corporate governance issues on a number of occasions. The other Vivendi representative on TIM's board is the French media conglomerate's chief executive, Arnaud de Puyfontaine. Reporting by Alvise Armellini and Elvira Pollina, editing by Gianluca Semeraro and Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Fiscal “black hole” obsession adds to UK problems
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

His government is preparing to fill what media reports now describe as a “black hole” in the country’s public finances, by raising around 50 billion pounds within five years. And while new Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has reversed many of Truss’ tax cuts, he’s kept measures worth some 17 billion pounds a year. The impact of his plan, based on the UK Office for Budget Responsibility’s growth forecast, will depend on its size, timing and structure. The bigger the adjustment to the public finances, which media reports reckon could be anywhere between 30 and 60 billion pounds, the larger its impact on growth. Talk of a “black hole” obscures the fact that Sunak and Hunt have multiple options.

☆ Opinion | Trump Is Weak, but the G.O.P. Is Weaker
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Paul Krugman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After their party’s disappointing performance in the midterms, Republican elites seem to have decided that Donald Trump is their big problem. But Trump, who is widely expected to announce his 2024 presidential campaign on Tuesday, won’t go quietly. If he doesn’t, will a man who has never shown any loyalty to his party or, for that matter, anyone but himself, sabotage the G.O.P. Let’s talk instead about how remarkable it is that someone like Trump managed to dominate one of America’s two major political parties and surely retains a substantial base. Clearly, most of the G.O.P.

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