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Axios
13-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Free TV is booming
David Letterman, Chuck E. Cheese and 50 Cent are all promoting their own TV channels with one crucial common denominator — they're free. Why it matters: "This is the new default TV experience," Sarah Nelson, global head of strategic partnerships at Samsung TV Plus, told Axios. "People are abandoning linear. Subscription services have sort of reached saturation. People are really looking for premium content and experience that's super lean back, frictionless, easy to access and at no cost to them," Nelson said. Driving the news: Streamers have grown their reach and revenue by embracing ads. Amazon said the ad-supported tier of Prime Video reaches 130 million U.S. customers on Monday at its Upfront presentation for advertisers. Later today, Netflix — once famously anti-advertising — will host a formal Upfront. But free TV dominated the sales pitches during last week's NewFronts, the annual advertising event for digital-focused companies. Samsung touted its free, ad-supported television (FAST) channels on Samsung TV Plus including from Letterman, the Jonas Brothers and Billboard. Other TV makers like LG and Vizio presented their FAST services along with content providers like Vevo, Revry and Dr. Phil's Merit TV. During Fox-owned Tubi's event, actor Noah Beck credited the "lack of paywall" to why his movie, "Sidelined: The QB and Me," went viral across social media. "Anyone's able to just jump in and watch a show or a movie, and I think that alone just helps to spread. It's so easy to watch," he said. By the numbers: FAST isn't new, but the number of channels and viewership is rising. An estimated 1,755 FAST services are available in the U.S., U.K., Germany and Canada, as of May 5, up 17% since June 2024 and 67% since June 2023, according to Gracenote. Nielsen said Pluto TV, Paramount's FAST service, was the first to appear in The Gauge, its monthly analysis of TV consumption, in August 2022. PlutoTV viewership is up 15%, Tubi's up 21% and The Roku Channel's up 67% since April 2024, per Nielsen. Yes, but: YouTube captures the most streaming viewership on TVs, per Nielsen. Building a FAST channel can be a significant investment — more so than uploading new or old programming on YouTube or social channels. How it works: FAST's value lies in the scaled audience, curation and control, where publishers and brands can lean into fandom. "We've been doing Facebook. We've been doing YouTube. That doesn't change. This is just another place for us," Billboard CEO Mike Van told Axios. " More so than ever, people's attentions are fragmented. We need to be meeting them everywhere they are." "There's a lot more control that you have in [a FAST] environment, which you own and operate, versus a YouTube," Vikrant Mathur, CEO of Future Today, a streaming channel provider that's supporting Chuck E. Cheese's FAST launch, told Axios.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
4 Dead in Mother's Day Apartment Fire in Milwaukee, Residents Jump from Building to Escape: Officials
Four people died after a fire broke out at an apartment building in Milwaukee on Sunday, May 11, authorities have said "We are deeply saddened by the tragic fire that occurred," the Milwaukee Fire Department wrote in a Facebook post The fire department confirmed that people jumped from the residential building in an attempt to escape the blazeFour people have died after a fire broke out at an apartment building in Milwaukee on Mother's Day, authorities have confirmed. On the morning of Sunday, May 11, the blaze tore through a four-story residential building in the city's Concordia neighborhood, the Milwaukee Fire Department confirmed in a Facebook post. The American Red Cross, which is helping those displaced or in need of support following the tragedy, said in a Facebook post that the incident happened near 27th Street and Highland Boulevard. "We are deeply saddened by the tragic fire that occurred," the MFD wrote. "Four lives were lost, and many others have been displaced and deeply affected by this heartbreaking event. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and everyone impacted by this tragedy," the fire department added. The MFD's post included, "We also extend gratitude to the first responders dispatched from additional municipalities who responded to assist and act quickly with courage, compassion, and integrity." In a media briefing, Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski confirmed the fire department responded to the blaze just before 8 a.m. local time on Sunday, per a clip shared by Fox-owned local station WITI's Fox 6 Milwaukee. He added that four people had been transported to the hospital in critical condition; approximately 30 people were rescued. Lipski said that the building, which was built in 1968, did not have a sprinkler system, per the Associated Press. It had been constructed before it was legally required to have one installed, the news agency stated. 'If we had sprinklers in the building, we would have stopped the fire very, very small. We would not of had to have people jumping out of windows,' he said, AP noted. "We would not have had to [pull] people out of windows. We would not have had to have dragged people down hallways to rescue them and we would have not had four fatalities today." Multiple other residents were treated for lesser injuries in the blaze, which has left the building "completely uninhabitable," Lipski said, per the Fox 6 Milwaukee clip. The fire chief estimated around 200 people could have been displaced from the 85-unit building amid the fire. The firefighters who initially arrived on the scene were 'far, far outmatched' by the flames, the AP reported, citing Lipski. "Our firefighters, ascending from the second floor to the third floor were fighting fire blowing down the stairwell at them. If you know anything about fire, it doesn't normally travel downward," Lipski added, per Fox 6 Milwaukee. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. One of the building's residents, James Rubinstein, recalled escaping from the fire. "There was so much smoke. I climbed out the courtyard with my cat in my backpack. [I] jumped to the ground floor and ran out," Rubinstein said, according to the outlet. An investigation is underway, and the fire's cause is yet to be announced. "We stand with our Milwaukee community in this time of grief and healing," the MFD concluded in its Facebook post. The MFD didn't immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The FCC's MAGA standard: Target Trump's enemies, let Fox News off the hook
Chair Brendan Carr of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), President Donald Trump's 'censure-in-chief,' is waging a war on the First Amendment and freedom of the press by investigating all of the president's perceived enemies and the major media networks, while letting Fox News and Rupert Murdoch off the hook. The selective weaponization of the FCC against media outlets that President Trump dislikes by threatening to revoke their licenses is not only unprecedented and dangerous but also beyond hypocritical. The fact is that only Fox's leadership has repeatedly violated the character qualifications required for broadcast licensees. In 2023, the Media and Democracy Project (MAD) and its allies, former FOX executives and FCC officials, asked the FCC to deny the renewal of a Fox-owned local broadcast station's license. The groups alleged that senior management of Fox Corporation — including Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch — manipulated their audience by knowingly broadcasting false news about the 2020 election. How do we know? The factual findings in the Dominion case confirmed that Fox repeatedly made false statements. In my opinion, they undermined our democracy and contributed to the Jan. 6 insurrection. The commission responded by taking the rare step of opening the issue for public comment. But over 550 days later in the waning moments of the Biden administration, the FCC's Media Bureau grouped together MAD's petition with politically motivated complaints against ABC, CBS and NBC and dismissed them all stating it was an attempt to thwart the weaponization of 'the licensing authority of the FCC in a way that is fundamentally at odds with the First Amendment.' We can see how well this preemptive maneuver turned out because Chairman Carr immediately reinstated the complaints against ABC, CBS and NBC, but not MAGA's favorite network, FOX. Even before he had assumed the position of chair, Carr was leveraging the FCC's power to coerce Paramount/CBS over the '60 Minutes' transcript. Now, the FCC chairman is digging into ABC's debate moderation, NBC's 'Saturday Night Live' guest appearances and CBS's '60 Minutes' — but won't touch Fox. Carr is twisting the FCC's 'public interest' and 'character' standards into partisan tools. ABC is accused of bias in moderating a presidential debate because it pointed out a few of Trump's lies. The CBS case is second-guessing editorial decisions on '60 Minutes,' and NBC is incorrectly accused of violating the equal time rule. None one of which is based on court findings. Despite the current political climate and the FCC's alarming attacks on the First Amendment, we decided to appeal. Why? We are right on the our appeal will demonstrate the difference between our petition and the flimsy cases that Carr has embraced and can be used to strengthen the rules preventing the weaponization of free speech. The Murdochs' and Fox's lies about the election contributed to the Jan. 6 insurrection in the Capitol and duped millions of Americans into believing that the election was stolen. These actions shocked the conscience and grievously damaged the country. We believe strongly that the only way to protect our democracy and the FCC from further weaponization is to establish a bright-line test to provide clear guidance for when an evidentiary hearing is required in a broadcast license renewal. Our petition can be used to protect First Amendment rights by establishing that the courts should adjudicate questions of defamation and free speech, not partisan political appointees. Once adjudicated, it is up to the FCC to determine the proper consequences for a broadcast licensee's actions through an evidentiary hearing where the facts can be collected and thoroughly reviewed. By relying on court adjudication, the FCC would be protecting against politically motivated complaints such as those brought by the Center for American Rights. Some argue that Fox News is a cable outlet and that the FCC has no jurisdiction over cable television. But this argument ignores the fact that the Communications Act of 1934 and subsequent FCC rulemaking impose character requirements on broadcast licensees. Congress decided that owning and operating a broadcast station on the public airwaves is not a right — it's a public trust. Never before has the commission been confronted with so much evidence attached to a petition that clearly shows that an FCC broadcast licensee undermined that trust. It is also important to note that Fox's actions are not protected by the First Amendment. Preeminent First Amendment champion Floyd Abrams settled that debate by filing in support of MAD's petition. Fox and Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch demonstrate why those standards are needed. Before Fox settled the Dominion defamation case for $787.5 million, the judge found it knowingly spread falsehoods. In my opinion, those actions damaged public confidence in elections and those decisions were made to protect the company's profits. Carr must stop playing political games and ignoring a case against Fox that is based on judicial rulings showing egregious behavior. To serve the public and defend free speech, the commission should use MAD's Fox petition to erect bright-line protection against the misuse and abuse of the commission's rules.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Shopify shutters Kanye West's Yeezy website: Selling swastika shirt 'violated our terms'
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has gone dark in another corner of the internet amid his latest round of vitriolic, intentionally vile and antisemitic outbursts. This time, not by choice. E-commerce platform Shopify pulled the plug on the rapper's efforts to sell hate-symbol merchandise, shutting down his Yeezy clothing website. Earlier this week, the now-defunct site was modified to sell only one item: a $20 white T-shirt emblazoned with a black swastika. The rapper and entrepreneur, who legally changed his name in 2021, advertised the website during a cryptic commercial that aired during Super Bowl LIX on Sunday. As of Tuesday morning, the website displays error messages: "Something went wrong" and "This store is unavailable." A spokesperson for Shopify said Tuesday in a statement to The Times that merchants using its platform must adhere to its rules and terms of service. "did not engage in authentic commerce practices and violated our terms so we removed them from Shopify," the statement said. Read more: Kanye West exits X, credits Elon Musk with 'allowing me to vent' via venomous rants The spokesperson did not immediately clarify which terms violated, but Shopify informs users on its website they cannot engage in activities that "breach the social contract of commerce" and may not "call for, or threaten, violence against specific people or groups." was central to Ye's Super Bowl ad and, at the time of airing, reportedly did not feature the hate symbol T-shirt but instead other merchandise including hoodies and socks. Variety reported Monday that Ye allegedly switched the site to showcase the swastika shirt within an hour of the commercial airing in Los Angeles. The commercial itself — a selfie video Ye seemingly recorded during a visit to the dentist — didn't raise any flags before it aired on three Fox-owned stations. "It was such a small ad, I don't think anyone put two and two together," a source told Variety. "The copy was clean, the website was clean, and so they did their due diligence with that little part of it." Read more: Ye explains himself again, and this time the answer is autism In the days leading up to the Super Bowl, Ye explained on a podcast that he had been misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder. He also unleashed more antisemitic and hateful remarks on X (formerly Twitter). Over the weekend, he used the social media platform, owned by Elon Musk, to declare himself a Nazi and express renewed praise for Adolf Hitler. He also called for the release of disgraced music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, who is behind bars awaiting trial for alleged sex trafficking and conspiracy, and said he has "dominion" over wife Bianca Censori, whom he paraded essentially naked on the 2025 Grammys red carpet. The weekend rant wasn't the first time the "Heartless" Grammy winner made harmful comments toward the Jewish community and publicly embraced Nazism. He had faced scrutiny and fell hard from public grace in recent years for his antisemitic comments — a number of which he shared on X. A lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles raises fresh claims about West's enthusiasm for white supremacist rhetoric. The complaint, filed by a Jewish woman who said she worked for West, alleges that in the workplace the rapper declared himself a Nazi and compared himself to Hitler. Read more: Kanye West called himself 'Hitler' and was abusive to ex-employee, lawsuit alleges Ye bowed out from X on Sunday after his reach was limited by Musk, who declared the account NSFW "given what he has posted," but shared a message praising the billionaire before deactivating his account. 'I appreciate Elon for allowing me to vent,' the controversial rapper tweeted. 'It has been very cathartic to use the world as a sounding board.' Times staff writer James Queally contributed to this report. Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Reuters
11-02-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Super Bowl audience sets all-time record for a single-network broadcast
LOS ANGELES, Feb 11 (Reuters) - An estimated 127.7 million viewers tuned in for Sunday's Super Bowl National Football League championship broadcast by Fox (FOXA.O), opens new tab, the largest audience in TV history for a single-network telecast, the Nielsen ratings agency said on Tuesday. The figure includes viewers who watched on the Fox broadcast network, Fox Deportes, Telemundo and the Fox-owned streaming service Tubi in homes and at bars and restaurants. Viewership for the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles peaked in the second quarter at 137.7 million viewers. The Eagles crushed the Chiefs by a score of 40-22. The Super Bowl is the biggest event on U.S. television each year. The previous viewership record was set last year, when 123.7 million people watched the game.
