Mediagazer

2:55 AM ET, February 7, 2026

Top News:

Hadas Gold / CNN:

Anthropic is running Super Bowl ads criticizing ads in chatbots, prompting a public response from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman defending plans for ads in ChatGPT — A long-simmering rivalry between two of the world's biggest AI companies was on public display this week as Anthropic and OpenAI took swings at one another online.

Financial Times:

Sources: WaPo is losing about $100M per year but aiming to break even by the end of 2026, which could unlock fresh funding from Jeff Bezos — Billionaire hopes that culling hundreds of journalists will stem heavy losses and refocus the struggling newspaper

Drew Lerner / Awful Announcing:

WaPo Publisher Will Lewis appeared at NFL Honors in San Francisco Thursday, after failing to show for a Zoom call in which WaPo announced historic layoffs — Will Lewis likes sports. He just doesn't like paying sports journalists. — The Washington Post publisher who presided over the axing …

Natalie Korach / @nataliekorach:
Sources: Washington Post Executive Editor Matt Murray spiked a story prepared by the newspaper's media desk covering the historic layoffs

Aban Usmani / Newslaundry:
WaPo terminated the contract of its Delhi bureau chief Pranshu Verma; a source says “there is no clarity if the paper will continue with its bureau in Delhi”

Discussion: @pranshuverma_, The Verge, @supriyakmr, @lisagartner, @pavnimittal, The Kyiv Independent, Blaze Media and Sky News

Wall Street Journal:

A civil subpoena shows the US DOJ is investigating Netflix for potential anticompetitive tactics as DOJ probes the company's proposed acquisition of WBD — As it probes bids for Warner, the department is asking if the streamer has engaged in conduct that could make it a monopoly

Discussion: MLive.com, Financial Times, Bloomberg, @karlbode.com, Newsmax, Sherwood News, New York Post, Dow Jones Newswires, O'Dwyers PR, Benzinga and Cartoon Brew, more at Techmeme »

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Filing: Amazon's spending on content, including music, sports rights, and licensed and produced TV and film, rose 10% YoY to $22.4B — The figure was disclosed Friday in the ecommerce giant's 10-K annual filing with the SEC, a day after Amazon reported fourth quarter 2025 results.

Discussion: Media Play News

Todd Spangler / Variety:
Amazon reports Q4 ad revenue up 23% YoY to $21.32B, slightly above expectations, and subscription services revenue up 14% to $13.12B

Discussion: Miami Herald, Music Ally, BMI, Communicate Online, Adweek, GeekWire, Modern Retail, Media Play News, The Wrap, Financial Times, Amazon and CNBC

The Guardian:

The UK raises the TV license fee, the BBC's main funding source, from £174.50 to £180 a year from April 1, saying it gives the BBC a “stable financial footing” — Inflation-linked increase comes as ministers continue to review options for BBC's future funding

Discussion: Advanced Television, Mirror, GB News, The Sun, Broadband TV News and Telecompaper

Neel Dhanesha / Nieman Lab:

How journalism co-ops Defector, Hell Gate, Aftermath, Coyote, Sequencer, and Range practice horizontal governance, structure their newsrooms, manage ads, more — “If I was less self-directed, I'd probably be freaking out.” — Defector almost didn't exist.

Discussion: Nuala Bishari on LinkedIn, @brizzyc.bsky.social, @niemanfoundation.bsky.social, @epilepticrabbit@social.coop, @neeldhanesha.com, @karenho.bsky.social, @andyor.in, @rangemedia.co, @mausellmoli.bsky.social, @coyotemedia.org, @laurahazardowen.bsky.social and @lukebaumgarten.bsky.social

Gene Maddaus / Variety:

Netflix settles a 2022 defamation lawsuit brought by con artist Anna Sorokin's former friend, who claims she was falsely portrayed in its series Inventing Anna — Netflix has settled a defamation lawsuit brought a Vanity Fair staffer who claimed that she was falsely portrayed in the Shonda Rhimes series “Inventing Anna.”

Discussion: The Wrap

Democracy for Sale:

Docs: a Labour thinktank run by a current UK minister hired a PR firm in 2023 to investigate journalists from the Guardian and other outlets to ID their sources — Labour Together put private investigators onto journalists writing about its funding. Starmer's right-hand man knew. — Peter Geoghegan

Will Oremus / Washington Post:

NewsGuard sues the FTC, alleging censorship after the FTC barred Omnicom from working with NewsGuard as a condition of the ad agency's Interpublic acquisition — NewsGuard files lawsuit alleging censorship after Trump's FTC barred a major ad agency from using its ratings

Discussion: Raw Story, @maxboot.bsky.social, Courthouse News Service, MediaPost, FIRE, @scottnover.bsky.social and @willoremus.com

Adam Jacobson / Radio & Television Business Report:

SiriusXM reported Q4 net income of $99M vs. $287M a year ago, rev. of $2.19B vs. $2.17B est., and “robust” guidance including an in-car audio focus; SIRI up 9% — Year-over-year sales were flat. Subscriber rolls were down compared to the final three months of 2024.

Discussion: Benzinga, Bloomberg, Radio Ink, Insider Monkey, SiriusXM, The Hollywood Reporter, TheDesk.net, Inside Radio, Motley Fool and Barrett Media

Brian Steinberg / Variety:

Streaming-only Super Bowl ads gain traction among advertisers; source: NBCUniversal charges around $3M for a 30-second ad rather than $7M-$10M for a TV ad — While other Super Bowl sponsors like Instacart, Pringles and Bud Light will trot out famous faces like Ben Stiller …

Discussion: Raw Story, Sports Business Journal, New York Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Fortune, MLive.com and CNBC

Rebecca Rubin / Variety:

Lionsgate hires Kathleen Grace, previously chief strategy officer at AI company Vermillio, as its first-ever chief AI officer to lead AI strategy and execution — Lionsgate is leaning into AI, hiring Kathleen Grace to serve as its first-ever Chief AI Officer.

Discussion: StreamTV Insider, The Wrap, Ryan Kieffer on LinkedIn, @jonathanjarry.bsky.social, Media Play News, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter

Etan Vlessing / The Hollywood Reporter:
Lionsgate reports a Q3 net loss of $46.2M, vs. a $21.9M loss a year earlier, $724.3M in revenue, vs. $705.9M est., motion picture revenue up 35% YoY to $421.2M

Discussion: TheDesk.net, Deadline, Variety, Lionsgate, Media Play News and The Wrap