Mediagazer

9:50 PM ET, December 29, 2025

Top News:

Streaming metrics underwent a rethink in 2025, as Netflix and Disney pivoted away from subscriber numbers to revenue per user, engagement, and other metrics — After more than five years of gushing red ink, 2025 was the year when streaming across the board started to turn a profit.

Discussion: Decider and Observer

Mark Sweney / The Guardian:

Ampere Analysis: UK streaming subscribers on ad-supported tiers will reach 26.5M by the end of 2025, surpassing the 23.1M ad-free subscribers for the first time — Viewers hoping to cut bills driving switch from once-normal advert-free subscriptions now charging a premium

Discussion: NZ Herald, @samuelwroberts.bsky.social, Miami Herald and Tom's Guide

Max Tani / Semafor:

Ezra Klein, Ben Shapiro, Steve Bannon, Vanity Fair's Mark Guiducci, Puck's Matt Belloni, Verge's Nilay Patel, and others on what media leaders got wrong in 2025 — Semafor asked journalists, content creators, and other media-watchers what they'd gotten wrong at the end of a wild year.

Discussion: Fox News, @readdanwrite, @maxwelltani, @semaforben, @nick_field90, @ettingermentum, @admcrlsn, @scottnover and @bulwarkonline

Aisha Down / The Guardian:

A Kapwing study of the 15,000 top YouTube channels finds 278 of them have only posted AI-generated “slop” videos, amassing 63B+ views and 221M+ subscribers — Low-quality AI-generated content is now saturating social media - and generating about $117m a year, data shows

Discussion: eWeek, Android Headlines, @jonathancohn.bsky.social, @[email protected], Digital Trends, @[email protected], The Decoder, Mashable, MediaNama, Dexerto, ZDNET, @[email protected], PCMag, Metro.co.uk, WinBuzzer, The Indian Express and Notebookcheck, more at Techmeme »

New York Post:

Leaked letter: a group of “prominent journalists” at CBS News are preparing a petition urging David Ellison to uphold editorial independence at the network — CBS News journalists are preparing a petition urging Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison to uphold editorial independence …

Discussion: twitchy.com, @alexsteigrad and The Hill

Axios:

Nick Shirley, a MAGA-friendly YouTuber, goes viral with video reports about alleged fraud in Minnesota, provoking approving responses from the FBI and JD Vance — Nick Shirley, a MAGA-friendly YouTuber, lit up X during Christmas week with video reports from Minnesota alleging massive fraud …

Discussion: Mediaite, @nickshirleyy, Fox News, Breitbart, Raw Story, The Last Refuge, Townhall, New York Post, @jdvance, NBC News, @speakerjohnson, @danprimack, Newsweek, Matzav.com, @redsteeze, @danprimack, The Post Millennial, New York Sun, The Hill, The Daily Caller, Reuters, @chrisvanderveen, @richardhanania, @caolanreports, @jrobin.bsky.social, The Wrap, twitchy.com, @donaldjtrumpjr, The Western Journal, Blaze Media, Ace of Spades HQ, @hasanthehun, @billackman, @jodambusta, @waitbutwhy, @daveweigel, @chrisvanderveen, @tommysantos14, @mollyjongfast, @jason_paladino, @brendankeefe, The Daily Wire, NewsMax.com, @cgasparino, @shipwreckedcrew, @jgebbia, @theomniliberal, @guru_merc, @cathyyoung63, @timurkuran, Twin Cities, @brian_armstrong, RedState, The Independent, Washington Examiner, The Gateway Pundit, IJR, The Guardian, Know Your Meme, CBS News and ZeroHedge News

Eoin Higgins / The Flashpoint:

Journalist Eoin Higgins says Matt Taibbi is suing him for defamation over Owned, his book about tech billionaires and the left, and “I stand by my work” — Does that make me the realest free speech warrior? — As you probably now know, pundit Matt Taibbi is suing me for defamation …

Discussion: @dylangyauchl, @nathanjrobinson, @zaidjilani, @mehdirhasan, @vanguard_pod, @notouchthrow, @eoinhiggins_, @postleftwatch, @eoinhiggins_, @agoldmund, @leighbeadon, @hongpong.bsky.social, @zaidjilani, @mtaibbi, @nickyfrank30 and @jaredlholt

Variety:

North American box office in 2025 will fall far short of the $9B most analysts expected, flat from 2024 levels and well below the pre-pandemic norm of $10B-$11B — Some comeback! — The past 12 months were supposed to turn things around for struggling cinemas.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, @stevenraymorris.bsky.social, @brentalang and Instapundit

Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg / Wall Street Journal:

In 2025, several books saw audiobook sales outperform hardcovers, even as digital audiobook growth slowed to 1% through October after 2024's ~24% jump to $1.1B — Though the pace of growth has slowed, audiobooks remain a bright spot in publishing — Author S.A. Cosby's southern crime novel …

Discussion: @dannygroner.bsky.social

DataBreaches.Net:

A hacker published 2.3M Wired user records, and claimed to have downloaded all 33M Condé Nast users' information, including email, name, phone, and usernames — Over the years, DataBreaches has been contacted by many people with requests for help notifying entities of data leaks or breaches.

Discussion: @scottfromny.com, eSecurity Planet, The Register, @haveibeenpwned, @marshacollier, SiliconANGLE, Cyber Security News, Security Affairs, BleepingComputer, Hackread and CyberInsider

Ben Strauss / Washington Post:

A profile of Pablo Torre, whose podcast “Pablo Torre Finds Out” became a 2025 phenomenon for aggressive reporting that uncovered seismic stories in US sports — NEW YORK — One day last month, Tom McMillen, a 73-year-old retired NBA player and former congressman, got an email.

Discussion: @scottnover, Sports Business Journal, @benjstrauss, @annahbackstrom, @jasonmurray117, @jeffjarvis.bsky.social, @scottnover.bsky.social, @royalpratt.bsky.social, @washingtonpost.com and Awful Announcing

The Guardian:

FOI data: the UK has spent £500K+ since 2024 on 215 influencers to promote government campaigns, including £350K by the Department for Education — Figures from FoI request show increase in ministerial use of social media personalities to present campaigns

Discussion: @erinaceinae24.bsky.social, Rae McGrath on LinkedIn and @socialmedialab.ca