SiriusXM agreed to buy the Stitcher podcast business from Scripps for $265 million cash, said the satellite company Monday. It “will advance and deepen SiriusXM's position in podcasting, the fastest-growing sector in the audio entertainment ecosystem,” it said. SiriusXM agreed to make up to $60 million more in “additional contingent payments” to Scripps if Stitcher achieves unspecified “financial metrics” this year and next, it said. The deal will better position SiriusXM “to advance the podcast ad market,” it said: Q3 closing hinges on required regulatory approvals and other conditions..

“Watch Google,” said a Friday streaming TV analyst note to investors from LightShed on the war for the living room among MVPDs, platform providers and media companies. Google could be a “much needed disrupter” in the connected TV world, reducing leverage Roku and Amazon currently hold, wrote Richard Greenfield and colleagues. Amazon “has underwhelmed” with Fire TV as a TV operating system, and Apple doesn’t want to be a TV OS on third-party TVs, said analysts, leaving “all eyes” on Google to take on category leader Roku. Unlike Roku, whose devices and platform were “purpose built for streaming video,” Google doesn’t need to make money, “at least today,” from connected TV ad inventory or sharing in new subscription VOD services, analysts said. Google’s interest is in gaining data on user behavior, capturing more of consumer’s time, boosting usage of its ad-supported YouTube app and growing its YouTube TV, Stadia and Nest Aware apps, they said. Google didn't comment. Analysts cited increased tension between platforms and programmers/apps that first became evident in January with a battle between Fox and Roku before the Super Bowl. Now, TurnerMedia’s HBO Max, which launched late May, doesn't have an agreement with Roku; NBCUniversal’s Peacock, rolling out broadly on Wednesday, reportedly doesn't have an agreement with Fire TV or Roku, either, they said. Those companies also didn’t comment.

Sony will make a $250 million “strategic investment” for a minority interest in Epic Games, said the companies Thursday. Epic operates the Fortnite online videogame platform claimed to be the world’s largest, with 350 million accounts. The deal's closing hinges on regulatory approvals and other conditions.

The FCC Public Safety Bureau waived its annual requirement that emergency alert system participants file identifying information in the emergency test reporting system, after the Federal Emergency Management Agency canceled the 2020 nationwide EAS test (see 2006240067), said a public notice Wednesday. “In consideration of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) national emergency and FEMA’s decision not to conduct a nationwide test of the EAS in 2020,” there's good cause to waive the requirement, the PN said.

Nielsen expects to save $250 million annually by exiting “several smaller, underperforming markets and non-core businesses” and cutting 3,500 jobs, about 8% of the global workforce, said the company Tuesday. Nielsen expects to incur up to $170 million in 2020 pretax restructuring charges, about half attributable to severance costs, it said. The downsizing should be “substantially completed” this year, it said. It plans to provide more detail on its Q2 call Aug. 3, it said. The company closed 2019 with about 46,000 employees, said its Feb. 27 annual report.

Comments are due today on Miracle Attainment's application for certification to operate an open video system in parts of Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota and Guam, the FCC Media Bureau said in a public notice in Monday's Daily Digest.

Comcast's Peacock streaming service, to launch July 15, signed a licensing agreement for a variety of Paramount TV shows and movies from the ViacomCBS library, it said Wednesday.

Spotify launched Premium Duo in the U.S., shaving $2 off a family plan for two members at the same address. It adds Duo Mix, a regularly updated playlist made for the two users “to discover audio they both love.” Premium Duo is $12.99 monthly. Also Wednesday, Spotify said its free, ad-supported version is now available, and voice-controllable, on Alexa devices.

Dish Network asked the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to stay its affirmation of a lower court's $280 million verdict for Telephone Consumer Protection Act violations because the company plans to appeal the case to the Supreme Court. In a docket 17-3111 motion Tuesday (in Pacer), Dish said its petition for a writ of certiorari would deal with whether a standard quality-control provision in a business agreement creates an agency relationship, subjecting one company to vicarious liability for the acts of another, and whether a principal can be found to have ratified an agent’s action based on imputed, rather than actual, knowledge. Those issues "have split the circuits, affect companies across many industries, and will undoubtedly recur," Dish said. It said DOJ opposes the stay motion. The 7th Circuit last week rejected a Dish ask for rehearing (see 2006250063).

Reddit banned a forum dedicated to President Donald Trump, CEO Steve Huffman announced Monday, citing repeated violations of policies prohibiting promoting hate. Reddit banned subreddit r/The_Donald because it “has consistently hosted and upvoted more rule-breaking content than average,” antagonized the platform and other subreddits, and “its mods have refused to meet our most basic expectations,” Huffman wrote. “Until now, we’ve worked in good faith to help them preserve the community as a space for its users -- through warnings, mod changes, quarantining, and more.” He cited rules against identity attacks, racism, harassment, bullying and threats of violence: “Communities and people that incite violence or that promote hate based on identity or vulnerability will be banned.”