The Brief – Wednesday 13 May: BuzzFeed bought for $120m; Havas Play UK leadership reorganisation; Digg being revived

📰 Comedian and media mogul Byron Allen has purchased BuzzFeed for $120m, $100m of which comes in the form of a promisory note due five years after deal close. Allen will take a 52% majority stake in the company and become its CEO. Founder Jonah Peretti will transition to work on its AI efforts. Peretti warned further cost cuts were likely, as well as a spinoff of its studios division and food brand Tasty. (The Hollywood Reporter)

💼 Havas Play UK has reorganised its leadership team with a combination of all-female promotions and other new hires. Charlie Hugill has been promoted to chief client officer, Maria Panayi has joined as head of culture, and Hannah Liu-Sherman has joined as managing partner. They will report to CEO Nick Wright. (Havas)

📱 Digg, once a Reddit competitor, is being revived as an AI-based news aggregator. (TechCrunch)

💻 Google, as part of the Google News Initiative, has launched a programme for smaller independent publishers to learn how to make the most of its AI tools. The scheme, called the 2026 UK Local Media AI Program, will welcome 30 publishers. (HoldtheFrontPage)

🎧 Spotify is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a new Wrapped feature, allowing users to look back on their entire listening history. (Spotify)