Mediagazer: Disney Ponders the Biggest Big Media YouTube Bet Yet: Buying Maker Studios (Peter Kafka/Re/code)

4:05 PM ET, March 11, 2014

Top News:

Peter Kafka / Re/code:

Disney Ponders the Biggest Big Media YouTube Bet Yet: Buying Maker Studios — Disney has been talking to Maker Studios about an acquisition that would value the YouTube network at $500 million or more, according to people familiar with the negotiations. — A deal isn't guaranteed.

Discussion: Deadline.com, The Wrap, Business Insider, Variety and Tubefilter

Tony Haile / TIME:

Chartbeat CEO: “We confuse what people have clicked on for what they've read.” — What You Think You Know About the Web Is Wrong — If you're an average reader, I've got your attention for 15 seconds, so here goes: We are getting a lot wrong about the web these days.

Discussion: Kirk LaPointe's …, @hiddenbrain, @emilysteel, @adamostrow, @magnus_, @clarkgilbert, @moore, BuzzMachine, @neilvoss and @ryanchittum

Peter Kafka / Re/code:
No One's Looking at Your Native Ads, Either

Discussion: @themediaisdying and @lererventures

Caroline O'Donovan / Nieman Journalism Lab:

Upworthy partners with ProPublica and advocacy media groups on original content — When Upworthy raised an additional $8 million in September of last year, they wrote a blog post thanking their readers and making them a promise. The new funds, they wrote, will “help us branch out into new editorial areas.

Discussion: Guardian, Upworthy Insider, @gabrielarana and @niemanlab

Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:

Gawker Demands Dismissal of Quentin Tarantino Lawsuit — The news site says that reading a screenplay is not a copyright infringing act. — Gawker is asking a California federal judge to reject a lawsuit filed by Quentin Tarantino over a leak of the director's unproduced script Hateful Eight.

Discussion: Guardian, Variety, Home on Entertainment, FishbowlNY, The Wrap and Deadline.com

Erik Wemple:

John Cook bolts Gawker for the Intercept — John Cook had fun as editor in chief of Gawker. For instance: When he wanted to commandeer a video of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack, he fired up a “Crackstarter” campaign that raised $200,000 for the cause. Publicity followed.

Matthew Shaer / New York Magazine:
Raging Against Hacks With Muckraker Turned Magazine-Maker Matt Taibbi

Discussion: @nymag, @kierafeldman, @sarahljaffe, The Corsair and The Raw Story

Cynthia Littleton / Variety:

Disney TV Shakeup: Anne Sweeney Leaving to Pursue Directing Career — Disney's longtime TV chief Anne Sweeney will leave her post in January 2015 to pursue a career as a television director. — “The past 18 years at Disney have been the highlight of my executive career.

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter, TVNewser, AdAge, Capital New York, Reuters and @peterlauria3

Katharine Houreld / Reuters:

Swedish journalist shot dead in central Kabul — (Reuters) - A gunman shot dead a Swedish journalist outside a restaurant in a brazen attack in one Kabul's most heavily guarded districts on Tuesday, police and embassy sources said, underscoring growing insecurity threatening next month's elections.

Discussion: Washington Post, Poynter, New York Times, Guardian, BBC and NPR

Andrew Wallenstein / Variety:

CNN, NBCU Alums Jon Klein, Jeff Gaspin Team Up for Online Video Venture — Sarah Palin reportedly target by firm for channel akin to Glenn Beck's TheBlaze — Two of the biggest names sitting on the sidelines in the media business are teaming up for a new online video venture.

Discussion: TVNewser, The Wrap and AdAge

John McDermott / Digiday:

Twitter testing ‘click-to-call’ button which allows mobile users to call advertisers directly — Twitter's direct response pitch: a new ‘click-to-call’ button — As part of its continued effort to evolve and broaden its advertising capabilities, Twitter is now touting itself …

Discussion: @digiday, Street Fight and SocialTimes

Dan Taylor / BBC:

Introducing the new BBC iPlayer — Hello, I'm Dan Taylor, Head of BBC iPlayer and today I'm delighted to share how we are evolving BBC iPlayer for the multiscreen world, starting today with the rollout of a new version for computers, tablets, mobiles and connected TVs.

Discussion: The Next Web, @rwd, Engadget, TechCrunch, Pocket-lint, @neilbramah, @jemstone, @graham_matthews, Silicon Republic and NetNewsCheck Latest

Joan E. Solsman / CNET:

CBS chief says network could go all-Internet if Aereo wins — CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves said Tuesday that his company's namesake broadcast network could go “over the top,” or be delivered via the Internet, if Aereo's model of streaming over-the-air programming is ruled legal.

Discussion: Variety and TVSpy

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

Jimmy Kimmel: It's ‘easy’ to fool the media — In an interview from Austin, Texas, Peter Kafka asked Jimmy Kimmel about his hoax videos, like the Sochi wolf and the twerking disaster video. — “I've heard people suggest that these will get harder for you to do, because people will catch on.

Discussion: Re/code and @poynter

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

Men's Journal contributing editor Matthew Power dies on assignment in Uganda — Matthew Power dies in Uganda — Matthew Power has died while reporting in Uganda, Outside reports on its Facebook page: — Post by Outside Magazine. — Power was a contributing editor to Harper's Magazine …

Discussion: FishbowlNY, Associated Press, Longform, New York Magazine, @williams_paige, @sethmnookin, @jeffsharlet and @andrewburton

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

Obama bypasses traditional media again in interview with Zach Galifianakis, showing how to take advantage of fractured landscape — Obama will sit down with celebrities but not The Washington Post — President Obama's interview with Zach Galifianakis, a plug for Healthcare.gov …

Discussion: New York Times, TechCrunch, The Fix and Talking Points Memo

Lisa O'Carroll / Guardian:

Rebekah Brooks: no one told me about lead on Milly Dowler's whereabouts — Ex-NoW editor tells phone-hacking trial that if she knew about a call suggesting schoolgirl was alive, it would have been big news — No one at the News of the World informed their editor, Rebekah Brooks …

Discussion: Hacked Off and Guardian

John Reynolds / Guardian:

UK mobile advertising set to overtake newspaper ad revenue in 2014 — New eMarketer research forecasts mobile ad spend to top £2bn this year, and for total digital media to reach £9bn by 2017 — UK mobile advertising spend is forecast to top £2bn and overtake newspaper ad revenue …

Discussion: @masondan and mUmBRELLA

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:

News Corp. taking cautious approach to acquisitions and investments — Thomson says News Corp. will take it slow — News Corp. made waves in December when it bought the video startup Storyful for $25 million. — But the company is taking a slow, cautious approach to acquisitions, chief executive Robert Thomson said yesterday.

Discussion: @raju

Richard Lawler / Engadget:

Netflix reportedly reaches another Comcast-style agreement, but with a Norwegian ISP — Netflix's oddly public peering agreement to connect directly with Comcast has, as many expected, been followed closely by a similar deal. What may surprise some is that this arrangement is with Norway's Telenor …

Discussion: Telecompaper and Electronista