Mediagazer: Netflix opposes Comcast-TWC merger over ‘anticompetitive’ concerns (Jacob Kastrenakes/The Verge)

12:45 AM ET, April 22, 2014

Top News:

Jennifer Khoury Newcomb / Comcast Voices:

Comcast Response to Netflix's Opposition to Time Warner Cable Transaction — Netflix's opposition to our Time Warner Cable transaction is based on inaccurate claims and arguments. There has been no company that has had a stronger commitment to openness of the Internet than Comcast …

Discussion: New York Times, Adweek, VentureBeat, TechCrunch, @jmcduling, @pkafka and Re/code

Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:

Netflix opposes Comcast-TWC merger over ‘anticompetitive’ concerns — Netflix has come out in opposition of Comcast's proposed purchase of Time Warner Cable, writing in a letter to shareholders that the merger would give the combined service provider “even more anticompetitive leverage” …

Discussion: Washington Post, Gigaom, Politico, Wall Street Journal, Variety, The Huffington Post, Financial Times, Reuters and Re/code

Ryan Lawler / TechCrunch:

Netflix Beats Expectations With 4M New Subscribers, Earnings Of 86 Cents Per Share — Netflix today released its first-quarter financial results, with the company beating analyst expectations. For the first three months of the year, the company reported earnings of 86 cents per share on revenues of $1.27 billion.

Discussion: multichannel.com, Variety, CNBC, Gigaom, Wall Street Journal, @jank0, AdAge, @pkafka, @lach1435, Forbes, @jbflint, @katyonthehill, USA Today and Pocket-lint

Janko Roettgers / Gigaom:

Netflix to raise prices for new members $1-2 this quarter, existing members will stay at current pricing “for a generous time period” — Netflix will raise streaming prices for new members this quarter — New Netflix subscribers could soon be forced to pay a bit …

Discussion: Home Media Magazine, The Wrap, @jank0, CNET, Los Angeles Times, @tcarmody, BuzzFeed, Businessweek, Variety, The Verge, VentureBeat and TechCrunch

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:

NBC had psychological consultant talk to David Gregory's wife and friends about ratings slide — As ‘Meet the Press’ struggles in the ratings, plenty of questions for host David Gregory — If “Meet the Press” moderator David Gregory were a guest on his own show, he knows the kinds of questions he'd be asked.

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:
NBC says it brought in ‘brand’ — not ‘psychological’ — consultant to evaluate David Gregory

Discussion: Washington Post, Mediaite, The Wrap, Capital New York, The New York Observer and The Week

Steven Aftergood / Secrecy News:

DNI bars US Intelligence Community from leaking even unclassified information to media — Intelligence Directive Bars Unauthorized Contacts with News Media — The Director of National Intelligence has forbidden most intelligence community employees from discussing “intelligence-related information” …

Discussion: @davidbarstow, @billmon1, Guardian, The Huffington Post, TheHill, @free_snowden, Politico and @davidfolkenflik

Jack Shafer:
Intelligence Community Directive 119, a gag order that makes the public less safe, not more

Discussion: @eriksherman, @mar4612, @trevortimm, @spytalker, @mattdpearce and @jaketapper

Ravi Somaiya / New York Times:

Felix Salmon to Leave Reuters — Felix Salmon, a prominent writer at Reuters on finance and the news media, said on Monday that he was leaving the news agency. — Mr. Salmon declined to release details of his new job when reached by phone on Monday, but in an email sent to colleagues he explained he was …

Discussion: @nytfridge, @rolfewinkler and Talking Biz News

Adam Satariano / Bloomberg:

Study: households spent 10% less at Amazon in states where online sales tax introduced — Amazon Sales Take a Hit in States With Online Tax — Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) is taking a hit in states that are collecting an online sales tax. — In one of the first efforts to quantify the impact …

Peter Suciu / Fortune:

What happens if broadcasters lose the Aereo case? — Ahead of Tuesday's Supreme Court hearing on the legality of Aereo, experts weigh in on the so-called nuclear option. — FORTUNE — On Tuesday, the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that could very well re-shape the entire broadcast TV business.

Discussion: Plagiarism Today

Lyle Denniston / SCOTUSblog:
Case preview: Supreme Court to hear oral arguments from Aereo and broadcasters on Tuesday

Discussion: Poynter, Re/code, Businessweek, ThinkProgress, The Verge, The Week, Business Insider, @zseward, @dangillmor and New York Times

Michael Sokolove / New York Times:

David Cohen: the Comcast EVP in charge of avoiding antitrust questions raised by TWC merger — Comcast's Real Repairman — One morning late last month, David L. Cohen took a seat in a conference room atop Comcast's corporate headquarters in Philadelphia, the tallest building in the city …

Discussion: @miriamgottfried, @kimmasters, @cs_palmer, @brianstelter, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times

Alan Krawitz / 10,000 Words:

Inflight Entertainment Company Global Eagle Inks Deal with Digital Newsstand Leader Magzter — A recent deal announced by inflight entertainment company Global Eagle and digital content provider Magzter will give airlines—and their passengers—access to thousands of local, regional and international magazines.

Ben Adler / Columbia Journalism Review:

More and more young people get their news from online video, which is not necessarily a bad thing — More and more young people get their news from online video, which is not necessarily a bad thing — Most of the discussion of youth news consumption and news literacy—including that of yours truly …

Ricardo Bilton / Digiday:

Time Inc. and Condé Nast among traditional media participating in NewFronts — Why Time is crashing the NewFronts — The NewFronts, digital media's answer to the TV Upfronts, has an unlikely set of participants: magazine publishers lured by the siren call of fat ad rates earmarked for video.

Discussion: MediaWire Daily