Mediagazer: FCC Chairman to discuss net neutrality, TV broadcasting collusion, more, at May 20 oversight hearing (Kate Tummarello/The Hill)

3:40 AM ET, April 29, 2014

Top News:

Disney tried to buy Buzzfeed but talks broke down over price; Buzzfeed sought more than $1B — Disney tried to buy BuzzFeed — The merger conversations happened several months ago, but fell apart over price. — FORTUNE - The Walt Disney Co. was in talks to acquire online content …

Discussion: Mashable, New York Times, @ischafer, @thestalwart, @pkafka, @cnbcnow, @sunny_hundal, @notoriousjld, The Wrap, Business Insider and MediaWire Daily

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:

At Newfronts, New York Times says it has “moved beyond words”, producing 430+ videos a month — At Newfront, Times pitches its refresh on video strategy to buyers — The New York Times has significantly increased its video inventory and distribution channels since hitting …

Discussion: iMediaConnection Blog, WWD Media Headlines, Digiday, @buzzfeedandrew, MediaPost, The New York Observer, @raju, Gothamist, @mikeisaac and @hunterschwarz

Chris O'Shea / FishbowlNY: NY Times Revamps Video Hub

Lucia Moses / Digiday:

Survey: 62 percent can't recall anything from native ads — Native advertising is growing in popularity, but it remains controversial. Editorial purists fret that ads that mimic editorial content will confuse readers, undermining the integrity of the journalism surrounding it.

Tim Peterson / AdAge:

Yahoo Unveils Two Half-Hour Series to Compete for TV Ad Dollars — Yahoo wants TV ad dollars, whether they be spent on original programming or augmenting TV spots. — During its Digital Content NewFronts presentation on Monday night, Yahoo presented its plans to siphon some of the $68 billion advertisers …

Discussion: TVNewser, Variety, Lost Remote, The Wrap, Bloomberg, Hollywood Reporter, Pocket-lint, comScore, Inc., CNET, Marketing Land and Billboard

Cynthia Littleton / Variety:

Craig Ferguson to Leave ‘Late Late Show’ in December — Craig Ferguson will step down as host of CBS' “ The Late Late Show” in December when his contract with the network expires after nearly a decade as David Letterman's companion in the 12:35 a.m. slot. — Ferguson's decision comes less …

Discussion: CBS Press Express, New York Times, Hollywood Reporter, MediaPost, The Wrap, Politico, Hollywood Life, The Wire and Mediaite

Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:

Netflix and Verizon reach interconnection deal to speed up video — Netflix confirms deal that appears to be similar to agreement with Comcast. — Netflix today confirmed that it reached an interconnection agreement with Verizon, similar to the one it recently struck with Comcast.

Discussion: @waltbtig, Gigaom, TechRadar.com, TIME, The Register, @jbrodkin, @pkafka, multichannel.com, Variety, Engadget, CNNMoney.com, The Verge, @pkafka, @chriswelch, Mashable, TechCrunch, Re/code and Electronista

Ed Pilkington / Guardian:

Barrett Brown's lawyer says government chilled free speech with broad charges, later dropped — Barrett Brown lawyer: US tried to ‘kill a fly with a sledgehammer’ — Ahmed Ghappour speaks out after gag order was lifted and says effect of prosecutorial overreach is ‘chilling to free speech’

Discussion: @edpilkington, WhoWhatWhy and @casparbowden

Will Leitch / Sports on Earth:

The sports bubble inflated by cable TV will burst soon with tech and viewership changes — WHEN THE BUBBLE BURSTS — Major American sports, both pro and college, are ruled by television dollars. What happens when that disappears? (Getty Images)

Discussion: @stevemaxboxing, @pmarca, @suzisteffen, @alexsimon99, @williamfleitch, BGR, @swmckewonowh and New York Times

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

Doonesbury's website moves to Washington Post from Slate — Doonesbury's website has moved to The Washington Post, the Post announced Monday. It was previously at Slate, an agreement that Slate spokesperson Jocelyn Nubel said was mutual. “Doonesbury needed a new home …

Discussion: Washington Post, Washington Post and FishbowlDC

Marcy Wheeler / emptywheel:

DOJ Continues Its “Multi-Subject” Investigation of WikiLeaks — As I noted some weeks ago, the judge in EPIC's FOIA for materials on the investigation into supporters of WikiLeaks asked for an update. The government provided that update last night. — It said it still must withhold …

Discussion: @wikileaks, @ggreenwald, @trevortimm and @birgittaj

Cory Doctorow / Guardian:

Internet service providers charging for premium access hold us all to ransom — An ISP should give users the bits they ask for, as quickly as it can, and not deliberately slow down the data — The Federal Communications Commission, America's telcoms regulator, has formulated a plan …

Discussion: Boing Boing

Cindy Royal / Nieman Journalism Lab:

Are journalism schools teaching their students the right skills? — If you are a journalism educator or media professional, I have news for you: We work in tech. — I know: That's not exactly what you signed up for when you entered the profession 20, 10, or even five years ago. But things have changed.

Zachary M. Seward / Quartz:

Quartz tracks changes in Netflix's ‘Long-Term View’ manifesto — The track-changes version of Netflix's vision for the future of TV — Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is candid about his streaming video company's strategy and its place in the future of television.

Discussion: BGR

Jonathan Shieber / TechCrunch:

Wanderful Media Raises $14.5 Million Bringing Newspaper Circulars To Mobile Phones — Circulars (the advertising inserts with coupons from local retailers) are still critical to revenues for local newspapers. In an effort to bring them into the digital age, a consortium …

Discussion: VentureBeat, Street Fight, Forbes and Wanderful Media

Kate Tummarello / The Hill:

FCC Chairman to discuss net neutrality, TV broadcasting collusion, more, at May 20 oversight hearing — FCC chief to testify on Internet ‘fast lanes’ proposal — Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler will testify in front of the House Commerce Subcommittee …

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable, Energy & Commerce Committee and TechCrunch

Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:

Univision CEO: Comcast-Time Warner Cable Deal Could Be Bad for Hispanics — UPDATED: Randy Falco says he hopes for tough regulatory restrictions as part of the deal's approval process as his company predicts it will break even on the soccer World Cup this year.

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable, Adweek and BuzzFeed