Mediagazer: Hot playlist-focused music service 8tracks raises $1.28M (Tom Cheredar/VentureBeat)

9:05 PM ET, August 29, 2014

Top News:

A&E Networks agrees to pay $250M for a 10% share of Vice Media, valuing it at $2.5B — A&E Networks Buying Minority Stake in Vice Media — The deal for 10 percent of the digital media company would value it at $2.5 billion — A&E Networks has agreed to pay $250 million …

Discussion: TVNewser, Broadcasting & Cable, Financial Times, AdAge, Multichannel News, Reuters, Bloomberg, Guardian, @evelynrusli, @tomgara, @mlcalderone, Poynter, @pkafka and @jboorstin

Peter Kafka / Re/code:

Vice set to raise another $250M from TCV for 10% stake; will end up with one of A&E's channels — Big Moves for Shane Smith: Vice Media Is Set to Raise $500 Million and Get Its Own Cable Channel — Cable TV viewers have had a chance to watch Shane Smith and his Vice Media reporters …

Discussion: @bluechoochoo and @pkafka

Jonathan Mahler / New York Times:

Time Warner Ends Negotiations to Buy Stake in Vice Media — Time Warner has ended negotiations to buy a major stake in Vice Media, according to a person briefed on the discussions. — The two companies started talking in June about the possibility of a joint venture.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Gigaom, Variety, TechCrunch, The Wrap, Media & Entertainment, Mashable, @reinvent_ed, Mashable, @edmundlee, @alexweprin, @stevekaplanpa, @miriamgottfried, Business Insider, Capital New York and New York Magazine

Mark Gurman / 9to5Mac:

An inside look at Apple's media strategy, its earlier control-obsessed regime, and the transformation with the departure of Jobs disciple Katie Cotton — Seeing Through the Illusion: Understanding Apple's Mastery of the Media — “Beautifully, unapologetically plastic.”

Discussion: Forbes, @dangillmor, @carnage4life, @martinsfp, @jyarow, @mat and BGR

Ethan / My heart's in Accra:

Self-segregation on social networks and the implications for the Ferguson, MO story — Michael Brown was fatally shot by police officer Darren Wilson on Saturday August 9, 2014. After his body lay in the hot street for four hours, Ferguson residents took to the streets to protest his killing.

Discussion: New York Times, @infotweets, @stevesunypi, @davelafontaine, @fgoldsmith, @jesseholcomb, @jayrosen_nyu, @dangillmor and Guardian

Om Malik:

Google could help the news industry by building a search tool with better historical context — How Google can really help news & media — Earlier this month, folks from Google invited me along with Kara Swisher and Audrey Cooper for a conversation about the future of news.

Discussion: @heiditworek, @jayrosen_nyu, @jason_kint, @kevglobal and @raju

Garett Sloane / Adweek:

Publicis Groupe Looking to Buy Ad Tech Firm Criteo — Deal talk sends stock soaring — Publicis Groupe has its sights on an acquisition of ad tech firm Criteo, according to reports today. The media holding company's interest helped propel Criteo's stock up nearly 20 percent.

Discussion: Bloomberg, AdExchanger, @bmorrissey and Reuters

Angela Haggerty / The Drum:

Financial Times moves into wearables with launch of fastFT app on Samsung Gear S — The Financial Times has launched its fastFT service on the Samsung Gear S in its first venture into the wearables space. — The publisher has teamed up with technology provider Spritz to create the app …

Discussion: Financial Times and @sub8u

Sharon Cotliar / People:

Chelsea Clinton Is Leaving NBC News — Chelsea Clinton says she's stepping out of her correspondent job as she looks forward to taking on mom duties — After not quite three years as a special correspondent for NBC News - and with just a little while until she and husband Marc Mezvinsky …

Discussion: Washington Post, The Wrap, Variety, TVNewser, New York Times, New York Magazine, Associated Press, @pbump, @ananavarro, @bkcolin, Politico, @amyargetsinger, Vanity Fair, Entertain This!, FishbowlDC and The Week

Tom Cheredar / VentureBeat:

Hot playlist-focused music service 8tracks raises $1.28M — Streaming music service 8tracks has secured $1.28 million in new funding, according to an SEC Form D filed today. — 8tracks' service plays handpicked playlists featuring mainstream artists as well as any track from Soundcloud …

Discussion: RAIN News, Digital Music News and hypebot

Jason Hughes / The Wrap:

Netflix Tackles Politics in First French Original Series ‘Marseille’ — Netflix has had great success exploring American political intrigue with “House of Cards,” and now the streaming giant is setting its sights abroad with another series of political machinations, its first French Netflix original series, “Marseille.”

Discussion: ScreenDaily, ComingSoon.net, The Local, Hollywood Reporter and Variety

Janko Roettgers / Gigaom:

A year after getting acquired, Viki is looking to expand, starting with Bollywood — Viki wants to expand to around 40 content genres from around the world, and it's starting with Bollywood movies. — Global TV and movie streaming service Viki wants to bring Bollywood to the world.