Top News:
Michael J. de la Merced / New York Times:
Email newsletter TheSkimm, aimed at young women, raises $6.25M led by RRE Ventures and Greycroft Partners — TheSkimm, an Email Newsletter, Draws Fans Like Oprah Winfrey - and Investors — Online news start-ups have garnered buzz, and millions of dollars, over the last few years.
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, @mathewi, @melbournecoal, @s_m_i, @alfredliveshere, @myurow, @theskimm, @herbscribner and @ylichterman
John Battelle / John Battelle's Search Blog:
Long term success of a publication hinges on whether it's a must read, not pageviews and reach — What Media Must Do To Succeed — The post What Media Must Do To Succeed appeared first on John Battelle's Search Blog. — Wired Founder Louis Rossetto at work in the early days. — (image)
Discussion:
@axelletess, @erickschonfeld and @rafat
Sam Biddle / Gawker:
Emails from Sony hack show how Sony PR people work with NYT reporters and editors — How Sony Gets Its Way With the New York Times — The unprecedented internal leak out of Sony has already showed us how cozy reporters can be with the industry they cover.
Discussion:
Poynter, @laurenlacapra, @marlownyc, @variety_dscohen, @edmundlee, @kateaurthur, @alexia, @jasonrapp, @hblodget, @jcrispizzle and @peterapeel
Catherine Shoard / Guardian:
NYC premiere of Sony's “The Interview” is canceled, Carmike theater chain pulls movie, stars Rogen and Franco scale back appearances — The Interview New York premiere cancelled in wake of hacker threats — Manhattan premiere pulled, along with media appearances by stars Seth Rogen and James Franco
Discussion:
BuzzFeed, Variety, Variety, The Wrap, New York Times, ABC News, Deadline, Re/code, Gothamist, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, @mcmoynihan, @thetweetofgod, @jswatz, @jbarro, The Verge, Hollywood Reporter, Vox, @binarybits, @fmanjoo and Business Insider
RELATED:
Kate Knibbs / Gizmodo:
Former Employees Are Suing Sony Pictures For Not Protecting Their Data
Former Employees Are Suing Sony Pictures For Not Protecting Their Data
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter, TMZ.com, New York Magazine, TechCrunch, Los Angeles Times, Sky News, abc7.com, Reuters, New York Post, CNBC and Associated Press
Erik Sass / MediaPost:
190 magazines launched in 2014, up from 185 in 2013, and closings rose to 99 from 56 in 2013 — 190 Magazines Launched in 2014 — The number of magazines launched over the last two years increased from 185 new titles in 2013 to 190 new titles in 2014, according to MediaFinder.com …
Discussion:
Media & Entertainment
Mike Shields / Wall Street Journal:
21st Century Fox to Acquire Ad Tech Firm TrueX for $200 Million — 21st Century Fox Inc. has agreed to acquire the online advertising technology company TrueX Media, people familiar with the matter said. — 21st Century Fox is paying a sum approaching $200 million for TrueX, said a person familiar with the deal.
Discussion:
Broadcasting & Cable, Hollywood Reporter, New York Times, Variety and TVNewsCheck.com
Roy Greenslade / Guardian:
News Corp UK suffers £3.5m loss after £51m profit the year before — Bleak results for Rupert Murdoch's British newspapers and book publisher — Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper and publishing division suffered an operating loss of £3.5m in the year up to June 2014 compared to a £51m profit the year before.
Stuart Dredge / Guardian:
Spotify CEO wants ‘to do a better job’ convincing musicians of its value — But Daniel Ek says his company remains unwilling to let Taylor Swift and her peers choose to keep their music off Spotify's free service — After a bruising year for streaming music service Spotify …
Discussion:
Billboard, RAIN News and CNNMoney.com
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Expect A Gentler Valleywag In 2015 — “If I had my druthers, I'd write about AI, and supercomputers, and fusion energy. I don't really care about who's f**king whom,” new Valleywag editor Dan Lyons tells me, signaling a tone shift for the tech tabloid. “Even when I did the fake Steve stuff …
Discussion:
@mattbuchanan, @holmesdm, @fmanjoo, @joshconstine, @alexckaufman and @stttories
Peter Kafka / Re/code:
Comcast subscribers can now access HBO Go and Showtime on Roku — Comcast Will Finally Let Roku Owners Stream HBO, Showtime — Many people who own Roku Web video boxes can use the devices to watch shows from HBO and Showtime. But not Comcast subscribers: A dispute between Roku …
Discussion:
Techdirt, @reddit_tech_new, corporate.comcast.com, Variety, ReadWrite, Multichannel News, BGR, Electronista, Gizmodo, The Verge and Engadget
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Univision, Tribune Media, Fox Stations Join to Devise Alternate Local TV Audience Measure — Fox Television Stations, Tribune Media and Univision Communications have started NewCoin LLC, a new data venture aimed at creating an alternative to measuring local audiences across TV and digital media.
Discussion:
TVNewsCheck.com, Deadline, TVSpy and Broadcasting & Cable
Josh Lowensohn / The Verge:
Jury finds Apple not guilty of harming consumers in iTunes DRM case — Apple cleared in potential $1 billion court case — An eight-person jury has decided that Apple is not on the hook for what could have been more than $1 billion in a trial centering on extra security measures …
Discussion:
New York Times, Forbes, Ars Technica, Bloomberg, GeekWire, The Mac Observer, CNET and AppleInsider