Top News:
Nic Christensen / mUmBRELLA:
Toronto Star scrapped digital paywall as it was ‘expensive’ and had a ‘high churn’ rate — Julie Murtha speaking at the INMA World Congress in New York — Executives from the Toronto Star have admitted paywalls did not work for them and said promoting stories inside the newspaper is a waste of time …
Discussion:
@mathewi, INMA, @pottsmark, @mathewi and @jeffjarvis
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Dish Drops 134,000 Satellite-TV Subscribers in Q1, Blaming Programming Disputes — Dish Network dropped a net 134,000 satellite-TV customers in the first three months of 2015 — with the satcaster blaming ongoing programming spats for the sizable loss. — The company, in a regulatory filing Monday …
RELATED:
Jordan Chariton / The Wrap:
Dish Network earnings beat expectations, reports $3.7B revenue, profit doubles to $351M — Dish Network Beats Earnings Expectations, Profit Doubles While Subscribers Dip — Dish Network has seen a subscriber loss of 134,000, compared to a year ago, but doubled net income gains …
Discussion:
GuruFocus, Dakota Financial News and Mideast Time
Zachary M. Seward / Quartz:
Reed Hastings predicts linear TV will decline yearly for next 20 years, says Netflix wants to pioneer virtual reality — Netflix's Reed Hastings predicts the future of TV over the next 20 years — Close followers of Netflix should watch the speech that Reed Hastings, its founder and chief executive, delivered in Berlin last week.
Discussion:
@rickcordella, @zseward, @jeffjarvis and @zseward
New York Times:
Facing competition from digital outlets, TV viewing drops 9% this season, with Netflix accounting for 43% of the decline — Networks Fret as Ad Dollars Flow to Digital Media — Beginning Monday, television networks will roll out the red carpet for marketers during the annual bazaar known as the upfronts …
Discussion:
Advertising & Branding, The Huffington Post, Bloomberg Business, @infoarbitrage, @lucas_shaw and @lucas_shaw
Lucia Moses / Digiday:
Meredith Levien's plan to save (or at least make money for) The New York Times — On Feb. 13, The New York Times news staff gathered to remember one of its most beloved writers, the media columnist David Carr, who had died suddenly at his desk the day before.
RELATED:
Lucia Moses / Digiday:
The New York Times invites advertisers to the Page One edit meeting
The New York Times invites advertisers to the Page One edit meeting
Discussion:
AdExchanger and @laura_nelson
Maya Kosoff / Business Insider:
The Guardian's Exec Editor Jo Confino joins Huffington Post in joint role as Exec Editor of Impact & Innovation department, Editorial Director of What's Working — The Huffington Post just poached a top editor at The Guardian — Jo Confino, who has worked as The Guardian's Executive Editor …
Discussion:
FishbowlNY, @alexiskleinman, @bobbymacreports, @joepompeo and @digiphile
Martin Bryant / The Next Web:
The New York Times reboots NYT Now as a free app with a new look — The New York Times recently announced that it would be turning its NYT Now iOS app into a completely free offering, and today the new version has launched complete with a new look. — NYT Now, which offers a curated selection …
Discussion:
The Verge, FishbowlNY and @robinsloan
James Andrew Miller / Vanity Fair:
Inside the Shocking, Abrupt Divorce of Bill Simmons and ESPN — The co-author of the definitive history of ESPN, Those Guys Have All the Fun, reports on how the network and its biggest star met their bitter end. — The union of Bill Simmons—columnist, commentator, on-air personality …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Digiday, Poynter, @ian_a_boyd, @jyarow, Awful Announcing, @jdubs88, USA Today, @basche42, @nytimes, Deadspin and @jayrosen_nyu
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Comcast Hires Carlyle Group's Michael Cavanagh as CFO — Comcast on Monday named Michael Cavanagh, previously a top exec at asset-management firm Carlyle Group, as the cable and programming conglomerate's chief financial officer. — His appointment comes after the company said in March …
Discussion:
New York Times, Deadline, MarketWatch, Philly.com, Bloomberg Business, Reuters, CNBC, Business Insider, Fox Business and FierceCable
Mark Sweney / Guardian:
BBC licence fee in doubt as John Whittingdale is named culture secretary — Former chair of the Commons culture, media and sport select committee has said £145.50 charge is ‘unsustainable’ in the long term — The future of BBC licence fee is in doubt after appointment of John Whittingdale …
Discussion:
ITV, BBC, The Independent, broadcastnow.co.uk, SkySports, Music Week, birminghampost, The Bookseller and @benfenton
Michele McLellan / Knight Digital Media Center:
Report: 10 elements present in newsrooms that successfully make digital transformations — Digital Leads: 10 keys to newsroom transformation — INTRODUCTION — In 2012, the Newspaper Division of The E.W. Scripps Company, now part of Journal Media Group, and the Knight Digital Media Center …