Top News:
Re/code:
Apple wants local TV stations in its Apple TV service, complicating negotiations with broadcast TV networks, hence may not launch in early fall — Apple Wants Local TV in Its Apple TV Service, Which Means Apple TV Could Be Delayed — If Apple launches a TV service, it won't be the first company …
Discussion:
Multichannel News, Business Insider, MacRumors, 9to5Mac and iMore
Alan Travis / Guardian:
Theresa May's plan to censor TV shows condemned by Tory cabinet colleague — Exclusive: Former culture secretary Sajid Javid told prime minister he was unable to support home secretary's proposal as it infringed free speech — A plan by the home secretary to introduce counter-extremism powers …
Sean Gallagher / Ars Technica:
Chinese Army newspaper calls for military role in Internet culture war — Claims West and “ideological traitors” use Internet to weaken Party's authority. — An article published today in the People's Liberation Army Daily, the official newspaper of China's military—and reprinted in part by Qiushi …
Discussion:
Quartz, RFA, Defense Systems, Silicon Republic, Reuters and The Diplomat
Claire Atkinson / New York Post:
Disney/Univision pump $30M into Fusion network — Sofia Vergara will be starring in a show on Fusion about her life. — Fusion is getting a cash infusion. — The news and pop-culture multiplatform outlet has received commitments from its owners — Disney and Univision …
Discussion:
FishbowlNY and TVNewser
Elizabeth Jensen / NPR:
NPR will no longer feature a host's book on his or her own show — (Not) By The Book: On NPR Authors And NPR Airtime — NPR hosts, correspondents, producers and contributors write an awful lot of books, many of them eagerly anticipated by listeners who turn them into bestsellers.
Discussion:
Poynter
Janko Roettgers / Variety:
Sources: Samsung's media unit, responsible for Milk Music, Milk Video, and Milk VR, lays off up to 15% of staff — Samsung's Content Unit Hit by Layoffs, Exec Departure (Exclusive) — Samsung's Media Solutions Center America, which is responsible for the company's Milk Music and Milk Video services …
Discussion:
Ubergizmo and Business Insider
Shalini Ramachandran / Wall Street Journal:
FCC Chairman Reached Out to Time Warner Cable, Charter CEOs — FCC's Tom Wheeler indicated agency not opposed to any and all potential cable deals — Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler has a message for cable chiefs: just because regulators leaned against the Comcast Corp. …
Discussion:
Bloomberg Business, CNBC, Reuters and The Hill
Todd Spangler / Variety:
DirecTV Launches Kids TV App for Apple Mobile Devices — DirecTV, the No. 1 U.S. satellite TV broadcaster, debuted a dedicated mobile-video app designed for children 5 to 10 available to subscribers for no additional charge. — The new DirecTV Kids app includes a selection of “kid-friendly” …
Discussion:
Multichannel News
Charlie Warzel / BuzzFeed:
Medium refines strategy, emphasizing network value over Total Time Read, considers tying contributor bonuses to metrics like follows and recommendations — What's Going On At Medium? — The publisher/publishing platform is rejiggering itself as a social network for readers and writers …
Discussion:
Fortune, @jacksmithiv, @cwarzel, @jacksmithiv, @maura, @myurow, @cm, @greylockvc, @disalmanacarian, Medium, @trevoragilbert, @rafat and @digiphile
Kerry A. Dolan / Forbes:
Charges Dropped In Defamation Trial Against Angolan Journalist Rafael Marques — In a surprise development, the defamation charges against journalist Rafael Marques de Morais were dropped Thursday by the Angolan military generals who had brought them. — Marques had been charged …
Discussion:
VICE News, Guardian, Associated Press and Index on Censorship
Shannon Bond / Financial Times:
Univision buys African-American news site The Root — Univision, the largest Spanish-language broadcaster in the US, has bought The Root, an African-American focused news and culture website, as the company looks to build a digital network catering to multicultural millennial consumers.
Discussion:
The Root, TVNewser, Variety, miamiherald, The Maynard Institute … and MadameNoire