Top News:
Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke / The New York Observer:
As expensive trial looms, Gawker releases financials: $6.52M in operating income in 2014 on $44.2M revenue — Breaking: This Is How Much Money Gawker Is Making — Despite Hulk of a lawsuit, financials show Gawker making money, moves. — In advance of the now-postponed trial between Gawker …
Discussion:
JIMROMENESKO.COM, Wall Street Journal, Quartz, @zseward, @danprimack, @kbsmoke, @alexweprin and @daviduberti
RELATED:
Tom Kludt / CNNMoney:
The Hulk Hogan versus Gawker sex tape trial delayed
The Hulk Hogan versus Gawker sex tape trial delayed
Discussion:
Gawker, Tampa Bay Times, @petersterne, @brianstelter, Gawker, Poynter, 10NEWS, Reason and Poynter
Jane Martinson / Guardian:
BBC to cut more than 1,000 jobs in cost-savings push — Managers and back office functions to be cut to make up for a funding shortfall of £150m largely due to the faster-than-expected switch to online viewing — The BBC is to cut more than 1,000 jobs, mainly by slashing layers …
Discussion:
Press Gazette, Deadline, ITV, Telegraph, Daily Mail, Plymouth Herald, Financial Times, Sky News, The Independent and Telegraph
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William Turvill / Press Gazette:
NUJ: BBC ‘sensible’ to target management ‘chiefs’ in latest round of job cuts
NUJ: BBC ‘sensible’ to target management ‘chiefs’ in latest round of job cuts
Discussion:
Variety and National Union of Journalists
Ellen Cushing / BuzzFeed:
On the road with teen social-media stars of DigiTour, estimated to bring in up to $20M in 2015 — On The Road With The Teen Social-Media Sensations Of DigiTour … Hayes Grier is hungry. It's well after 9 p.m., after a two-hour show and a long day, and the dinner delivery guy is running late …
Discussion:
Business Insider, The Awl and @digiphile
Cynthia Littleton / Variety:
Lifetime launches SVOD service, drawing on archive of movies, will charge $3.99 a month — Lifetime Digs Into Original Movie Vault to Launch SVOD Service — Lifetime is digging into its library of original movies to launch an SVOD service offering a package of about 30 vintage telepics for $3.99 a month.
Discussion:
Broadcasting & Cable, Adweek, Wall Street Journal, Consumerist and FierceCable
Greg Gilman / The Wrap:
Salon Media Editorial Staff to Unionize With Writers Guild of America — The editorial department at Salon Media, Inc. is following in Gawker's footsteps by organizing with the Writer's Guild of America, East. — Staff writers announced the decision on Thursday with a letter …
Micah Singleton / The Verge:
Facebook has held early talks with the major music labels, future plans may involve the company's video platform — Facebook is talking with music labels, but why? — Facebook has held talks with the major labels about “getting into music,” multiple sources tell The Verge.
Discussion:
RAIN News, Business Insider, VatorNews, hypebot, Guardian and @toptechticker
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Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Prince sends takedown requests to Spotify, Rdio, and Deezer — Prince Won't Stream 4 U (Unless You're On Tidal, Or Maybe Google Music) — Call it the Taylor effect: it looks like another high-profile musician is sharpening his arrows to take aim at how streaming music services pay artists.
Discussion:
Billboard, The Verge, Forbes, BuzzFeed, AppleInsider, Bloomberg Business, Globe and Mail, GeekWire, SlashGear, Radio.com, Engadget and UPROXX
Glenn Peoples / Billboard:
Apple Music's Goal: Some Subscribers Now, Lots of Hardware Sales Later — Will Apple Music turn around the record business? Will Apple Music help Apple sell more iPhones and laptops? There are some guesses but little certainty to both questions. — While the music industry …
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Andy Cush / Gawker:
Texas town apologizes for sending Gawker a FOIA request bill for $79K related to police abuse video, calls it a mistake — McKinney, Texas, Apologizes for “Erroneous” $79,000 FOIA Bill — Wednesday evening, a spokeswoman for McKinney, Texas, apologized to Gawker for sending a $79,000 bill …
Variety:
ESPN Denies Report on Keith Olbermann Censorship — ESPN has denied a story by the Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday that claimed the network wants host Keith Olbermann to suspend commentary from his program. — “Keith has never been told any topic is off limits for his commentary nor …
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Milton Kent / Washington Post:
Keith Olbermann and ESPN may be heading for another breakup
Keith Olbermann and ESPN may be heading for another breakup
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter, Deadspin, The Big Lead, Deadline, Mediaite, The Daily Caller and Sporting News Feed RSS
Alex Weprin / Capital New York:
In 2014, Fusion posted a loss of $35M, with $28.1M in revenue and $63.4M in expenses — Univision I.P.O. sheds light on Fusion's finances — Univision's upcoming I.P.O. will be the biggest media I.P.O. in years, thanks to the company's dominance among Spanish-language consumers.
Discussion:
@alexweprin, @mathewi, @steve_katz, @raju and Gawker
Marc Herman / Columbia Journalism Review:
Spain's Citizen Security Law makes it illegal to disseminate content deemed “damaging” to police and security forces — Under Spain's gag law, covering the news could cost you — One evening last month, a police helicopter swooped over my neighborhood of mid-sized apartment blocks in Barcelona.
Discussion:
@taniel, EL PAÍS and New York Times
Robert Faturechi / ProPublica:
MPAA paid to renovate screening rooms in at least four US embassies in 2014 as it lobbied US government on piracy and copyright rules — As Hollywood Lobbied State Department, It Built Free Home Theaters for U.S. Embassies — Four U.S. Embassies got upgraded screening rooms last year …
Discussion:
@eff, @robertfaturechi and @robertfaturechi
Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:
Unpaid interns' court victory against Fox Entertainment overturned by Second Circuit Court of Appeals — Interns' Big Victory Against Fox Vacated by Appeals Court — 2nd Circuit says the true test of whether internships must be paid comes down to whether the intern or the employer is the primary beneficiary of the relationship.
Discussion:
Crain's New York, The Wrap, @ericglatt, Minding the Workplace and Deadline