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:
@zseward, JIMROMENESKO.COM, Quartz, Wall Street Journal, @danprimack, @daviduberti, @kbsmoke and @alexweprin
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, Poynter, 10NEWS, Gawker, Reason, @brianstelter and Poynter
Ashley Feinberg / Gawker:
Reddit moderators shut down popular subreddits after apparent removal of Victoria Taylor, AMA coordinator and Reddit's director of communications — Reddit In Chaos After Allegedly Firing AMA Coordinator Victoria Taylor — If you tried to visit r/IAmA, one of Reddit's biggest subs …
Discussion:
Business Insider, SiliconANGLE, @startupljackson, @mikeisaac, @mccanner, @zackwhittaker, @wexler and @asher_wolf
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
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
SoundCloud updates iOS app with “play related tracks” feature that creates a stream of songs — In Wake Of Apple Music, SoundCloud Update Focuses On Music Discovery, Better User Experience — All the buzz this week may be about the launch of Apple Music …
Discussion:
SoundCloud, SiliconANGLE, Engadget and 9to5Mac
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 …
Discussion:
@bubbaprog and @chrisgeidner
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 …
Jack Marshall / Wall Street Journal:
Digital media M&A grew in first half of 2015, with 1,243 deals globally, up about 24% from 1,000 in first half of 2014 — Digital Media M&A Accelerated in First Half of 2015 — Mergers and acquisitions in the digital media space are accelerating, according to data from investment banking and strategic advisory firms.
Martin Beck / Marketing Land:
Twitter Updates Audience Insights & Introduces Persona Targeting — New features give advertisers more demographic information about their paid audiences and streamlines category targeting. — Twitter today announced an update to its audience insights dashboard and introduced a streamlined …
Discussion:
The Twitter Blog, Adweek, BuzzFeed, VentureBeat and The Next Web
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, Washington Post, Adweek, Consumerist, FierceCable and Wall Street Journal
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:
@robertfaturechi, @robertfaturechi and @eff
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, SiliconANGLE, @cjc, Forbes, BuzzFeed, AppleInsider, SlashGear, GeekWire, Bloomberg Business, Variety, Engadget, Radio.com, UPROXX, The Next Web and Stereogum
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, The Independent, Financial Times, Telegraph, ITV, Sky News, Deadline, Telegraph, Plymouth Herald and Daily Mail
RELATED:
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
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.