Mediagazer: Netflix-like e-book subscription service Oyster to shut down; part of team moving to Google Play Books, including CEO and co-founders according to sources (Re/code)

11:05 AM ET, September 22, 2015

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Peter Kafka / Re/code:

Sources: Axel Springer within weeks of closing deal for full control of Business Insider, valuing it about $560M — Axel Springer Wants to Buy Business Insider for Around $560 Million — German publishing giant Axel Springer is closing in on a deal to buy Business Insider …

Discussion: USA Today, Quartz, Politico, @brianstelter, @edmundlee, @pjozefak, @colinmorrisonuk, @jimwaterson, @mathewi, @mims, @danroth, @ritholtz, @jmcduling, @vb2b, @rafat, @howardlindzon, MediaPost, @mikeisaac, Fortune, The Wrap and PE Hub Blog

Re/code:

Netflix-like e-book subscription service Oyster to shut down; part of team moving to Google Play Books, including CEO and co-founders according to sources — Oyster, a Netflix for Books, Is Shutting Down. But Most of Its Team Is Heading to Google. — Oyster, a company that provides …

Discussion: CNET, Fortune, @khoi, Consumerist, Publishers Weekly, @taylorlorenz, Slate, VatorNews, SlashGear, @kaetrin67, @sabrina, @sdkstl, 9to5Google, TechCrunch, @pmarca, Engadget, @laurahazardowen, The Verge, New York Times, The Next Web, @mikeisaac, Business Insider, Bookseller News and Forbes

Peter Kafka / Re/code:

Complex, a network of pop culture magazines, raises $21M from Hearst — Another Old Media-New Media Bet: Hearst Invests $21 Million in Dude-Centric Complex — Big media companies have lots of cash. But they're worried that won't help them if they can't find new audiences.

Discussion: Ad Age, WWD, Variety and Media & Entertainment

Sophia Yan / CNNMoney:

New York Times not available in Thailand on Tuesday after local printer declines to print it because of sensitive story about country's monarchy — Why you can't find today's New York Times in Thailand — The international edition of The New York Times wasn't printed Tuesday in Thailand.

Benjamin Mullin / Poynter:

Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait announces global technology coverage reorganization under Brad Stone — Brad Stone, author of ‘The Everything Store,’ to lead Bloomberg's tech coverage — Brad Stone, the Bloomberg Businessweek senior writer and author of “The Everything Store …

Discussion: @satariano, @benmullin and @justin_b_smith

Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post:

VICE has invested heavily in coverage of the prison system, with a HBO documentary and more than 50 pieces to be published in coming weeks — Vice Went To Prison With Obama. Now It's Going Deep Into Inmate Issues. — “It was too good an opportunity not to throw the kitchen sink at it.”

Glenn Peoples / Billboard:

RIAA finds streaming revenues grow 23.2%, downloads fall 4%, vinyl sales grow 51.3%, in first half of 2015 — Record Label Revenue Flat in First Half of 2015 — Big gains in paid digital access and ad-supported streaming services kept things from going underwater.

Janko Roettgers / Variety:

Simple.tv to launch ShowDrive, a cloud DVR to store/stream up to 1K hours of TV, in UK within weeks, cost £1/month for 100 hours, £5/month for 1K hours — Aereo's Heir: Simple.tv to Launch New Cloud DVR Called ShowDrive (Exclusive) — Aereo may be dead, but that doesn't stop …

Devon Maloney / Jezebel:

Why I Quit My Dream Newspaper Job After Four Months — Two months ago, I quit the best job I ever had. At least, I'm sure that's how it looks. Writing is one of those professions that automatically elicits people's opinions about your work, and since quitting, I've encountered enough split-second pauses …

Discussion: @jezebel, @jbenton, @dynamofire, @dynamofire, @eve_barlow, @stevebuttry, @moorehn and LA Observed

Bloomberg Business:

Streaming Music Service Deezer Plans IPO to Challenge Spotify, Apple — Proceeds earmarked for expanding sales, entering new markets — Music service said to be seeking valuation of $1.1 billion — Deezer SA filed for an initial public offering to raise funds as the French music-streaming service seeks …

Discussion: TechCrunch, Financial Times, hypebot and Fortune

Samuel Gibbs / Guardian:

Google's appeal against global enforcement of right to be forgotten removals rejected by French data protection authority CNIL — French data regulator rejects Google's right-to-be-forgotten appeal — Search engine's attempt to block French order to apply delistings to its google.com domain …

Discussion: RSS CNIL, Business Insider, Gizmodo UK, Gizmodo and BetaNews

Benjamin Mullin / Poynter:

NYT makes 50 of its best pieces of journalism free to read — The New York Times on Monday lifted its paywall for some of the paper's best journalism published during the last four years, part of a larger celebration marking the Times' recent 1 million digital subscriber milestone.

Discussion: New York Times