Top News:
George Slefo / Ad Age:
Sources: Google's AMP initiative to speed mobile pages to launch Wednesday, with Wall Street Journal, BuzzFeed, and Washington Post among those participating — Official Launch Date for Google AMP Confirmed — Google's Accelerated Mobile Pages Is Launching Feb. 24, Ad Age Has Learned
Discussion:
Digiday, Street Fight, AdExchanger, Search Engine Land and American Press Institute
Gerry Shih / Associated Press:
New Chinese rule bans foreign companies from publishing online without state approval and licensing, requires mainland servers, starting March 10 — China requires approval for foreign firms to publish online … BEIJING (AP) — A new Chinese regulation announced this week …
Discussion:
Quartz, Tech in Asia, South China Morning Post and American Press Institute
James Rainey / Variety:
Source: Nicole Seligman to step down as president of Sony Entertainment and Sony Corp. of America next month — Nicole Seligman Stepping Down as President of Sony Entertainment — Nicole Seligman, president of both Sony Entertainment and Sony Corp. of America, is stepping down from the twin posts …
Discussion:
Re/code, Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Reporter, Re/code and Variety
Axegrinder / Press Gazette:
Huffington Post Editor-in-Chief Stephen Hull suggests unpaid articles are more authentic than paid-for stories, which is “something to be proud of” — Stephen Hull and the blockheads: Backlash against HuffPo ed's claim unpaid articles are ‘more authentic’
Discussion:
New Statesman, @mathewi, @tigerbeat, @markloundy, @jilliancyork, Guido Fawkes, @jimspencesport, terribleminds and @mathewi
Steven Perlberg / Wall Street Journal:
Report finds advertisers to spend about $35.1M on podcasts this year, up about 2% YoY, but lack of audience measurement remains an issue — Podcasts Face Advertising Hurdles — Industry contends with marketers' doubts about measurement, scale — Since the hit podcast “Serial” …
Discussion:
Galleys, @jazer, @noahchestnut, AdExchanger, @jakek, RAIN News and @niemanlab
Elspeth Reeve / New Republic:
Shalini Ramachandran / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: after launching a year ago, Sling TV now has more than 600K subscribers; Chief Executive Roger Lynch says “vast majority” are not pay-TV subscribers — Dish Network's Sling TV Has More Than 600,000 Subscribers — Hasn't been breaking out the subscribers publicly for Sling TV since launch a year ago
Discussion:
Digital Trends
RELATED:
Madeline Welsh / Nieman Lab:
Guardian compares covering dog show on Periscope and Facebook Live, finds more initial engagement on Periscope, more eventual reach on Facebook Live — What The Guardian learned from comparing Facebook Live and Periscope for event coverage — It was a dramatic night at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
Discussion:
@gdnmobilelab, UK Blog on The Huffington Post and American Press Institute
Alexios Mantzarlis / Poynter:
There are 96 fact-checking projects in 37 countries, new census finds — The latest census of fact-checking and promise-tracking initiatives shows 96 such projects currently operating in 37 countries (highlighted in green below). This is a 50 percent increase compared to the 2015 census.
Discussion:
Duke Reporters' Lab, USA Today, @reporterslab, @brianstelter, @billadairduke and @butchward
Shan Wang / Nieman Lab:
Jose Antonio Vargas is launching #EmergingUS outside the L.A. Times, aiming to crowdfund $1M — “Five years ago, I took the biggest risk of my life. Last year, I made a film called White People. In 2016, I want to talk about us,” the voice of journalist and activist Jose Antonio Vargas announced …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Beacon, @robertore62, @rubinafillion, @joseiswriting, @eliseneal, @ianmnelson95, @ramsammy, @jbenton, Poynter and LA Observed
Colin Lecher / The Verge:
FCC votes 3-2 to proceed with plan to give customers more choice over cable TV set-top boxes; proposal now moves into comment period — The FCC just took the first big step toward changing the cable box business — In a three-to-two vote, the FCC has decided to move ahead with a proposal …
Discussion:
Slate, Washington Post, Ars Technica, Mashable, @macworld, Fortune, Variety, @b_fung, Techdirt, Broadcasting & Cable, Hollywood Reporter, Fast Company, Philly.com, Digital Trends, ZDNet, Talking New Media, SiliconBeat, MacRumors, Multichannel News, AppleInsider, Forbes, KIRO, The Hill, UPI, Los Angeles Times, Gizmodo, Re/code, Deadline, Deadline, mprnews.org, Public Knowledge, Reuters and NPR
Dawn Chmielewski / Re/code:
Vevo CEO Erik Huggers says company is working on a paid music video subscription service, could launch this year — Vevo Is Working on a Paid Music Video Subscription Service (Video) — The Internet's dominant music video service is working on a subscription offering.
Discussion:
SlashGear, Pocket-lint, Engadget, Billboard, TechSpot, Tubefilter, Music Week, Fortune, RAIN News, The 405, Music Week, Music Week, StreamDaily, Advanced Television, The Wrap, Complete Music Update, Consumerist, FACT Magazine, BBC, Associated Press, Music Business Worldwide, ZDNet, Variety, sbs.com.au and Ubergizmo