Top News:
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Facebook introduces Watch, its redesigned video section for original content, with producers earning 55% of ad revenue, rolling out Thursday — Facebook has a new home for original video content produced exclusively for it by partners, who will earn 55 percent of ad break revenue while Facebook keeps 45 percent.
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Facebook, Business Insider, Facebook Media, Variety, @kantrowitz, Mashable, BGR, Light Reading, @brianstelter, Android Police, BetaNews, Mark Zuckerberg, @joshconstine, VentureBeat, Digiday, Gizmodo, @joshuatopolsky, Ad Age, The Guardian, The Next Web, Recode, Adweek, MacRumors, Engadget, 9to5Mac, The Verge, @kantrowitz, BuzzFeed, Variety, @cordnever and Peter O'Kelly's Reality Check, more at Techmeme »
Hadas Gold / Politico:
Fox News host Eric Bolling is suing Yashar Ali for defamation and $50M in damages over HuffPost story claiming Bolling sent lewd photos to female colleagues — Fox News host Eric Bolling has initiated a lawsuit against the reporter behind the report that led to his suspension.
Discussion:
@yashar, @tomkludt, CNNMoney, The Hill, @natemcdermott, @lpolgreen, New York Times, @lpolgreen, @yashar, Business Insider, @nycsouthpaw, @kellyweill, Boing Boing, @yashar, @hadas_gold, Variety, TVWeek.com, The Wrap, Fortune, @bradthor, Mediaite and TVNewser
Galen Stocking / Pew Research Center:
Pew report: 61% of digital-native news outlets have iOS or Android apps, 97% offer newsletters, and only 25% have an official Snapchat channel or account — In the U.S., roughly nine-in-ten adults (93%) ever get news online (either via mobile or desktop), and the online space has become …
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Joseph Otterson / Variety:
NBCUniversal's comedy streaming service Seeso, launched in January 2016 with a price of $3.99/month, is shutting down later this year — Comedy streaming service Seeso is shutting down, the streamer announced Wednesday. — “We're writing to let you know that later this year …
Discussion:
Deadline, IndieWire, Seeso, Multichannel News, Tubefilter, IndieWire, Forbes, Engadget, Ad Age, Adweek, New York Times, TechCrunch, The Verge, Splitsider, VideoInk - Medium, Hollywood Reporter and Decider
Rick Edmonds / Poynter:
GateHouse owner New Media Investment Group buys Morris Publishing Group for $120M; deal includes 11 daily newspapers, 30 weeklies, and various online assets — New Media Investment Group has acquired Morris Publishing Group, whose portfolio includes the Augusta Chronicle …
Brooks Barnes / New York Times:
Most analysts applaud Disney's streaming plans, as questions remain about pricing, effects on Netflix and cable operators, and Disney's content costs — LOS ANGELES — Disney set off a sonic boom in Hollywood by unveiling plans to start two Netflix-style services: For the first time in the streaming age …
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Forbes, Washington Post and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
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Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
The New York Times corrected a story on a new federal climate change study after initially suggesting the Trump administration was stifling a damaging draft — The New York Times on Wednesday appended a correction to a story about a climate change study:
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@erikwemple, @max_read, Splinter, @jbrodkin, Refinery29, The Daily Caller, Daily Mail, New York Times, AFF, The Verge, Axios, KTLA, Miami New Times, Mashable, Hit & Run, ABC News, Rolling Stone and Mother Jones
Alexios Mantzarlis / Poynter:
Mozilla launches the Mozilla Information Trust Initiative, with the aim of combatting online misinformation through new products, research, more — Mozilla, the nonprofit organization behind the Firefox browser, announced today a new program to combat online misinformation.
Discussion:
The Mozilla Blog, BetaNews and @mozilla, more at Techmeme »
Mike Allen / Axios:
Matt Drudge explains why he began posting black and white photos on The Drudge Report on Monday: “What's old is new” — Matt Drudge — who has kept his look steady even as everything else in media has convulsed — made a striking change Monday, beginning with a “NUKE YOU” …
Discussion:
@jgreendc, @_drudgereport_ and @axios
Matt Pearce / Los Angeles Times:
The ACLU files a free speech suit on behalf of Milo Yiannopoulos, arguing that the DC transit system violated the 1st Amendment by removing ads for his new book — Right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos holds up a copy of a legal complaint as he speaks outside the offices …
Discussion:
@boreskes, @laura_nelson, @mattdpearce and @ggreenwald
Max Willens / Digiday:
Quartz sees 90% renewal rate for branded content by providing tech assistance and insights, has executed 540+ campaigns for 150+ brands in past five years — Publishers' branded-content campaigns have painfully low renewal rates. One way Quartz has managed to buck that trend …
Cory Haik / Recode:
Mic publisher describes how new mixed-media formats in social video deliver news in a compelling way, sees future as evolution of text more than pivot to video — It's more than a pivot to video — it's an evolution of text. — Reports of the death of the written word are greatly exaggerated.
Discussion:
@rafat, @dhiyakuriakose, @lauraelizdavis, @thetomasrios, @vanessaw, @brontegirl and @emersongreg
Angelica LaVito / CNBC:
21st Century Fox reports mixed Q4 results with $6.75B in revenue, up 2% YoY, supported by higher cable affiliate and ad revenue — - During the quarter, 21st Century Fox's cable news network, Fox News, dropped its biggest star, Bill O'Reilly, amid sexual harassment allegations.
Discussion:
The Wrap, FierceCable, Broadcasting & Cable, Business Wire, Variety, @claireatki, @jbflint, @jbflint and Reuters