Top News:
Agence France-Presse:
Sources: BuzzFeed plans to shut down its French version after four years, with 14 staff set to lose jobs; chief editor calls the move “brutal” and “unexpected” — Paris (AFP) - US news website BuzzFeed is to shut down its French version after four years online, staff told AFP on Thursday.
Discussion:
Recode, Variety, @markdistef, @markdistef, The Wrap and @markdistef
Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
Amazon buys rights to exclusively livestream 20 Premier League football matches per season for three seasons starting from 2019 — US online retailer will exclusively livestream 20 matches per season from 2019 — Amazon has broken Sky and BT's stranglehold on Premier League football …
Discussion:
Forbes, Recode, Broadcasting & Cable, Telegraph, The Independent, Wall Street Journal, FierceCable, BBC, GeekWire, The Drum, Fortune and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Stephanie Chan / VentureBeat:
Facebook launches FB.GG, a portal where users can browse gaming livestreams, and gives emerging streamers access to monetization tools with Level Up program — Facebook launched its Gaming Creator program in January to boost gaming livestreams on its platform.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Variety and Adweek, more at Techmeme »
Mike Farrell / Multichannel News:
PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts over-the-top TV revenue, which grew 15.2% in 2017 to $20.1B, will rise 12.2% this year and reach $30.6B by 2022 — Study says international growth, original content will fuel increases — PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts that over-the-top revenue …
Discussion:
Forbes
Jim Waterson / The Guardian:
Geordie Greig, current editor of The Mail on Sunday and previously of the London Evening Standard and Tatler, will become the new editor of the Daily Mail — Editor of Mail on Sunday to replace Paul Dacre who is stepping down after 26 years — Geordie Greig is to be the new editor of the Daily Mail …
Discussion:
Press Gazette, The Independent, Jon Slattery, City A.M., @bethrigby, @newstatesman, Financial Times and @janinegibson
Vivian Schiller / Civil:
Veteran media executive Vivian Schiller is named CEO of the Civil Foundation, a nonprofit that will set journalistic standards for media startup Civil — Editor's note: Vivian Schiller has been appointed as the inaugural CEO of the Civil Foundation, an independent, nonprofit organization …
Discussion:
@mg, @kwerb and @rasmus_kleis
Joe Otterson / Variety:
Apple will develop Shantaram, a novel about an Australian man on the run in Bombay, as a drama series; news follows Apple's announcement of two half-hour series — In a competitive situation, Apple has landed the rights to develop Gregory David Robert's novel “Shantaram” as a drama series.
Mark Di Stefano / BuzzFeed:
Guardian cartoonist objects after editor refused to publish his cartoon of a slain Palestinian medic in a fireplace between Theresa May and Benjamin Netanyahu — Steve Bell hit back at the Guardian for claims his cartoon had Nazi overtones. … Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell has written …
Discussion:
HuffPost UK
Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Facebook testing Marketplace ads in the US that let users promote their listings in the News Feed — Twenty months after launching its Craigslist competitor, Marketplace, and relentlessly promoting it with placement in the main navigation bar, Facebook will start earning money off its classifieds section.
Discussion:
Engadget, Facebook, Marketing Land, Fast Company and The Verge
Ricardo Lopez / Variety:
Producer and former studio exec Amy Baer named board president of Women in Film, replacing Cathy Schulman who will remain on the board — Amy Baer, who has deep industry experience as a top studio executive and more recently as a producer working with major talent, has been elected board president of Women in Film.
Christine Schmidt / Nieman Lab:
Guatemalan investigative outlet Nómada saw traffic drop by 57% after Facebook Explore test, successfully refocused on distribution through other social channels — “At the beginning, we were very upset. But at the end, we can thank it because it exploded the bubble we were living in."
Max Greenwood / The Hill:
Judge dismisses defamation lawsuit against ex-Fusion reporter Emma Roller brought after Roller tweeted that Cassandra Fairbanks made a white power hand gesture — A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday dismissed a defamation lawsuit against a former Fusion reporter.
Discussion:
Mediaite, @itsdavidford, @paleofuture, @oneunderscore__, @zoetillman, The Desk, @matthewkeyslive, @zoetillman and @cassandrarules
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