Mediagazer: A.G. Sulzberger's “State of the Times” memo for employees emphasizes the global impact of the publishers' journalism but fails to address metrics (A.G. Sulzberger/The New York Times Company)

Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:

Amid a debate on the value of broadcasting Trump's primetime speech, network anchors responded with several corrections for some of his misleading claims — Moments after President Trump concluded his Oval Office remarks on border security on Tuesday, the NBC anchor Chuck Todd came on air with a blunt assessment.

A.G. Sulzberger / The New York Times Company:

A.G. Sulzberger's “State of the Times” memo for employees emphasizes the global impact of the publishers' journalism but fails to address metrics — A.G. Sulzberger to Times employees at 2019 State of The Times address. — One of the most important is that the way people find and engage with news is changing.

Discussion: @emilybell, @moorehn, @corneliafuchs, @toddlighty, @timesopen, @nicdawes, @jeremymbarr, @jasonabbruzzese, @amychozick and @johnibbitson

Sara Fischer / Axios:

NBCUniversal says it will reduce the number of ads airing during prime time TV shows by 20% by 2020, as it tries to shift away from old advertising model — NBCUniversal tells Axios it's reducing the amount of ads its serves during prime-time even further, and it's looking now at other times throughout the day to do the same.

Discussion: @digitalshields, @alexweprin, @sarafischer, Adweek and Variety

Todd Spangler / Variety:

Hulu says its ad revenue increased 45%+ YoY to nearly $1.5B, a record for the company — Hulu is keeping its pedal to metal in the streaming TV race: The company said it ended 2018 with more than 25 million total subscribers, a net gain of 8 million for the year.

Discussion: Hulu, MediaPost and Fortune, more at Techmeme »

Discussion: Variety, @awallenstein and Broadcasting & Cable

Jon Lafayette / Broadcasting & Cable:

Google agrees to add YouTube viewers on mobile devices to Nielsen's Total Ad Ratings, which measures audience across TV, computers, tablets, and smartphones — YouTube mobile viewing included in Total Ad Ratings — Nielsen has reached an agreement with Google that will upgrade its measurement …

Discussion: Fast Company, MediaPost, Axios, Adweek, @davidwkenny, Axios and Deadline

Benjamin Mullin / Wall Street Journal:

Dotdash, which owns sites such as Investopedia and others created from About.com's remnants, is buying two beauty domains, Byrdie and Mydomaine — The publisher, which owns sites including The Spruce and Verywell, is buying two beauty websites as annual revenue passes $100 million

Discussion: Digiday, @neilvogel and @moorehn

Mike Farrell / Multichannel News:

Discovery says it has purchased a 71% controlling stake in Play Sports Group, a digital sports media company focused on global cycling — Digital sports media company to help Discovery create global cycling platform — Discovery Inc., said it has purchased a 71% controlling stake in Play Sports Group …

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter, Discovery, Inc., SportsPro Media, Variety and Deadline

New York Times:

The New York Times announces its 52 Places Traveler for 2019, Sebastian Modak, an ex-MTV producer and travel journalist — “I'm ready to embrace all the uncertainty that comes with an opportunity like this and see where it takes me." … So, how does it feel to be the 52 Places Traveler for 2019?

John Reed / Financial Times:

Vietnam accuses Facebook of failing to take down “slanderous content” in violation of cyber security law which took effect on January 1 — Vietnam has accused Facebook of failing to take down “slanderous content” and said it was considering withholding money for some advertising paid …

Discussion: Associated Press, Channel NewsAsia, @ericgoldman, @nprashley, @tostevinm, @wrgeography, @johnreedwrites, vietnamnews.vn and @rasmus_kleis, more at Techmeme »

Mathew Ingram / Columbia Journalism Review:

A lawsuit against Grindr challenges the protections of Section 230 of the CDA and could lead to similar suits against other services like Facebook and Twitter — Under current US law, digital services and platforms like Facebook and Twitter are protected from liability for the content …

Discussion: NBC News, @esquiring, @esquiring, @esquiring, TortsProf Blog, @esquiring and Hit & Run

Julian Borger / The Guardian:

Turkish journalist Pelin Ünker has been sentenced to more than a year in jail for her work on the Paradise Papers investigation into offshore tax havens — Journalist was found guilty of ‘defamation and insult’ for writing about companies owned by former PM

Mollie Leavitt / The Idea:

Interview with Skift founder Rafat Ali on company growth to 60 staffers, media business models, and the choice of travel, dining, and wellness as verticals — This week, The Idea caught up with Rafat Ali. Rafat co-founded Skift, a B2B publication that focuses on the “leisure” industry.

Discussion: @atlantic57 and @rafat