Top News:
The Atlantic:
Four additional men accuse Bryan Singer, director of X-Men and Bohemian Rhapsody, of seducing or raping them as minors — Over the past two decades, Bryan Singer's films—The Usual Suspects, Valkyrie, Superman Returns, four of the X-Men movies—have earned more than $3 billion at the box office …
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Deadline, Los Angeles Times, @davidmackau, Business Insider, Mediaite, The Guardian, Vox, The Wrap, Slate, Vanity Fair, @jenyamato, The Playlist, The Ringer, IndieWire, The Blast, The Week, @nichcarlson, @albinokid, The A.V. Club, @watsontots, @henereyg, @ca_london, @knguyen, @anopensecret, @purplechrain, @suspiriana, @misterpatches and Mashable
Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg / Wall Street Journal:
Condé Nast will put all its titles behind paywalls by the end of the year, after success with metered paywalls for The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Wired — Magazine publisher expects subscription revenue to increase significantly — Magazine publisher Condé Nast said it would put …
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The Wrap, Adweek, @newley, @mmasnick, Fashionista, @mathewi, @espiers, @jarroddicker and @mdudas
Maxwell Tani / The Daily Beast:
Reporters Maya Kosoff and Anna Breslaw leave the new Gawker after Bustle Digital Group refused to oust editorial director Carson Griffith over offensive remarks — The new site's only two full-time writers exited Wednesday in protest of editorial director Carson Griffith's offensive remarks about everything from race to penis size.
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@mekosoff, Mediaite, @felixsalmon, @mathewrodriguez, @charlespulliam, @kath_krueger, @libbycwatson, @mekosoff, @mekosoff and @maxwelltani
Chris Welch / The Verge:
After Netflix price hikes, Hulu will lower the price of its base, ad-supported subscription plan to $5.99/mo, down from the current $7.99/mo, starting Feb. 26 — The core service is getting cheaper, but live TV now costs more — Hulu just announced that it will lower the price of its base …
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Robert D. McFadden / New York Times:
Two-time Pulitzer winner Russell Baker, whose Observer column appeared in The New York Times and other papers for 36 years, has died at 93 — Russell Baker, the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author whose whimsical, irreverent “Observer” column appeared in The New York Times and hundreds …
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@adamliptak, Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, The Wrap, NPR, The Week, @johnyangtv, @ohlistic, @mitchstephensny, @poisonville, @greencomma, @elizabethdrewoh, @jmartnyt, @jamesgleick, @comey, @malexjohnson, @rexhuppke, @maureendowd, @jmeacham, @poisonville, @ellgood, @penguinrandom, @ron_fournier, @typotoo, @peterbakernyt, @harrisondsmith, @palafo, @carol_weston, @maggienyt, @bcappelbaum, @kathyamico, @juliehinds, @retromannyc, @davemontero, @maureendowd, @fitzfox5dc, @aodespair, @jonostrower, Associated Press and NBC News
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Viacom to acquire Pluto TV, a free, ad-supported streaming service, for $340M in cash; Pluto TV to operate as an independent subsidiary when the deal closes — Viacom announced Tuesday that it has agreed to buy Pluto TV — one of the fastest-growing free, ad-supported TV streaming services in the U.S. — for $340 million in cash.
Lucinda Southern / Digiday:
The Economist will launch The Intelligence, a 20-minute daily news podcast on Jan. 29, which has taken a year to create and is supported by eight new staffers — The Economist is the latest publisher to launch a daily news podcast in order to broaden its reach in audio and ultimately drive people to subscribe.
Discussion:
Journalism.co.uk, RAIN News and Talking Biz News
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Google launches YouTube TV in 95 new US markets, says it now covers 98% of US households — 98 percent of US households are covered as of today, with the rest coming soon — YouTube TV is finally nearing nationwide availability. The streaming TV service first launched in February 2017 …
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The Wrap, Broadcasting & Cable, TechCrunch, TechCrunch, CNBC, @backlon, Forbes, YouTube Blog, Engadget and 9to5Google, more at Techmeme »
Jim Waterson / The Guardian:
Microsoft is automatically installing NewsGuard, a plug-in that guides users on which news websites can be trusted, on mobile versions of its Edge browser — Mail Online rated one out of five for credibility by new feature to fight fake news — Microsoft's internet browser is warning users …
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GeekWire, The Drum, @carnage4life, @shoaibmkhan, @stopfundinghate, MacRumors, Everything about Android, The Verge and Engadget, more at Techmeme »
Elaine Low / Variety:
WarnerMedia debuts an incubator to “combine emerging technologies with content” starting with an NBA partnership and an initial focus on AR, VR, mixed reality — WarnerMedia is launching an incubator meant to “combine emerging technologies with content from across its operating units …
Discussion:
MediaPost, Broadcasting & Cable and @jesseredniss
Gene Maddaus / Variety:
David Glasser, former COO of The Weinstein Company, is launching 101 Studios, with backing from Ron Burkle, who had tried to buy The Weinstein Company earlier — David Glasser, the former chief operating officer of the Weinstein Co., is launching a $300 million film and TV company …
Discussion:
Deadline, @variety, Screen, @thr, Hollywood Reporter, @brooksbarnesnyt and The Wrap
Alex Hern / The Guardian:
Consumer finance journalist Martin Lewis drops his lawsuit against Facebook over scam ads, after the company agrees to donate £3M to set up an anti-scam project — Consumer finance journalist drops action as firm agrees to give £3m to anti-scam project
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Press Gazette, TechCrunch, Engadget, MoneySavingExpert, Business Insider, BBC, The Irish News, @alexhern, mirror and @alexhern, more at Techmeme »