Top News:
Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:
Hulu to launch banner ads, which will appear after viewers pause video, in Q2 2019; hopes all non-disruptive ads will comprise 50% of ad revenue within 3 years — Just to get this out of the way: Yes, Hulu is introducing an ad unit that will show up when you pause a video. But no, the ad won't be a video.
Discussion:
Digiday, AdExchanger, Fast Company, Hulu, Adweek, Gizmodo and The Verge
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Sources: CBS board wants company to grow, first through a merger with Viacom, possibly followed by Discovery acquisition; CBS hoping to find CEO by end of March — The CBS board has decided the company needs to get bigger, but merging with Viacom is not enough for Shari Redstone …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Los Angeles Times and Variety
Jeremy Littau / Wired:
Monopolistic thinking and lack of attention to the internet's role in distribution has decimated media, but foundation journalism, subs, and community can help — LAST WEEK, LAYOFFS at BuzzFeed, HuffPost, and Gannett landed like consecutive punches. The news signaled a difficult year ahead …
Discussion:
@jeremylittau, @wired, @lenfestinst, @mayerjoy, @benwhitelaw, @tomrosenstiel, @ash_detroit and @jeremylittau
James Walker / Press Gazette:
NewsGuard, whose trustworthiness ratings are available on Chrome and Edge, improves its rating of the Daily Mail from red to green to indicate its accuracy — US news website rating tool Newsguard has changed its verdict on Mail Online after originally declaring the UK's most-read news website failed …
Discussion:
Nieman Lab
Jared Newman / Fast Company:
Free ad-supported streaming services are on the rise as consumers reach subscription overload and premium services move away from licensed video — People who pooh-pooh the cord-cutting phenomenon love to argue that the cost of streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu really adds up …
Discussion:
Forbes, Light Reading, TechCrunch, MediaPost, Multichannel News and Tubefilter
Keith J. Kelly / New York Post:
New York Media recognizes the New York Magazine Union, with about 180 full-time and part-time staff across Vulture, Intelligencer, the Cut, and more — New York magazine's editorial employees have unionized amid stalled talks to sell the iconic title and its popular web sites.
Discussion:
@nyguild and @nymagunion
Rafi Schwartz / Splinter:
Leaked audio from a BuzzFeed all-hands staff meeting indicates CEO Jonah Peretti acknowledged the layoff process was “terrible” and criticized company leaks — With BuzzFeed's latest round of mass layoffs over, CEO Jonah Peretti hosted an all-hands meeting on Wednesday …
Discussion:
@skiscontent, @mlcalderone, @jasonshevrin, @libbycwatson and New York Magazine
RELATED:
Max Willens / Digiday:
How BuzzFeed is reorganizing and charting a path to a sustainable business, according to sources and a memo CEO Jonah Peretti sent to employees Tuesday night
Discussion:
New York Times, Detroit Free Press, @freeblackgirl, @parkermolloy, @dansinker, @leighgiangreco, @caulfieldcm, @jackmirkinson, @mathewi, @digiday, @bgrueskin, Observer and @mattdpearce
Athena Jones / CNN:
New York AG finds selling fake followers and likes or using stolen IDs on social media is illegal in case against Devumi, which served actors, musicians, others — New York (CNN Business)A company that brought in millions of dollars in revenue by creating fake social media posts and comments …
Janko Roettgers / Variety:
Ultraviolet, the cloud movie locker that launched in 2011 with support from major Hollywood studios, is shutting down on July 31 — Ultraviolet, a cloud movie locker once hailed as Hollywood's best bet to get consumers hooked on digital movies, is shuttering.
Discussion:
/Film, The Verge, @robtrench, ScreenRant, Engadget, PCMag India, @jank0, @jank0, MacRumors, @jank0 and 9to5Mac, more at Techmeme »
Khaoula Ghanem / Vogue Arabia:
Wired Middle East, licensed to Vogue Arabia-publisher Nervora, to launch as a dual-language site in the spring, with print special issues starting in fall 2019 — Today, Condé Nast International and Nervora, the Dubai-based publisher of Vogue Arabia, announced that they are extending …
David Bauder / Associated Press:
Reporters at Insider were told to take a break from tweeting and reading TweetDeck for a week; other journalists have panned and defended the value of Twitter — NEW YORK (AP) — If Twitter is the town square for journalists, some are ready to step away. — That's happening this week …
Discussion:
New York Times, @daphnehk, @megkinnardap, @politicohen_, @adam_myrick, @aallan, @paulapoindexter, @jeffjarvis, @mathewi and Fox News
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Criterion Collection says it will launch Criterion Channel, a new streaming service, on April 8 in US and Canada for $10.99/month or $99.99/year — Movie buffs left out in the cold by FilmStruck's demise will soon get a new streaming service stocked with over 1,000 classic …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Vanity Fair, MacRumors, Engadget and Fast Company
Camille Fassett / Freedom of the Press Foundation:
Trump's government shutdown ground transparency to a halt by slowing or stopping the processing of FOIA requests at federal agencies — During President Trump's shutdown of parts of the federal government over a border wall, transparency was declared a nonessential part of the government's operations …
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