Top News:
Peter Kafka / Recode:
Spotify buys Gimlet Media, a podcast producer and network, sources say for ~$230M, and Anchor, which makes it easier for users to record and distribute podcasts — Daniel Ek says he wants to spend up to $500 million on acquisitions this year — Spotify is a streaming music company that wants to become a podcast company, too.
Discussion:
Spotify, Nieman Lab, TechCrunch, Variety, Fast Company, VentureBeat, Engadget, @eldsjal, Business Wire, Forbes, Fortune, AdExchanger, MacRumors, Music Business Worldwide, @renayrich, CNBC, @thestalwart, @somospostpc, @indianidle, Music Week, The Verge, @niemanlab, Music Business Worldwide and Music Business Worldwide, more at Techmeme »
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New York Times Company:
In Q4, The New York Times added 265K digital subscriptions, bringing total number of digital subs to 3.4M but profit decreased to $74.7M from $90.5M a year ago — NEW YORK—(BUSINESS WIRE)— The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT) announced today fourth-quarter 2018 diluted earnings per share …
Discussion:
New York Times, @adamgoldmannyt, @ericliptonnyt, @jeffjarvis, @brianstelter and @gerryfsmith
Kyle Pope / Columbia Journalism Review:
Craig Newmark donates $10M to Columbia Journalism School to endow Newmark ethics center and $5M to Poynter to create another ethics and leadership center — For many of the past few decades, the rules around journalism ethics have been largely settled. We know the appropriate ways to treat sources …
Discussion:
Poynter, Columbia, Poynter, @kellymcb and @emilybell
Joan E. Solsman / CNET:
YouTube CEO says the number of channels with 1M+ subs nearly doubled and the number of creators who earned five or six figures grew 40%+ in the last year — In a post on Tuesday about her 2019 goals, YouTube Chief Executive Susan Wojcicki touted several milestones Google's massive video site surpassed …
Discussion:
YouTube Creator Blog, Variety, Music Ally, TechCrunch, @susanwojcicki and Adweek, more at Techmeme »
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Jon Levine / The Wrap:
Leaked audio: Vice news chief Josh Tyrangiel says Vice is nearing a deal with Hulu for a new show, and revenue loss after end of HBO show contributed to layoffs — “We now have paper. We now have pens. The pens are not on paper," Vice executive Josh Tyrangiel says of the deal
Discussion:
Digiday, @levinejonathan, @tomhbunting and @plbarghouty
Anjali Robins / CNBC:
Disney beats estimates with Q1 net income of $2.79B on revenue of $15.3B vs. $15.14B expected; media networks revenue increased 7% YoY to $5.9B — - Investors and analysts are looking for new details on the company's direct-to-consumer plans and an update on its pending $71.3 billion acquisition …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Variety, The Wrap, @stevekovach, AdExchanger, Awful Announcing, The Walt Disney Company and Yahoo! Finance
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Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
Sources: Reddit is raising $150M to $300M in a Series D led by Tencent at a $2.7B pre-money valuation — Reddit is raising $150 million to $300 million to keep the front page of the Internet running, multiple sources tell TechCrunch. The forthcoming Series D round is said to be led …
Discussion:
@dhh, @shiruken, @carnage4life, @badlogicgames, @joshconstine and Business Insider, more at Techmeme »
Greg Dool / Folio:
American Media, publisher of National Enquirer, Us Weekly, and Men's Journal, has acquired TEN: Publishing's 14 brands in its Adventure Sports Network — National Enquirer publisher American Media has acquired TEN: Publishing's Adventure Sports Network, a group of 14 action sports brands …
Discussion:
Forbes, MediaPost, Pinkbike.com and SGB Online
Owen S. Good / Polygon:
Machinima is now officially closed, two weeks after it went offline, with layoffs of 81 people but a “select number” remaining to work at AT&T's Otter Media — Parent company confirms shutdown two weeks after everything went offline — Machinima is officially no more.
Discussion:
MediaPost, Deadline, @matthewmercer, @robgabel, @xpangler and @utxjgthedon
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
FT launches Sifted, a new site targeting young European entrepreneurs, running on part subscription and part sponsorship to keep it free for its target audience — The Financial Times has backed a news website for the European start-up world, which its founder has said will tap into a …
Amanda Darrach / Columbia Journalism Review:
Amid buyouts and possible layoffs, McClatchy's board increased CEO Craig Forman's monthly stipend for travel, housing, and security from $5,000 to $35,000 — BuzzFeed, HuffPo, Gannett, Vice. This has already been a ruthless year for layoffs in digital journalism.
Washington Post:
Competing theories emerge on how National Enquirer obtained intimate texts between Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, with its ties to Trump figuring prominently — When the National Enquirer published explicit text messages between Amazon founder Jeffrey P. Bezos and the woman he was having an affair with …
Discussion:
Business Insider, @blairreeves, @amyjbrittain and @connortryan
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