Mediagazer: The creators of HBO's Westworld, Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan, are leaving Warner Bros. TV to join Amazon, in what sources estimate is a deal worth $30M+/year (Lesley Goldberg/Hollywood Reporter)

Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:

An example of the usability issues trying to find stories on Apple News+: a search for The Highlight by Vox — Eleven days ago, Apple unveiled its premium news subscription service, Apple News Plus. And as I wrote at the time, it was kind of disappointing.

Discussion: @niemanlab, Fortune and @laurahazardowen

Lesley Goldberg / Hollywood Reporter:

The creators of HBO's Westworld, Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan, are leaving Warner Bros. TV to join Amazon, in what sources estimate is a deal worth $30M+/year — Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan have exited their home at Warner Bros. TV but will remain involved with the HBO genre drama.

Discussion: Deadline, The A.V. Club, Vanity Fair, The Daily Caller, @deadline, @sharontalyguado, Engadget, /Film and The Verge

Wall Street Journal:

Sources: Apple Music has been growing at a monthly rate of 2.6% to 3% and had 28M US users in Feb., compared to Spotify's 26M US users and growth of 1.5% to 2% — Apple's music-streaming service has surpassed Spotify's in paid U.S. subscriptions yet lags its Swedish competitor globally.

Discussion: CNBC, NME, PPC, The Indian Express, @ow, @pkedrosky, @tomwarren, @carlquintanilla, Recode, The Week, Android Police, TechCrunch, MediaPost, USA Today, RAIN News, MacRumors, 9to5Mac, hypebot, Ars Technica and Music Business Worldwide, more at Techmeme »

CNN:

Netflix's DVD service, with its 2.7M US subscribers, appeals not only to those with poor broadband but also to many in urban areas seeking an extensive catalog — (CNN)Remember when Netflix used to be a DVD-by-mail company? Well, for 2.7 million subscribers in the US, it still is.

Discussion: @pitdesi, @sulliview, @adriana_lacy, @harrymccracken and FYIMusicNews

Katherine Rosman / New York Times:

As Cosmo's EIC, Jessica Pels has focused on the magazine's online presence, growing digital subscriptions, affiliate revenue, and using Instagram as inspiration — Jessica Pels, the editor, is trying to save the magazine from the jaws of Instagram. — “Bad ideas first!” …

Discussion: @juliaccarpenter, @eholmes, @ekingc, @michellemanafy, @katierosman, @sarahccaldwell and @racheld

Julia Alexander / The Verge:

YouTube, which used to highlight and promote independent creators, is shifting toward more commercial, advertiser-friendly content as it battles misinformation — Danny Philippou is mad. — He's practically standing on top of his chair as his twin brother and fellow YouTube creator Michael stares on in amusement.

Discussion: @cartoonbrew, @pejames, @glenngabe and @arabellabreck, more at Techmeme »

Jacob Bacharach / New Republic:

After spending its early years searching for an identity, a look at MSNBC's narrow, left-wing focus on Trump's scandals to the exclusion of any other news — On January 31, Rachel Maddow, the eponymous host of The Rachel Maddow Show, returned from a commercial break.

Discussion: @newrepublic, @newrepublic, @newrepublic, @jackshafer, @patblanchfield, @ggreenwald, @newrepublic, @newrepublic, @amandamarcotte, @jakebackpack, @newrepublic and Mediaite

Daniel Green / Journalism.co.uk:

Journalists from India, Malta, and Turkey call on social media companies to crack down on political groups using their platforms to harass journalists — Examples of harassment of journalists in India, Malta and Turkey indicate how political groups are using online platforms to silence their critics

Discussion: Variety, @maggienyt and @mollypriddy

Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:

Analysis: the gender pay gap favoring men in UK media rose at 11 news outlets and declined at 22 in 2018; bonus gap was 56.3% at CNN and 50.2% at Hearst — Almost a third of UK media companies have seen their gender pay gaps increase (in favour of men) on the year before, new figures reveal.

Discussion: Fast Company, The Guardian and Deadline

Patrick Frater / Variety:

Study: corporate consolidation is likely for pay-TV sector in Asia, which is losing momentum as consumers turn to OTT suppliers and piracy for video content — Corporate consolidation is increasingly likely, as the pay-TV sector in Asia loses momentum, and consumers turn to video content …

Megan Farokhmanesh / The Verge:

YouTube staff are using their own channels to better understand creators' work as YouTube tries to balance creators' well-being and their career sustainability — The oldest video on Matt Kovalakides' channel appeared on YouTube 12 years ago, back when he was a more traditional filmmaker in Hollywood …

more at Techmeme »

Benedict Evans:

Apple's subscription announcements last week were aimed at increasing incremental revenue, reducing churn, and emphasizing its brand of safety and curation — - We expected a TV event and got a subscription event - news & magazines, games, a credit card and Oprah.

Discussion: @johnwilander, @gassee and @timothybucksf, more at Techmeme »