Top News:


Meredith has sold the Sports Illustrated IP rights to Authentic Brands for $110M, will pay a licensing fee to run editorial operations for at least two years — Sports Illustrated over the decades has chronicled stellar match-ups, blow-outs, squeakers, sudden deaths and photo finishes.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, American Press Institute, Digiday, New York Times, Poynter, @bristei, Axios, Washington Post, @strobist, @christophclarey, MediaPost, Deadspin, @joshuakusnick, @howardeskin, Adweek, The Week, @amondalek, @hannahrkeyser, @djbentley, @alexweprin, @davidfolkenflik, @wsj, Associated Press, Media Star, TVWeek.com, The Wrap, Awful Announcing and Editor & Publisher


The state of the podcasting industry in 2019, including key trends and monetization strategies of audio apps in China — In the world of podcasting, the flywheel is spinning: new technologies including AirPods, connected cars, and smart speakers have made it much easier for consumers to listen …
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, @niemanlab, @definefinancial, @trengriffin and @noahpinion


Netflix says it would reconsider its investment in Georgia, where film production costs are low, if the state's anti-abortion law goes into effect — Many of Hollywood's most powerful content companies have maintained a deafening silence on the raging abortion legislation debate that's sweeping …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, The Week, @elainelow, @elainelow, io9, The A.V. Club, The Hill, @elainelow, The Playlist, @mattdonnelly, KTLA, @elainelow, Vanity Fair, Tubefilter, Business Insider, IndieWire, The Daily Caller, The Wrap, Fast Company and Los Angeles Times


CNN told staff it's preparing to potentially cut dozens of employees at its London-based news operation; CNN International will produce less material in London — Surprise announcement likely to result in at least a dozen employees losing their jobs — CNN is preparing to make substantial cuts …
Discussion:
Variety, Digital TV Europe, @moorehn, Deadline, @finplankaluaja, Mediaite and TVWeek.com


Four German publishing groups, Axel Springer, Funke Mediengruppe, RTL, and Gruner+Jahr, will sell their combined ad inventory in an effort to combat Big Tech — Four big German publishing groups are collaborating in order to fight the market power of tech platforms.
Discussion:
World News Publishing Focus … and @raju


UK's The Times and Sunday Times say the number of subscription cancellations fell by 49% among users receiving AI-created tailored email newsletters — Digital subscriber cancellations at the Times and Sunday Times fell by half during a trial of new artificial intelligence software …


Memo: TruTV lays off programming and marketing staff as it is consolidated with WarnerMedia's TBS and TNT; source: less than 50 are affected — TruTV has laid off most of its programming and marketing staffers as oversight of the WarnerMedia cabler is consolidated into the broader Turner entertainment group.
Discussion:
Multichannel News, The Wrap, Deadline and Cord Cutters News


Naomi Wolf cites a known internet hoaxer after BBC Radio's Matthew Sweet uncovers a serious flaw in her forthcoming book, Outrages — In the pantheon of nightmares, somewhere between “falling into an endless pit” and “back at high school but naked” is “going on national radio and learning …
Discussion:
BBC Sounds, The Guardian, @drmatthewsweet, @newscloset, @rdube, @debaucherie, @w_s_taylor, @vegasanonymous, @drbeaubeaumont, @nymag, @andrewbakaj, @mfwestphal, @danieltilles1, @cbsweeney, @naomirwolf, @kecbibliogal, @arunindy, @samgrinsell, @sivavaid, @selzero, @seyyedreza, @alecmuffett, @drmatthewsweet, Sydney Morning Herald, Brinkwire, Bookseller News, The Guardian and bookforum.com


A look at the effects of cheap music marketplaces and sampling on copyright after the rise of Lil Nas X, who bought Old Town Road's beat for $30 on BeatStars — Inside the new world of cheap music marketplaces that has the music industry scrambling — No one saw Lil Nas X coming.
Discussion:
@amyxwang and @rollingstone


NBC officially launches NBC News Now, a free streaming news service with 8 hours of programming every weekday, expects to have it running 24/7 by 2020 — The service, which doesn't require cable service authentication, is intended to go round the clock by next year.
Discussion:
TVNewser, MediaPost, Variety, Broadcasting & Cable and @rolandsmartin


Since GDPR, Ireland's Data Protection Commission says it has launched 19 cross-border investigations, 11 of which focus on Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram — Social media giant Facebook and its subsidiaries Instagram and WhatsApp have been the subject of most data investigations in the Republic …
Discussion:
@jason_kint, MediaPost, Fortune, Data Protection Commission, Telecompaper and Axios


By indicting Assange and arguing the First Amendment only applies to designated journalists, the Trump admin created a blueprint for criminalizing journalism — The First Amendment is meaningless if it only protects people the government recognizes as journalists
Discussion:
@howardkurtz, Fox News, @ggreenwald, @f_obermaier, @ggreenwald, @trevortimm, @albernstein, @royeidelson and @jesselynradack