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Sources: Facebook puts off its effort to build ads into WhatsApp as it focuses on B2C communications, but will sell ads in WhatsApp's Status at some point — Social-media giant scraps earlier strategy, seeks other ways to monetize messaging service used by 1.5 billion
Discussion:
CNET, Softpedia News, XDA Developers, @mattnavarra, @kurtwagner8, Input, @johnbattelle, @karissabe, @dseetharaman, @hshaban, @antoniogm, Engadget, @martinsfp, @thekenyeung, Business Insider and The Verge, more at Techmeme »


NBC says Peacock will launch on July 15 and have a free tier with limited programming and two premium tiers, at $4.99/month with ads and $9.99/month with no ads — Comcast is introducing three different subscription tiers — NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock …
Discussion:
Variety, Observer, TechCrunch, Ad Age, The Wrap, Adweek, The Wrap, The Wrap, Broadcasting & Cable, Vox, NBCUniversal, Variety, @frankpallotta, @pkafka, @pkafka, @loudmouthjulia, The Streamable, @ranimolla, @peacocktv, @pkafka, @pkafka, @xpangler, @frankpallotta, @ranimolla, @zeitchikwapo, @opinion_joe, @sourceryan, @pkafka, @xpangler, @pkafka, @xpangler, @ranimolla, @frankpallotta, @digitalshields and Hollywood Reporter, more at Techmeme »
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Peacock announces six series in its development slate, produced via Universal as well as from outside studios; Hatching Twitter will be the basis for one series
Discussion:
Variety, CNET, @nickbilton, @cschleichsrun, @kantrowitz, @ltm, The Week, @thr, The Verge, Variety, Deadline and Engadget


Following a BBC investigation, Twitter apologizes for letting ads be micro-targeted using keywords like “transphobic”, “white supremacists”, and “anti-gay” — Twitter has apologised for allowing adverts to be micro-targeted at certain users such as neo-Nazis, homophobes and other hate groups.
Discussion:
@joetidy, @joetidy, @kreissdaniel, @kreissdaniel, @marechalphd, @sundersays, @zoejardiniere, @flyosity, @rasmus_kleis, The Verge, Input, Adweek, Engadget, CNET and Telegraph, more at Techmeme »


Sources: DOJ is organizing meetings with publishers including News Corp., Condé Nast, and NYT, seeking info about how Google operates in the digital ad market — The U.S. Justice Department is organizing meetings with large publishing companies to seek information …
Discussion:
@larakiara


Sources: DOJ is investigating a years-old leak about a Russian intelligence document, focusing on whether James Comey illegally supplied details to reporters — An inquiry into years-old disclosures of classified information is highly unusual and leaves law enforcement officials open to accusations of politicizing their work.
Discussion:
@mlcalderone, Vanity Fair, @susan_hennessey, Talking Points Memo, @joycewhitevance, Law & Crime, @jbenton, The Week, @eisingerj, @adamgoldmannyt and @bradmossesq


Telegraph Media Group pulls out of ABC circulation audit, will publish subscriber numbers each month as it aims for 10M registered users, 1M subscribers by 2023 — Telegraph Media Group, publisher of the Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, is pulling out of the ABC newspaper circulation audit …
Discussion:
@thejoelycarey


Forecast: Netflix will spend ~$17.3B on content in 2020, up from ~$15.3B in 2019, mostly on originals; Disney has said it will spend ~$1B on Disney+ originals — Netflix is keeping its foot pressed firmly on the gas pedal in the streaming-video road race. — The streamer will invest …
Discussion:
@steph_i_will, @paul_sacca, VICE, The Wrap, Observer, The Playlist, Multichannel News, The Streamable, The Wrap and Fortune


Hulu to debut an ad format that will let viewers choose between ads from a brand, and a format allowing viewers to get additional brand info on their phones — Hulu is preparing to roll out new forms of advertising this year — one which will allow viewers to have more say in the ads that plays …
Discussion:
Axios, MediaPost and The Streamable


South Bend Tribune staff move to form a union, a year after the paper was sold to GateHouse; staff say they fear Gannett's reputation for layoffs — Staff at the largest newspaper in South Bend announced Wednesday they hope to become the fourth in the state to unionize.
Discussion:
@sbnewsguild and @sbnewsguild


Ronan Farrow's first investigative documentary for HBO, part of a three-year-deal, will focus on threats and violence faced by journalists covering corruption — HBO has begun production on the first project in its multi-film deal with best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ronan Farrow.
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, The Wrap, @emmalbriant, @ronanfarrow and Hollywood Reporter


Sky CEO Jeremy Darroch urges the UK government to speed up plans for an online regulator as a bill to grant interim powers to Ofcom is introduced — Sky's chief executive has urged the Government to speed up its plans for an online regulator as a bill to grant interim powers to Ofcom was introduced in the House of Lords.


Harper's Bazaar editor-in-chief Glenda Bailey to step down on March 1 after 19 years; she will act as a global consultant for its 29 editions — She is to become a global consultant for the fashion title's 29 global editions, and assist in finding her successor.
Discussion:
New York Times, New York Post, @katierosman, The Business of Fashion, CNN, bookforum.com and Page Six