Top News:
Marc Tracy / New York Times:
NYT Q4: profit up 4.4% YoY to $78M on revenue of $502.7M, up 1.1% YoY, ad rev fell 10.7% YoY, digital subscriptions grew 30.8% YoY to ~4.4M of 5.25M total subs — The company hit a key milestone in the fourth quarter of 2019, passing $800 million in annual digital revenue, an amount that came more from readers than advertisers.
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Hannah Zhang / CNN:
NYT to raise its digital subscription price for the first time, from $15 to $17 every four weeks, effective March 8 — New York (CNN Business)The New York Times will raise the price of its digital subscription from $15 every four weeks to $17, its first ever price bump.
Discussion:
Ad Age, MediaPost, Mumbrella, @tripgabriel and AdExchanger
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Sources: ViacomCBS is building a new ad-supported streaming service that will build on CBS All Access, and an ad-free version that includes Showtime — - ViacomCBS is preparing to throw its hat into the streaming wars after consummating a merger on Dec. 31.
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Twitter Q4: revenue of $1.01B, up 11% YoY, net income of $119M, down from $255M in Q4 2018, monetizable DAU of 152M compared to 126M a year ago — As Twitter continues to try to find the right balance between making its platform easier to use while also less prone to toxicity and abuse …
Discussion:
Variety, Adweek, Sky News, Associated Press, Motley Fool, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, CNBC, MarketWatch, TheStreet, Reuters, iTnews, The Times, Fox Business, The Next Web, Mumbrella, New York Post, Business Insider, The Guardian, Deadline, Hollywood Reporter, VentureBeat, CNET, Wall Street Journal and Fast Company, more at Techmeme »
Bloomberg:
Sources: ViacomCBS is weighing options for CNET after receiving takeover interest in the site; CBS paid $1.8B for CNET in 2008 — - CEO Bob Bakish is looking for $500 million in cost savings — CBS paid $1.8 billion for CNET but it's probably worth less
Murtaza Hussain / The Intercept:
Brazilian judge dismisses cybercrime charges against journalist Glenn Greenwald, who was alleged to have been involved in hacking phones of public officials — A judge today declined to proceed with cybercrime charges lodged against Intercept co-founder Glenn Greenwald for his reporting …
Discussion:
Axios, Mediaite, Associated Press, The Guardian, Reuters and The Reporters Committee …
Justin Ray / Columbia Journalism Review:
Q&A with the editor of American Atheist magazine on the media's disproportionate attention to faith leaders, what it can do to better serve atheists, and more — In 1963, Madalyn Murray O'Hair, a woman from Baltimore, sued her son's school district after learning that it required students to read the Bible.
Karlene Lukovitz / MediaPost:
605 launches web-based app for TV measurement and analysis across linear, over-the-air, DVR and set-top-box VOD, with Discovery and AMC piloting the platform — 605 has launched a web-based application designed for measurement and analysis of TV programs and ads — including time-shifted viewership …
Discussion:
FierceVideo, Associated Press and Radio & Television …
Jem Aswad / Variety:
Warner Music Group files for an IPO; the company went private in 2011 when Len Blavatnik's Access Industries bought it for $3.3B — Warner Music Group today announced that it has filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering of its common stock.
Discussion:
The Wrap
Ryan Faughnder / Los Angeles Times:
Warner Bros. and HBO Max to launch Warner Max, a division specializing in making movies for streaming, with plans to make 8-10 films a year for HBO Max — Movie studio Warner Bros. and HBO Max are launching a new division that will specialize in making movies specifically for streaming, the companies said Wednesday.
Discussion:
@franklinleonard, @latimesent and Deadline
Nieman Lab:
Protocol, billed as “Politico, but for tech”, launches as a sponsor-supported outlet with journalists who have worked at Wired, NYT, WSJ, and The Information — “Technology is no longer just a sector of the economy or an industry — it's a global power center akin to any nation's capital.
Discussion:
@jayrosen_nyu, @robinwauters, @stuartathompson, @joemfbrown, @mattdrange, @timgrieve, @rgogel, @harrispolitico, @tomkrazit, Adweek, @sarahscire, @digiphile, @r_allbritton, @pierce, THEFUTURE, Washingtonian, Politico, protocol and MediaPost
Radio & Television Business Report:
Report: radio's digital ad revenue crosses $1B for the first time, making up 10% of total ad revenue; local radio station revenue grew 25% in 2019 — Radio's digital ad revenue blasted through the billion-dollar plateau for the first time, now accounting for 10% of total advertising revenue for the industry.
Discussion:
MediaPost
Joe Pompeo / Vanity Fair:
Tribune Publishing employees, amid buyouts, are still seeking to avoid further decimation of journalism now that Alden Global Capital owns 32% of the company — In its mission to squeeze the last profits out of newspapers, Alden Global Capital has eliminated the jobs of scores of reporters and editors …
Discussion:
Poynter, @newsguild, @kimjnews, @mcallguild, DFM Workers, New York Post, @marcela_elisa, @omackson, @adater, @margotroosevelt, Virginia Mercury, @karlmondon, @chaseneil, @ctguild, @williamhoup, @rynk, @amlwhere, @katchicago, @crepeau, @leighgiangreco, @maryknitspdx, @chasejohn, @thomas_peele, Editor & Publisher Magazine, @joepompeo, @joepompeo, @sulliview, @mmckinne17, @mlcalderone and @kdoctor
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Kimberly Pierceall / Virginian-Pilot:
Tribune Publishing has accepted buyouts from 20 people in news operations at The Virginian-Pilot, Daily Press, and related community publications
Discussion:
American Press Institute, @vpjedwards, @pierceall, @pierceall, @pierceall, @pierceall, @ethartley, @virginianpilot, @pierceall, @pierceall, @pierceall, @pierceall, @alissaskelton, @tylerjuranovich, Washingtonian, @pierceall, @pierceall, Talking Biz News, @kenwardjr, @haltman, @joeyerardi, @havana58, @oversharinerin, @oversharinerin, @gragonews, @danlamothe, @brockvergakis, @heettweets, @journomurph, @mike_hixenbaugh, @pdavis_llc, @gragonews, @brockvergakis, @bypetercoutu, @aileen__devlin, @aileen__devlin, @briancolligan, @robynsidersky and @saragregory
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