Top News:
Tony Maglio / The Wrap:
The 2020 Oscars drew 23.6M viewers, an all-time low and down 20% YoY; the 2018 Oscars held the previous all-time low of 26.5M viewers — Audience for 92nd Academy Awards declines 20% — The 2020 Oscars drew 23.6 million viewers on ABC, down a whopping 6 million viewers — or -20% from last year.
RELATED:
Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:
Netflix won only two Oscars despite 24 nominations: Best Supporting Actress for Laura Dern and Best Documentary Feature for American Factory from Obamas' studio — Although Netflix received 24 nominations (the most of any studio) at this year's Oscars, its films only ended up winning two awards.
Discussion:
The Wrap, CNBC, @barackobama, /Film, Variety, Business Insider, Fox News, @scottfeinberg, @lawrence, @sarahwhit10, Observer, The Streamable, @stevepasquale, @web and @jonerlichman
Emily Bell / The Guardian:
NYT's success in hitting a target of $800M annual digital revenue, while young startups struggle, lays bare media's disastrous winner takes all state of affairs — A handful of legacy institutions thrive as digital startups face increasing pressures — The financial health of journalism …
Discussion:
THEFUTURE, @ndhapple, @chriselliott57, @wblau, @nicnewman, @garyfoskett and @baekdal
RELATED:
Adam Sherwin / inews:
Sources: the BBC is almost certain to appoint its first female Director-General, with Elisabeth Murdoch and ITV CEO Carolyn McCall as two top contenders — Prospect of Rupert Murdoch's daughter running the BBC will unnerve staff - but she has the right credentials for Downing Street
Ren LaForme / Poynter:
Muck Rack launches Trends, a Google Trends-like tool that shows which journalists and news organizations wrote about topics the most — What are journalists writing about? It seems like a question with an easy answer. Just go to a news outlet's homepage and take a peek, or do a quick internet search.
Discussion:
@poynter, @itsren and @michellemanafy
Elaine Low / Variety:
Sony Pictures Television Chairman Mike Hopkins will exit this month to oversee Amazon's video entertainment operations, including Amazon Studios and Prime Video — Sony Pictures Television Chairman Mike Hopkins is departing his post at the industry's largest independent TV studio later …
Discussion:
Deadline, The Wrap, The Streamable and Hollywood Reporter
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
Journalists should avoid framing politics as a horserace and stop making political predictions in part because there's so little accountability if they're wrong — Of all the lessons the mainstream media should have learned over the past four years, one of them is inexcusably obvious: We're bad at predictions.
Discussion:
@sulliview, Raw Story, @jason_pontin, Columbia Journalism Review, @anandwrites, @danvock, @dangillmor, The Week, @jayrosen_nyu, @nprscottsimon and Politico
Jim Waterson / The Guardian:
Sources: George Osborne is expected to leave the Evening Standard, as the publication changes direction under CEO Mike Soutar amid widening losses — Exclusive: former chancellor expected to leave role amid shakeup by new chief executive, sources say — George Osborne's future …
Discussion:
@suzanne_moore and @markhorsleyuk
Jason Gutierrez / New York Times:
Philippines moves to end the franchise of the country's leading broadcast network ABS-CBN, the latest push by Duterte's admin against critical media outlets — It's the latest push by the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte against media outlets he views as critical of his government.
Discussion:
Agence France-Presse, @nytimes, @heyitsmemistera, @alders_ledge and @alfonslopeztena
Stephen Battaglio / Los Angeles Times:
A look at New Hampshire's WMUR, a Hearst-owned station watched by 56% of the state's households weekly and which took in ~$40M in political advertising in 2016 — The unsuccessful 1996 and 2000 presidential campaigns of publishing scion Steve Forbes may have faded from memory.
News Corp:
News Corp says WSJ passed 2M digital subscribers in Q4 2019, up 13% YoY, while Dow Jones digital subscriptions grew 17% and overall subscriptions passed 3.5M — Dow Jones Surpasses 3.5 Million Subscriptions for First Time — The Wall Street Journal Crosses 2 Million Digital Subscriptions Mark
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, MediaPost, Fox Business, @michaelmillerau, @gerryfsmith and News Corp
David Streitfeld / New York Times:
After Amazon removes Nazi and neo-Nazi books, some third-party booksellers say it seems to operate under vague or nonexistent rules regarding prohibited books — The retailer once said it would sell “the good, the bad and the ugly.” Now it has banished objectionable volumes …
Discussion:
@jgreenblattadl, @nytimesbooks, @kirstinestewart, @brendannyhan, WIRED UK, @redlianak, @henrywfowler and @puiwingtam
@CTGuild / Chicago Tribune Guild:
[Thread] Tribune Publishing's Chicago-area newsrooms are losing more than a dozen staffers who chose to take buyouts in the most recent round of cuts — Today we mark the departures of more than a dozen colleagues, both in and out of the Guild, across all Chicago-area Tribune Publishing newsrooms, who have chosen to take the most recent round of buyouts. We wish them the best in this new era for their careers and their lives.
RELATED:
Output Producer, CA — 
China Markets Correspondent, Shanghai — 
Senior Assignment Editor, DC — 
Breaking News Editor, Tokyo — 
Senior Correspondent - Wealth, NY — 
Reporter - Ottawa Bureau — 
Local Government Reporter, IA — 
Research Director, CA — 
Immigration Enforcement Reporter — 
Presque Island Reporter, ME — 
Contributing Parks Ed. - SW, CA — 
AI Content Editor, WA — 
Legislative Reporter, TN — 
Editorial Assistant, Remote US — 
Elon Musk Reporter, NY or CA — 
Government & Politics Editor, WA — 
Business & GA Reporter. VT — 
Sports Reporter, WA — 
Energy Reporter, TX — 
Senior Reporter, SC — 
Trade & Climate Correspondent, DC — 
Reporter, WI — 
Political Newsletter Writer, CO — 
Jackson Reporter, MS — 
Music Editor, AZ — 
Breaking News Reporter, NV — 
Fearless Reporter/Producer, IA — 
Reporter II - Technology, Remote — 
Editor, Remote US — 
City Reporter, WA — 
Executive Editor, OR — 
Education & Budget Reporter, CA — 
Senior Writer/Editor, FL — 
Media Editor, Remote — 
