Mediagazer: Reuters has created a virtual sports journalist prototype that reads out game summaries and reports using AI and footage of a human presenter (Freddy Mayhew/Reuters)

4:25 PM ET, February 11, 2020

Top News:

Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:

Source: Spotify is paying close to $200M upfront for the Ringer, to be followed by more than $50M later — - Streamer has spent more than $600 million on podcast deals — Sports columnist Bill Simmons founded the Ringer in 2016 — Spotify Technology SA is paying close …

Discussion: Business Insider, Music Business Worldwide and @ajs, more at Techmeme »

Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:

WaPo's digital subscriber growth doesn't seem to be making expected gains on NYT despite a mass-oriented strategy, and WaPo hasn't posted the numbers since 2018 — But will the Journal and The Washington Post be able to catch up to the market leader going forward? Or is the Times preparing to lap the field?

Joan E. Solsman / CNET:

Nielsen: streaming makes up 19% of US TV watching, with Netflix comprising 31% of streaming on TVs, followed by 21% on YouTube, 12% on Hulu, and 8% on Amazon — Netflix is big and it's getting bigger. And we're not just watching it on our phones and tablets: That dominance translates …

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable, MediaPost, Adweek, The Wrap, Variety, @jtoeman, Reuters, VentureBeat and TechCrunch, more at Techmeme »

Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:

Sirius XM invests $75M in SoundCloud in exchange for a minority stake and two seats on the board — The audio entertainment giant puts money into the open audio platform. — Audio entertainment giant SiriusXM Holdings said Tuesday it has invested $75 million in open audio platform SoundCloud …

Discussion: Music Business Worldwide, TechCrunch, Variety, SoundCloud press releases, @pkafka, Wall Street Journal, @ldignan and @pkafka, more at Techmeme »

Janko Roettgers / Protocol:

Redbox has begun testing its ad-supported live TV online streaming service, powered in part by Xumo, with preprogrammed channels like USA Today and TMZ — Cord-cutting is driving a rush toward free video, but experts caution not to expect Netflix-size results.

Discussion: Fast Company, Media Play News, @richlightshed and Cord Cutters News

Freddy Mayhew / Reuters:

Reuters has created a virtual sports journalist prototype that reads out game summaries and reports using AI and footage of a human presenter — Reuters has created a virtual sports journalist using artificial intelligence technology and video footage of a human presenter.

Sara Fischer / Axios:

YouTube is funding TYT Academy, a Young Turks online course focused on the creation of digital-first local news; sources: investment is in the mid-six-figures — The Young Turks (TYT), one of the largest progressive digital publishers on YouTube, is receiving funding from Google-owned YouTube …

Discussion: @oliverdarcy, @jeffjarvis, @jeffjarvis, @vinnysgreen, National Review, @scottbrodbeck, @jon_allsop and @media_evan

Jim Waterson / The Guardian:

Sources close to Elisabeth Murdoch say she has no interest in the job of BBC director and is focused on launching a production company — Sources say Rupert's daughter not interested in job, after press reports made her the favourite — Elisabeth Murdoch has made clear she has no interest …

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

Discussion: @jbenton, careerssearch.bbc.co.uk, @markdistef, @emilybell, Press Gazette, @rmcunliffe, @arusbridger, @janinegibson, @jimwaterson, @jamesrbuk, @markdistef, @peterjukes, @taraconlan, @adamsherwin10, @tcmbigcheese, @adamsherwin10 and Digital TV Europe

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Sources: podcast subscription service Luminary is expanding to New Zealand, Ireland, and South Africa — Reproduced from The Nielsen Total Audience Report, February 2020; Chart: Axios Visuals — Luminary is expanding its service to three new countries, New Zealand, South Africa, and Ireland, sources tell Axios.

Mike Canan / Trusting News:

WCPO exec on why the Scripps-owned Cincinnati TV station now only uses mugshots selectively and why it's important to tell viewers about big policy changes — Last summer as part of our station's efforts to examine our policies — especially when it comes to how we cover minority communities …

Discussion: The Marshall Project, @bykenarmstrong, @keribla, @keribla, @keribla, @jesspish, @allisonlcarter, @_toddstone, @katiepark, @selina3sticks, @dabeard, @keribla, @jason_a_w, @jimmacmillan, @spj_tweets, @niemanlab and @grant_blank_

Tim Arango / New York Times:

Profile of Carl Butz, a 71-year-old retiree who stepped in at the beginning of the year to save The Mountain Messenger, California's oldest weekly newspaper — High in the Sierra, Downieville, Calif., was about to become the latest American community to lose its newspaper.

Discussion: @themountainmess, @karaswisher, @jswatz, @emilybell, @christopherjm, @livmqhenry and The Rural Blog

Andrew Bucholtz / Awful Announcing:

FloSports is launching FloBaseball, a platform that will host NCAA, high school, and youth baseball programming — We've seen FloSports amping up their sport-specific offerings recently, most notably with FloBikes offering 75 events and more than 300 days of racing this year …

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable

BreAnna Bell / Variety:

Drake signs multiyear partnership with live streaming platform Caffeine to produce a series of rap battles and other live content — Live streaming service Caffeine.TV has announced an exclusive multiyear partnership with Drake. Infamous for his own rap feuds, the Canadian artist …

Discussion: VentureBeat, TechCrunch, Fast Company and Forbes

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.

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

Discussion: /Film, @barackobama, Quartz, 5ish from M.G. Siegler, The Wrap, @stevepasquale, @scottfeinberg, @lawrence, @web, @jonerlichman, @sarahwhit10, Broadcasting & Cable, Ad Age, Business Insider, The Wrap, Fox News, The Streamable, CNBC and Variety

Archived Page Info:

This is a snapshot of Mediagazer at 4:25 PM ET, February 11, 2020.

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Who's Hiring in Media?

Accounting Specialist Editor, Remote US — Reuters

Senior Correspondent - Wealth, NY — WSJ

Asia Credit Reporter, Seoul — Bloomberg

Senior Social Media Specialist, NC — espnW

Associate Editor - Aviation, TN — Firecrown

Assistant Editor - Digital, NC — SBJ

Video Producer - YouTube, NY — Morning Brew

Senior Managing Ed. - Daily Desk — The Athletic

Multimedia Journalist, CA — Paramount

Content Managing Editor — Freedom Forum

Editor, MA — Nieman Reports

Team Editor - Breaking News, ON — Toronto Star

Senior Reporter & Event Host, NY/CA — Newcomer

Associate Editor, Remote — Tech Policy Press

Retail Reporter, MN — Star Tribune

Managing Ed. - Berks County, PA — Spotlight PA

News Editor - UK, Remote — The Verge

News Reporter, MA — Berkshire Eagle

Multimedia Journalist, PA — Observer-Reporter

Service Journalism Editor, CA — Sacramento Bee

Content Director, Remote — Campaigns & Elections

Los Angeles Issues Reporter, CA — CalMatters

Reporter - Middle East — Rest of World

Executive Editor, OR — Lookout Local

California Playbook Writer, CA — Politico

Senior Media Editor — Digiday

National Investigative Reporter, NY — HuffPost

Lexington County Reporter, SC — The State

Reporter - Offshore Wind — Canary Media

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More News:

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
As part of Apple News' 2020 election coverage, Apple says Siri can now answer election-related questions, including sharing live election results from AP

Discussion: @danielpmcdermot, @redletterdave and iMore, more at Techmeme »

Freddy Mayhew / Press Association:
UK-based PA Media Group buys stock image company Alamy for an undisclosed sum

Discussion: PR Newswire

Adi Robertson / The Verge:
Patreon says creators can now set subscription prices in British pounds and euros, in addition to US dollars, and opens an office in Berlin

Todd Spangler / Variety:
Tubi says MAUs hit 25M in December 2019, up from 20M in June, with total viewing time of 163M hours, up 160% YoY, says content spending to exceed $100M+ in 2020

Discussion: The Streamable, TechCrunch and Broadcasting & Cable

Bloomberg:
To challenge Netflix and tap Culver City's deep entertainment resources, Amazon, Apple, and HBO are moving into vast office and production spaces in the city

Discussion: @jackskelley, more at Techmeme »

NBC News:
Sources: Condé Nast is planning on suspending its Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit this year as the conference is losing money

Kayleigh Barber / Digiday:
Dennis Publishing is launching The Week Junior in the US in March, four years after its debut in the UK; the magazine is aimed at kids ages 8-14

Earlier Picks:

Adam Satariano / New York Times:
Profile of Ben Nimmo, a founder of Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab, who helped pioneer investigations into online disinformation

Discussion: @general_ben, @dfrlab, @alexstamos, @satariano, @ngleicher and @benimmo

Irene Wangui / International Journalists' Network:
A look at WanaData Africa, a pan-African network of around 100 women journalists and data experts, who have collectively published over 100 stories since 2017

Discussion: American Press Institute

Liam Knox / NBC News:
Black News Channel, a 24/7 cable channel featuring black anchors and co-founded by former Republican congressman J.C. Watts, launches in select US markets

Discussion: American Press Institute, Fox Business, NPR, @nbcblk, @placebo90511492, @mayaaking, @eviefordham, @mvgal92691, @ronkelawal, @liamhknox, @spj_tweets, BBC, CNN, Mashable, The Hill and The Root

Marc Tracy / New York Times:
Profile of New Hampshire Public Radio's Lauren Chooljian, whose Stranglehold podcast has made her a divisive figure due to its unflattering look at NH's primary

Discussion: Nieman Lab, @connorobriennh, Boing Boing, @emma_hurt, @nytimesbusiness, @meg_heckman, @nytimesbusiness, @tonyjarnold, @jaxalemany and @marcatracy

The Information:
Sources: YouTube is considering a competitor to Amazon and Apple TV channels for accessing premium video subscriptions from other companies

Discussion: The Streamable, FierceVideo, MediaPost, @alexeheath and Engadget

Stars & Stripes:
DOD proposes funding cuts to the military newspaper Stars and Stripes; source: around $7M of “operating and maintenance funds” would be cut, or 35% of expenses

Discussion: Task & Purpose, @chadgarland, @starsandstripes, @rhreid, CNN, @kiddaaron, @oliverdarcy, @chadgarland and Wall Street Journal

Brian Steinberg / Variety:
CBS Sports strikes a deal with British bookmaker William Hill, making it the official provider of sportsbook and wagering data across all CBS Sports properties

Discussion: Axios, A Media Operator, @alexweprin, MediaPost and Broadcasting & Cable

From Techmeme:

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple is exploring a push into smart glasses by conducting an internal study, codenamed Atlas, to gather employee feedback on products on the market

Bloomberg:
Sources: Canadian authorities arrested Alexander “Connor” Moucka, who is allegedly behind hacks in June and July of up to 165 Snowflake customers including AT&T

Juli Clover / MacRumors:
The second developer beta of iOS 18.2 shows a “daily limit” for free access to “advanced” ChatGPT via Siri and an option to upgrade to ChatGPT Plus in Settings

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