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 »
Keri Blakinger / The Marshall Project:
Faced with questions about the lasting impact of online mugshot galleries, media outlets including the Houston Chronicle are increasingly doing away with them — Some are red-eyed from crying, others visibly drunk. Some sport black eyes or jarring face tattoos. Occasionally, one offers an addled grin.
Discussion:
@izzihughes_, @chatfieldkate, @mpanewspapers, @keribla, @keribla, @keribla, @keribla, @keribla and @brianmanzullo
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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
Discussion:
@bykenarmstrong, @jesspish, @allisonlcarter, @_toddstone, @katiepark, @selina3sticks, @dabeard, @keribla, @jason_a_w, @jimmacmillan, @spj_tweets, @niemanlab and @grant_blank_
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?
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 …
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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.
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 …
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, Reuters, The Wrap, Variety, @jtoeman, TechCrunch and VentureBeat, more at Techmeme »
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.
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
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, @scottbrodbeck, National Review, @jon_allsop, @media_evan and @vinnysgreen
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:
@jswatz, @themountainmess, @emilybell, @christopherjm, @livmqhenry, @karaswisher 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:
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