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.
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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:
@barackobama, The Wrap, 5ish from M.G. Siegler, Broadcasting & Cable, @stevepasquale, @scottfeinberg, @lawrence, @web, @jonerlichman, Ad Age, CNBC, @sarahwhit10, Business Insider, The Wrap, /Film, Fox News, The Streamable, Variety and Observer
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?
Discussion:
Press Gazette, What's New in Publishing, @deardara, MediaPost, THEFUTURE and The Guardian
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 — The Black News Channel, founded by a former Republican congressman, will try to win the growing Black cable news audience.
Discussion:
Fox Business, NPR, @nbcblk, @placebo90511492, BBC, @mayaaking, CNN, @spj_tweets, @eviefordham, @mvgal92691, @ronkelawal, @liamhknox, Mashable, The Hill and The Root
NBC News:
Sources: Condé Nast is planning on suspending its Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit this year as the conference is losing money — Moving the Market: Deutsche Telekom chief Tim Höttges and T-Mobile chief John Legere are on the verge of winning their long-sought merger of T-Mobile and Sprint …
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 — A growing network of African women journalists is leading data-driven projects that are elevating female voices and shedding light on under-reported stories.
Discussion:
American Press Institute
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, VentureBeat, TechCrunch and Reuters
The Information:
Sources: YouTube is considering a competitor to Amazon and Apple TV channels for accessing premium video subscriptions from other companies — YouTube is sending signals that it wants to become a destination site for every part of the TV universe. — The Google-owned video giant …
Discussion:
MediaPost, @alexeheath and Engadget, more at Techmeme »
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, @emilybell, @livmqhenry and The Rural Blog
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 — Ben Nimmo helped pioneer disinformation investigations. His work is now more urgent as misleading internet tactics spread.
Discussion:
@general_ben, @dfrlab, @alexstamos, @satariano, @ngleicher and @benimmo
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:
MediaPost, Deadline, Wall Street Journal, Engadget, IndieWire, Adweek, The Wrap, Hollywood Reporter and The Streamable
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 — Four and a half years after launching a weekly news magazine for kids in the United Kingdom, Dennis Publishing is bringing The Week Junior to the United States in March.
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 — The podcaster Lauren Chooljian has irked some people in the state with “Stranglehold,” a close look at an all-important contest.
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, Boing Boing, @nytimesbusiness, @meg_heckman, @connorobriennh, @emma_hurt, @nytimesbusiness, @tonyjarnold, @jaxalemany and @marcatracy
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