Mediagazer: While ad and event revenue declines due to COVID-19 may wound the news industry, choices by hedge funds and private equity in a recession could be catastrophic (Joshua Benton/Nieman Lab)

9:20 AM ET, March 11, 2020

Top News:

Joshua Benton / Nieman Lab:

While ad and event revenue declines due to COVID-19 may wound the news industry, choices by hedge funds and private equity in a recession could be catastrophic — Declines in ad revenue and all those canceled events might prove manageable. But the real risk would come with a virus-inspired recession …

Discussion: Poynter, @ylichterman, CNN, @darrendcarroll, @netaustin, @jbenton, @ellenroseman, @rickedmonds and CBC News

Andrew Beaujon / Washingtonian:

In a memo to staff, WaPo is encouraging all of its employees to work from home until the end of the month, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak — The arrangement is in response to the coronavirus crisis. — The Washington Post has sent a memo to all its employees encouraging them to work …

Discussion: New York Post, @oliverdarcy, @timaeppel, @hcjewell, @dataeditor, @bcrodriguez, @abeaujon, @abtran, @donnacassata, Washington Post, The Hill, @abeaujon, @abeaujon, @abarnardnyt, Vanity Fair and Talking Points Memo

Zach Montellaro / Politico:

Due to COVID-19, Sunday's debate between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders will be held without an in-person audience, and CNN won't host a press center or spin room — The debate will still be held, though there won't be a “spin room” or filing center for the press.

Discussion: @cnnpr, Mediaite, Newser, USA Today, @jbarro, @rachelnpr, @yashar, @connieschultz, Wall Street Journal, @jeneps, @jonlovett, @carloslozadawp, @kiminsley, Variety, @kellyaucoin77 and TVNewser

Doug Haddix / IRE:

An attendee of IRE's NICAR conference in New Orleans has tested presumptively positive for COVID-19, has mild symptoms, and is self-quarantining for 14 days — A person who attended the NICAR20 conference in New Orleans last week tested presumptively positive today with COVID-19.

Discussion: @ire_nicar, @miyashay, @ryanfamuliner, @juliangillmusic, @danahull, @conarck, @nlinphoto, @katereports, @a_l, @mtdukes, @carla_astudi, @lisasorg, @mtdukes, @corbettsmithdmn, @jenny8lee, @ddpan, @doughaddix, @doughaddix, @dataeditor and @joeleastwood

Brian Steinberg / Variety:

AT&T's Xandr says AMC Networks, WarnerMedia, and Disney joined Xandr Invest, its self-serve ad-buying platform, which will be available for 2020 “upfronts” — Battle lines are being drawn in the ongoing quest to lure advertisers to new kinds of TV commercials.

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable, Ad Age, Adweek, Reuters and Business Wire

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Vox Media launches Concert Local, a local ad network pooling local news sites' ad inventories and funded, source says, by $1M+ from the Google News Initiative — Vox Media, the parent company to brands like The Verge, SB Nation, GrubStreet and more, is partnering with Google to create …

Discussion: @clockwerks, @hilmonstah, @clockwerks, @bankoff and @simonowens

Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:

French data protection watchdog CNIL says it is investigating the adtech company Criteo, following Privacy International's complaints against seven companies — Adtech giant Criteo is under investigation by the French data protection watchdog, the CNIL, following a complaint filed …

Discussion: Privacy International and Digiday

Sara Fischer / Axios:

Recount Media, the short-form political video startup founded by journalists John Battelle and John Heilemann, raises $13M Series A — Recount Media, a short-form political video startup created by veteran journalists John Battelle and John Heilemann, has raised $13 million its Series A funding round, executives tell Axios.

Brian Steinberg / Variety:

Memo: NBC News will shift some employees to work on exploring streaming options for Today as the show continues digital expansion with plans to hire 30 staff — NBC News is considering whether its venerable “Today” morning show might also serve as an all-day streaming-video outlet.

Discussion: @bristei, TVNewser and The Streamable

Savannah Jacobson / Columbia Journalism Review:

How the “crying reporter” became a new genre of clickbait for news outlets like CNN; YouTube videos of anchors showing tearful emotion generate increased views — The Trump presidency works in symbiosis with the media. Television journalists dramatize the news, then mine that emotion for clicks.

Discussion: @matthewkeyslive, @baekdal and @cjr

Alex Curry / American Press Institute:

Study of 400 people finds that people pay for news because it reinforces their social identities, not because it's good for democracy — This piece is part of API's Research Review series, which highlights academic research that could be relevant and useful to the news industry.

Discussion: @ampress and @ampress

Manish Singh / TechCrunch:

Disney launches Disney+ in India, weeks ahead of its scheduled launch date, through Hotstar; Hotstar gets rebranded to Disney+ Hotstar with a new logo — Disney+ has arrived in India — weeks ahead of its scheduled launch date. The American giant revamped Hotstar app and populated …

Discussion: Livemint, Hindustan Times, The Financial Express, YourStory.com, NDTV Gadgets 360, XDA Developers, The Next Web and The Wire

Natalie Jarvey / Hollywood Reporter:

Sources: Disney+ executives are still struggling to define its brand identity, as several original series in development have been dropped in the past year — In his new role “getting everything right creatively,” the former CEO is likely to tackle the streaming service, which …

Discussion: @ashkan, Business Insider, io9, Engadget, The A.V. Club, Dark Horizons, The Playlist, @aaroncouch, Bleeding Cool and /Film

Bloomberg:
Ampere: ~55% of programming on Disney+ is 10+ years old, compared to 48% on Prime Video and 19% on Netflix; Disney has 54 series in production vs. Netflix's 287

Discussion: @luxury and Dark Horizons

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Tim Warsinskey / Plain Dealer:
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George Steer / Financial Times:
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Robert Burnson / Bloomberg:
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