Top News:
Rebecca Rubin / Variety:
North American box office plunged to around $55.3M this weekend, its worst weekend since sales of $54.5M from September 15 to 17 in 2000 — Much of public life in the United States essentially ground to a halt this week. In the entertainment world, theme parks shut down, Broadway went dark …
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter, MediaPost, New York Post, Wired, Vanity Fair, @ecareyo, @variety, @ewagmeister, The Guardian, KRON4, @ecnalhanid and The Playlist
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New York Times:
As the COVID-19 outbreak discourages moviegoers and theatrical releases get delayed, the ascendancy of streaming services may be accelerating — Cinemas, already contending with streaming services, are now facing the prospect of no audiences and no new films because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Discussion:
@ennisnyt and @rossdawson
Sarah Scire / Nieman Lab:
Publications dependent on revenue from event ads, like alt-weeklies, are hit hard by coronavirus; Seattle's The Stranger says it's lost ~90% of its income — In a memo to staff, The New York Times called the coronavirus “an enormous story, a once-in-a-generation crisis that inevitably touches everyone's lives.”
The Intercept:
Leaked docs: TikTok told moderators to suppress posts from those deemed “ugly”, poor, or disabled, and censor political speech in livestreams, to attract users — The makers of TikTok, the Chinese video-sharing app with hundreds of millions of users around the world …
Discussion:
@panzer, @caseyjohnston, The Verge, @mattpostsayshi, @josephfcox, @theintercept, @taylorlorenz, @cindygallop, @rose_catb and @slooterman, more at Techmeme »
Variety:
Sources: Universal Music Group chief Lucian Grainge has been hospitalized after a positive COVID-19 test — Universal Music Chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge has been hospitalized after testing positive for coronavirus, multiple sources exclusively told Variety.
Discussion:
Billboard, Los Angeles Times, @mattloverera, @jeff__benjamin, @thebrentsmith, @billboard, NME, UPROXX, @timlarew, The Wrap, Music Ally, @yashar, @mattdonnelly, AppleInsider, Music Business Worldwide and The Loop
Javier C. Hernández / New York Times:
Chinese journalists, usually muzzled, are publicly pushing back against the government's positive coronavirus spin, buoyed by widespread calls for free speech — The Communist Party is trying to fill the airwaves with positive stories about its battle against the virus.
Discussion:
@ajenglish, @hernandezjavier, Fox News, @hernandezjavier, @hernandezjavier, @ewong, @hernandezjavier and @hernandezjavier
Poynter:
A licensed psychotherapist weighs in on how journalists can manage the stress of nonstop COVID-19 coverage — 9 ways journalists can push back against the stress of an always-on story — I have been hearing from journalists who are stressed out by this nonstop COVID-19 coverage.
Discussion:
@marinafang, @n_yang, @junkeranna, @jimmacmillan, @firstdraftnews and @ctardaguila
Elsa Keslassy / Variety:
French pay TV group Canal Plus says it will be free for the next few weeks or months during the country's lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak — French pay TV group Canal Plus will be free for the next few weeks or months during the country's lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.
YouTube Creator Blog:
YouTube says it will be relying more on automated systems as content moderators stay home, and creators may see fewer strikes against videos but more removals — Today, as the unprecedented COVID-19 situation continues, Google outlined how it's reducing the need for people to come …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, 9to5Google, @ytcreators, @youtubeinsider and The Keyword, more at Techmeme »
Scott Nover / Adweek:
MediaRadar: TikTok is the biggest advertiser on Snapchat, with about 80% of TikTok's US ad spend between 2018 and 2019 going to Snapchat — Multiple sources indicate that TikTok has invested heavily on Snapchat — Key Insights: — While Snapchat and TikTok compete for the attention …
Discussion:
@scottnover, @scottnover and @adweek
Emily Roseman / The Membership Puzzle Project:
How Danish subscription news site Zetland, with ~15K members, achieved financial sustainability by leveraging its most loyal supporters to recruit new members — In March 2016, the Danish member-driven newsroom Zetland launched as a daily publication with the goal of adding curiosity and complexity to public conversation.
Manori Ravindran / Variety:
Disney Plus has partnered with O2 as its exclusive UK mobile network distributor, a week ahead of its launch — Disney Plus has linked with O2 as its exclusive U.K. mobile network distributor, a week ahead of its highly anticipated launch. — New and upgrading monthly customers to O2 …
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