Top News:
Jason Gurwin / The Streamable:
Universal Pictures to make digital rentals of some new movies now in theaters available for $20 from March 20, and upcoming Trolls World Tour on its release day — In light of the movie theaters being brought to a standstill, Universal Pictures is changing the game.
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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, Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap, Mumbrella, Fortune, @ecareyo, /Film, @variety, @ecnalhanid, The Playlist, @ewagmeister, CNN, Wired, Vanity Fair, The Guardian, MediaPost and KRON4
Hollywood Reporter:
Regal Cinemas, the second-largest movie chain in the US, will close all theaters starting March 17 and will remain closed until further notice — The move follows a federal government recommendation for U.S. adults to avoid public gatherings of more than 10 people.
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:
The Keyword, Adweek, TechCrunch, Business Insider, @ytcreators, 9to5Google, Engadget, @youtubeinsider, Marketing Land, The Verge and Variety, more at Techmeme »
Rachel Abrams / New York Times:
Inside The Seattle Times' COVID-19 coverage, as nearly all of its 58 reporters cover a pandemic affecting their neighbors and friends while trying to stay safe — “That's what local papers are meant to do”: The journalists at The Seattle Times have been aggressively covering the coronavirus as it affects their neighbors and friends.
Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet:
Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Reddit, Twitter, and YouTube say they're working with each other and healthcare agencies to tackle misinfo about COVID-19 — Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Reddit, Twitter, and YouTube put out joint statement promising to fight COVID-19 fraud and curb misinformation.
Discussion:
About Facebook, The Verge, USA Today, Reuters, Business Insider, Wccftech, Wccftech, @microsoft, The Verge and FactCheck.org, more at Techmeme »
Pete Brown / Columbia Journalism Review:
Study of 13K+ stories on News Corp's Knewz between February 4 and March 2 shows that the news aggregator frequently defaults to Murdoch titles and Daily Mail — Knewz, News Corp.'s recently launched news aggregator—not to be confused with the polka band of the same name—debuted with a grand promise …
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, Wccftech, Business Insider, @caseyjohnston, Gizmodo, @josephfcox, @theintercept, @taylorlorenz, @cindygallop, @rose_catb, @mattpostsayshi, The Verge, @slooterman and PAPER, more at Techmeme »
Michael Schneider / Variety:
A look at Camel Rock Studios, a New Mexico film studio owned by a Native American tribe, as it capitalizes on the state's filming boom from Netflix and others — Last year, the Tesuque Pueblo tribe of New Mexico opened a new casino, moving out of a 75,000-square foot facility …
Discussion:
@dinemillennials, @kmfdt, @phil_jackson, @alexjacobs, @kaelanisays and @keylimeburquena
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
AMC Networks says it is planning to sell ad packages that accompany its shows even when they become available on ad-supported streaming outlets like Pluto TV — AMC Networks wants to sell the ads that accompany “Walking Dead” on its flagship cable outlet and wherever the series' zombies might march.
Discussion:
Adweek, Broadcasting & Cable and Ad Age
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 …
Discussion:
The Streamable
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.
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