Top News:
Ben Smith / New York Times:
Sources: some of Lachlan Murdoch's allies say he lacks the skills and political savvy to do his job, after he stood by while Fox News hosts downplayed COVID-19 — The 48-year-old Lachlan Murdoch stood by as Fox News hosts played down the danger of the deadly coronavirus to their viewers.
Hillel Italie / Associated Press:
Woody Allen's memoir was released by Arcade Publishing; Allen alleges Hachette vowed to publish it despite him “being a toxic pariah and menace to society” — NEW YORK (AP) — Woody Allen's memoir, dropped by its original publisher after widespread criticism, has found a new home, The Associated Press has learned.
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The Wrap, The Wrap, The Independent, Publishers Weekly, Variety, NME, The Week, Vanity Fair, The Playlist, Jezebel, IndieWire, @mousterpiece and Bookseller News
Todd Spangler / Variety:
VidCon cancels its US edition, scheduled to run from June 17-20, due to the pandemic, and says it is looking to stage the event sometime in the fall — Bowing the inevitable, VidCon's flagship U.S. edition in June has been canceled because of the coronavirus crisis.
Discussion:
@vidcon, @jeffsaxtonvlogs, @jennmcallister, @xpangler and @laurenzside
The New York Times Company:
The New York Times Company acquires Audm, the subscription-based audio app that offers listeners longform articles read by actors and celebrities — The New York Times Company has acquired Audm, the subscription-based audio app that offers listeners the world's best longform journalism …
Discussion:
RAIN News, @film_girl, TechCrunch, @jbenton, @mikiebarb, @nwquah, @kerrymflynn and @awilkinson, more at Techmeme »
Jeremy Fuster / The Wrap:
Oprah Winfrey launches a free, weekly talk show on Apple TV+ called Oprah Talks COVID-19, with the first episode featuring Idris Elba — Oprah Winfrey announced this weekend that she will be starting a new talk show series called “Oprah Talks COVID-19,” which will be available for free on Apple TV+ without a required subscription.
Júlio Lubianco / Knight Center for Journalism …:
The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked rare collaboration between rival newspapers, which are now publishing identical covers in six Latin American countries — The worldwide crisis of the new coronavirus pandemic is spreading a rare wave of collaboration between competing media outlets in Latin America.
Discussion:
@rosental
Dani Deahl / The Verge:
SoundCloud partners with Twitch to let SoundCloud creators fast-track new Twitch accounts to Affiliate status, unlocking Twitch's monetization tools — SoundCloud artists can apply for Twitch Affiliate status — SoundCloud has teamed up with Twitch to help indie musicians who are feeling …
Discussion:
RAIN News, @soundcloud, @jimmywhis, SoundCloud Blog and HYPEBEAST
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Amazon opens up free streaming access to more than 40 children's shows, including its original series, to all customers worldwide with an Amazon account — With millions of kids cooped up at home, Amazon is opening up free streaming access to more than 40 children's shows — including its original series — to all customers worldwide.
Discussion:
Hollywood Reporter, The Streamable, Engadget, @manori_r, @oliverdarcy and @brianstelter
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Survey of 10,000 people in 10 countries including the UK, US, and Brazil: just 43% trust journalists on COVID-19 news, even as 64% rely on media for information — Journalists are the least trusted source for coronavirus updates, even though a majority of people rely on major news organisations …
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, @rasmus_kleis, The Wrap and @hackinginquiry
Todd Spangler / Variety:
FuboTV will become a wholly owned subsidiary of FaceBank, creating a combined company called FuboTV Inc, led by current FuboTV CEO David Gandler — Over-the-top TV provider FuboTV is getting a lifeline, in the form of a proposed merger with virtual entertainment company FaceBank Group.
Discussion:
MediaPost, Broadcasting & Cable, The Streamable, @xpangler and @xpangler
Melynda Fuller / MediaPost:
Time offers Time for Kids to children at home for free amid school closures, the first time it's been available outside classrooms in its 25 years of publishing — Time is offering its child-focused spinoff Time for Kids to students, families and teachers at home for free amid the COVID-19 outbreak and school closures.
Discussion:
@keithgrossman
Foo Yun Chee / Reuters:
Facebook says it will temporarily reduce streaming rates for videos on its platform and on Instagram in Europe — BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Facebook will downgrade video streaming quality on its platform and on Instagram in Europe, the latest U.S. tech giant to respond to an EU call …
Discussion:
CNET, MediaPost, The Streamable, Bloomberg, @mattnavarra, CNBC and TechCrunch
Bruce Haring / Deadline:
Disney says it will reduce bandwidth use by at least 25% in EU markets where it is launching Disney+ on Mar. 24 and will delay its French launch until Apr. 7 — Disney+ is cutting back on its bandwidth utilization by 25 percent in the markets where its debuting on March 24.
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Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Disney says it has paused the rollout of Disney+ in India, which was set to launch March 29 alongside the now-delayed Indian Premier League cricket season
Disney says it has paused the rollout of Disney+ in India, which was set to launch March 29 alongside the now-delayed Indian Premier League cricket season
Discussion:
/Film, Business Standard, Tech2, Livemint, Variety, The Next Web, Forbes, Reuters, Deccan Herald, Deadline and Hollywood Reporter