Top News:
Patrick Brzeski / Hollywood Reporter:
China shuts down all cinemas again, after reopening 600 of them over the past week, without providing an official explanation for the shut down — Over the past two weeks, movie theaters had begun to gradually reopen in the country. No reason was given for the abrupt reversal …
Discussion:
Deadline, Variety, Business Insider, @irinatsukerman, Forbes, @variety, Vanity Fair, @alanmcole, @jeffdlowe, @zeitchikwapo, @frankpallotta, IndieWire and The Week
Cynthia Littleton / Variety:
ViacomCBS withdraws 2020 financial guidance, says it has a $3.5B credit facility, and expects 16M US streaming pay subscribers and 30M Pluto MAUs by end of 2020 — ViacomCBS on Friday became the latest media giant to warn investors about the grave threat to its business operations posed …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, TheStreet, @asharma, @lizrhoffman, ViacomCBS Inc., Digital TV Europe and @benmullin
Sarah Scire / Nieman Lab:
Slate launches a metered paywall with an initial threshold of at least 10 articles/month, says CEO, after which readers will have to join Slate Plus — “Up till now, Slate has provided almost all of its written work for free. But going forward, we think the way we will truly thrive …
Discussion:
@katie_rayford
Jon Porter / The Verge:
Disney-owned digital movie locker service Movies Anywhere is launching its first smart TV app, on LG — Making them the first smart TVs with a native app — Movies Anywhere — the Disney-owned movie locker service that combines your purchased films across digital stores including Apple TV …
Discussion:
Variety, The Streamable and Media Play News, more at Techmeme »
Bloomberg:
Sources: Media M&As worth $5B+ are on hold with ViacomCBS pausing the sale of Simon & Schuster, AT&T of 4 RSNs, and Black Diamond of Ion Media — Media companies including AT&T Inc. and ViacomCBS Inc. are pressing the pause button on asset sales worth more than $5 billion …
Mehdi Jedinia / Reuters:
Iran has ordered media to use only official statistics when covering COVID-19, told journalists to avoid investigative reporting, and harassed those who do — As coronavirus spreads in Iran, authorities have moved swiftly and aggressively to contain independent reporting about it by harassing …
Paul Heintz / Seven Days:
In the past two weeks in Vermont, one newspaper shut down, three suspended print editions, three reduced print frequency, seven announced layoffs and furloughs — Thursday's edition of the Waterbury Record will be its last. — In a front-page story announcing its own demise …
Discussion:
@paulheintz
Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Hooq, a streaming service backed by Singapore's Singtel, Sony Pictures, and Warner Bros, which had raised $95M, files for liquidation — On-demand video streaming service Hooq said on Friday it has filed for liquidation after it failed to grow rapidly and cover its increasing operating costs.
Discussion:
Reuters and @ianjsikora
Lauren Markham / Columbia Journalism Review:
Profile of Lizzie Johnson, the San Francisco Chronicle's first full-time fire reporter, who depicts fires as a “supporting character” in a nuanced human story — What you see in the aftermath of the California fires — On November 8, 2018, the day the Camp Fire broke out …
Discussion:
Voice of San Diego, @laurenmarkham_ and @lizziejohnsonnn
David Stout / New York Times:
Richard Reeves, a nationally syndicated columnist and author of books on presidents Kennedy, Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, and others, has died at 83 — His books on Kennedy, Nixon, Clinton and others could be as unsparing as his syndicated column. He was also a familiar face on PBS public-affairs programs.
Discussion:
@timothynoah1, @shireenmazari1, @frankrichny, @kennethturan, @alexgibneyfilm, @joenbc, @rayboomhower, @simonwwriter, @marilynajohnson, @saba_h, @laura_nelson, @peterbakernyt, @henryholt, @ronbrownstein, @paolouggetti, @peterhamby, @pattenbp, @davidaxelrod, @webjournalist, @keithbaldrey and @stengel
Facebook Grant Program:
The Facebook Journalism Project announces first round of $5,000 grants to North American local newsrooms for costs associated with COVID-19 pandemic coverage — The Facebook Journalism Project (FJP), the Lenfest Institute for Journalism and the Local Media Association (LMA) …
Discussion:
@bobmoorenews, @ryan_belmore, @jason_w_white, @tomnovelly, @mediatwit, @lizzyhazeltine, @brdraper, @karanormal and @ckrewson
Scott Feinberg / Hollywood Reporter:
Films can qualify for the Golden Globes without being screened in a theater, organizers announce; a special screening process will be in effect until April 30 — At least until April 30, but possibly beyond even that, films can qualify for consideration by the HFPA even if they do not first screen in a theater.
Discussion:
The Wrap, @slashfilm, Variety and The A.V. Club
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