Top News:
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Michael Jordan docuseries “The Last Dance” debuts to an average 6.1M viewers across ESPN and ESPN 2, the most-viewed original content on the network since 2004 — An average of 6.1 million viewers tuned in to watch the first two episodes of the much-anticipated documentary series …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
NBCUniversal's movie ticketing company Fandango has agreed to buy Walmart's on-demand video streaming service Vudu for an undisclosed sum — Movie ticketing company Fandango has agreed to buy Walmart's on-demand video streaming service, Vudu, for an undisclosed sum.
Discussion:
vudu.custhelp.com, Ad Age, Adweek, Vudu Blog, Hollywood Reporter, @jasonlynch, @natjarv, @seannarrates, @moiseschiu, @megancgraham, IndieWire, @film_girl, @ashkan, @alexweprin, @taralach, @thekenyeung, Business Insider, Fast Company, Light Reading, Variety, Axios, Multichannel News, Engadget, The Streamable and Boing Boing, more at Techmeme »
Jay Rosen / PressThink:
Five suggestions to US media to improve COVID-19 coverage: end duplication, collaborate, and publish at the same time, dislodge Trump as “protagonist”, and more — Our news system is designed for daily content production, not for public understanding. In our current crisis we cannot afford that.
Discussion:
@froomkin, @piscitelli, @michaelsocolow and @jayrosen_nyu
Allison Schiff / AdExchanger:
Report: YouTube ad auditor OpenSlate refused to sign a contract with Google limiting info it can share with clients, like when ads run against sensitive videos — YouTube has broadened its measurement partner program and made it easier for buyers to find the right service provider for their needs.
Discussion:
Digiday, Wall Street Journal, @keachhagey, @jason_kint, @lopezgovlaw, Beyond Search and MediaPost
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
Meredith cuts pay for ~2,000 employees by 15% and moves them to four-day weeks from May 4 to Sept. 4; 750 staff, including top execs, to take cuts of 20% to 40% — - Meredith is temporarily cutting pay for about 60% of its employees as advertising slumps. — Meredith also said it is suspending …
Discussion:
New York Post, Broadcasting & Cable, @gregdool, TVSpy, @kerrymflynn, @sherman4949, The Wrap, @kerrymflynn, Adweek, Folio, MediaPost and PR Newswire
Frederic Filloux / Monday Note:
The media outlets that will emerge from the COVID-19 crisis will be lightweight, decentralized, less reliant on ads, and will bring more expertise to the table — The media outlets that will emerge from the global crisis will be lightweight, decentralized, less reliant on advertising …
Discussion:
@mariaramirezny and @raju
Kerry Flynn / CNN:
In a letter to Trump, 240 House members urge him to direct federal spending to ads in local media and encourage the same for businesses receiving stimulus money — New York (CNN Business)Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are getting louder in their call for the federal government to provide financial support …
Discussion:
Congress of the United States, @kerrymflynn, @nikkiusher, @kerrymflynn, @kerrymflynn and @cnnbusiness
RELATED:
Reporters Without Borders:
RSF's 2020 World Press Freedom Index shows correlation between COVID-19 news suppression and ranking; global indicator rose 0.9% YoY, but is down 12% since 2013 — The 2020 World Press Freedom Index, compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), shows that the coming decade will be decisive …
Discussion:
Press Gazette, Reporters Without Borders, Hong Kong Free Press HKFP, RAPPLER and The Guardian
New York Times:
As movie production isn't expected to resume until August, a look at how Hollywood's creatives, many of them freelance, are handling the pandemic — Production has ground to a halt, leaving a vast number of people without work and others trying to figure out how to finish projects remotely.
Discussion:
@ennisnyt
Tim Dams / Variety:
Apple Music expands to 52 new countries, for a total of 167 countries, while Spotify operates in 79; Apple Podcasts becomes available in 20 more countries — Apple has expanded the reach of its Apple Music platform to an additional 52 countries as part of the biggest geographical expansion of its services in almost a decade.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Apple, MacRumors and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
Columbia Journalism Review:
Journalists should extract lessons from the COVID-19 crisis that they can apply to covering climate change, which has eerily similar dynamics — This story was originally co-published by Columbia Journalism Review and The Nation as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalistic collaboration …
Discussion:
@cjr, @cjr and The Nation
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
The US music industry is reeling from the effective cancelation of summer concert and festival season, as COVID-19 prohibits large gatherings — Summer concert season ended before it began. While sports leagues and restaurants try to figure out when they can reopen to the public …
Discussion:
@markets, @thegunzshow, @newsynick, @lucas_shaw, @lucas_shaw and @lucas_shaw