Top News:
Nicole Sperling / New York Times:
Jeffrey Katzenberg blames COVID-19 for Quibi's paltry downloads as execs lower projections from 7M users and $250M subscriber revenue estimated for first year — Downloads of the $1.8 billion short-form streaming app, meant for phones, are paltry. “I attribute everything that has gone wrong to coronavirus,” Mr. Katzenberg said.
Discussion:
The Wrap, @kerrymflynn, Digital Trends, @ranimolla, @darren_mooney, @netw3rk, @joshsternberg, @ericnewcomer, @willmcavoyacn, Decider, @loudmouthjulia, The Verge, @jbillinson, @maura, @tomgara, @samuelaadams, @jonrosenberg, @tomgara, @dylanbyers, @karynspencer, @dylanbyers, @thekenyeung, @thekenyeung, @yoda, @azalben, @azalben, @thekenyeung, @thekenyeung and @readdanwrite, more at Techmeme »
Max Willens / Digiday:
Six months after the glitzy launch of Facebook News, sources at seven publishers say they have seen little impact as the company focuses on other things — Publishers who are used to seeing Facebook launch a new product with much fanfare, then have momentum fizzle, are starting to get a familiar feeling.
Discussion:
@arctictony, @jbenton, @chronotope, @maxwillens, @chrismoranuk and @rasmus_kleis, more at Techmeme »
Elizabeth Culliford / Reuters:
Twitter says it will add labels and warning messages to tweets about COVID-19 with misleading or disputed content and plans to expand the labels to other topics — (Reuters) - Twitter Inc will add labels and warning messages on some tweets with disputed or misleading information about COVID-19 …
Discussion:
Twitter, @twittersupport, Variety, NPR, @anthony, @lisackaplan, @digiphile, Vox, TechCrunch, @metaviv, @billprady, @parkermolloy, @tyadkisson, @jeffstone500, @marklittlenews, @yoyoel and @twittertogether, more at Techmeme »
Ben Smith / New York Times:
As Australian and French regulators plan to make tech companies pay publishers for news content, leaders from Ireland to Malaysia say they are paying attention — News organizations have long hoped that tech platforms would pay them for news. Now regulators abroad are moving to make that happen.
Discussion:
@jeffjarvis, Media Nation, @alecstapp, @mathewi, @jason_kint, @lpolgreen, @yuriyyarovoy, @jeffjarvis, @rasmus_kleis, @benyt, @davewiner, @benjaminbland, @mazmhussain, @jeffjarvis, @alecmacgillis, @tonyromm, @acoyne, @jbenton, @paulg, @s8mb, @bobbierman, @isaacfitzgerald, @jcassano, @jeffjarvis, @antoniogm, @mohamed, @mayawiley, @benyt, @yuriyyarovoy, @alex_panetta, @perlberg, @markscott82, @jeffjarvis, @jeffjarvis, @ewong, @megankstack, @ninabernstein1, @benyt and Dan Kennedy
Katie Shepherd / Washington Post:
Trump calls for NBC to fire Chuck Todd after Meet the Press acknowledges “inadvertently and inaccurately” editing a clip of an interview with AG William Barr — President Trump spent much of his Sunday holiday sharing more than 100 tweets and retweets, bouncing between wishing everyone a …
CNN:
Some OAN staff say they were embarrassed by a Friday report from the channel promoting a fringe conspiracy theory, and the segment was pulled out of TV rotation — It pains me to lead this newsletter with un-reliable sources, but sometimes it's necessary. Right now is one of those times.
Discussion:
CBS News, @holden, @brianstelter, @oliverdarcy, @brianstelter, @marshallcohen, @oliverdarcy, @cahnemily, @mattortega and Mediaite
Jill Goldsmith / Deadline:
Shares of AMC Entertainment are up 40%+ after a report on Sunday said Amazon held talks to acquire the theater chain; sources say there are no talks — Shares of AMC Entertainment were up a hefty 40% in early trading Monday on a report in U.K. outlet The Daily Mail that Amazon may be interested …
Discussion:
This is Money, Daily Mail, @jamienimmo63, Bloomberg, @rebeller and New York Post
Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
Trump, devoid of a plan to combat COVID-19, is relying on the media to amplify his lies and spin; instead, the focus should be on experts and personal stories — Comparing the number of deaths from covid-19 to those caused by car crashes never made any sense. But the gimmick caught on anyway.
Ashley Carman / The Verge:
Spotify announces Group Sessions in beta, letting multiple Premium users control a listening session — Share DJ time with your quarantine buddies — Spotify is giving premium users a new feature that'll allow them to share DJ duties with anyone in their immediate vicinity.
Discussion:
Gizmodo, TechCrunch, @b_fung, @cassblacksf, @martinsfp and @jeremarketer, more at Techmeme »
Travis Andrews / Washington Post:
Facebook, YouTube, and Vimeo say they are removing a viral 26-minute trailer for “Plandemic”, a conspiracy film that features well-known anti-vaxxers — Social media companies including YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook are removing a viral conspiracy theory video because of its claims regarding the coronavirus pandemic.
John Eggerton / Multichannel News:
Communications unions release a joint statement laying out guidelines for news organizations to follow in protecting news workers amid the pandemic — Those include no layoffs or furloughs without discussions between labor and management — Communications unions have teamed …
Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter:
Comcast unites its NBCUniversal and Sky business units to launch a new advertising unit for global brands and international marketers — The new offering will target “global brands and international marketers,” and will be an expansion of NBCUniversal's One Platform ad strategy.
Discussion:
Broadcasting & Cable