Top News:
Alex Sherman / CNBC:
In suit challenging Trump's EO, TikTok says in the US it had 11.3M MAUs in Jan. 2018, 91.9M in June 2020, and now has 100M+; globally it had ~700M MAUs in July — - TikTok revealed specific U.S. and global growth milestones for the first time in a lawsuit against the U.S. government.
Discussion:
TikTok, Ad Age, New York Times, MediaNama, @alexweprin, Axios, @pkafka, CNN, @xpangler, Fortune, @susanlitv, Reason, Variety, The Hill, Deadline and Forbes, more at Techmeme »
Jon Allsop / Columbia Journalism Review:
As the RNC shapes up to be a “major medical and political disinformation event”, networks should be ready to cut away when Trump and his allies start lying — In June—with Roy Cooper, the Democratic governor of North Carolina, refusing, due to the pandemic …
Discussion:
@grynbaum, @lispower1, @grynbaum, @dceiver, @ddale8, @jamessurowiecki, @craignewmark, @jayrosen_nyu, @oliverdarcy, @donwinslow, @cjr, @jon_allsop, The Week, TVNewser, The Media Nut, Reason, Real Clear Politics and Poynter
RELATED:
New York Times:
Following the DNC, Republicans are rushing to finalize their convention, promising a more traditional in-person spectacle, leaving some TV networks in the dark — The party is promising a more traditional in-person spectacle with President Trump speaking every night.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Politico, @jonlemire, @mattgertz, TVNewser, @versharma, Reason, @mattgertz, @ericschultz, The Independent, CNN, CNN, CNN, ABC News, @michaelkruse, @politicoalex, @politicoalex, @politico, The Week, Real Clear Politics, NPR and Variety
Daniel Holloway / Variety:
Audible debuts Audible Plus, a $7.95/month tier with unlimited access to a library of 11K+ titles spanning audiobooks, podcasts, and original productions — Audible has announced a new service that will provide unlimited listening to a curated library of audio entertainment.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, The Verge, @ashleyrcarman, @lucas_shaw, @ballmatthew, RAIN News, CNET, Hollywood Reporter and Deadline, more at Techmeme »
Elon Green / The Appeal:
White writers and editors dominate the true crime genre, getting to choose what crime is worth a feature, which can skew perceptions of what constitutes a crime — White voices and victims dominate the genre, which can skew the perception of what constitutes a crime.
Discussion:
Best Evidence
Gavin Bridge / Variety:
iSpot: US TV ad spending between January 1 and August 15 in 2020 was $37B, the lowest level seen since 2016, and down 9% YoY — The toll the coronavirus has taken upon the U.S. TV ad industry is, to date, $3.7 billion, or a decline of 9%. — That's according to estimated ad spend data from ad analytics firm iSpot.
Discussion:
@awallenstein, @joshsternberg, @lucas_shaw and Bloomberg
Tarpley Hitt / The Daily Beast:
Inside Roku's Non-Certified Channels, unregulated private channels ostensibly for beta testing, some including conspiracy and far-right content — DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE — The digital streaming device's easy-to-access private channels are a dark place filled with some of the worst of humanity.
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
UK-based MelodyVR, which creates immersive live music for VR headsets and phones, acquires Rhapsody International, owner of Napster, from RealNetworks for $70M — Napster, the pioneering digital music brand from way back when, is changing hands once more. Today, a UK startup called MelodyVR …
Discussion:
The Guardian and Music Business Worldwide
Miles Weiss / Bloomberg:
Dow Jones says it is getting $140K in a settlement with Zero Hedge, which allegedly republished 37 editorials and articles from WSJ without approval — - Site posted Journal articles without approval, Dow Jones says — Payment will be made in two parts this year and next
Discussion:
@itsdgc, @katie_martin_fx and @ahmed
Newmark J-School:
Report: Spanish-language US news coverage of topics Latinx audiences are most interested in, like immigration, made up a small and declining share from 2017-19 — NEW YORK, NY; Aug. 18, 2020: A research report released today by the Center for Community Media (CCM) shows surprising gaps …
Discussion:
@niemanlab, @niemanlab and @niemanreports
Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Triller says it has partnered with JioSaavn to embed its short videos into Reliance's music streamer, as the app tries to capitalize on India's ban of TikTok — Triller, an app that functions similarly to TikTok, has inked a strategic partnership with a platform owned by India's richest man …
Discussion:
Protocol and MediaNama, more at Techmeme »
John Koetsier / Forbes:
Security research firm Snyk alleges that Chinese ad network Mintegral committed ad click fraud via its SDK across billions of installs of 1,200+ iOS apps — A Chinese ad network named Mintegral is accused of spying on user activity and committing ad fraud in more than 1,200 apps with 300 million installs per month since July 2019.
Discussion:
@alyssam_infosec, @johnkoetsier, AppleInsider and ZDNet, more at Techmeme »
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