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Profile of Reed Hastings as Netflix thrives during the pandemic, adding ~1M subscribers/month in the US and Canada and another 2M/month globally since March — The man responsible for keeping the world entertained does so, at least this day, alone in front of a computer screen, in his son's largely unadorned childhood bedroom.
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Wall Street Journal, Variety, @forbes, @forbes, @sherman4949 and @jbflint, more at Techmeme »
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Interview with Reed Hastings, on the future of Hollywood, the US election and social media, his new book about Netflix's aggressive company culture, and more — Netflix started with sending DVDs — remember them? — through the mail, but now the streaming pioneer sits atop a Hollywood it has thoroughly upended.
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The Verge, @firstadopter, @nytimes, @mwanikih, @jbflint, @yashar, @mjasay, @wsj, @firstadopter, @claudferraz, @maureendowd and The Wrap, more at Techmeme »


Two correspondents for Australia's ABC and Australian Financial Review rushed out of China on Monday after diplomatic standoff and police demands for interviews — The ABC and Australian Financial Review have rushed their China correspondents out of the country after police demanded interviews …
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The Guardian, New York Times, Australian Financial Review, Axios, 2GB, @erinwatsonlynn, Sydney Morning Herald, Bloomberg, @luke_j_obrien, CNN, @antd, Associated Press, @andrewbgreene, @clairlemon, @tanvi_madan, @nadiasdaly, Financial Times, 9News, @benjaminbland, @annafifield, Reuters, @louisabokchoi, Raw Story, @kevinkfyam, The West Australian, @breditor, @jamesmassola, @pjd_defstudies, Yahoo News, @arielbogle, @janisfrayer, @conorduffynews, news.com.au and Japan Times


Tribune Publishing, which announced the closure of Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis last month, barred staff from holding a farewell event at the building — In Annapolis, the roots of the Annapolis Capital and Maryland Gazette newspapers date to the Gazette's founding in 1727.
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@dankennedy_nu, @pkcapitol, @djlavoie, @amlwhere, @jim_brunner, @pwoodreporter and @bethreinhard


ACCC's proposal that Google and Facebook pay for news won't work because it misunderstands digital advertising, where content is secondary to audience targeting — Google and Facebook have threatened to limit or remove news services for Australian users, in response to the Australian Competition …
Discussion:
The Guardian, Digiday and MediaNama


Compared to the likes of Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and Donald Trump, the perceived menace of disinfo from Russian trolls far surpasses its actual reach — The spectre of foreign manipulation looms over the coming election. But in focussing on the tactics of the aggressors we overlook our weaknesses as victims.


Warner Bros. TV exec Susan Rovner to head entertainment programming at NBCUniversal, overseeing NBC, Peacock, and cable networks USA, Syfy, Bravo, Oxygen, E! — The Warner Bros. TV exec, who was considered the heir apparent to Peter Roth, will report directly to Mark Lazarus and be on equal footing …
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, @snoodit, The Wrap and Variety


Shares in Future are up 15% this year after 2019's 200% jump; Future says visitors to its sites, including Tom's Guide, in Aug. rose 25% YoY in UK and 40% in US — - Future Plc shares are up 15% this year after 2019's 200% jump — Firm sees full-year results “materially ahead” of expectations
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Gizmodo UK's editor says it will cease operations on September 9 after Future Publishing decided to stop licensing the brand from G/O Media
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GameRevolution, Digiday, Kotaku Australia, DualShockers, GamesIndustry.biz, Comic Book, @pressgazette, @jwhitbrook, @mikebutcher, @toadsanime, @tepritchard, @tepritchard and Kotaku UK, Thanks:@matthewkeyslive


Discovery to acquire the free-to-air TV business of New Zealand's largest independent commercial broadcaster MediaWorks and its streaming service ThreeNow — The deal, financial terms of which weren't disclosed, includes streaming service ThreeNow and will boost the company's holdings in the country to eight free-to-air channels.
Discussion:
WORLD SCREEN, @thr and Digital TV Europe


A historic drop in releases of pirated content has followed a US-led bust targeting SPARKS and other piracy communities, with dozens of topsites taken down — Every day, millions of people download or stream pirated content including movies, TV-shows, games, MP3s, and books.
Discussion:
@whatthebit, more at Techmeme »


In a widely-watched North American opening weekend, Nolan's Tenet collected an estimated $20.2M; global tickets sales after two weeks have reached $129M — Normally, a Christopher Nolan film would bring in $50 million in North America during an opening weekend. But moviegoing is not normal these days.
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Screen, The Guardian, Movieweb, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The Daily Orange, Mashable, ScreenRant, @darren_mooney, @ennisnyt, @mikeryan, ComingSoon.net, Hollywood Reporter, CNBC, Collider, New York Post, Axios, Vanity Fair, Financial Times, Forbes, Deadline, The Week, The Wrap and Los Angeles Times


A month after Australian Associated Press was saved by investors, it has turned to crowdfunding amid financial pressure, as clients sign on for shorter periods — A month after Australian Associated Press 2. was launched as a not-for-profit company the 85-year-old newswire is under financial pressure …
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@p_hannam, @gabriellechan and @withmeaa