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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.
Discussion:
@firstadopter, @nytimes, @mwanikih, @yashar, @mjasay, @wsj, The Verge, @firstadopter, @claudferraz, @jbflint, @maureendowd and The Wrap, more at Techmeme »


Gannett names Mayur Gupta to the newly created position of chief marketing and strategy officer as the newspaper chain focuses on attracting digital subscribers — Covid-19 crisis hurts advertising revenue, as challenges grow for company's local markets — Gannett Co. has named Mayur Gupta …


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 …
Discussion:
New York Times, South China Morning Post, The Guardian, Australian Financial Review, 2GB, @erinwatsonlynn, @luke_j_obrien, CNN, @antd, @andrewbgreene, @clairlemon, @tanvi_madan, @nadiasdaly, Financial Times, @benjaminbland, @annafifield, @louisabokchoi, @kevinkfyam, @breditor, @jamesmassola, @pjd_defstudies, @arielbogle, @janisfrayer, @conorduffynews, Reuters, Raw Story, news.com.au, The West Australian, Yahoo News, Axios, 9News, Bloomberg, Sydney Morning Herald, Associated Press 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.
Discussion:
American Press Institute, @dankennedy_nu, @pkcapitol, @djlavoie, @amlwhere, @jim_brunner, @pwoodreporter and @bethreinhard


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 — Gizmodo UK began life towards the end of September in 2011, almost nine years ago now. That was a time when smartphones were still novelties …
Discussion:
Digiday, GameRevolution, Comic Book, Kotaku Australia, DualShockers, GamesIndustry.biz, @pressgazette, @jwhitbrook, @mikebutcher, @toadsanime, @tepritchard, @tepritchard and Kotaku UK, Thanks:@matthewkeyslive
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Disney faces criticism for thanking a Chinese bureau tied to Uyghur concentration camps and four other Chinese propaganda departments in the credits for Mulan — Disney's “Mulan” remake is facing scrutiny after its credits thanked the Turpan Municipal Bureau of Public Security …


UK's JPI Media is creating ~24 new jobs for its new central digital content team and cutting 20-30 editorial jobs as its focus shifts to online readership — Yorkshire Post and Scotsman owner JPI Media is planning to cut up to 30 jobs in its community and design teams as it shifts focus further onto content …
Discussion:
HoldtheFrontPage


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


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


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.
Discussion:
@arictoler, @wiczipedia, @peterpomeranzev and @akinunver


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