Top News:
Julia Alexander / The Verge:
Warner Bros. says it will release every single movie in 2021 simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max in the US and stream them for one month — For a period of one month in the United States — WarnerMedia is pushing even more aggressively into streaming by releasing every single movie in 2021 simultaneously on HBO Max.
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Stephanie Sengwe / The Streamable:
HBO Max removes its free trial option ahead of the release of Wonder Woman 1984 on Dec. 25, mirroring a step Netflix and Disney+ have taken before big releases — It looks like there is a new trend emerging as HBO Max joins the list of streaming services doing away with the free trial option.
Discussion:
Mediaite, Adweek, MediaPost, TechCrunch, The Wrap, Streaming, CINEMABLEND and Cord Cutters News
Marc Tracy / New York Times:
Nicholas Thompson, editor in chief of Condé Nast's Wired magazine, has been hired as the new CEO of The Atlantic, starting in February — Nicholas Thompson is leaving Condé Nast for the top business job at the venerable publication owned by Laurene Powell Jobs's Emerson Collective.
Discussion:
@nxthompson, Talking Biz News, Axios, @marcatracy, The Atlantic, @bmorrissey, @laurengoode, @kvox, @jeffreygoldberg, @yayitsrob, @leonkrauze, @austin_rief, @mkonnikova, @caitlin__kelly, @johnbattelle, @knibbs, @megreenwell, @tedgenoways, @chrismessina, @om, @film_girl, @jeffjarvis, @mstreshinsky, @ylichterman, @ylichterman, @susanthesquark, @mattizcoop, @carloslozadawp, @samanthabarry, @1bobcohn, @sewellchan, @edmundlee, @dangillmor, @nxthompson, @nxthompson, @nxthompson, @nxthompson, @benmullin and @jackshafer
William Turvill / Press Gazette:
Interview with Jarrod Dicker, WaPo's VP for commercial technology, about its revenue platform Zeus, which has signed up 100+ websites in its first year — Since the global financial crisis, news publishers - many hit by crippling revenue declines - have made several failed attempts to pool …
Discussion:
@jarroddicker, Washington Post, @simonowens, @jarroddicker and Washington Post
Clare Jim / Reuters:
HK activist Jimmy Lai has been charged with fraud over the lease of the building that houses his Apple Daily paper; its daily operations shouldn't be impacted — HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai was denied bail on Thursday on a charge …
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New York Times, NPR, New York Post, @kenroth, @rasmus_kleis, @nytimes, @nytmedia, Al Jazeera and The Guardian
Keith J. Kelly / New York Post:
Meredith promotes Catherine Levene to president of the National Media Group where she will oversee print and digital magazines and associated consumer products — For the first time in its 119-year history, media giant Meredith Corp. has tapped a female executive to lead …
Discussion:
Adweek, Digiday, @yashar, @candaceamos and MediaPost
Ethan Jakob Craft / Ad Age:
BIA Advisory Services: local ad revenue in the US to grow 2.5% YoY in 2021, of which 17% each will be mobile and online advertising, 11.4% local TV, 9.2% radio — Direct mail will have the lion's share of local spend, while OTT and connected TV may prove to be game-changers next year, BIA Advisory Services forecasts
Discussion:
MediaPost, TV Technology and Radio & Television …
Kayla Gogarty / Media Matters for America:
Daily interactions with right-leaning pages on Facebook fell only 6% in the 20 days post-election vs. 20 days before despite reports of an adjusted algorithm — After the election, the platform had reportedly decided to elevate established news outlets and reduce visibility of right and left-leaning pages.
David Folkenflik / NPR:
Watchdog finds “substantial likelihood of wrongdoing” at VOA parent agency under Michael Pack; sources say they fear Pack will do more damage before he departs — The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, a federal watchdog, disclosed Wednesday that it had found “a substantial likelihood …
Discussion:
@thesteveholzer, @oneunderscore__, @govacctproj, @npr, @radiofreetom, @ncvates, @debmorello, @davidfolkenflik and The Hill
Dave McNary / Variety:
Updated Top Critic criteria on Rotten Tomatoes emphasize individual qualifications instead of outlets and include those working in other media like podcasts — Rotten Tomatoes has launched a new Top Critics program for its Tomatometer rating system, including new criteria aimed at boosting inclusion …
Discussion:
IndieWire, The Wrap and Rotten Tomatoes
Todd Spangler / Variety:
BuzzFeed names Janet Rollé, general manager of Beyoncé's Parkwood Entertainment, to its board, and Andreessen Horowitz's Chris Dixon steps down as a director — Janet Rollé, general manager of Beyoncé's Parkwood Entertainment, is joining BuzzFeed's board of directors …
Bloomberg:
US pay-TV subscribers will soon start receiving refunds and credits from providers, compensating them for the year's pandemic-related sports cancellations — - Customers are to get back the value of games that never aired — Credits and ‘courtesy adjustments’ will show up on bills soon
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