Top News:
Elaine Low / Variety:
YouTube reports $6.89B in Q4 ad revenue, up 46% YoY from $4.7B, as it more than doubled the number of advertisers on YouTube through its TrueView ad format — Google parent Alphabet handily topped fourth-quarter forecasts, with Google Search and YouTube driving up total revenue for the internet giant.
Discussion:
CNBC, The Wrap, Wall Street Journal, @1karenwyld, ZDNet, @derektmead, Engadget, The Wrap, MediaPost, Deadline, Publishers Weekly, The Guardian, @somebadideas, TechCrunch and Wall Street Journal, more at Techmeme »
J. Clara Chan / The Wrap:
Gizmodo senior editor Alex Cranz says she was fired for involvement in a union letter and for false claims about performance; Gizmodo calls her claims meritless — Gizmodo's senior consumer tech editor, Alex Cranz, said she was fired from the company last Friday for her involvement …
Discussion:
@alexhcranz, @kellybourdet, @bcmerchant, @jetscott, @alexhcranz, @cecianasta, @jasonschreier, @xoxogossipgita, @lisaeadicicco, @charlespulliam, @briannawu, @film_girl, @joemfbrown, @k_trendacosta, @samrutherford, @whitsongordon, @paleofuture, @annamerlan, @davegershgorn, @halophoenix, @krichbutler, @bombur, @katiecollins, @xoxogossipgita, @vicmsong, @chrisvelazco, @itsdavidford, @harrisonweber, @vksmith, @jlnwrites, @outonalumb, @ballaban and @jasonschreier
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Henry Blodget says Business Insider is folding into the Insider brand, as Insider expands globally and into new verticals beyond business and tech — Beginning Tuesday, Business Insider's logo will no longer appear on Insider.com's website, the publication's CEO and founder Henry Blodget tells Axios.
Hannah Ellis-Petersen / The Guardian:
Nine journalists in India who published or tweeted about stories that say police shot a protesting farmer have had criminal cases filed against them — At least nine senior Indian journalists are facing criminal charges for reporting allegations that Delhi police fatally shot a farmer …
The COVID Tracking Project:
The COVID Tracking Project, founded by three journalists and supported by The Atlantic, says it will issue its final update on March 7 and close in May — After a year of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting COVID-19 data for the United States, we're ending our data compilation work in early March.
Discussion:
@covid19tracking, @alexismadrigal, @covid19tracking, @covid19tracking, @karaoehler, @ericuman, @yayitsrob, @kottke, @drhypercube, @alexismadrigal, @covid19tracking, @rastrau, @jburnmurdoch, @kissane, @thejoshklein, @alexismadrigal, @covid19tracking, @peterj_walker, @alexismadrigal, @erictopol, @friedrichhayek, @emilybell, Why is this interesting?, Crain's New York Business and Engadget
Katie Robertson / New York Times:
Patrick Steel, CEO of Politico since 2017, tells staff he will leave the company this summer: it's “the right time to start the next chapter of my career” — Patrick Steel, the chief executive of Politico since 2017, said on Tuesday that he will leave the company this summer.
Sara Fischer / Axios:
After growing steadily for the past decade, 493 new scripted TV series were produced in 2020, according to data from cable network FX, down ~7% from 532 in 2019 — The number of new original scripted series finally declined last year, after growing steadily for the past decade to over 500 new shows in 2019.
Jon Allsop / Columbia Journalism Review:
Myanmar's military taking control of the country through a coup and restricting internet access threatens an already-fragile free press — Yesterday—after a decade of democratic transition, five years of elected government, and several days of threats, apparent walkbacks, and rumors …
Discussion:
New York Times, Associated Press, @cape_diamond, @cjr, @jon_allsop, Foreign Policy, New York Times, France 24, Committee to Protect … and Reuters
Elizabeth Culliford / Reuters:
Wikimedia begins work on implementing its first global code of conduct, which addresses harassment, the introduction of false or biased information, and more — (Reuters) - The foundation that operates Wikipedia will launch its first global code of conduct on Tuesday, seeking to address criticism …
Casey Newton / Platformer:
Elon Musk's Clubhouse appearance was a kind of test case for a16z's media ambitions and showed how the app could work as the audio version of Medium — I. Andreessen Horowitz and the backdoor pilot — Hey, did you hear Elon Musk went on Clubhouse? — The media and venture capital worlds …
Wayne Friedman / MediaPost:
Univision joins Project OAR, the media consortium working on an open standard for addressable advertising for TV — Univision has joined Project OAR, the media consortium focused on addressable advertising for TV. — Univision will serve as a member of the group's steering committee …
Discussion:
Radio & Television … and Ad Age
Lesley Goldberg / Hollywood Reporter:
Sources: 50 employees were let go Tuesday from NBCUniversal's Entertainment Content Division, led by Susan Rovner — The reductions were expected after the conglomerate merged its development teams from Peacock and its linear networks. — The other shoe has dropped at NBCUniversal.
Discussion:
The Wrap, Hollywood Reporter and Variety