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The Information:
Internal data shows only 11.3M US households regularly watch NBCU's Peacock; sources: NBCU has pitched ViacomCBS about bundling their streaming services — As Netflix and Disney cement their leads over an array of rivals in the video-streaming market, top executives at Comcast and its NBCUniversal arm are in a quandary.
Sheila Dang / Reuters:
Kantar: CBS generated a record $545M in ad spending during the Super Bowl, which had a record 57 minutes of ad time — (Reuters) - ViacomCBS' CBS network generated a record $545 million in advertising spending during the NFL's Super Bowl LV this past Sunday, according to preliminary estimates from research firm Kantar.
Discussion:
Digital TV Europe, @readdanwrite and @sheila_dang
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Jabari Young / CNBC:
Sources: the NFL wants to finalize new TV rights soon; Fox, ViacomCBS, NBC, and ESPN currently pay ~$6B/year total, and DirecTV adds $1.5B for Sunday Ticket — - The NFL wants to finalize new TV rights agreements with partners before setting its 2021 salary cap. — The new pact could reach $100 billion.
Discussion:
ProFootballTalk, Thanks:@mattrosoff
Angela Fu / Poynter:
Three Gannett newsrooms in New Jersey have announced they are jointly unionizing and forming the Record Guild, part of the NewsGuild of New York — The new union will include the Bergen Record, the Daily Record and the NJ Herald. — Three Gannett-owned newsrooms in New Jersey announced Wednesday morning they are jointly unionizing.
Discussion:
@mcdiduch, @poynter, @angelanfu, The NewsGuild - CWA and nyguild.org
Naman Ramachandran / Variety:
HBO Max to launch in Latin America and the Caribbean in June; existing HBO-branded streaming services in Europe will shift to HBO Max later this year — WarnerMedia's streamer HBO Max is set to launch across 39 Latin American and Caribbean territories in June.
Discussion:
Observer, The Streamable, Hollywood Reporter, Light Reading, Cord Cutters News, Engadget, The Verge and FierceVideo, more at Techmeme »
Constance Grady / Vox:
With the release of “Framing Britney Spears”, the idea that the media treated her unfairly is accepted but it's revisionism to say it didn't know it was wrong — We're all complicit in what happened to Britney. But some of us more so than others.
Discussion:
Esquire, @constancegrady, @voxdotcom and The Media Nut
Natalie Jarvey / Hollywood Reporter:
LightShed Partners' Rich Greenfield and others have launched a $75M tech and media investment fund and invested in Podchaser and audio startup Slipstream — The venture arm has already made investments into startups Podchaser, Slipstream and Antenna Analytics.
Discussion:
Barron's Online, Bloomberg, GlobeNewswire, Variety, @richlightshed, @richlightshed and @richlightshed
Caroline Davies / The Guardian:
Meghan Markle wins her privacy case in summary judgment against the Mail on Sunday, which published extracts from a letter she wrote to her father — The Duchess of Sussex has won her privacy case against the Mail on Sunday after a judge gave summary judgment in her favour …
Discussion:
Observer, CNN, Mirror.co.uk, BBC, @judiciaryuk and @chrisshipitv
Reuters:
BBC World News has been barred from airing in mainland China — (Reuters) - BBC World News has been barred from airing in China, the Chinese state media CGTN said bit.ly/2Z51L43 early on Friday, citing the National Radio and Television Administration. — Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Discussion:
news.cgtn.com, @bbcyaldahakim, @ezracheungtoto and @ezracheungtoto
Diep Tran / Backstage:
SAG-AFTRA approves an influencer agreement, extending its coverage to anyone who is paid to advertise products via their social media platforms — If you make your living as an influencer on TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, or any other social media platform, you will soon have union protection.
Discussion:
@banditelli, @jamieson, @kathtx, @fail_lula and @karynspencer
Paul W. Valentine / Washington Post:
Larry Flynt, publisher of Hustler magazine and a self-proclaimed First Amendment champion, has died at his home in Los Angeles at 78 — Larry Flynt, one of America's most notorious pornographers and self-proclaimed champions of First Amendment freedoms, who built his sprawling business interests …
The Information:
Sources: Stir Money, whose software helps video and audio producers, writers, and performers manage their income, raises Series A led by a16z at $100M valuation — Andreessen Horowitz recently won a competitive deal to lead the Series A financing of Stir Money, a startup whose software helps video …
Discussion:
@kateclarktweets, @transitive_bs, @joshuaogundu, @k17ubha, @seyitaylor, @jessicalessin and @kateclarktweets, more at Techmeme »
Saqib Shah / Engadget:
Google launches Google News Showcase in UK and Argentina, after debuting the service in Australia last week, and says it now has over 450 publications globally — Google News Showcase is starting to roll out to more countries worldwide, including the UK and Argentina, on the heels of its Australian launch last week.
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