Top News:
Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:
Twitter announces Super Follow feature to let users charge for tweets, and a Communities feature to let users create and join groups based on specific interests — It's also planning a groups feature — Twitter announced a pair of big upcoming features today: the ability for users to charge …
Discussion:
@wongmjane, @twitterir, @mshannahmurphy, New York Times, Axios, Nieman Lab, Mediaite, 9to5Mac, Insider, TechCrunch, @taylorlorenz, @edmundlee, Gizmodo Australia, @cameronwilson, @mjmckean, @caseynewton, @timherrera, @emilydreyfuss, @emilydreyfuss, @fmanjoo, @wroetoshaw, @samleecole, CNBC, @kathiepham, @doriantaylor, @timodc, @welshgasdoc, @umairh, @jonworth, @greg_jenner, @ruskin147, @allenmcduffee, @dsquareddigest, @ryangrim, @lifewinning, @lifewinning, @emilydreyfuss, NBC News, @film_girl, The Week, @janinegibson, @profmusgrave, @joshsternberg, @jericho, @stevenspohn, @petersterne, @petersterne and @scottbelsky, more at Techmeme »
Cynthia Littleton / Variety:
AT&T and PE firm TPG reach a deal to make DirecTV a standalone company with TPG owning 30%; the deal is valued at $16.25B, includes DirecTV, AT&T TV, U-verse — The sides have been in talks for months as AT&T has sought to find a solution to the problem of DirecTV's subscriber losses dragging …
Discussion:
The Wrap, @sherman4949, nexttv.com, MediaPost, The Streamable, Ad Age, Light Reading, CNBC, @sherman4949, @franklinavenue, @tvmojoe, @karlbode, @sherman4949, @pkafka, @pkafka, @pkafka, FierceVideo, WORLD SCREEN and Cord Cutters News, more at Techmeme »
Chris Roush / Talking Biz News:
Insider increases the minimum salary for full-time employees to $60K, increases minimum severance to two months and converts bonus compensation to salary — Insider is increasing the minimum salary of its full-time employees to $60,000 and improving other benefits, according to an internal memo distributed Thursday.
Discussion:
Press Gazette, @mekosoff, @e_vb_, @khaulasaad, @nichcarlson, @kerrymflynn, Axios and @stevekovach
New York Times:
In a two-minute message, Reply All co-founder and host Alex Goldman says the Test Kitchen series about Bon Appetit is cancelled and the show is on pause — A co-host and a senior reporter also left the podcast, after accusations that they worked against union efforts that many employees of color saw as necessary to increase diversity.
NBC News:
Sources: Biden administration will release an intelligence report that concludes Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the killing of Jamal Khashoggi — The Biden administration will release an intelligence report Thursday that concludes that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved …
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Christopher Warren / Crikey:
Amendments to Australia's media bargaining code will strengthen big tech and old media, with ~90% of Google money going to News Corp, Seven West Media, and Nine — The free money isn't enough to hurt the increasing revenues of big tech, but it is enough to hurt Australian journalism.
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CNET:
Australia passes news bargaining code that will require digital platforms like Google and Facebook to pay local media outlets and publishers for their content
Discussion:
Columbia Journalism Review, CNN, BBC, The Drum, Protocol, Talking Biz News, CNBC, Treasury Ministers, 9News, SBS News, Reuters, Gizmodo Australia, Bloomberg, Gizmodo and Variety, more at Techmeme »
Lila Shapiro / New York Magazine:
Interviews with nine publishing execs and editors of color, hired after the industry's reckoning provoked by #PublishingPaidMe, on their hopes and fears — Not long ago, Dana Canedy, the recently appointed publisher of Simon & Schuster, was visiting the Jersey shore when she strolled past …
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Elizabeth A. Harris / New York Times:
A deep look at the effects of the Penguin Random House bid for Simon & Schuster on the book industry, particularly for authors seeking book deals — The merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster has the potential to touch every part of the industry, including how much authors get paid and how bookstores are run.
Natalie Jarvey / Hollywood Reporter:
Paramount+ details: ad-supported tier at $5/mo has NFL games, CBSN, thousands of shows; ad-free tier at $10/mo adds live local news, more sports, live CBS shows — The rebranded, revamped and supercharged CBS All Access will launch on March 4. — For more than 100 years …
Discussion:
ScreenRant, Variety, EW.com, Variety, TechCrunch, TVNewser, Variety, Variety, The Wrap, Variety, Variety, /Film, The Verge, Vanity Fair, @devindruid, @powergotnow, @gracerandolph, @nickanimation, @micaburton, @natjarv, @beapeabear, @emptigerstar, @bortlb, @kyle_amato, @osmosislo, @variety, @getfandom, @lavatwin, @richlightshed, Light Reading, Deadline, Cord Cutters News, The Wrap and Engadget, more at Techmeme »
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Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge:
Paramount shortens the time between theatrical and streaming releases to 45 days for some films, including Mission: Impossible 7 and Paw Patrol: The Movie
Discussion:
The Streamable, Variety, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, The Guardian, @robblackwellab, @dylanbyers, Variety, /Film and The A.V. Club
Michael Safi / The Guardian:
Open letter signed by more than 100 Al Jazeera staff says Rightly, its new rightwing digital channel, betrays the outlet's journalism and tarnishes the brand — Open letter says the launch of online outlet ‘Rightly’ is ‘an affront’ to the network's journalistic vision
Discussion:
The Hill, The Daily Caller, @jaredbkeller, @elledubg, @franifio, @sakhr, @zabmustefa, @malonebarry, @khalidalbaih, @wajahatali, @hahellyer, @tarek, @chuckrossdc, @adammilstein and @hkesvani
Sara Fischer / Axios:
TheSkimm launches SkimmU, a set of free virtual finance courses for women, joining WWD and Axios in creating online courses for readers — TheSkimm, a digital media company catering to millennial women, plans to launch SkimmU, a set of free virtual courses designed to help women take control of their finances.
Gene Maddaus / Variety:
Bill Nye to appeal ruling that lets Disney classify revenue from distribution of older shows as “home video”, allowing it to keep 80% of that revenue — For years, Disney has been keeping 80% of the revenue from older shows that it distributes to streaming platforms …
Discussion:
@spacewretch, @zoid9000, @highdefdiscnews, @baekdal and @tedgioia
Bill Keveney / USA Today:
At a House subcommittee hearing on media disinfo, TV host Soledad O'Brien urged news outlets to stop platforming lies: “do not book people to lie on your show” — A House subcommittee hearing Wednesday on media disinformation, especially in cable news, broke down predictably along partisan lines.
Discussion:
@ericschultz, @mattnegrin, @ceciliakang, @operation_ryan, @ceciliakang, @soledadobrien, @samchampion, @soledadobrien, @digiphile, Forbes, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, Deadline and Mediaite
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Business Wire:
iHeartMedia reports Q4 revenue of $936M, down 9% YoY, says full 2020 revenue fell 20% YoY; company moves its digital audio business into separate reporting unit — iHeartMedia, Inc. (Nasdaq: IHRT) today reported financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2020. — Financial Highlights:
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