Top News:
Dustin Jones / NPR:
Six journalists in Myanmar including AP reporter Thein Zaw have been charged under a public order law for covering protests and could face three years in prison — At least eight journalists in Myanmar have been detained by authorities while covering protests against a coup that took place last month.
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Wrap, Committee to Protect … and Voice of America
Dylan Byers / NBC News:
Fox News says former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany will join the network as a contributor — Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany will officially join Fox News, the network announced Tuesday. — The news, which was announced by Fox News host Harris Faulkner …
Democracy Fund:
Democracy Fund, which gives grants to support newsrooms and press freedom, commits to confront systemic racism and to expand support for marginalized groups — Independent journalism is an essential instrument of accountability and critical to the health of our republic.
Emily Atkin / HEATED:
Q&A with Emily Holden, whose just-launched climate news organization, Floodlight, partners with local outlets to cover corporate influence on the climate agenda — A little over a year ago, a few months after I launched HEATED, I got invited to speak at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard.
Discussion:
Floodlight, @akshatrathi, @sarahscire, @sarahkaplan48, @michellemanafy, @emilyhholden, @sarahkaplan48, @sammy_roth, @kerrymflynn, @scottdetrow, @stopmoneypipe, @raju, @emorwee and The Guardian
Elaine Low / Variety:
Disney CEO says the company will let consumer behavior guide its decisions on theatrical windowing and that 50%+ of the Disney+ subscribers don't have kids — Speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecommunications Conference on Monday, Walt Disney Company chief exec Bob Chapek said he's …
Discussion:
The Wrap, Axios, ScreenRant, The A.V. Club, Forbes, The Streamable, Too Much TV Newsletter, Ad Age, Reuters, @great_katzby, Observer, Deseret News, Quartz and MediaPost
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Sports-focused FuboTV, which went public in October, reports 548K subscribers at Q4 end, up 73% YoY, and net loss for 2020 of $570.5M, compared to $35M in 2019 — FuboTV grew its internet pay-TV subscriber rolls at a rapid clip last year — and it sustained heavy losses to get there.
Discussion:
The Streamable, MediaPost, Deadline and Business Wire
Elahe Izadi / Washington Post:
Filipino distributors wouldn't air A Thousand Cuts, a documentary on press freedom, so PBS Frontline bought distribution rights and is offering it free online — On the evening before Valentine's Day in 2019, journalist Maria Ressa was arrested by the Philippine government and charged with “cyber-libel.”
Discussion:
@elaheizadi, @priyankaboghani, @elaheizadi, @elaheizadi, @akbarth3great, @cleggthis, @elaheizadi, @frontlinepbs and @raneyaronson
Kerry Flynn / CNN:
Wired names Gideon Lichfield of MIT Technology Review as global editorial director, replacing Nicholas Thompson, recently appointed CEO of The Atlantic — New York (CNN Business)Wired, the preeminent tech magazine, has its new leader: Gideon Lichfield of MIT Technology Review is coming on as its global editorial director.
Discussion:
Condé Nast, New York Times, @glichfield, @bramsonboudreau, @nxthompson, @justinhendrix, @glichfield, @howelloneill, @jtemple, @chr1sa, @theyomikazeem, @reditlhabi, @jeffjarvis, @_karenhao, @anelsona, @akshatrathi, WWD, @jkaraian, @n_vpatel, @glichfield, @kerrymflynn, Talking Biz News and New York Post
Jacob Lorinc / Toronto Star:
Major Canadian publisher Torstar is launching an online gambling site to fund its journalism, pending government approval — Torstar is entering the online gaming market. The corporation announced Monday it intends to launch an online casino betting brand in 2021 pending approval from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
Discussion:
Globe and Mail, The Guardian, @jenwsheehan, CBC News, NPR, @wearecanproud, @johnocap, @thetowncrier, @tommytomlinson, @jrhennessy, @gramiq, @harryslaststand, @goldsbie and @standingthegaff
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Sony says the PlayStation Store will stop offering movie and TV show purchases and rentals on Aug. 31, citing users' preference for video streaming services — As of Aug. 31, 2021, the PlayStation Store will stop offering movie and TV show purchases and rentals.
Discussion:
PlayStation.Blog, Gematsu, Kotaku, Engadget, Fortune, ScreenRant, BetaNews, /Film, Gizmodo, @ajci282002, Polygon, CNET, The Verge and Media Play News, more at Techmeme »
Christopher Zara / Fast Company:
MoffettNathanson: cable and satellite TV companies shed 6M subscribing US households in 2020; penetration was around 60% of households vs. ~90% in 2010 — Crank up the Weezer and throw yourself a My So-Called Life watch party tonight, because the cable-TV industry just hit a totally retro milestone.
Sophia June / The Daily Beast:
How four alt-weeklies, Cleveland Scene, Seven Days, The Stranger, and The Austin Chronicle, have been surviving the pandemic after it crippled events revenue — ‘A WAY FORWARD’ — One year ago, the consensus was that alt-weeklies faced certain extinction amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
Discussion:
Media Nation, @coreyhutchins, @thedailybeast, @sophianjune, @eddy_sarah and @shaboom
Tim Ingham / Music Business Worldwide:
Soundcloud to launch “fan-powered royalties” April 1; revenue from listeners' subscriptions or consumed ads is divided among artists they listen to, not pooled — This model sees streaming royalties paid out based on individual subscriber behavior - with a percentage …
Discussion:
Variety, SoundCloud press releases, Engadget, @future_of_music, @opiumhum, @tankcrimes, @sharkyl, @tankcrimes, @ivorsacademy, @jetfury, TechCrunch and The Verge