Top News:
Joe Flint / Wall Street Journal:
Former Disney exec Kevin Mayer named chairman of sport streaming service DAZN, replacing ex-ESPN president John Skipper — Service has substantial boxing and international soccer rights and is looking to expand — Kevin Mayer, a former senior executive of the Walt Disney Co. and architect …
Discussion:
Variety, Awful Announcing, Sportico.com, The Streamable, The Wrap, @kevinmayer, Broadband TV News, @jbflint, @loudmouthjulia, @taralach and @sherman4949
Brent Lang / Variety:
Alamo Drafthouse files for bankruptcy as part of an asset purchase agreement with Altamont Capital Partners, and says it will close some of its 40 locations — Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, the Texas-based theater chain that has become a favorite with cinephiles for it dine-in service …
Discussion:
/Film, The Wrap, Insider, New York Post, The A.V. Club, @alexweprin, @nickchester, @rejects, Collider, @studdedcollar, @pkafka, @pkafka, Hollywood Reporter, @brentalang, @wellsdunbar, austonia, @drewkerr and @bklynactivemama
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.
Kristen Hare / Poynter:
Two professors documented the pandemic's effects on local newsrooms, working with press associations to gather histories in seven states in the center of the US — Last year, two journalism professors started an oral history project to document the work of local newsrooms in mid-America.
Gilad Edelman / Wired:
Study: far-right pubs get 65% more engagement on Facebook when they publish fake news; liberal and centrist pubs get less engagement if they publish misinfo — Far-right pages that publish misinformation get the most interactions by far compared to other news sources, new research shows.
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.
Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
Daily Mail owner DMGT buys The New Scientist for £70M, says the weekly science magazine is forecast to make £7M in profits and £20M+ in revenues this year — The 65-year-old title is forecast to make £7m in profits this year — The publisher of the Daily Mail …
Scott Roxborough / Hollywood Reporter:
Disney to sell its 50% stake in Europe's largest children's channel Super RTL to RTL Group, which will pivot to become an online-first broadcaster — The entertainment giant held 50 percent of Europe's largest children's channel, but is shifting its focus to its streaming platform Disney+.
Discussion:
Variety, C21Media, Digital TV Europe and Broadband TV News
Samantha Hissong / Rolling Stone:
Kings of Leon to be the first band to debut an album as part of an NFT package, with tokens unlocking perks like limited-edition vinyl, front row concert seats — The band's revolutionary tokens will unlock special perks like limited-edition vinyl and front row seats to future concerts
Discussion:
Cointelegraph, @mdudas, @ldrogen, @carlquintanilla, @zoescaman, @aridavidpaul and @raoulgmi
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Netflix launches Fast Laughs, a TikTok-like feed in its mobile apps that presents a string of comedy clips from its stand-up specials, TV series, and movies — Netflix just made its iPhone app a little more funny-looking. — The streaming giant Wednesday launched Fast Laughs …
Discussion:
About Netflix, Bloomberg, @netflixisajoke, @kylebrussell, The Verge and @lucas_shaw, more at Techmeme »
Reuters:
The Islamic State claims responsibility for an attack that killed three women who worked for local broadcaster Enikas TV in eastern Afghanistan — (Reuters) - The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an attack that killed three female media workers in eastern Afghanistan.
Discussion:
@raju, New York Times and The Hill
Christopher Palmeri / Bloomberg:
Filing: ad sales at Disney's DTC businesses like Hulu and ESPN+ rose 47% to $882M last quarter and sales at ABC grew 5% to $984M — - Online ad revenue grew 47% last quarter, with broadcast up 5% — Company has been consolidating teams to create a one-stop shop
Discussion:
MediaPost
New York Times:
Four female athletes launch TOGETHXR, a media company to elevate women's voices, with a “mid-seven figure investment” by PE holding company Magnet Companies — Alex Morgan, Sue Bird, Simone Manuel and Chloe Kim teamed up to create TOGETHXR, a media and commerce company designed to elevate women's voices.
Discussion:
Front Office Sports and Sportico.com
Rob Shaw / Sportico.com:
Facebook exec explains why the company didn't secure rights to extend live sports deals like NFL this year, promoting a free-to-air distribution model instead — We're speeding towards a pivotal moment in the future of sports business. COVID-19 has devastated core revenue streams such as ticket …
Discussion:
@robshawsports, @pkafka, @richlightshed, @pkafka, @nllcommish, @zonozi, @soshnick and @pkafka
Press Gazette:
The Mail On Sunday refused permission to appeal against High Court ruling in Meghan Markle privacy case, and faces an “extraordinary” legal costs bill of £1.5M — The Mail On Sunday has been refused permission to appeal against a High Court ruling granting the Duchess …
Discussion:
@rasmus_kleis and @pressgazette
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:
@rasmus_kleis, @akbarth3great, @priyankaboghani, @elaheizadi, @cleggthis, @frontlinepbs, @raneyaronson, @elaheizadi, @elaheizadi and @elaheizadi
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