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.
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:
@akbarth3great, @rasmus_kleis, @priyankaboghani, @elaheizadi, @cleggthis, @frontlinepbs, @raneyaronson, @elaheizadi, @elaheizadi and @elaheizadi
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 …
Discussion:
Press Gazette, @charlesarthur, @laurie_winkless, @marshallexi, @gitoma1, @debbiebmoon, @nevfountain, @tucker5law, @johnaglionby and @frances_coppola
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.
Discussion:
The Rural Blog
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
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 …
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:
@taralach, @sherman4949 and @jbflint
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 …
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:
New York Times, Condé Nast, @glichfield, @rachelfeltman, @justinhendrix, @glichfield, @katie_robertson, @akshatrathi, @n_vpatel, @glichfield, @kasujja, @bramsonboudreau, @nxthompson, @reditlhabi, @anelsona, @jkaraian, @chr1sa, @jtemple, @jeffjarvis, @howelloneill, @_karenhao, @theyomikazeem, @kerrymflynn, New York Post, WWD and Talking Biz News
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
eMarketer: Spotify is on track to reach US monthly podcast listenership of 28.2M by the end of this year and surpass Apple's Podcasts for the first time — Investors have been waiting for Spotify's multimillion-dollar bet on podcasting to pay off, in terms of increased paid subscriptions or improved revenues.
Discussion:
@blackamazon, @ashleyrcarman, musically.com, MacRumors, 9to5Mac and eMarketer, more at Techmeme »
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:
Digital TV Europe, C21Media and Broadband TV News