Top News:
Archie Bland / The Guardian:
Emails: BuzzFeed is shutting down HuffPost UK's news operation and video desk, except for its politics team, affecting 16 of 29 journalists — Exclusive: Owner BuzzFeed's move leaves more than half of editorial staff at risk — BuzzFeed has told the UK staff of its recently acquired HuffPost website …
Lauren Feiner / CNBC:
As House holds hearing on tech and news, Microsoft accuses Google of making publishers depend on it and Google claims Microsoft just wants to undercut a rival — - Microsoft and Google sparred over their practices and treatment of news outlets in a battle between antitrust targets of past and present.
Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:
AT&T says it plans to launch HBO Max international and AVOD in June and expects HBO Max and HBO subscribers worldwide to reach 120-150M by 2025 — That is up from AT&T's previous forecast of 75-90 million. — AT&T Corp. said Friday that it now expects to reach 120-15 million HBO Max …
Discussion:
Variety, The Streamable, Ad Age, Observer, MediaPost, Variety, @natjarv, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @jbflint and Cord Cutters News
Ashley Gold / Axios:
YouTube says it has taken down 30,000 videos that made false or misleading claims about COVID-19 vaccines over the last six months — YouTube has taken down more than 30,000 videos that made misleading or false claims about COVID-19 vaccines over the last six months, YouTube spokesperson Elena Hernandez …
Discussion:
Breitbart, @evelyndouek, @niemanlab, Slashdot and Engadget
Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg / Wall Street Journal:
In a letter to GOP Senators, Amazon says it removed a book because of its policy not to sell books that frame LGBTQ+ identity as a mental illness — Company states policy in response to inquiry by several Republican senators over recent removal of book by conservative author
Discussion:
@lucas_shaw, The Wrap, CNET, Forbes, @jack_turban, @ryantand, The Week, @evelyndouek, Breitbart and New York Post, more at Techmeme »
Dan Abrams / Mediaite:
Media and politics news site Mediaite is launching a paywall that allows ten free articles per month; subscriptions will cost $4.99 per month or $44.99 per year — As you may know, Mediaite is one of the few major websites in the country that is personally funded (and not by a wildly wealthy banker …
Jason Gurwin / The Streamable:
Netflix is running a test cracking down on password sharing, prompting some users to get their own account if they don't live with the owner of the account — Earlier this week, some Netflix subscribers began to notice that it might be a bit harder to “borrow” someone's password.
Discussion:
GammaWire, nexttv.com, The Verge, Cord Cutters News, Chicago Sun-Times, BBC, CNBC, ScreenRant, Variety, Sky News, Fortune, The Daily Dot, Hollywood Reporter, CBS Philly, 90 Second News, The Muffin por Mauricio …, @edzitron, IGN India, @film_girl, @film_girl, @lanceulanoff, @sherman4949, @jyarow, @tzm_tmt, @richlightshed, Boing Boing, AppleInsider, Los Angeles Times, io9, Mashable, Washington Post, MacRumors, /Film, Fast Company, WGN-TV, 9to5Mac, The Wrap, Insider, The Desk, Engadget and Reuters, more at Techmeme »
Oliver Darcy / @oliverdarcy:
In memo, Jeff Zucker says CNN is targeting an August 1 return to Atlanta offices and September 1 for NYC, DC, SF, and LA — In note to staff, CNN President Jeff Zucker announces plans for staff returning to the office. “In Atlanta, we are targeting an AUGUST 1 return for our News and Sports colleagues. In New York, DC, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, we are targeting SEPTEMBER 1.” https://twitter.com/...
Discussion:
American Press Institute, The Hill and TVNewser
Sarah Sluis / AdExchanger:
Google is further integrating the Publisher Provided Identifier into its Ad Manager, aiding publishers' first-party tracking in lieu of third-party cookies — The PPID's technical setup works like this: the publisher will create a unique ID for users, based on a first-party cookie or a log-in ID.
Discussion:
@ashk4n, Press Gazette, Adswerve, @chronotope, @sarahsluis, @aripap, @jbrouet, Privacy News Online …, Michael Tsai, The Keyword and IAB Tech Lab, more at Techmeme »
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Epidemic Sound, a marketplace for online creators looking for background music, raises $450M from Blackstone and EQT Growth, at a valuation of $1.4B — The popularity of video and other streamed content like podcasts is continuing to grow at a breakneck speed, and today a startup called Epidemic Sound …
Discussion:
Complete Music Update and Music Business Worldwide, more at Techmeme »
Mia Jankowicz / Business Insider:
Fox News added a Tucker Carlson reaction cam to its broadcast of Biden's address last night, another move that signals the infusion of opinion into news — - Fox News aired a “live Tucker reaction” box during Biden's prime-time speech on Thursday. — The box showed the host Tucker Carlson's facial reactions in real time.
Ben Sisario / New York Times:
The Weeknd says his albums will no longer be submitted to the Grammys due to its anonymous voting committees, which some believe subvert the will of the voters — The event on Sunday will address the challenges of a music industry hit hard by the pandemic.