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 …
Discussion:
@archiebland, @nadine_writes, @jenwilliamsmen, @howardfineman, @claireshrugged, @liamthorpecho, @mehdirhasan, @pregnantscrewed, @markdistef, @thattimwalker, @joncstone, @healthuntodeath, @hkesvani, @seyiakiwowo, @ianmartin, @ziaweise, @jessicaelgot, @jane__bradley, @sarahljaffe, @charliehtweets, @horton_official, @joejsmiddleton, @timharford, @jamesrbuk and The Independent
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.
Discussion:
The Keyword, Ars Technica, Wall Street Journal, @sam_l_shead, @jason_kint, @cnbc, The Register, @mshannahmurphy, @theregister, The Information, Wall Street Journal, @walterolkowski, @johnwilander, @ceciliakang, @b_fung, @suka_hiroaki, GeekWire, MediaPost, The Verge, AppleInsider, ZDNet, Reuters, Microsoft On the Issues, Ad Age and The Hill, more at Techmeme »
Hamish McKenzie / Substack Blog:
Substack co-founder on how Substack Pro works: year one, writers get upfront pay, Substack keeps 85% of revenue; later, writers keep 90% revenue, no minimum pay — When we started Substack in mid-2017, the future for writers was frightening. The news industry was rapidly contracting, eliminating countless journalism jobs.
Discussion:
@hamishmckenzie, @femme_thoughts, @roseveleth, @sadydoyle, @diannaeanderson, @ktmboyle, @britnidlc, @alex, @athertonkd, @bijanstephen, @hondanhon, @lmatsakis, @zunguzungu, @athertonkd, @grimkim, @tyschalter, @roseveleth, @ryanlcooper, @zunguzungu, @paulskallas, @graceonfootball, @eoinhiggins_, @baekdal, @sadydoyle, @zunguzungu, @zunguzungu, @roseveleth, @mikeisaac, @fka_tabs, @rickpaulas, @athertonkd, @atrubek, @alex, @athertonkd, @zunguzungu, @ericnewcomer, @badastronomer, @hondanhon, @notd_io, @qjurecic, @ninocipri, @athertonkd, @athertonkd, @andrewchen, @hondanhon, @fattymph, @hondanhon, @parkermolloy, @roseveleth, @hondanhon, @fka_tabs, @film_girl, @noyokono and Things That Have Caught …, more at Techmeme »
Todd Spangler / Variety:
A SPAC led by ex-Disney execs Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, Forest Road Acquisition Corp. II, raised $350M in an IPO to focus on tech, media, telecoms companies — A special-purpose acquisition corporation targeting tech, media and telecom firms led by two former senior Disney execs …
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, Adweek, Ad Age, Observer, The Streamable, @natjarv, @xpangler, @erichaywood, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @jbflint, @loudmouthjulia, IGN, MediaPost, Bloomberg and Engadget
Natalie Jarvey / Hollywood Reporter:
Roku has hired several former Quibi executives as it prepares to roll out content from Quibi's library of 75+ shows to The Roku Channel — Former Quibi senior content executives Colin Davis and Brian Tannenbaum are among those who have joined Roku. — Two months after acquiring the Quibi library …
Discussion:
Realscreen
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, Cord Cutters News, @thr, @loudmouthjulia, @tomwarren, @luca, @chris_notcapn, The Week, @thr, Wired, ZDNet, nexttv.com, BBC, Chicago Sun-Times, Sky News, Fortune, The Daily Dot, ScreenRant, The Muffin por Mauricio …, CBS Philly, @edzitron, CNBC, 90 Second News, @film_girl, @film_girl, @lanceulanoff, @sherman4949, @jyarow, @tzm_tmt, Variety, @richlightshed, Hollywood Reporter, Boing Boing, IGN India, AppleInsider, WGN-TV, Los Angeles Times, io9, Mashable, Washington Post, MacRumors, /Film, Fast Company, 9to5Mac, The Wrap, Insider and Engadget
Dan Abrams / Mediaite:
Media and politics news site Mediaite is launching a paywall that allows 10 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 …
Discussion:
@dorseyshaw
Nicole Sperling / New York Times:
McKinsey report: Hollywood is leaving $10B/year on the table by ignoring racial inequities in film and TV and should set concrete goals to increase diversity — A McKinsey report that combined previous research and new interviews argues that concrete steps like company bonuses tied to improved representation can lead to change.
Discussion:
@andrewlavallee, Insider, Mediaite, CNBC, Variety, Bloomberg and Vanity Fair
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, Insider, The Daily Signal, @evelyndouek, New York Post, @jack_turban, @ryantand, The Wrap, Forbes, Breitbart, The Week and CNET
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:
@cendemtech, @evelyndouek, Breitbart, @niemanlab and Engadget
Jake Kanter / Deadline:
Daily Mail owner demands ViacomCBS remove images of its headlines, which were “taken out of context or deliberately edited”, from Meghan and Harry interview — Associated Newspapers, the owner of UK tabloid the Daily Mail, has written to ViacomCBS demanding the removal of …
Discussion:
@richardpbacon, @snigskitchen, @markdistef, @pkafka, Variety, Hollywood Reporter and Press Gazette