Top News:
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Spotify buys app developer Betty Labs, creator of Locker Room, a live social audio app where fans can talk about sports, which Spotify plans on expanding — The acquisition will allow creators of all kinds to host anything from debates to live concerts.
Discussion:
NBC News, Spotify, The Verge, @dylanbyers, Wall Street Journal, @ashleyrcarman, ScreenRant, @spotifynews, @lockerroomapp, MaC VC, @tomcampbell, @harthanson, @howardakumiah, @richlightshed, @isocialfanz, @parkermolloy, @mmasnick, @leavittalone, @joshelman, The Wrap, @cheriehu42, @bmkibler, @pitdesi, @lazchance, @bmccandless, @dada_drummer, @gvteam, CNBC, @gadyepstein, @barleyscotch, @andizeisler, @dylanbyers, Music Business Worldwide and Variety, more at Techmeme »
Todd Spangler / Variety:
Radio and podcasting company Entercom is rebranding itself to Audacy and retiring Radio.com — After more than 50 years as Entercom Communications, the radio and podcasting company is unfurling a new banner: Effective immediately, it is changing its name to Audacy. … The company's new website is audacyinc.com.
Discussion:
Axios, RadioInsight, @bothompsonwbt, @jason_kint, The Desk, Forbes, RAIN News, Radio & Television … and Hot Pod News
Substack Blog:
Substack raises $65M Series B led by Andreessen Horowitz — When we started Substack to build an alternative media economy that unlocks the full potential of the internet and gives more power to writers and readers, we didn't know if the model would work. A lot of people told us that no one would pay for newsletters.
Discussion:
@jammastergirish, @kantrowitz, @asymmetricinfo, Axios, TechCrunch, @somospostpc, @chaykak, @danprimack, @andrewchen, @simonowens, @kmikeym and The Wrap, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
Axios:
Sources: Substack's latest round values the company at around $650M
Discussion:
Insider, TechCrunch, @sarafischer, Wars Of Future Past, @mathewi, @ericnewcomer, @jayshams, Awful Announcing, @hunterwalk, @jason, @lucas_shaw, @bmorrissey, @eoinhiggins_, @pt, @chrismessina, @rentjensen, @tolles, @rafat, @joshgerstein, @aaronhuertas, @shawnarchen, @alexthomp, @ggreenwald, @rafat, @katie_roof, The Hill, @mattyglesias, @jonathanvswan, @mdudas and @pkafka
Jon Allsop / Columbia Journalism Review:
The broadcast of Derek Chauvin's trial, allowed due to intense interest and limited physical access due to COVID, reignites debate over cameras in the courtroom — Earlier this month—with jury selection set to begin in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the white former Minneapolis police officer …
Discussion:
NPR, Associated Press, USA Today, NBC News, @jon_allsop and @athenacnn
Brandon Katz / Observer:
LightShed Partners: SVOD subscribers will nearly double by 2024 to 1.25B from 650M at the end of 2020 — Of the 11 major legacy media and tech companies that have a direct hand in Hollywood, all but one house some sort of over-the-top (OTT) streaming service.
Discussion:
@richlightshed, @richlightshed, @richlightshed, The Streamable and LightShed Partners
Georg Szalai / Hollywood Reporter:
ViacomCBS' BET is going digital-only in the UK on April 8 and will run on Pluto TV and Channel 5's My5 streaming platform — Originals ‘Celebrity Comfort Food,’ ‘Black to the Future’ and ‘We Do That’ will join the lineup as senior vp of BET International Monde Twala says: “We are committed to growing the BET brand in the U.K.”
Discussion:
Digital TV Europe and Broadband TV News
Erik Wemple / Washington Post:
Dominion's suit against Fox News lists a torrent of disinformation and says the few stories that told the truth show that Fox knew it was spreading lies — Media critic — Back in December, Dominion Voting Systems warned Fox News and other spreaders of election-related conspiracy theories that lawsuits were imminent.
Discussion:
@oliverdarcy and CNN
StreetInsider.com:
DraftKings acquires Vegas Sports Information Network, a broadcast and content company that delivers sports betting news, analysis, and data — DraftKings Inc. (Nasdaq: DKNG) today announced that it has acquired Vegas Sports Information Network, Inc. (VSiN), a multi-platform broadcast …
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Linkedin launches a Creator mode, like its Influencer network but letting anyone be a creator, launches video Cover Stories, adds Service pages for freelancers — LinkedIn, the social network now with 740 million users around the world, has carved out an identity for itself as the place online …
Discussion:
@caseynewton, The Official Microsoft Blog, ZDNet and @lanceulanoff, more at Techmeme »
Marcela García Globe / The Boston Globe:
By normalizing Trump's former senior adviser Stephen Miller, Politico and others are helping launder his white supremacist ideas into the mainstream — Journalists who normalize Trump's former senior adviser ‘are helping him launder his white supremacist ideas into the mainstream.’
Discussion:
@brooklynmarie, @alexpadilla4ca, @mattnegrin, @joncoopertweets, @ezhurb, @globeopinion, @susanbchurch11, The Daily Beast and Mediaite
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
Time Out Media reports revenue of £9M in H2 2020, down 59% YoY, and a loss of £1.7M, vs. earnings of £675K in H2 2019; both digital and print ad revenue fell — Revenue at Time Out Media was down 59% to £9m in the second half of 2020 as continued worldwide Covid-19 lockdowns …
Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
A look at Roku's experiment with original programming: acquiring shows at a fire-sale price instead of committing billions of dollars to original shows — Roku Sells You TV Dongles. So Why Is It Making TV Series? — When Cody Heller found out Roku was buying her show “Dummy,” she was thrilled.
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