Mediagazer: Jeff Blackburn, an Amazon exec who recently left after two decades, is returning as SVP of Global Media and Entertainment, reporting to Bezos, then Andy Jassy (Todd Spangler/Variety)

6:20 PM ET, May 13, 2021

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Todd Spangler / Variety:

Jeff Blackburn, an Amazon exec who recently left after two decades, is returning as SVP of Global Media and Entertainment, reporting to Bezos, then Andy Jassy — Jeff Blackburn, a former high-level Amazon exec who just recently left after more than two decades, is coming back …

Discussion: The Wrap and Deadline

CNBC:

Disney misses on subscriber estimates for Disney+, reaching 103.6M subscribers, below the expected 109M; revenue was $15.61B vs. $15.87B expected, down 13% YoY — - Disney reported second quarter results Thursday, posting lower-than-expected revenue and subscriber counts for its streaming service.

Discussion: Variety, The Wrap, Variety, Ad Age, Reuters, @loudmouthjulia, IGN, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @techjournalist, @cnbcnow, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @xpangler and Cord Cutters News

TikTok:

TikTok launches #FactCheckYourFeed, a media literacy campaign with creators and public figures discussing recognizing fake news, balanced news diets, and more — TikTok has always been a place that inspires creativity and brings joy. Every day we are blown away by the inspirational …

Discussion: @pressgazette

Jill Goldsmith / Deadline:

Amazon signs multi-year deal with the WNBA giving Prime Video exclusive global streaming rights to 16 regular season games and the Commissioner's Cup game — Amazon and the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced a multi-year agreement giving Prime Video exclusive global streaming rights …

Discussion: WNBA.com, @caiti326, @ramonashelburne, The Verge, Engadget, The Streamable and Cord Cutters News

John General / CNN:

Profile of DeShuna Spencer, who founded the streaming service kweliTV in 2015 to focus on Black stories; kweliTV now has 43,000 users despite lack of VC funding — New York (CNN Business)When DeShuna Spencer sat in front of her TV to scroll through her options, she noticed a glaring problem …

Discussion: @deshuna

Taylor Hatmaker / TechCrunch:

Discord announces Stage Discovery, a tool to help people find communities through live audio events, and says it will soon test paid, ticketed audio events — If you're new to Discord, you might be thrown off by the lack of an endless feed peppered with ads.

Discussion: @tayhatmaker, @chrismessina, @dhof, @caseynewton, @mattnavarra and @blitzrick, more at Techmeme »

Reuters:

A reporter covering protests against Myanmar coup has been jailed for three years for “incitement”, among the first guilty verdicts against media by the junta — (Reuters) - A journalist who reported on protests against this year's coup in Myanmar has been jailed for three years for incitement …

Discussion: Japan Times, Committee to Protect … and Associated Press

Brian Welk / The Wrap:

Sundance Film Festival will return to Utah in January 2022 for in-person events but will also remain online, after 2021's online festival saw record attendance — The Sundance Film Festival will return to Park City for 2022, setting Jan. 20-30 as the dates for next year's in-person event.

Discussion: Variety, Salt Lake Tribune and Park Record

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:

Pinterest says it will test livestreaming events this month through a three-day virtual event featuring sessions with around 21 top creators — Pinterest is expanding into live events. The company is planning to host a three-day virtual event that will feature live-streamed sessions from top creators …

Discussion: @maxthecomrade, more at Techmeme »

Ashley Carman / The Verge:

Slate launches an audiobook store, partnering with Penguin-Random House, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, and Hachette, with titles accessible via podcast apps — Including from Penguin-Random House, Simon & Schuster, and HarperCollins — Slate is getting into the audiobooks business.

Discussion: @evoterra, Hot Pod News, @ashleyrcarman, Podcast Movement and Slate

Paul Cheung / Knight Foundation:

Knight Foundation announces $3M initiative to help local news outlets expand AI use; it will initially fund four projects to address knowledge and skill gaps — A new, $3 million Knight initiative will help local news organizations harness the power of artificial intelligence to drive success.

Discussion: @jenniferpreston, @partnershipai, @knightfdn, @pcheung630, @browninstitute and @dankennedy_nu

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Hamish McKenzie / Substack Blog:
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UK's Channel 4, commercially funded but owned by the government, could be privatized in the next three years, the British culture secretary says

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Richard Lawler / Engadget:
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Todd Spangler / Variety:
Roku will debut Roku Originals on the Roku Channel on May 20, starting with 30 Quibi shows

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A.D. Amorosi / Variety:
Podcaster Joe Budden fires his co-hosts Rory Farrell and Jamil “Mal” Clay, and the future of his eponymous six-year-old show appears uncertain

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Erika Kinetz / Associated Press:
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Discussion: @kenroth and @jojjeols

Rick Porter / Hollywood Reporter:
Former DNC finance chair Henry R. Muñoz III acquires Funny or Die from a group that includes AMC Networks, Turner Entertainment, and Sequoia Capital

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Detroit News:
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Apple removes WhatsApp, Threads, Signal, and Telegram from its App Store in China, after orders from the country's regulators citing national security concerns

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Microsoft researchers introduce VASA-1, an AI model that can create a realistic talking face video from a portrait photo and an audio file, in research preview

Foo Yun Chee / Reuters:
Sources: EU may accept Apple's proposal to open its NFC payments tech to rivals, and may close its antitrust probe in May, letting Apple avoid hefty fines

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