Top News:
Jeff Kotuby / The Streamable:
ESPN renews rights deal with MLB until 2028, including ESPN+ simulcasts but not weekday games; report: the deal cost $560M/yr, down from prior deal's $700M/yr — Disney CEO Bob Chapek dropped some big news during his company's Q2 2021 call, announcing that ESPN and Major League Baseball …
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:
Protocol, @pkafka, @quinnypig, Deadline and The Wrap, more at Techmeme »
Senator Brian Schatz / U.S. Senator Brian Schatz …:
Three US senators and a US representative reintroduce the Future of Local News Act, which would create a group to study the state of local news and offer fixes — Local News Provides Important Public Service By Covering Stories That Matter To Communities, Holding Local Governments Accountable
Discussion:
@cforman, @notaaroncraig and @spj_tweets
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:
MediaPost, Variety, Fast Company, The Wrap, Variety, Business Wire, Funny Business, @cnbcnow, @xpangler, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @great_katzby, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @loudmouthjulia, @techjournalist, Front Office Sports, AppleInsider, Ad Age, MacRumors, The Streamable and IGN, more at Techmeme »
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:
Knight Foundation, @hmason, Poynter, @zhoyoyo, @jenniferpreston, @partnershipai, @pcheung630, @browninstitute, @knightfdn and @dankennedy_nu
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:
Salt Lake Tribune, Park Record and Variety
Ben Munson / FierceVideo:
TiVo buys MobiTV's assets for $18.5M, including its live and on-demand video delivery offerings to launch app-based streaming TV services — TiVo emerged as the winner on day 2 of an auction for MobiTV's assets after fending off several raised bids from Amino in conjunction with Roku and RPX, a patent portfolio company.
Discussion:
Light Reading
Benjamin Wallace / New York Magazine:
Behind the online battle between notable tech figures including a16z partners and Balaji Srinivasan, and the journalists who tweet and report on the industry — Late last fall, the New York Times was preparing a bombshell article about Coinbase, a financial exchange that had become …
Committee to Protect Journalists:
IDF destroyed two buildings in Gaza City housing 12+ media outlets; IDF says the buildings were targeted as sites of Hamas' intelligence and military offices — New York, May 13, 2021 - Israeli forces must refrain from bombing media outlets, and should ensure that journalists can work safely …
Alexandra Bruell / Wall Street Journal:
Ad agency Dentsu has created a division aimed at helping minority-owned media businesses grow and connect with ad buyers — Veteran ad buyer Mark Prince to lead division that will consult with minority-owned media businesses and marketers seeking increasingly diverse audiences
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:
The Information, @chrismessina, Vincos Newsletter, @tayhatmaker, @roka371, @blitzrick, @mattnavarra, @dhof and @caseynewton, more at Techmeme »
RTDNA:
Among 1,762 non-satellite TV stations, a record 1,116 aired local news in 2020, up 18 from the 2019 high; 29.3% report budget cuts vs. 9.1% in 2019 — Graphics credits: Talia Nikole Trackim / Syracuse University … TV — Despite facing revenue shortfalls, budget cuts …
Discussion:
The Streamable and Poynter
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