Top News:
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 …
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, @pkafka and Deadline, more at Techmeme »
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 …
Discussion:
Sportico, Variety, Awful Announcing, Adweek, MLB.com, Sports Business Journal, Chicago Sun-Times, Sports Media Watch and Cord Cutters News
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:
Hollywood Reporter, WNBA.com, @caiti326, Awful Announcing, @ramonashelburne, The Verge, Engadget and The Streamable
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.
Hamish McKenzie / Substack Blog:
Substack acquires People & Company, which focuses on community building, to expand its support infrastructure for writers, including workshops and legal support — In 2014, journalist Anna Codrea-Rado, publisher of Lance, pitched a story to editors at a major news outlet …
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, Variety and Park Record
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
Peter Guest / Rest of World:
After sweeping up politicians and dissidents, Myanmar's junta is targeting digital media figures and online creators, many of whom have fled or been jailed — The day after Thingyan, the festival of water that marks the Burmese New Year, Win Ko Ko Aung slipped across the Burmese border into Thailand …
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
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:
@dhof, @caseynewton, @chrismessina, @mattnavarra, @tayhatmaker, @roka371 and @blitzrick, more at Techmeme »