Top News:
Jessica Bursztynsky / CNBC:
BuzzFeed announces plans to go public via SPAC merger, targeting a $1.5B valuation, and will acquire digital publisher Complex Networks for $300M — BuzzFeed, a 15-year-old digital media company, announced Thursday it plans to go public via a merger with a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company.
Discussion:
Variety, @felixsalmon, CNN, Insider, @buzzfeedpr, Vanity Fair, Business Wire, TechCrunch, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, @pkafka, Axios, Reuters, The Hill, The Wrap, Daily Herald, @davecoion, @alexkotch, @kustoo, @rafat, @froomkin, @stevekovach, @ellievhall, BuzzFeed, Bloomberg, Deadline, Hollywood Reporter, @mathowie, @mylesudland and bookforum.com, more at Techmeme »
Stephen Shankland / CNET:
Google will delay plans to block third-party cookies from early 2022 to late 2023, to find ways to protect privacy without hurting ad-dependent publishers — It takes time to fix privacy problems without hurting ad-dependent websites, the search giant says.
Discussion:
Digiday, The Keyword, Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, The Verge, Nieman Lab, CNBC, AdExchanger, Insider, Ad Age, @benedictevans, Protocol, @justinbrookman, @ashk4n, 9to5Google, AppleInsider, Marketing Dive, Associated Press, Competition Policy …, Engadget, Bloomberg, @jbenton, @gerritd, @wsj and @aripap, more at Techmeme »
Catie Keck / The Verge:
NBCUniversal's Peacock app will be available on Fire TV products starting June 24, as part of a deal that will see 15 NBCUniversal apps arrive on Amazon devices — It's about time! — Nearly a year after Peacock's launch, NBCUniversal's marquee streaming app is finally coming to Fire TV and Fire tablets.
Discussion:
The Streamable, ScreenRant, The Wrap and FierceVideo, more at Techmeme »
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Lillian Rizzo / Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Peacock had fewer than 10M paid subs as of May; Comcast is considering a deal with ViacomCBS or acquiring Roku as it seeks to become a streaming giant
Discussion:
MediaPost, Protocol, The Streamable, Talking Biz News, Fortune, New York Post, Variety, FierceVideo, Shelly Palmer, Grow and Retain, @onejarednewman, @edbott, @harrymccracken, @carnage4life, @danrayburn, @sherman4949, @asharma, @jbflint, @jbflint, @asharma, @jbflint, @benmullin, Hollywood Reporter, CNBC, The Wrap, Cord Cutters News, The Desk and Bloomberg
Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Open AP and AT&T's Xandr, once seen as staunch rivals, strike a strategic data alliance that would let Xandr clients use Open AP's defined audience segments — Open AP and AT&T's Xandr were once seen as staunch rivals. Indeed, WarnerMedia, one of Open AP's founders …
Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
UK government bans junk food advertising online and before 9pm on TV from 2023, which could cost broadcasters more than £200M annually in revenue — Prohibition of adverts for products high in fat, salt and sugar could cost broadcasters more than £200m annually in revenue
Discussion:
@thecartoonloon, @cjsnowdon, @wcrf_uk, @eu_cocreate, @drsubhasree, @doomercoomer and HoldtheFrontPage
Megan Graham / CNBC:
Innovid, an ad tech company focused on connected television, says it is going public via SPAC merger at an implied valuation of around $1.3B — - Innovid, a 14-year-old ad tech company focused on connected television, plans to go public via a merger with a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company.
Discussion:
@megancgraham, AdExchanger and Ad Age
Jim Waterson / The Guardian:
Murdoch asks UK govt to abolish legal restraints on his interference in the editorial independence of the Times and Sunday Times, paving the way for a merger — News UK asks government to scrap legal curbs at Times and Sunday Times, paving way for full-blown merger
Discussion:
@johntwelvetrees, @nicholasguyatt and @realnatalierowe
Jim Salter / Associated Press:
Three Al Jazeera journalists who were tear-gassed in Ferguson have settled a lawsuit with the county, which has agreed to pay $280K — Three journalists with Al Jazeera who were tear-gassed during a protest in Ferguson, Missouri, after Michael Brown's death in 2014 have settled a lawsuit …
Paul Sawers / VentureBeat:
JW Player, a video streaming and analytics service used by major companies like Viacom, raises $100M Series E from LLR Partners — Where does your enterprise stand on the AI adoption curve? Take our AI survey to find out. — JW Player, a video streaming and analytics platform …
Discussion:
TechCrunch, Wall Street Journal and LLR Partners, more at Techmeme »
Sara Guaglione / Digiday:
Nielsen: those who listen to a podcast one to three times per month now make up nearly half of all listeners; comedy and news are the biggest podcast genres — “Light” podcast listeners — or those that listen to a podcast one to three times a month — now make up nearly half of podcast listeners …
Richard Lawler / The Verge:
Microsoft adds integrations with local news creators and authors to highlight local sources and support people with donations in Windows 11 — Support local news with your leftover Microsoft points — Supporting local news sources is suddenly something the tech industry worries about …
Discussion:
ScreenRant and XDA Developers, more at Techmeme »
EJ Dickson / Rolling Stone:
Profile of David Dobrik, a YouTuber notorious for goofy pranks who earned an estimated $15.5M in 2020, and is now under fire for turning trauma into content — The leader of the Vlog Squad built an empire on goofy pranks and wild stunts. Now he's under fire for turning trauma into content.
Discussion:
@digiphile, @kalhanr, @andykroll, @rebexxxxa, @mathewi, @itsthebrandi, @amyxwang, @rollingstone, @linzasaur and Insider
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