Top News:
Jeremy Fuster / The Wrap:
Disney says Marvel's Black Widow has earned $60M+ on opening weekend via its Premier Access program, which lets Disney+ subscribers rent the movie for $30 — Opening weekend estimates for Marvel Studios' “Black Widow” took a hit after Saturday grosses were lower than expected …
Discussion:
The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Garbage Day, MediaPost, New York Times, Fast Company, Forbes, Numlock News, @tomperriello, Observer, /Film, Adweek, @cwarzel, @williammatt22, @littlelostsunny, Hollywood Reporter, @variety, @cctakato, @pandemona, @morganicink, @patrick_spence, @wfederman, @stevendeknight, @shannontindle_1, @awallenstein, @wallstcynic, @ballmatthew, @richlightshed, @pkafka, @mikedeestro, @variety, @filq2001, The Verge, Deadline, Associated Press, The Streamable and ScreenRant, more at Techmeme »
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Ben Smith / New York Times:
Five bright spots for US journalism: from strong nonprofit reporting on the NRA to ventures like climate-focused Bloomberg Green and texting-based Outlier Media — A look at some of the ventures that have sprung up, fueled by a new sense of mission in American journalism and by the sheer quantities of money available.
Tiffany Hsu / New York Times:
How Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, and other Fox News hosts helped elevate vaccine skepticism, once relegated to the fringes, to the conservative mainstream — Months after Rupert Murdoch got a Covid-19 dose, one of his network's stars, Tucker Carlson, called a Biden vaccination proposal “the greatest scandal in my lifetime.”
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, Mediaite, @marmel, @gabbystern, Politico, Between Rock and a Hard Place, Insider, @mollyjongfast, @peterhotez, Vanity Fair, @farnazfassihi, @joyannreid and CNN
CNN:
Sources: Tucker Carlson is furious with Fox News executives and its PR team for not defending his evidence-free claims that NSA spied on him — (CNN Business)Tucker Carlson is furious with Fox News executives for not vigorously defending him amid his evidence-free claims …
Discussion:
@brianstelter, New York Post, TheBlaze, @oliverdarcy, @brianstelter, @mediaite, Vanity Fair, @brianstelter, @davidyankovich, Insider, @oliverdarcy, Mediaite, The Hill, @pbump and @pbump
Kate Kaye / Digiday:
Facebook confirms it is delaying a brand safety audit by industry body MRC, after publicly committing to the audit a year ago during an ad boycott — Facebook's brand safety audit is postponed. — The company promised the Media Rating Council, the industry's decades-old measurement verification body …
Sarah Butler / The Guardian:
TikTok opens its first pop-up venue in UK, with influencer sessions explaining content creation and sessions for parents to learn about keeping teenagers safe — Influencers including Kyle Thomas, Ehiz Ufuah and Poppy O'Toole will offer sessions on creating content
Discussion:
@mattnavarra
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Brian Steinberg / Variety:
Disney to raise the subscription fees for ESPN+ in the US to $7/mo. and $70/year, from $6/mo. and $60/year; price for a Disney bundle is unchanged at $14/mo. — Disney will raise the monthly and annual fees for ESPN Plus, one of three different subscription-based streaming services it operates in the U.S. …
Discussion:
The Wrap, The Streamable, Ad Age, CNBC, FierceVideo, @alexweprin, @richlightshed, @keitholbermann, 9to5Mac, @masasoncap and Cord Cutters News
Pei Li / Reuters:
Sources: China to order Tencent Music to give up exclusive rights to music labels, and fine ~$77K for lapses in reporting the acquisitions of two streaming apps — China's antitrust regulator is set to order the music streaming arm of Tencent Holdings Ltd (0700.HK) to give up exclusive rights …
Discussion:
Variety, @saketreddy, Music Business Worldwide and musically.com, more at Techmeme »
Chris Quinn / Plain Dealer:
Editor of Cleveland's The Plain Dealer says its decision to ignore false statements and stunts by politicians is working well, with readers responding favorably — I wrote four months ago about our approach to covering political candidates who make false, irresponsible and potentially dangerous statements …
Discussion:
@rafat
Agence France-Presse:
TV Pirveli, an independent station in Georgia, says a cameraman has died after being badly beaten by far-right assailants during an anti-Pride protest — Government accused of ‘culpable passivity’ after dozens of journalists were attacked covering Pride protest
Discussion:
@pavelfischer, New York Post and International Press Institute
Kalyeena Makortoff / The Guardian:
DMGT chairman Lord Rothermere is considering an offer to buy about 70% of the newspaper group and take it private, in a deal that values DMGT at £810M — Daily Mail & General Trust chair's family would buy about 70% of group that it does not already own
Discussion:
Reuters, @jimwaterson, @mrjkilcoyne, @janemartinson and @campbellclaret
Sarah Bahr / New York Times:
NYT journalists discuss the tradeoffs in talking about their reporting on networks like CNN, CBS, and MSNBC; around 20 NYT reporters make regular appearances — Appearing on TV news shows lets Times reporters take their work to a wider audience. But the opportunities must be handled with care.
Associated Press:
News Media Alliance again criticizes Louis DeJoy's plans to raise periodical postal rates by 8%+ on Aug. 29, saying the move will hurt newspapers and the public — The U.S. Postal Service's plan to raise mailing rates could present one more damaging blow to community newspapers already reeling …