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Gawker, now owned by Bustle, relaunches with Leah Finnegan as editor-in-chief — When Bustle Digital Group first approached me to revive Gawker last year, I said absolutely no way in hell. Who in God's name would want to edit a website that was cratered by an evil tech lord and sullied by a botched relaunch?
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@gawker, Gawker, New York Times, Gawker, Poynter, @mathewi, @edbott, @joseiswriting, @sarah_sloat_, @kerrymflynn, @jeremypgordon, @smashdawg, @juliaioffe, @thescibabe, @ryanvailbrown, @viajoshhunt, @benyt, @mathewi, @lgbtqfc, Newser, @davidlat, @dkaszor, @michaelroston, @kottke, @nataliekitro, @dnvolz, @rmac18, @ceciliakang, @rmac18, @lwoodhouse, @ricsanchez, @dpd_, @rmac18, @sarafischer, @brandyljensen, @e_alexjung, @kindahagi, @tcarmody, @mariebardi, @jennygzhang, @joshsternberg, @parkerortolani, @kantrowitz, @joshuatopolsky, @auntcontent, @jeremymonjo, @thegoodolddais, @ashihipar, @leahfinnegan, New York Post, Variety, After School, The Wrap and Boing Boing


NBCU's Peacock has 54M total signups, up from 42M at the end of March, 20M monthly active users, and is planning a European expansion via Sky — Peacock has reached 54 million signups to-date, NBCUniversal's parent company Comcast revealed Thursday morning in its Q2 2021 earnings release.
Discussion:
The Streamable, Variety, The Wrap and @eriqgardner, more at Techmeme »
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Comcast Q2: NBCU revenue up 39% YoY to ~$8B; ad revenue up 33% YoY to ~$2.2B; Peacock, broadcast, cable TV revenue up 26% YoY to $5.15B; Sky up 28% to $5.22B — Comcast Corp. posted a 25% jump in profit in the second quarter, as its broadband and wireless businesses added more customers …
Discussion:
Variety, Comcast Corporation and CNBC


Netflix will now require COVID-19 vaccinations for the casts of all US productions and for those who come into contact with the casts, with rare exceptions — EXCLUSIVE: Netflix has become the first major Hollywood studio to implement a blanket policy mandating vaccinations for the casts …
Discussion:
The Hill, Hollywood Reporter, @thekjohnston, @deadline, @marshawarfield, ScreenRant, /Film, The Verge, The Wrap, Collider, Breitbart and CNBC, more at Techmeme »


College Big 12 conference commissioner says ESPN is luring member colleges to other conferences, demands ESPN cease and desist; ESPN says claims have no merit — Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby alleges conference media rights partner ESPN conspired to damage the league by luring Texas …
Discussion:
@rossdellenger, Sportico, @petethamel, @dennisdoddcbs, @ksuwindbreaker, @jtlinder, @slmandel, @bypatforde, @averygwilks, @petethamel, @max_olson, @rossdellenger, @petethamel, @andy_staples, @silversteinadam, @rossdellenger, @texasfancyboots, @byjoelanderson, @rossdellenger, @mrmustang65, Sports Illustrated, NewsNation Now, Bleacher Report, The Wrap, Awful Announcing and Associated Press


Australia's Pedestrian Group has launched Refinery29 in Australia and New Zealand; the site is partnering with Getty Images to create stock photo libraries — Pedestrian Group has launched Refinery29, a global media and entertainment destination focused on women and underrepresented voices …
Discussion:
Mumbrella


Substack buys Letter, a startup that allows people to send public notes to one another, to help Substack authors collaborate — Digiday has learned that the publishing platform has acquired Letter, a kind of public correspondence startup founded by Dayne and Clyde Rathbone.
Discussion:
@maxwillens


Facebook says Q2 ad revenue was $28.58B, up 56% YoY, with average price per ad up 47% YoY and a 6% YoY increase in ads delivered — The rising price for ads delivered strong top and bottom-line results for Facebook, even as the social media giant continued to warn of “increased ad targeting headwinds.”
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Facebook, TechCrunch, Hollywood Reporter, Forbes, @carnage4life, @benedictevans and @froomkin, more at Techmeme »


Profile of Futuro Media, a nonprofit that runs four Latino-focused outlets with funding from foundation philanthropy, individual donors, and corporate sponsors — In the halls of Congress in April, reporter Pablo Manríquez started asking United States representatives and senators …
Discussion:
Podcast Movement, @lopezcruzado, @hanaatameez, @andreagonram and @niemanstory


State of US news media in 2020: newspapers made more money from circulation than from ads for the first time, cable news saw explosive audience growth, and more — Every two years, Pew Research Center updates its series of fact sheets on the U.S. news media industry, tracking key audience …


NBC promoted Peacock's Olympics coverage before the games, but finding free live sports there has been confusing; some sports are only available via paid tiers — Ahead of the Olympics, NBC heralded its streaming app Peacock as a new outlet for sports coverage where users could watch live events and commentary for free.
Discussion:
@slate, @michaelsocolow, @michaelsocolow, Fox News, Los Angeles Times, New York Times and NBCSports.com


A look at “dirtbag-left” podcasts like Chapo Trap House, that pair socialist ideas with the rhetorical style of social media, as some pivot away from politics — For years, “Chapo Trap House” and other podcasts have paired anti-capitalist ideas with the rhetorical style of social media.
Discussion:
@ed_dale, @mattpolprof, @sadydoyle, @samadlerbell, @keeltyc, @jesse_brenneman, @noahhurowitz and @davidklion