Top News:
Leah Finnegan / Gawker:
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?
Discussion:
@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
The Wrap:
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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Lillian Rizzo / Wall Street Journal:
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
Nellie Andreeva / Deadline:
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 »
CBSSports.com:
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
Mediaweek:
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
Max Willens / Digiday:
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
Stephanie Condon / ZDNet:
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.”
Discussion:
Facebook, TechCrunch, Hollywood Reporter, Forbes, @carnage4life, @benedictevans and @froomkin, more at Techmeme »
Hanaa' Tameez / Nieman Lab:
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
Michael Barthel / Pew Research Center:
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 …
Jake Dean / Slate:
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
Andrew Marantz / New Yorker:
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
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