Top News:
Wall Street Journal:
Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine has been sold to a company led by ex-Disney execs and backed by PE giant Blackstone, sources say at a ~$900M valuation — Firm led by former Disney executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs plans to acquire other content companies
Discussion:
ScreenRant, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, New York Post, Fast Company, @benmullin, Axios, Business Wire, @arlanwashere, Us Weekly, TechCrunch, Vanity Fair, The Streamable, The Wrap, Tubefilter, @loudmouthjulia, @jyarow, @reesew, @benmullin, @miriamgottfried, @stuloeser, @wsj, @sherman4949, @richlightshed and Insider
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Cynthia Littleton / Variety:
In an interview, Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, who just bought Hello Sunshine, say Blackstone vowed to provide them with $2B for acquisition of content suppliers — The $900 million acquisition of Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine by private equity giant Blackstone is a big step toward …
Olivia Solon / NBC News:
Female journalists and activists share how they were targeted and harassed by authoritarian regimes through hack-and-leak attacks using the Pegasus spyware — Ghada Oueiss, a Lebanese broadcast journalist at Al-Jazeera, was eating dinner at home with her husband last June when she received …
Discussion:
@oliviasolon, Beyond Search, @drewharwell, @oliviasolon, @iyad_elbaghdadi, @evacide, @kimzetter, @evan_greer and @oliviasolon, more at Techmeme »
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Kim Willsher / The Guardian:
French intelligence agency confirms Pegasus spyware was found on the phones of three journalists, at TV station France 24 and investigative outlet Mediapart — Announcement is first time an independent and official authority has corroborated Pegasus project findings
Discussion:
@kevincollier, @adam_k_levin and @drewharwell, more at Techmeme »
New York Times:
While social media companies attract attention for vaccine misinformation, researchers say local media has been a powerful conduit for anti-vaccine messaging — Facebook and other social media have been under scrutiny for vaccine misinformation, but local outlets have also sometimes been active.
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Taylor Lorenz / New York Times:
The White House and some states are teaming up with influencers on TikTok and Instagram to encourage vaccine uptake in young people and counter misinformation
The White House and some states are teaming up with influencers on TikTok and Instagram to encourage vaccine uptake in young people and counter misinformation
Discussion:
Chicago Sun-Times, Breitbart, @berthahidalgo, @taylorlorenz, @nickcho, @brandonrichards and @taylorlorenz
Robert Silverman / The Daily Beast:
A deep dive into Tim Pool's career, from livestreaming Occupy to jobs at Vice before spotlighting extremists and white nationalists on YouTube and his website — OFF THE DEEP END … A former darling of Occupy Wall Street, Tim Pool has racked up more than a billion views and millions …
Discussion:
@bobsaietta, @jaredlholt, @jaredlholt, Today in Tabs, @silvermanjacob, @blackamazon, @jasonintrator, @thedailybeast, @nandoodles, @anthonylfisher, @thetomzone, @mobute, @beccalew, @lukeobrien and @mlcalderone, Thanks:@ants000
Nicole Sperling / New York Times:
Profile of Alex Kurtzman, who has a $160M, five-and-a-half-year deal to develop the Star Trek franchise at Paramount+, a key project to boost the small service — “He's our future,” one CBS Studios executive said of Alex Kurtzman, who has a lucrative contract to expand the “Star Trek” …
Discussion:
ScreenRant, @viacomcbs, @variety, @startrek, Variety and The Wrap
Todd Spangler / Variety:
News Corp says it will pay $1.15B in cash to buy the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) from S&P Global and IHS Markit — News Corp, the news and media conglomerate headed by Rupert Murdoch, will pay $1.15 billion in cash for the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) …
Discussion:
Business Wire, MediaPost, @rafat and @sarafischer
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Twitter partners with Reuters and the AP, who will provide context and highlight links from trusted sources for Trends, Moments, Search, and more — Twitter announced today it's partnering with news organizations The Associated Press (AP) and Reuters to expand its efforts focused …
Discussion:
Twitter, Editor and Publisher, @larakate and Reuters News Agency
Jon Porter / The Verge:
YouTube trials Premium Lite subscription for €6.99/month, offering ad-free viewing across all major platforms, currently available in Europe — Currently being piloted in parts of Europe — Google is piloting a more affordable premium subscription tier for YouTube …
Discussion:
ResetEra, MediaPost, Tubefilter, UPI, XDA Developers, @tomwarren, MacRumors, @danishkh4n, Cord Cutters News, The Streamable and 9to5Google, more at Techmeme »
Alex Weprin / Hollywood Reporter:
AT&T officially completes its DirecTV spinoff, of which it still owns 70%; DirecTV will focus on satellite TV and streaming, which it will brand DirecTV Stream — Satellite TV company unveils new corporate branding as it launches as a standalone video company.
Discussion:
The Streamable, Los Angeles Times, ResetEra, Deadline and Business Wire
Amanda Meade / The Guardian:
YouTube issues strike, suspends Sky News Australia for a week over its videos denying COVID-19 existence, promoting the use of hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin — Digital giant issues strike after channel posted videos denying the existence of disease and encouraging people to use discredited medication
Discussion:
Sky News Australia, Factual Dispatch, @skynewsaust, @profterryhughes, @risj_oxford, @pandemic_times, What's New in Publishing, @billbowtell, @maynereport, @picardonhealth, @ggreenwald, @stopfundinghate, @elisethoma5, @swearyanthony, @kmac, @imranajmain, @mjrowland68, @julia_zemiro, @alankohler, @paulnudeisbest, newslaundry.com, @meadea, @mrkrudd, @earleyedition, @endemicprepared, @sophiemcneill, New York Post, The Wrap, Reuters, Mediaweek, @mehreenfaruqi and @maynereport, more at Techmeme »