Top News:
Tony Maglio / The Wrap:
Discovery says it has 18M subscribers, most on Discovery+, reports Q2 net income of $672M on revenue of $3.06B, up 21% YoY; US ad revenue grew 12% YoY to $1.1B — Discovery surpassed financial expectations in the second quarter of 2021, when advertising sales and growth at Discovery+ made for a solid three-month period.
Discussion:
Variety, The Streamable, Variety, MediaPost, The Streamable, Variety, The Wrap, nexttv.com, @kelseymsutton and @alexweprin
Leonard Greene / New York Daily News:
A staffer sues Fox News saying Andrew Napolitano sexually harassed him and Larry Kudlow made racist and sexist remarks; Fox has “parted ways” with Napolitano — Fox Business host Larry Kudlow repeatedly made racist and sexist remarks during staff meetings and even blocked …
Lauren Easton / Associated Press:
Daisy Veerasingham named president and CEO of The Associated Press, becoming the first woman, person of color, and foreign citizen to lead the outlet — NEW YORK - The Associated Press today named Daisy Veerasingham as its new president and CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2022.
Discussion:
New York Times, The Wrap and @sarafischer
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:
Belarusian journalist given 18 months for insulting Lukashenko; human rights org reports 200+ July raids on offices and homes of activists and journalists — A Belarusian journalist has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after being found guilty of insulting the country's authoritarian leader …
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 …
Miranda Sawyer / The Guardian:
Some podcasters worry about the impact of huge investment into the industry, led by Spotify and Amazon, especially on indie shows — As big spenders such as Amazon and Spotify fill our ears with more commercial, celebrity-driven fare, can grassroots, diverse shows survive?
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 …
Discussion:
IndieWire, @jpmanga and @kerrymflynn
RELATED:
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
Discussion:
The Wrap, @benmullin, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, @kevinmayer, @tomstaggs, @sweetlikeali, @arlanwashere, @reesew, @richlightshed, @stuloeser, @wsj, @miriamgottfried, @jyarow, @sherman4949, @benmullin, @loudmouthjulia, ScreenRant, Business Wire, Vanity Fair, Us Weekly, Tubefilter, Axios, Fast Company, New York Post, TechCrunch, Ad Age, The Streamable, Insider and The Wrap
Karlene Lukovitz / MediaPost:
ViacomCBS announces a multi-year distribution agreement with Cox Communications, which will now gain access to Paramount+, Showtime OTT, and Pluto TV — ViacomCBS announced a new multi-year distribution agreement with Cox Communications that includes greater access to ViacomCBS's streaming services …
Ashley Carman / The Verge:
Frustrated by Gimlet Media's control of The Nod's feed and IP, the podcast cohosts are relaunching For Colored Nerds on Sirius, where they retain total control — For Colored Nerds comes to SiriusXM's Stitcher — The co-hosts of The Nod are back, and this time, they've separated …
Discussion:
Podcast Movement
Rick Edmonds / Poynter:
A look at CTInsider.com, a Hearst freemium initiative that pools the resources of its Connecticut newspapers, targeting 50K digital subscriptions by early 2022 — Most news outlets cut back to service only metro areas during the Great Recession. That's changing in South Carolina, Arkansas and, now, Connecticut.
Discussion:
@poynter, @ferrarohearstct, @poynter, @poynter, @wendy_met and @mandyhofmockel
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 has teamed up with TikTok stars, while some states are paying “local micro influencers” for pro-vaccine campaigns.
RELATED:
Taylor Lorenz / New York Times:
A look at Fuck You Pay Me, a Glassdoor-like service where creators can review brands they have worked with and share ad rates — Fed up with the imbalance between online influencers and brands, Lindsey Lee Lugrin and Isha Mehra created a platform to change that.
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:
@snowden, Beyond Search, @kevincollier, @adam_k_levin, @brooklynmarie, @drewharwell and @davidakaye, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
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
Discussion:
@oliviasolon, @rohini_sgh, @alex, @iyad_elbaghdadi, @oliviasolon, @drewharwell, @oliviasolon, @evan_greer, @evacide, @kimzetter and Beyond Search
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